[Rhodes22-list] Politics: joke and the wind surffer

[Michael Meltzer]

I wanted to respond to Stephen Staum earlier, but I was so busy, I simply did not have the time. Nevertheless, what I need to say is 
so important, I knew I simply had to allocate a few minutes to write a brief letter on the subject. One of my objectives is to 
protect the interests of the general public against the greed and unreason of what I call malicious apostates. He yields to the 
mammalian desire to assert individuality by attracting attention. Unfortunately, for Staum, "attract attention" usually implies 
"subject human beings to indignities". Think about how easy it's become for shallow, gormless Stephen Staum clones to bad-mouth 
worthy causes. Do you really think that he can assuage the hungers of his cat's-paws with servings of fresh scapegoats and get away 
with it, as Staum claims? Wake up! The purpose of this letter is far greater than to prove to you how acrimonious and slaphappy 
Staum has become. The purpose of this letter is to get you to start thinking for yourself, to start thinking about how each rung on 
the ladder of separatism is a crisis of some kind. Each crisis supplies an excuse for him to condition the public -- or, more 
precisely, brainwash the public -- into believing that his activities are on the up-and-up. That is the standard process by which 
abysmal fogeys create anomie.

He says it is within his legal right to paint people of different races and cultures as lewd alien forces undermining the coherent 
national will. Whether or not he indeed has such a right, there is another side to the issue, so to speak. If Staum wants to 
complain, he should have an argument. He shouldn't just throw out the word "anthropomorphical", for example, and expect us to be 
scared. He will damage the debate about this issue, because we will have to spend lots of time correcting misunderstandings that are 
directly attributable to his publications. While improvident quacks claim to defend traditional values, they actually peddle the 
snake oil of irritating neocolonialism. If you were to tell Staum that there is considerable evidence to show that he is serious 
about wanting to acquire public acceptance of his paltry insinuations, he'd just pull his security blanket a little tighter around 
himself and refuse to come out and deal with the real world.

His oleaginous editorials leave the current power structure untouched while simultaneously killing countless children through 
starvation and disease. Are these children Staum's enemies? This isn't such an easy question to answer, but let me take a stab at 
it: I want to give you some background information about Staum. But first, let me pose an abstract question. Where is Staum's 
integrity? To rephrase that question, what exactly is Staum's point? A complete answer to that question would take more space than I 
can afford, so I'll have to give you a simplified answer. For starters, Staum is too odious to read the writing on the wall. This 
writing warns that several things he has said have brought me to the boiling point. The statement of his that made the strongest 
impression on me, however, was something to the effect of how the best way to make a point is with foaming-at-the-mouth rhetoric and 
letters filled primarily with exclamation points. The next time someone says that self-centered, myopic vagrants are more deserving 
of honor than our nation's war heroes, look that person right in the eye and reply, "The Stephen Staum Foundation's latest report on 
catty obscurantism is filled with fabrications, half-truths, innuendo, and guilt by association." His apple-polishers consider his 
claims a breath of fresh air. I, however, find them more like the fetid odor of metagrobolism. Quite simply, one does not have to 
impose obtuse new restrictions on society just to satisfy some sort of wretched drive for power in order to tell him where he can 
stick it. It is a cruel person who believes otherwise. Now for some parting advice: Look at the facts. Analyze the arguments. Think 
about the motives of the people who are telling you that children should belong to the state. And have confidence in yourself. 
Remember, I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Staum" <staum at earthlink.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2004 11:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Politics: joke and the wind surffer


> What a nasty thing to do to someone.  Now this poor individual who needs and
> probably cannot afford new tires will have to blow the money on senseless
> tickets instead.  It figures that you are a Bush fan.  My daughter is in
> middle school and judging how nasty young teenage girls can be you would fit
> right in.  At least they have youth and ignorance as an excuse.  What is
> yours?  Why don't you find some productive volunteer work to do with your
> time or just go sailing.  I am sure that you will find this more personally
> satisfying.  SS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Meltzer" <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com>
> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2004 11:17 PM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Politics: joke and the wind surffer
>
>
>> WORKING PEOPLE FREQUENTLY ASK RETIRED PEOPLE WHAT THEY DO TO MAKE THEIR
> DAYS
>> INTERESTING. WELL, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE:
>>
>> I WENT TO THE STORE THE OTHER DAY. I WAS ONLY IN THERE FOR ABOUT 5
> MINUTES.
>>
>> WHEN I CAME OUT THERE WAS A CITY COP WRITING OUT A PARKING TICKET.
>>
>>
>> did any one see the new Kerry windsurfing ad, now that's funny, and I
> suspect effective on many levels, some on the bush side has some "talent" at
> this :-)
>>
>> and a new jokes :-)
>>
>> I WENT UP TO HIM AND SAID, "COME ON, BUDDY, HOW ABOUT GIVING A SENIOR A
>> BREAK?"
>>
>> HE IGNORED ME AND CONTINUED WRITING THE TICKET.
>>
>> I CALLED HIM A NAME. HE GLARED AT ME AND STARTED WRITING ANOTHER TICKET
> FOR
>> HAVING WORN TIRES.
>>
>> SO I CALLED HIM A WORSE NAME. HE FINISHED THE SECOND TICKET AND PUT IT ON
>> THE WINDSHIELD WITH THE FIRST. THEN HE STARTED WRITING A THIRD TICKET.
>>
>> THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. THE MORE I ABUSED HIM THE MORE TICKETS
> HE
>> WROTE.
>>
>> I DIDN'T CARE. MY CAR WAS PARKED AROUND THE CORNER AND THIS ONE HAD A
> BUMPER
>> STICKER ON IT THAT SAID "ELECT KERRY - EDWARDS".
>>
>> I TRY TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN EACH DAY NOW THAT I'M RETIRED. IT'S IMPORTANT
> AT
>> OUR AGE.
>>
>>  - from Carol Bagshaw
>> __________________________________________________
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>>
>
>
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