Dear friends, family, loved ones, conservatives, Republicans, libertarians, my brother in law, Sam, and my cousin Joe: I am sorry and you were right.
These are not easy words for anyone to utter, much less a leftist from
My recovery program urges a fierce moral inventory, a cleansing of heart and mind (kind of like a "forgiveness tour" but without the scary dictators), so here goes:
To my brother in law, Sam, for blasting you in that Chinese restaurant for voting for Reagan, mea culpa.
To my cousin Joe for calling you a traitor when you became an MBA, started holding a real job (as opposed to most of us Berkeley types who are psychotherapists, massage therapists and aromatherapists), and became a conservative, my bad.
RTWT. It gets better.
Well, there’s hope… and then there’s hopeychange. I think the hope that comes out of a conversion in
Just sayin’.
Now THIS is change I can believe in!
ReplyDeleteA fellow Berkeleyite comes in out of the darkness.
ReplyDeleteBrava!
By the way, Buck, I am reading Irving Stone's "Sailor On Horseback", his 1938 biography of one of my favorite writer's, Jack London. "Sailor..." is a fine book, but really hangs onto London's conversion to Socialism/Communism. Funny how someone can be totally for the masses, yet belong to an elitist club like the Bohemian Club.
Sharon: Agreed. We just need a LOT more of these.
ReplyDeleteDarryl: I read a lot of London as a child (most boys of my generation did), but I never delved into his life until back around 2000 when I landed in the Bay Area. I was stunned to find out he was a socialist/communist... but I guess it was the times. He had a lot of company back then, before the Rooshians screwed the socialist pooch. And yet there are still some dead-enders around... go figure.
My Berkley art-degree friend is a raging Repub. I guess that must be the graceful southern influence on her.
ReplyDeleteNow that the scales have fallen from your eyes, live long and prosper. And convert more of your comrades, Mr. Author!
Coming from the determinedly blue northeast, it is with humble pride that I say I too am a recovering liberal.
ReplyDeleteI've been "clean and sober" for 7 years, 8 months and 1 day.
Oh yeah and Buck...I read People magazine. :-)
We can only hope that more wackos decide to come in out of the rain. It's the one positive effect that I see in The One's election.
ReplyDeleteSailor on Horseback? Hey, I'm a retired sailor, and I ride a horse, but I'm certainly no socialist or pinko! Just sayin'.
:)
I don't know. It is just too hard to believe that a Liberal Berkley-ite could change. Did you go to Snopes? :)
ReplyDeleteBuckskin, I thought of you when Barco mentioned the Sailor on Horseback.
Moogie: I suspect there are a lot of older Berkeleyites (i.e., Cal grads) who have seen the light, especially if they don't live in Berkeley. OTOH, the actual city is chock full of raving aged moonbats.
ReplyDeleteKris sez: "Oh yeah and Buck...I read People magazine. :-)"
Oops. Oh well, we all have our quirks. I've been caught drinking the occasional Bud (but only in the bar and only when nothing else was available). OTOH, I'll stare at a wall somewhere like a Dr's office if People is all that's available. Just a quirk. :D
Buckskins: I , too, thought of you immediately... but only in the MOST literal sense, i.e., where the title was concerned.
Lou: You may have a point... but methinks this is TOO new for Snopes. OTOH... ;-)
Yup - quirky is me. I fly my freak-flag proudly! :-)
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder what our mailman must think of us - we get People, Food & Wine, The Economist and American Rifleman.
Hmmm. I'd be more worried about Janet Napolitano and less about your mailman were I you, Kris. :D
ReplyDeletethat's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteKaty: I'm glad ya liked it!
ReplyDeletePoint taken Buck.
ReplyDeleteAdd in National Geographic, InStyle and JazzTimes and now I really do wonder about being tracked or something...
One of my good friends here ... a history professor, a former liberal, an avid conservative now ... and the one who forwarded this very story to me ... has essentially the same story, only his epiphany came a decade earlier.
ReplyDeletePhil: I think you know I'm a former Lefty, as well... but Reagan turned me around. Among a few other things that the author cited in her letter... such as Lefty intolerance, the fact they're "perpetually offended" about the dumbest goddamned things, yadda, yadda...
ReplyDelete