Got a crazy forwarded political email from your family? Post them here.

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Nenonen: Oct 22, 2009; Mulla on aina kolkyt donaa taskussa

El Boot posted:

Just saw this on Facebook.

I have no loving clue.

It is pretty clueless. I just don't think you'll recognize more than one or two of these campaign symbols.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:04

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 11:51

Loving Life Partner: Apr 17, 2003

My sister only took hormonal birth control because if she didn't, for 4 days out of every month, she'd be doubled over on the bathroom floor crying from insane menstrual cramps, and throwing up every 6 seconds.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:09

Nenonen: Oct 22, 2009; Mulla on aina kolkyt donaa taskussa

Loving Life Partner posted:

My sister only took hormonal birth control because if she didn't, for 4 days out of every month, she'd be doubled over on the bathroom floor crying from insane menstrual cramps, and throwing up every 6 seconds.

That's God's punishment for Eve's sin. Also, all women are whores.

Now, if you really wanted to reach out for the other side, you have to point out that hormonal BC may increase breast size. No conservative can stand opposed to bigger boobies.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:18

Chef Boyardeez Nuts: Sep 9, 2011; The more you kick against the pricks, the more you suffer.

El Boot posted:

Just saw this on Facebook.

I have no loving clue.

Perhaps this will help?

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:25

downout: Jul 6, 2009

Nothing like getting the worst from people. People don't know how taxes work. News at 11.

quote:

Just angry, tired and fed up with the whole system. It IS a war of thought and ideology. I think it was as of 2 years ago only 50.5 percent of our population was paying taxes. It's gotta be worse today. I bust my rear end at work and lose well over a third of my money to the government. I'm tired of people who say that others should pay their "fair share" when half of our country pays nothing at all. I'm angry because I have people telling me that I have to pay for some one else's birth control because it's a woman's "right". I'm angry because the institutional left insist that I pay for abortion when I abhore the practice. I'm angry over the "settlede debate" over global warming. Don't know if it's true or not but when we have roughly 100 - 120 years of "accurately" recorded weather from the entire history of our planet, I don't think that they should be shutting out dissenting peer reviews just to try to "settle" the scientific debate. They tried to push global cooling thirty years ago after all. I'm tired of being called racist for wanting welfare and medicaid reform. Sexist for being against Roe v. Wade. Selfish (greedy) for just trying to take care of mine to the best of my ability. There is SOOOO much more... Breitbart was good at pointing out true injustice in the system. He showed that the left points a fan at you, throws a bunch of bull poo poo into it, and then cries foul because they got a little dirty in the smearing process. He showed the right's faults as well like only giving us candidates that THEY approve of and of being for the party instead of for the people. I'd be ranting more but unlike the Occupiers with their rape, murder, overdoses, and, in general, feeble minded hypocrisy I must get to work. They should rejoice because over 35% of the money I earn today is going to go to them...

downout fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Mar 3, 2012

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:34

zero alpha: Feb 18, 2012; by Y Kant Ozma Post

Just got this from my aunt, how should I respond?

quote:

"JEB" BUSH the "candidate" in the loser role to the "reelection" of Hillary Clinton in November 2012, after "Obama" stripped of his title

zero alpha fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Mar 3, 2012

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:34

Leospeare: Jun 27, 2003; I lack the ability to think of a creative title.

zero alpha posted:

Just got this from my aunt, how should I respond?

"Shaka, when the walls fell"

# ? Mar 3, 2012 05:50

The Dark One: Aug 19, 2005; I'm your friend and I'm not going to just stand by and let you do this!

zero alpha posted:

Just got this from my aunt, how should I respond?

There's an entire thread devoted to that particular email: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3470038

# ? Mar 3, 2012 06:57

Arglebargle III: Feb 21, 2006

I'm just utterly shocked that the right wing is seriously going after birth control prescriptions. The talking heads my nod sagely and discuss whatever bullshit middle ground remains but you have to think being anti-birth control does not play well with the vast majority of people who rely on it regularly. To have sex.

The Republican party is against sex. How does anyone avoid just loving laughing in their faces when they bring this poo poo up? Let them be against sex, then nail them with it. If the left plays its cards even a little right the right-wing legislators who support this will have ads claiming (rightly) that they tried to deny women access to birth control and increase its cost for everyone. Let them be against sex. Let the left be pro-sex. Sex is popular.

Also I didn't realize that email the judge got in trouble for forwarding accuses Obama's mother of having sex with dogs. That poo poo is heinous.

I didn't think I could be shocked any more but :psyduck:

Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Mar 3, 2012

# ? Mar 3, 2012 10:02

Elder Postsman: Aug 30, 2000; i used hot bot to search for "teens"

I'm not sure if there's any way to respond to that that isn't just a string of expletives.

Elder Postsman fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Mar 3, 2012

# ? Mar 3, 2012 15:32

Tomahawk: Aug 13, 2003; HE KNOWS

Well, I've finally found a left leaning person spreading nonsense. Some girl on my Facebook actually believed that joke about the GOP wanting to ban tampons. I corrected her and told her it wasn't true, but that it says a lot about the GOP when "banning tampons" is a believable goal for them.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:00

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

katlington posted:

When Rush wants to gently caress Rush goes to the Dominican Republic where people are not as stuck up about sex as they are in America.

I'd never say "Rush Limbaugh likes to gently caress little boys", but gosh he does engage in a lot of behavior common to people with that desire

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:08

sexpig by night: Sep 8, 2011; by Azathoth

I would never call Rush a child prostitute using sex tourist, but I'm just asking the question, do we know for SURE he isn't? Where is the proof. I'm just asking here, folks.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:09

Sulphuric Sundae: Feb 10, 2006; You can't go in there.
Your father is dead.

Edit: Sorry guys, I went back a few pages and saw this one was already posted recently. I figured it was old enough that it'd been a while and my :10bux:

search add-on didn't yield anything.

Got this one from a Tea Partier on my Facebook. I'd defriend her, but she and I know each other through theatre and end up in the same plays sometimes.

quote:

One Pissed off Canadian Housewife
This is very good PLEASE read....

Thought you might like to read this letter
to the editor. Ever notice how some people
just seem to know how to write a letter?

This one surely does!

This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how
it also applies to the U.S.A., U.K. and Australia .

THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH

Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to
her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady...

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was
it or was it not, started by Islamic people who
brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001
and have continually threatened to do so since?

Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered
that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from
the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines urinating on some dead Taliban insurgents?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle
East, start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief
of which, is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are
sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head, while Berg
screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called insurgents
in Afghanistan , come out and fight like men,
instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow
themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the
innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.

I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that
their freedom of Speech on stories, is more important than
the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting
at home, to hear about them when something happens.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a
CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent
terrorist to obtain information, know this:

I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the
head when he is told not to move because he
might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:

I don't care. Shoot him again.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food, that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe, in your heart of hearts:

I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes
it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.'
Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it.

I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to
all your E-mail Friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to
the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering, if
during their life on earth, they made a difference in
the world. But, the Soldiers don't have that problem.

I have another quote that I would like to
share AND...I hope you forward All this.

One last thought for the day:

Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ

2. The British Soldier.

3. The Canadian Soldier.

4. The US Soldier, and

5. The Australian Soldier

One died for your soul,
the other four, for you and your children's Freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,
AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET!

AMEN! GOD BLESS CANADA AND AMERICA .

Looks like this one's been passed around since like 2005 with references changed to fit what nationality the writer is and the latest piece of news. They're always pretty much "They attacked us first, so I don't give a poo poo what human rights we violate in retaliating."

I responded to her with a Bible quote. I know she's a very religious woman, so we'll see where this goes.

Sulphuric Sundae fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Mar 3, 2012

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:26

Z-Magic: Feb 19, 2011; They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.

Sulphuric Sundae posted:

Got this one from a Tea Partier on my Facebook. I'd defriend her, but she and I know each other through theatre and end up in the same plays sometimes.

Looks like this one's been passed around since like 2005 with references changed to fit what nationality the writer is and the latest piece of news. They're always pretty much "They attacked us first, so I don't give a poo poo what human rights we violate in retaliating."

I responded to her with a Bible quote. I know she's a very religious woman, so we'll see where this goes.

I'd ask how this

quote:

I'll care when the cowardly so-called insurgents
in Afghanistan , come out and fight like men,
instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in Mosques and behind women and children.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow
themselves up in search of Nirvana, care about the
innocent children within range of their suicide Bombs.

Is different from this.

quote:

In an extensive analysis of open-source documents, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that 2,292 people had been killed by US missiles, including as many as 775 civilians.

The strikes, which began under President George W Bush but have since accelerated during the presidency of Barack Obama, are hated in Pakistan, where families live in fear of the bright specks that appear to hover in the sky overhead.

In just a single attack on a madrassah in 2006 up to 69 children lost their lives.

I hate when those cowards refuse to show their faces and have no qualms about killing children. That is why we must use unmanned drones kill those people and to hell with the collateral damage.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:39

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

Loving Life Partner posted:

My sister only took hormonal birth control because if she didn't, for 4 days out of every month, she'd be doubled over on the bathroom floor crying from insane menstrual cramps, and throwing up every 6 seconds.

One of my friends was in the same boat. Unfortunately I really don't think this is the way to go about winning this argument, because in the same breath I'd have to admit that most of my other female friends are using birth control for the purpose of, well, controlling birth. We can't rely on the sympathy of "well a non-small (but not majority) portion of women are using birth control for reasons other than stopping procreation, we have to help them!", we have to fix the idea that having sex for pleasure and stopping undesired pregnancies is bad.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 19:41

Brennanite: Feb 14, 2009

zero alpha posted:

Just got this from my aunt, how should I respond?

"Why" are "there" so many "unnecessary" quotation "marks"? That's a crime against humanity, right there.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 22:12

Sarcastro: Dec 28, 2000; Elite member of the Grammar Nazi Squad that

Brennanite posted:

"Why" are "there" so many "unnecessary" quotation "marks"? That's a crime against humanity, right there.

I try to be even-handed, but this kind of thing and the Random things Capitalized here and There are things I've only ever seen in ridiculous conservative posts/emails. Liberals can get riled up, sure, but I've never witnessed this bizarre behavior in anything with a leftward bent. I really don't understand it.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 22:26

Tomahawk: Aug 13, 2003; HE KNOWS

Sarcastro posted:

I try to be even-handed, but this kind of thing and the Random things Capitalized here and There are things I've only ever seen in ridiculous conservative posts/emails. Liberals can get riled up, sure, but I've never witnessed this bizarre behavior in anything with a leftward bent. I really don't understand it.

You forgot about the overuse of ellipses.................

# ? Mar 3, 2012 22:33

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

Those are things old people do on computers, more or less, so it's not surprising that the party which is mostly composed of old people would do it. It's still stupid though.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 22:38

Sulphuric Sundae: Feb 10, 2006; You can't go in there.
Your father is dead.

Z-Magic posted:

I hate when those cowards refuse to show their faces and have no qualms about killing children. That is why we must use unmanned drones kill those people and to hell with the collateral damage.

I responded to her with something similar. I was gonna find those numbers earlier and post something to her, but I was in a hurry.

I have another friend who is Catholic, and posts all sorts of fun anti-birthcontrol stuff. She's overall pretty left-leaning, except for birth control and abortions. But she posted a big article saying that birth control and the sexual revolution are the worst things to happen to feminism, and the social requirement of having to take carcinogenic no-baby pills has left women still beholden to men and their sexual desires. Of course, I think she was a virgin until marriage and got pregnant within 30 days of the ceremony. She is really of the "sex is for babies, not fun" kind of Catholic mindset.

# ? Mar 3, 2012 23:09

Pththya-lyi: Nov 8, 2009; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2020

My dad was complaining the other day about how vitriolic journalists were being about Andrew Breitbart's death [citation needed], so I showed him this video of Breitbart screaming at Occupiers and he said, "I don't see anything wrong with what he's saying, Occupy is an incredibly violent movement. :smug:

# ? Mar 4, 2012 00:24

TLG James: Jun 5, 2000; Questing ain't easy

Is there a decent rebuttal on how the health care premiums are going to change for active duty/retired military personnel? Every single source is from some right wing blogs.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 01:35

f#a#: Sep 6, 2004; I can't promise it will live up to the hype, but I tried my best.

More Sandra Fluke nonsense! Last time, my brother had emailed my family calling her a slut and blah blah blah liberal policies destroying our country, etc. etc. Check the last page if you're interested.

I responded like this (yes, I know I probably got too off track, and apologize).

I posted:

This would all be fine and well if the policy Sandra Fluke is fighting for actually involved taxpayers. As per the White House release, this policy can be summed up as, "if an employee requests birth control through his/her employer's health insurance plan, it must be provided without a copay or deductible." This is a closed loop between employer, employee and insurance company, and does not involve any taxpayer-funded health care programs, plain and simple. The main controversy of this policy has been positioned as a breach of religious freedom for religious institutions, and Obama has since allowed a caveat that lets women in those positions communicate with the healthcare provider directly, rather than going through their employer.

Never mind the fact that her argument in the video you linked has little to do with sex. As she posited, birth control has several valid non-contraceptive uses: it can protect against ovarian cancer and regulate hormones, for starters. Still, I'll concede that this is an iffy argument, because you're right, the vast majority of people aren't using birth control in that way.

That being said, I realize that your email is more about the larger issue of public welfare, and in this case, how you feel the government shouldn't stick their noses in peoples' lives. I don't like to look at it that way, though: I feel that there are genuinely disenfranchised people who can't "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." I believe that any help the government�and indeed its constituents�can provide is for the better. After all, we were founded on principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every individual. But when 15% of the American population is below the poverty line while wealth is increasingly being consolidated to high-income individuals, I feel like we've misstepped as a nation in pursuit of those principles.

I'm just going to go with an example here: let's say a single person working a minimum wage job gets hit with an unexpected medical condition. His job probably doesn't provide good health coverage, so in all likelihood he'll get saddled with huge medical bills that only a bank loan could theoretically cover (unless he just wants to up-and-die). Even if he's able to get that loan (poor people can't really build up their credit score all that well), he'll have exorbitant interest rates, and with his $22,000 salary that's out of control. If he tries getting another job, well, the demand's likely too high (McDonalds recently hired 62,000 people�out of a pool of 1 million applicants) and the employer will opt to go with someone who isn't, you know, splitting their time between two jobs. It doesn't help that higher education prices are only rising while more jobs are demanding degrees.

Any system that allows this man to just die is, in my opinion, a broken system. I honestly believe that every human has at least a modicum of worth, and that the "bad apples" are more often than not a direct result of a poor socioeconomic condition. I want a society that values the wellbeing of all its constituents. It isn't an issue of bipartisanship, and it isn't about the "joke of a party" you think I support (I don't). It's an issue about the direction our society's heading in.

...to which he replied:

quote:

Eloquently written, but I feel that your points are off. This woman wants free contraceptives, plain and simple. It's disgusting and is a disgrace. You know, hey I've had IBS for 6 years. Hey, maybe the government should pay for my toilet paper. Maybe the government should pay for more research on the issues. That's a better case than hers honestly. And to associate free contraceptives with women's rights issues is a complete disgrace to the women's rights movement.

Regarding your first paragraph, what do you think is going to happen when the insurance companies have to start giving out contraceptives to every single person who requests them "without copay and without deductible"... Hmm? The insurance rates are going to go way up. On top of that effect, now that nobody will actually be buying contraceptives from stores anymore, the contraceptive companies will raise their prices, which will make the insurance rates even higher, and yet again, as with every loving liberal policy, the small business owner who pays the insurance company for his/her employees is going to suffer. And what happens when a small business owner suffers? He/she lets people go. Then there are less jobs, and a worse economy. The whole system is yet again dragged down by garbage liberal policies like this.

"Contraceptives can protect against ovarian cancer and regulate hormones"....wow...seriously? Last I heard, birth control pills had horrible effects on most women. I know a few women who avoid them completely due to their effects on hormones. This is obviously just a random crumby scientific fact that liberals throw out there to look better. I mean, it's like saying that smoking is good for you because it helps with nerves (after you're addicted to nicotine).

Regarding your third paragraph, the nation is going to get poorer and poorer when more and more of these liberal policies are put into place because they make business owners suffer as I described above. Germany learned this a few years ago, and are now back to a more conservative system. The peak of their liberal leaning was when I was there in 2002 and saw numerous very intelligent and normal people as bums on the street. It was quite scary and depressing.

Regarding your fourth paragraph, you're describing nature, not government. There is no utopian society. You can't have a perfect place where everyone is rich and happy. It has been proven wrong time and time again, through wars and horror and other failed socialist and left leaning experiments. It doesn't work. What works is an environment where everyone is free. Where the smart people such as yourself succeed and are ahead of lazier people who just want to mooch off hard working people like yourself. Nature is always going to make smart people, dumb people, lazy people, crazy people, serial killers, dullards, etc. There is a whole gamut of people, and you can't control it all with a government.

I just don't know what to say really. That link about the how 40% of women are using birth control for noncontraceptive use and how Fluke's $3000 was spread over three years are good starts, but drat. I mean, his point in the second paragraph is valid, right? How can I respond to that?

# ? Mar 4, 2012 02:05

Z-Magic: Feb 19, 2011; They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.

f#a# posted:

I just don't know what to say really. That link about the how 40% of women are using birth control for noncontraceptive use and how Fluke's $3000 was spread over three years are good starts, but drat. I mean, his point in the second paragraph is valid, right? How can I respond to that?

UHC would take care of the problem.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 02:10

Elder Postsman: Aug 30, 2000; i used hot bot to search for "teens"

Z-Magic posted:

UHC would take care of the problem.

Oh yeah, that'll convince the guy who's talking about garbage liberal policies and failed socialist experiments.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 02:26

RPZip: Feb 6, 2009; WORDS IN THE HEART
CANNOT BE TAKEN

quote:

UHC would take care of the problem.

This is true, and the way medicine and prescription costs work in the United States is incredibly perverse and leads to the worst possible outcomes for pretty much everyone since it has the worst of both free market and government-run systems making it a giant clusterfuck... but even granting that, his point isn't even really that accurate.

Pop quiz: which is more expensive for the insurance company to cover, contraception or prenatal care? Even before you get to the actual hospital room with the baby the costs go way up. Then there's the hospital visit itself, insurance and health care costs for the baby which is now going to be on the employer's plan, maternity leave...

A rational lolbertarian employer should be putting birth control into the drinking fountains for the employees. It'd save him a lot of money in the long run.

e: VVVV
Huh, I missed that.

quote:

"Contraceptives can protect against ovarian cancer and regulate hormones"....wow...seriously? Last I heard, birth control pills had horrible effects on most women. I know a few women who avoid them completely due to their effects on hormones. This is obviously just a random crumby scientific fact that liberals throw out there to look better. I mean, it's like saying that smoking is good for you because it helps with nerves (after you're addicted to nicotine).

Yeah, this is just straight up not true. I can't find the study right now but something it's something like 44% of women take oral contraceptives solely for birth control.

RPZip fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Mar 4, 2012

# ? Mar 4, 2012 02:28

Call Me Charlie: Dec 3, 2005; by Smythe

f#a# posted:

...to which he replied:

I just don't know what to say really. That link about the how 40% of women are using birth control for noncontraceptive use and how Fluke's $3000 was spread over three years are good starts, but drat. I mean, his point in the second paragraph is valid, right? How can I respond to that?

Don't respond.

quote:

....wow...seriously? Last I heard, birth control pills had horrible effects on most women. I know a few women who avoid them completely due to their effects on hormones. This is obviously just a random crumby scientific fact that liberals throw out there to look better. I mean, it's like saying that smoking is good for you because it helps with nerves (after you're addicted to nicotine).

Re-read that. That logic is broken. Nothing you say will get through to him. He will twist every piece of fact you send his way to fit his current viewpoint.

Or I guess you could go for a hail mary and ask him, assuming he is correct that this is just sex-crazed sluts looking for a handout, is it better for him to pay for their birth control or to pay for the children that will inevitably come from them rawdogging all around town? Because there is a real consequence if he is correct unlike his stupid IBS example.

- edit Oh hey, RPZip covered it already. I really have to refresh before I hit post.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 02:58

myron cope: Apr 21, 2009

The obvious answer to that is it shouldn't be MY ( :qq:

) responsibility to pay for her contraceptives or her kid. And then something about not having sex and getting a job, I don't know, those are the standard filler things.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 03:01

f#a#: Sep 6, 2004; I can't promise it will live up to the hype, but I tried my best.

Follow-up post! I replied thusly:

quote:

You said that you know women who avoid birth control because they change how your hormones work, and you're right in the sense that they do change hormonal activity. [personal anecdote goons don't get to hear]...the way birth control regulated her hormones helped her. And apparently, 58% women on birth control feel the same way, and use contraceptives for non-birth control reasons (so no, it's not random, crumby, liberal scientific hearsay). But yes, once you're on, you should probably stay on because there are withdrawal symptoms as your hormones return to their original form (that may be loose science, I only know what [Ashley] told me). And because you're constantly on it whether you're sexually active or not, $3000 over 3 years for daily intake pills is a lot of money. You seem to agree with the "that's a lot of money" part, but I don't think you understand that the cost of birth control is in only tangentially indicative of sexual activity, which I why I feel slighted when you revert to calling her slutty.

But that point aside, let's go with your assumption that women like Fluke are demanding insurance companies pay for their contraception solely for their primary use of preventing pregnancy. Here's a thought experiment: would it be better for insurance companies to pay for a woman's contraceptives, or pay for the full gamut of prenatal care that comes with bringing a baby into the world? Assuming the $3000 figure is accurate, that's an insurance company paying $83/mo for complete contraceptive coverage. Compare that against a $6200 vaginal delivery without complication, stacked with tons of OB/GYN visits and any other prenatal needs, maternity leave, and then the baby getting on the same employer's plan. So to say that medical insurance costs for employers would go way up is beyond disingenuous. Meanwhile, most females who are decently well-off, sexually active, and don't know about this policy will continue to buy contraceptives on their own accord without going through their employers, much in the same way that you and I qualify for several government programs that we don't take advantage of.

Furthermore, how are Fluke's statements " a complete disgrace to the women's rights movement?" Are you claiming that hormonal birth control is inherently bad, or that by flaunting her sexuality she is disgracing herself? If it's the latter, I'd like to say that she didn't actually mention anything about her sexual escapades. But that point aside, sex happens in modern society and there's no way around that. To actively slur women (with female-exclusive insults, no less) who even tangentially touch on a universal quality of humanity is far more regressive for gender equality than addressing it in the context of a bill that directly relates to female sexuality.

Finally, back to the bigger picture. You're right, there probably will never be a utopian society: only a "better" society or a "worse" society. I agree that in an ideal world, the smart people would succeed. But let's remember, any genetic predisposition towards intelligence is completely overshadowed by one's family and upbringing. In the example of the down-and-out guy I gave, I didn't mention whether he was smart or stupid, because that wasn't a central point. Even if he was the smartest man alive, there was simply no way for him to magically become successful, and that's most likely because he wouldn't have a support structure in terms of family or government. In our modern society, a person's socioeconomic status has much less to do with "smart or stupid" and more, "was the family who brought you into this world well-off? Congratulations, you win!" I'd argue that this is the central problem in our society, and that neither party is doing anything about it.

He texted me an hour later: "gently caress you liberal".

Then again, I did incite this.

...and then five minutes later: "Still <3 you of course". So I guess that's that.

Sporadic posted:

Don't respond.

I like to live dangerously!

f#a# fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Mar 4, 2012

# ? Mar 4, 2012 04:56

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

I'm really tired of the people who write really long and polite-sounding facebook posts to basically say that women who are sexually harassed are equally at fault as their assailants or whatever. Like, if you're going to have an awful opinion at least have the courtesy to write it like a crazy person instead of hiding behind a veil of sanity. Sorry mate, saying "well I'm not going to blame JUST the woman" doesn't mean you're in the clear. Bad things can happen to good people and the answer isn't always in the middle. Gah.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 05:35

Arglebargle III: Feb 21, 2006

These people are so goddamn confused. This is an argument about religious exemption from labor laws and all they can think of is SLUTS! Honestly if anyone calls women on birth control sluts you should just terminate the conversation and let them know their views are both abominable and irrelevant to the issue. Maybe if it's someone you like you can invite them to discuss the issue at hand instead of insulting most of the women you know.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 06:59

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

I don't even understand the "women shouldn't be on birth control" argument from a selfish perspective. Shouldn't womanizers WANT women to be less likely to have children after they have sex with them?

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:19

RPZip: Feb 6, 2009; WORDS IN THE HEART
CANNOT BE TAKEN

Countblanc posted:

I don't even understand the "women shouldn't be on birth control" argument from a selfish perspective. Shouldn't womanizers WANT women to be less likely to have children after they have sex with them?

It's not from a selfish perspective, it's "women should be punished for having sex".

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:20

goku chewbacca: Dec 14, 2002

zero alpha posted:

the aunt posted:
"JEB" BUSH the "candidate" in the loser role to the "reelection" of Hillary Clinton in November 2012, after "Obama" stripped of his title
Just got this from my aunt, how should I respond?

"That's not how you use quotation marks."
"Do your premonitions usually come to you as discordant gibberish?"

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:20

Loving Life Partner: Apr 17, 2003

Correct response is "KYOOOOOOOOON! :3:

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:35

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

RPZip posted:

It's not from a selfish perspective, it's "women should be punished for having sex".

Well I guess I meant I don't see the logic behind it. Like I understand random old dudes who go to church three times a week saying that volatile poo poo, but when I hear college classmates saying it I'm just at a loss. Isn't that like the exact time in your life you want to encourage women to be having more sex?

# ? Mar 4, 2012 07:54

Dr. Arbitrary: Mar 15, 2006; Bleak Gremlin

TLG James posted:

Is there a decent rebuttal on how the health care premiums are going to change for active duty/retired military personnel? Every single source is from some right wing blogs.

This is what I wrote in response to this article: http://m.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/obama-to-cut-medical-benefits-for-active-retired-military-not-union-workers

Dr. Arbitrary posted:

I have to look into this but this article is clearly not telling the whole story. Why did the author use a retired Colonel as an example? That's probably not a typical scenario, but I'm guessing the numbers don't look as scandalous when you look at a retired enlisted person who makes far less money. Second, this website pays its authors based on hits. A factual, well reasoned argument doesn't bring in money like hyperbole. I think it'd be a good idea to not jump to conclusions yet.

Look, I've spent a lot of time trying to learn how people use words to manipulate us in politics. This whole article is lean on facts but fat on speculation and emotional appeal. Tell me how this is going to affect veterans in the middle of the payscale, not how it's going to affect a retired general.

I'm pretty sure that most people pay around 25 a month for Tricare. Even if it triples it's still an outstanding deal.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 08:44

sexpig by night: Sep 8, 2011; by Azathoth

Countblanc posted:

Well I guess I meant I don't see the logic behind it. Like I understand random old dudes who go to church three times a week saying that volatile poo poo, but when I hear college classmates saying it I'm just at a loss. Isn't that like the exact time in your life you want to encourage women to be having more sex?

Reminder that in GBS' Santorum Rape Baby thread there was a good page or two derail of dudes saying it should be easier to abandon a pregnant woman without having to pay child support or something because abortions are super easy to just go get. Tons of lovely people wanna punish women for sex.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 09:06

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# ? May 27, 2024 11:51

Dr Christmas: Apr 24, 2010; Berninating the one percent,
Berninating the Wall St.
Berninating all the people
In their high rise penthouses!
🔥😱🔥🔫👴🏻

Let me just express impotent rage for the fact that a giant segment of American society claims to believe a religious figure who says "Help the poor or go to hell" more than anything else, and then make it their life's work to makes sure that people go without medicine for treatable conditions.

Seriously, I don't like those people, but in my most stupid indulgent revenge fantasy, I would never wish on them what they casually wish on every single person on Earth.

# ? Mar 4, 2012 10:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Got a crazy forwarded political email from your family? Post them here.

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