You will have to do some reading to get all the way to the bottom, and I'd about just as soon you didn't. But I promised. ( I probably won't leave this post up very long, though. ) Please feel free to skip straight to the bottom and just read the Notes at the end, if you want.

 

From: Pernice
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 5:53 PM
To: Pernice
Subject: From Pernice...thank you!

 This is an email I've been working on for a few moments here and there when my health will allow me to look at the screen - or 'think'.  I used my precious moments of life and I hope you will give some consideration...thanks! :)

Please let this speech download, then start listening at 42:45 as a personal favor to me

...at 39:45 if you can't take the time for that, or if you will at least

...at 34:45...

                                         ...YOU will be blessed!

 The speech doesn't last the entire time...there is a lot of music at the end, including the fun 'Raising McCain' song.  If you don't have time for any of it, then you have no right to complain about your government.

 http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/ef046a10-706a-4dd5-bd01-b93b36b054bc.htm

It's not enough to 'just vote'.  You must know what you are voting for!  Please, for all our sakes, KNOW the 'issues', NOT the 'soundbites'!!!  There are a lot of lies and misrepresentations out there, from all people, so KNOW for yourself.  No one can learn Spanish for you, no one can learn the Bible for you, and no one can learn the Political Truths for you.  You have to 'stand up' and do it for yourself and for your children!  We all have to be held responsible for our actions and in-actions in this world.

 Political Parties have basic 'platforms' or 'ideology', but its individual members are diametrically opposed on a wide variety of issues.  While many points can be argued, even within the individual parties - Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Independent - there are some basic differences in the major two:  It DOES NOT MATTER what party or ideology that you adhere to, as long as you KNOW what it is and why you believe it.

 Democrat Party:

**Believe in wealth redistribution.  This means they take from those who earn the most and, after putting into place more government programs with more government employees to distribute it, some of this money is used to support those who are not working to earn their money.  Sometimes, as we do now, this is necessary to take care of those who 'can't' take care of themselves.  That is very different than those who 'won't' take care of themselves and their children.  Now, this 'contested' money is all on top of regular tax money that is used for infrastructure, Military and Homeland Security, Education, and all those things that we do dutifully and happily pay taxes for.

**Believe that when a person dies, regardless of the taxes they have paid on their income, that they should not be allowed to leave it to whom they want.  They want the majority of it to go into the Federal checkbook.

**Believe in favor of abortion, anytime and for any reason.

 Republican Party:

**Believe in Capitalism.  This means they believe that Americans should keep more than 50% of what they earn.  They believe this encourages people to start businesses, hire people, and spend more money.  They believe this creates more jobs and more opportunities for all of us.  They also believe that Americans are very generous and want to help to take care of those who 'can't' take care of themselves.

**Believe that there should not be an inheritance (or 'death') tax.  They believe a person should be able to leave their money and/or possessions to whomever they want.

**Believe that abortion should not be a method of 'birth control'.  Some believe that abortion should be available only for rape/incest or risk to the mother's life, while some believe that abortion should never happen.

 My beliefs, as a Populist, are:

1.  I can spend my money more efficiently and more charitably than the government.

2.  I have the right to bear arms and defend myself and my family.

3.  Abortion should be a State Right, allowed in the event of rape/incest, or to protect the mother's life, along with decisions concerning the health and well-being of the fetus.  Each women will have to face God on their own, as I will.  Even if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against abortion, needing to support their "Basic stance on the protection of each individual life in this Nation" whether by genocide, murder, neglect, or abortion, I firmly believe the States will have the right to allow abortions, so abortions will always be available. (Remember prohibition?  How far did that get?  Oftentimes, men want these abortions more than the women!)

4.  I believe ALL parties have failed the People of the United States of America - for many decades...on Health, Energy Technology, Education, Conservation - just to name a few.  We have had our money taken and wasted!

5.  I believe people are confused when they support abortion and argue against capital punishment.

 A typical example is the U.S. Post Office.  This government program has a postman going to every house, 6 days a week; yet, they lose billions of dollars while UPS, Fed-Ex, etc. make profits while taking special trips to individual addresses each day around the world.  Imagine if all Government programs were run like financially successful private companies!  The private companies fail when they begin to run themselves like government programs!

 Unfortunately, I am not able to debate anyone on this...it's taken weeks to write this one email.  You are free to your beliefs and I respect them - and would love to read them when I can.  

As far as 'fairness in cyberspace', here is the link to the Democrat Barack Obama acceptance speech:

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/content/acceptancespeechnd?source=feature_nom

Since I do not support him, I will not suppose to pick out what I believe to be the more profound points.

 Not as a sidenote, but something else we like to avoid 'knowing all' is Cancer!  Here, you can watch the SU2C, Stand Up To Cancer, celebrity telethon show that was on all three networks.

http://www.cbs.com/specials/stand_up_to_cancer/video/video.php

The Iraq War - 5 1/2 years of it - has caused the deaths of 4,155 American soldiers.

 In that same amount of time, Cancer has caused the deaths of 660,000.  Wouldn't it be great if the anti-war folks would put that effort into anti-cancer; and wouldn't it be great if the government put that much money into research!!!

 

You have experienced true joy when you have done

something for someone who can never pay you back!...

Any good that I can do, any kindness I can show,

let me do it now, let me not defer it for

I shall not pass this way again...

 

--- On Tue, 9/16/08, Richard Banks wrote:

From: Richard Banks
Subject: RE: From Pernice...thank you!
To: Pernice
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 9:47 PM

This is pretty good, too:

 http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=18580

 

From: Pernice
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 12:19 AM
To: Richard Banks
Subject: RE: From Pernice...thank you!

 I don't like anything too far from the left - or too far from the right.  This one pretty much covers both! :)

You have experienced true joy when you have done

something for someone who can never pay you back!...

Any good that I can do, any kindness I can show,

let me do it now, let me not defer it for

I shall not pass this way again...

 

On Thu, 9/18/08, Richard Banks <rkbanks@swbell.net> wrote:

From: Richard Banks
Subject: RE: From Pernice...thank you!
To: Pernice
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 6:18 AM

Pernice, you just can’t see how your email comes off. For one thing your “description” of Democrats is false in every way. Almost no one believes in abortion at any time, for any reason. That’s just silly. Nobody is even talking about “wealth distribution”. That’s an unfair way of describing taxation that already tells me how you feel. The inheritance tax applies to very, very few very, very rich people, and it does not take “the majority” of their assets. Where do you come up with this stuff?

 That last email you sent out, about Obama being a “post turtle” was just racist. I thought I wrote back asking that you not send any more of that.

 When I sent you something from the opposite direction, you didn’t like it, did you? That’s how I feel when you send me racist and far-rightwing extremist stuff: I don’t like it.

  You should vote for Obama, but you won’t because he’s black, and for no other reason. So, vote however you like, but don’t write some sort of thing that makes you feel like you’re being evenhanded and weighing all of the options, because you aren’t. You already know who you are voting for. Be honest with yourself, at least.

 Look, I’m sorry you’re sick. It’s a shame we all get sick and die. But being sick doesn’t give you a license to send out right wing nonsense to a list of people who may or may not agree with you.

  Think about what I’m telling you here.

  Richard

 

From: Pernice
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 1:18 PM
To: Richard Banks
Subject: RE: From Pernice...thank you!

 Hi..

I have based my 'points' on the Democrat and Republican 'points', also saying that all Democrats or Republicans - or Independents believe ALL the same things.  The figures speak for themselves.  I have not a racist bone in my body and I do resent your implications.  I have voted on local black people and women...and I plan to vote for Jindal if he's ever in my voting area.  Race or sex means nothing.

 Actually, the Democrat party is having trouble holding on the the black caucus on the 'death tax'.  It was originally put into place to keep the white from getting richer, but now that there are many millionaires of all races, they want their families to inherit their money and not have to give most of it to the government.

 The far left definitely embraces abortion, anytime, anyplace.  The far right hates abortion, anytime, anyplace.  That is a fact.

 You probably think I'm to the far right, and you are sorely wrong, just as you think I'm racist.  If you got that from a 'post turtle' cartoon, that is really shallow - just like the cartoon was.

 I was told a 'post turtle' was something 'useless', as the turtle could not accomplish anything because he depends on others. (NOTHING to do with race)

 I do believe Obama is a 'puppet'.  He gives great speeches, as long as someone else writes them and he can 'read' them off a prompter.  This has been made more clear (even on CNN and MSNBC) in commentaries this week, after he has screwed up too many times recently 'off the cuff', so they started putting the prompters everywhere he speaks, even outdoors and at the county fair.

 I believe the guy is smart, but doesn't even come close to Presidential material and, of the four candidates, has the least experience in all areas.  I'm not willing to put my Country's future in the hands of 'whomever' is orchestrating Obama's every movement and word.  He may win, then we'll all see, I guess.

 The one thing I do know.  Criticizing and hurting people we know on purpose is wrong and has nothing to do with the election.  I didn't send the joke months ago or my 'blanket encouragement for people to know who they are voting for' to you to hurt you or upset you, but you did send me something to hurt and upset me.  I'm very hospital/homebound ill and my husband is dying, and I have now found the true you to be that person who wrote and spoke all those mean and hateful things at the reunion.

I will not send you anything else.  I have too many kind and intelligent people (of many party affiliations and races) who know how to debate on the level and who care.  Life is too short for your type of bullying.

May life treat you well,

Pernice

 You have experienced true joy when you have done

something for someone who can never pay you back!...

 Any good that I can do, any kindness I can show,

let me do it now, let me not defer it for

I shall not pass this way again...

 

  Notes:

  In her defense, Pernice has been in poor health for years, and her husband is dying. When she makes a reference near the end to me as "that person who wrote and spoke all those mean and hateful things at the reunion"she is referring to something I did at the 20th PTHS Class of '74 Reunion.

 To summarize the facts of that night: our class leaders, or the ones who put on the reunions, anyway, have always seen fit to hold an "awards ceremony" during the Saturday night banquet. The honorees were variously selected by the planning committee or voted on--that year there was a vote by classmates who attended the banquet. Some of the award categories, such as "Most Grandchildren" or "Least Changed" were a little too precious, but pretty harmless. But over the years the ceremony began to morph into something more pointed. That night, my friend Lee won the the "Most Gray Hair" award (a women only category), and a fellow I like pretty well, David, won "Biggest Beer Belly" (a men only competition). Me and my rowdy outcast friends (all the the cliques showed up in full force for our 20th) were annoyed by the categories, though Lee accepted her award with a smile.

Meanwhile, at our table we started making up awards of our own. But I was the only one who succumbed to a compulsion to ask the class leaders to give me the microphone, so that I could "award" them. The entire experience might have been a bit less life-altering if I hadn't, at some point, picked on Jana, a woman who was dressed provocatively that night and who was drinking and flirting heavily. Once I had pronounced her the winner of the "Most Likely to Go Home With Someone Else's Husband" award, the night was pretty much over.

 Later, I apologized to Jana, sincerely--once in a letter, and later in person at a subsequent class gathering, which I attended for that one purpose. And she very graciously accepted my apology.

 So, point Pernice.

She did say I'm off her list, however. So there's that.

 One more thing.

Longview is a hyper-racist environment. This, I know. It is not possible to have grown up  there, lived one's entire life there, to be a pillar of the conservative Christian community there, and then state, categorically, that one does not have a racist bone in one's body. The racist narrative is predominant and pervasive in east Texas. Racism like that is a skunky smell one can spend a lifetime scrubbing, and yet never quite wash off. We moved there when I was 8, and I left when I was 18; my family, though I heard racist comments expressed in my home--especially in 1967-68--didn't even have much of a fixation on it. But even as one who left early and turned liberal, I will never tell you that I was uninfluenced by that society's thinking. So, while the post turtle may have no overt racist content, I have to consider the source and understand Pernice's use of it in light of my knowledge of traditional Southern society (and Pernice's place in it) and the elements of its predominant narrative. Protesting her innocence about the obvious subtext of the post turtle story strikes me as outright dishonesty or disingenuousness or--at best--a breathtaking lack of self-awareness.