Translation, Please

[crabby_lioness]

Yesterday while talking in the comments of the previous post about linguistic differences between Republicans and Democrats I received a bizarre email that's so deep into Republican-speak I can't make heads or tails of it; and I'm 45 years old, born just one year past the end of Baby Boom.  To me it looks like there's so many false assumptions here it's hard to know where to start on it (Who under 50 can afford to live in a big fancy house?) but apparently it resonated with the person who sent it on.  All I can tell is that there's a boatload of resentment present, and a lot of, "You damn kids get off my lawn!"  Oh, and apparently they kinda forgot to give their own children a decent education along the way.  They acknowledge that, then turn around and blame the kids.

Can anyone tell me what this is supposed to be saying?

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs.  Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire.  Others have been retired for some time.  We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.  We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together.  Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true.  But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
  
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age.  Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience.  We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes.  For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators.  A few even remember when cars were started with a crank.  Yes, we lived those days.
  
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many.  But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off.  We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam.  We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so.  We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.  We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America, we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave."  We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag.  We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner,  America ,and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing.  We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America.
  
Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us.  We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it.  It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us.  We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep.  There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
  
It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress.  You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies."  You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all.  You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting.  Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse.  With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Kool-Aid.'  Now you're paying the price and complaining about it.  No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom.  This is what you voted for and this is what you got.  We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
  
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation.  We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions.  This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom.  We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.  So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."
  
Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member


Footnote:
This is spot on.  I may color my hair but I’m still a Gray-Haired Geezer signing on.  I will circulate this to other Gray-Haired Geezers all over this once great county.  Can you feel the ground shaking???  It's not an earthquake, it is a STAMPEDE.

Have a Blessed Day

<Emailer's name removed>

Comments

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Translation:

Back in the day, things were perfect - because I personally made them that way! How dare you kids question me and those of my peers who are conservative? You voted for a different guy than I did, and the country that the guy I voted for last time around screwed up isn't that much better!

I'm old and I vote! Now, GET THE HELL OFF MY LAWN!

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I think that is a wonderfully succinct translation.

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Ah. It's an "Obama is a socialist!!!!11!" letter. Also somebody who seems to think that the current world economic problems are the Democratic leadership's fault, despite the fact that it's a worldwide issue, and last I checked, Obama wasn't the President of Greece.

For what it's worth, Author Of Said E-Mail, I have the greatest respect for older people and their views, even when they don't agree with mine. I lived for many years with my grandfather, until he died in 2010 at the age of 101. He "won World War II" as well, and did a whole lot else besides. He was a good deal more conservative than I am, and I respected that. That doesn't mean I won't call nonsense when I see it; and conservative Americans who are worried about their freedom, and talk about needing to fight to get it back, are talking nonsense. If anybody's got a battle to fight, it's the liberals. It's 2012, and we're in danger of having an American President - the most powerful position on Earth - who believes that the Biblical story of Creation should be taken literally. (Again, since we only just got rid of one of those). That's not something to fight for, it's something to fight against, for all our sakes.

[qara-isuke.livejournal.com]

Well said.

I am of the opinion that we are in the midst of another era like the 1960s, a time of intense change. The fundamentalists and the most conservative are up in arms, as they always are. They feel threatened, and perhaps rightly so, because they are faced with the reality of change. Younger, more liberal, more open-minded people are replacing them and the world is being shaped by those people. They do not like that. AT. ALL. And they are fighting mad, giving into the most extreme elements in their fear and anger.

But history has shown us that, ultimately, they are just shouting into the wind.

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think you're probably right - which is a bit depressing! That old chestnut of "If X is given more rights, those rights must have been taken away from Y," didn't even make sense in the sixties. We're supposed to be smarter now. The notion of allowing gay people to serve openly in the military seems to have terrified/infuriated the hard line conservatives. They're really up in arms over the health care issue as well, which baffles me. Coming from a country that has had a National Health Service for sixty years now, I can't for the life of me see why anybody would want to avoid having one too. Especially when the hard right all claim to be Christians, who surely should be all about sharing their wealth with those less well off than themselves.

I feel rather sorry for Obama. He's not even remotely radical - he's actually pretty boring - and yet he's become this figure for hate. I don't like to think it's because he's black, but I can't see any other reason why he'd be inspiring such a reaction.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

ah, the beauty of those generic rants is that all it takes is a little tweaking and it can be used for *any* president.

I bet if you googled it, you'd probably find a similar rant being used 4 years ago, and 4 years before that, etc.

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

Well, the wingnuts have been yammering about "taking their country back" since before Obama's hand touched the Bible, & though this is the first time I've seen one of them present himself & his ilk as rescuing young people from the "terrible mistake" in voting for a "socialist" administration into office, I can't say I'm surprised--I've been aware for some time that college students are one of the groups the GOP is doing its damnedest to prevent voting, along with the elderly, minorities, & the disabled.

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

This might be a stupid question, but how do they prevent people from voting?

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

All the easy ways to prevent people from voting got outlawed in the Civil Rights era, but they're trying to bring them back. Requiring photo identifications at polling places is the current push, since people who don't have a car don't need photo ids and those people tend to be poor and Democrat. They've just passed that law in a few states already, mine included. There hasn't been time for a court challenge yet.

If they succeed with that one, the next historical barrier to bring back will be "literacy tests".

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

That's clever. With the current paranoia over security, demanding photo ID probably wasn't a difficult step to take. I suppose they can claim it makes sure of "one man, one vote", but it seems such a ridiculously OTT move that a sneaky agenda certainly looks likely. They'd never get away with demanding literacy tests though, surely?! The recent precedent alone would be enough to stop that?

[crabby-lioness.livejournal.com]

It is ridiculously OTT and it's being challenged by people who point out there isn't any evidence of voter fraud among voters*.

I've seen statements from Republicans that literacy tests are in line for a trial balloon.

*Voter fraud by voting machines is another story. The fact that all voting machines are manufactured by a Far-Right Bush supporter is only the beginning of that story.

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

Not directly, of course, but by putting obstacles in the way, such as demanding state issued picture ID, & refusing to accept students' college ID, or people's picture ID from work as an acceptable alternative. Getting such an ID can present a problem for elderly people or naturalized citizens who were born in other countries--for that matter, a lot of people will have trouble taking time off work to get ID. Another way is cutting down on the number of polling places & the hours the polls are open, & refusing to allow voting by mail. There are a lot of other petty obstacles that are being thrown up in the name of preventing voter fraud (which, by the way, is a completely spurious concern) that are deliberately designed to create enough difficulty & hardship that certain classes of voters, ie, the elderly, minorities, & college age adults, that it either discourages people from voting, or prevents them from being able to vote.

[outlawpoet.livejournal.com]

I like the implication that the veterans of Vietnam and WWII are the same generation. Or even have similar demographics or politics at all.

I guess stuff was incredibly awesome in 2007? Except for all the stuff that went wrong before that but are another generation's fault.

Very strange. It's like it was written a a mix of people, or by committee or something.

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

I suspect it was cobbled together from bits & pieces of rhetoric from different sources.

[kul-breez.livejournal.com]

I think it is saying "I am old. All old people are Republicans. If you are young you are stupid, and a Democrat (or maybe that translates to 'a stupid Democrat'). You owe me and all other old people (who are all Republicans) for all the good things of America. Anything bad is your own fault."

Now should I talk about how ridiculous every bit of it is? nah.... it's pretty obvious so no explanation is needed.

(I do love how they jut assume all people of a certain age must be exactly like them.... lol)