The Bronx Bomber: Temple was Right

Temple (and some others), you were right. The Bronx Bomber was not worth the time or effort. I hope no one can fault me for taking the high road and trying to take on someone who saw the world differently than I do.

Here's what I just received from him (brace yourself for the part I boldfaced):

> I'm proud to live in this wonderful nation. The
> generosty we are showing
> toward some nations that celbrated after 9-11 shows
> why we are the greatest
> nation in the world.
>
> I admire GW Bush and the wonderful job he has done
> protecting our nation.
> whle we are not a perfect nation, we are the closest
> thing to it. Wea re 260
> plus million people with more of a mix of people
> tahn anywhere else in the world,
>
> The funnt thing is that some libs defen sadam
> hussein the radical islam. when
> those same people would behead femiists, blacks,
> gays, lesbians, christains,
> jews,
>
> the aclu has chosen to launch a nazi like battle on
> judaism. While further
> moving to naziism by defending nazis and terrorists.
> I sued to be a liberal and
> was misled me while i was growing up in the
> democratic party controlled south
> bronx. where libs poverty pimped the people. I do
> not see much differance
> between the dem party and the nazi party.
>
> The holier than thou left says they are
> compassionate? what a lugh, they are
> biggest bigots and try to stifle free speech at
> every corner. There are alot
> of unhappy libs and they are jealous of the
> judeo/christians and want to
> destroy what they have.
>
> I heard it first hand while being a radical. they
> lie, cheat and steal and
> destroy to get what they want

I wanted to cry. I realized that, yes, I had been wasting my time, that I was just going to get angrier and angrier.

Several drafts later, I sent the following. Unless he flies to Chicago to slit my throat, I guess that's the last of the Bronx Bomber:

You've gone way too far.

Your claim about the ACLU is, well, ridiculous. The ACLU hates Jews so they defend terrorists?

Would you be interested to know that the Legal Director of the ACLU is a JEW?

http://www.aclu.org/About/About.cfm?ID=9323&c=187

Or is the issue that terrorists don't deserve a fair trial, a cornerstone of this country's freedom?

So maybe to make you happy, we should just start indiscriminately locking up suspected terrorists whether they're guilty or not.

Wait -- the Bush administration already started doing that.

And terrorists are Muslims, mostly, so we'd better lock up all the Muslims, just so we're "safe."

Hmm. Locking up people based on their religion or beliefs? Wow. Now who's the Nazi?

You see, Don, as a Jew, you should know better than me when it's appropriate to invoke the word "Nazi."

Perhaps I'm too idealistic, but I honestly thought we could debate the pros and cons of various forms of taxation and overseas manufacturing and diplomatic relations and environmental protection versus economic interests and what it means to be tolerant in America of all points of view, left or right.

I promised not to jerk my knees and make egregious claims. I set out to have a model debate with you and hear your issues and share my own in the hopes that we could challenge each other and set precedents for future interactions with others. I was hoping to have the sort of dialogue that if more people had them we may actually get something accomplished in this world, that we could have just a little more peace and quiet.

Not once have you presented any facts to back up your claims. The Democrats are the Nazi party? A claim as outlandish as that needs to be backed up; otherwise, you're just an irresponsible blowhard. You try to tell me that WE'RE the juvenile namecallers, that we're the one's trying to encroach on personal freedom?

Your paranoia leads you to make frightening, untrue claims with stubbornness and reckless abandon. Stubbornness and reckless abandon is exactly why most of the world hates the United States right now.

I'm not saying all of this because I'm "intolerant" of your views. This isn't because I don't care about every American's freedom of speech. You are free to think I'm an intolerant ass and tell all of your friends. Keep in mind, however, that I'm free to think you are a paranoid lunatic and tell all of my friends.

Before I sign off on this email and block you as a sender so I never have to read your contumelious crap ever again, I want to say one last thing: For someone who has their webpage posted on a site called "AUTHOR'S DEN," which would imply advanced wordsmithing, you have the most atrocious spelling and grammar I've seen in a very long time.

I don't think liberals hate you because they indiscriminately hate anyone remotely to the right of their beliefs.

Don, I think liberals hate you because you are an ass.

Good luck in the future. Now leave me alone.

At least I tried, right? Oh well.