How About A Campaign - We Can Mail Balls To All The Dems In Congress......

[global1]

We should all go out today and buy some rubber balls, tennis balls, softballs, basketballs, bowling balls, soccer balls, medicine balls - and we should put them in the mail to our Senators and Congressmen/women and the send them to the White House.

The idea is that they need to get some balls to pass the health reform that the American people elected them for.

Also - all those balls then could be donated to schools, kids clubs, little leagues, park districts, etc - and we would be doing something constructive for our children and their physical fitness and health - while getting the message across to the Dems - that do whatever it takes to get this passed - even if they have to do it themselves without Repug votes.

We would be shoving it in the face of the Repugs/Conservatives - cause all they can do is something disruptive. We'd be doing something with a deep meaning as well as constructive.

What do you think?

The "Grow A Pair" Campaign

[Ian David]

1. Or bags of nuts. We can be The Nutbaggers. Yeah, balls are better than nuts. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

2. NEWSFLASH: You don't need to have balls to have moral fortitude or to be tough.

Do you compliment black people by saying "that's awfully 'white' of you!"?

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sendero]

9. +1

more of the very definition of PC, which has cost progresivism a lot.

[MADem]

17. Minus 1,000,000. You are being a misogynist, and you don't even realize it.

That's really sad.

[TankLV]

21. And YOU are part of the PROBLEM. Get out of the way.

[polmaven]

27. Why do you think that

women don't deserve the respect demanded for everyone else? "Get out of the way" indeed.....!

[MADem]

31. Tsk, tsk! Sounds like someone's a bit insecure. Are you going to use those

big old balls of yours to push people who disagree with you out of your big old way?

:rofl:

Sorry--you're on the wrong side on this issue. And if you had a clue, you'd be at least a bit chagrined, instead of trying to tough it out.

[derby378]

35. Speaking of insecurities...

Progressives realize that everyone is different - male or female, gay or straight, whatever. But instead of trying to suppress or homogenize our differences, progressives celebrate them.

So you take offense at the OP. That's okay. Don't participate. But don't censor, either.

[MADem]

39. Different--but not LESS THAN. The balls refererence states that those without balls

are LESS THAN.

Get with the program. That's not celebrating differences--that's putting down women.

I'm not "censoring." But I'm not going to sit quietly while sexist commentary is bandied about a forum for "Democrats and other progressives."

I'm calling sexist bullshit what it is. It's sexist bullshit, stupid, uninformed, and completely and totally UNPROGRESSIVE. This is GOP talk, not Big Tent talk. And I won't sit quietly by and pretend it isn't happening, any more than I would if a racist or orientation slur was bandied about this board.

[derby378]

58. Duly noted (n/t)

[sendero]

40. Only the judgement..

.. of addle brained fools.

[MADem]

43. Yes, that's precisely what you displayed when you endorsed that deleted message. NT

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. Thanks - I'm glad to see you have a brain that can see the bigger battle and ignore the shit.

:thumbsup:

I hope the self-righteous pious types are happy to explain to their grandchildren that "No, you can't have that surgery you need because we still don't have universal health care, but, by God, I ensured the purity of our language by eliminating ball-based metaphors, and you can rest easy on that as you die!"

:eyes:

[MADem]

33. No, you can't have the surgery, because progressives found use of BALLS in a campaign offensive?

GAWD...how dumb. That's just the dumbest piece of logic I have ever seen!! For want of a BALL, the entire effort FAILED!!!

:rofl:

It has nothing to do with "self righteous"--it has to do with denigrating more than half of the population.

Someone has some growing up to do. And maybe a decade or more of introspection. Why do you feel the need to hang on to your balls so tightly? What are you afraid of?

[Rabrrrrrr]

37. It's METAPHOR, not literal.

Not surprised you missed it.

Thankfully, I have the maturity to see the larger picture and say to myself, "Gee, is that the language I would use? Probably not, but gosh, the issue is SOOOOOO important, I'll cut some slack so we can work together".

Whereas your agenda would rather give up the fight in favor of wining against your compatriots in some irrelevant and destructive linguistic/PC purity war.

I'm so glad I grew up decades ago. Life has been a lot better because of it.

[MADem]

41. Gee, so if I say "Black as a pickaninny at midnight" that's just "metaphor" too?

You have NO maturity if you think that kind of offensive shit is "OK."

And if you think words don't matter, ask any person of color, or any gay person, if they agree with your comical and ill-informed assertion.

I grew up decades ago, too. I'm retired--I'll bet I'm older than you are.

The difference between us is that I LEARNED that words have the power to hurt people. You and your sense of entitlement have apparentlly learned absolutely nothing.

[Rabrrrrrr]

44. And you have no maturity if you refuse to actually read what is posted.

If you had read what I posted, instead of reading what your purity-driven agenda HOPED I had written, you wouldn't ask that first question. You would already know the answer.

[MADem]

45. I read what was posted. And I understood it--you quite plainly didn't.

It's not a "purity driven agenda" to expect Democrats to treat women with dignity and respect.

But thanks for letting us get a glimpse into your mindset. It's illucidative.

Hate to tell you, but you are crammed into a rather fetid corner of the Big Tent.

[Rabrrrrrr]

50. No, you didn't understand it.

Try again.

I answered your ignorant question in the post you continue to fail to comprehend.

[MADem]

53. You answered my "ignorant question?" A sexist metaphor is not a good metaphor.

And an evolved progressive would understand that.

The one with comprehension failures is you....

[Rabrrrrrr]

55. Oh my God, seriously, you are hilarious!

Okay, let me give you a hint - understanding why someone might say something, or having a willingness to look beyond what someone says because one agrees with their ultimate point, does not imply a tacit acceptance of whatever might be unacceptable in their use of language.

That's what maturity looks like: looking beyond into the meta-point of the statements.

You seem to think "maturity" means buying into whatever the hell your agenda is, lock stock and barrel, and damn to hell anyone who - even if they agree with you one hundred percent - use a word that you don't like; and, goddammit, you will work as hard as John Henry against any machine that doesn't meet your purity code, even if the goal is the same.

I am of the standpoint that maturity means being able to accept someone's ultimate viewpoint, even if they use language that I might not use, or language that I might even find offensive.

But, I've been constantly told since I was a child that I have a maturity that is beyond most people, and a wisdom that is laudable.

You, on the other hand, have a myopic vision that refuses to accept that someone might actually be on your side even if they use language that you find abhorrent.

And yet YOU accuse ME of the immature one.

Ludicrous.


I'm not going to respond any more beyond this. I hope this is enough to help you to understand. I have a fear that it isn't; but I can't make it any more plain or clear. If you still don't get it, then there is no point in me even trying any more. If you don't get it, then I just don't have anything more to offer. I apologize, but I am a highly educated person, and so maybe my thoughts are too high in the academic/scholarly realm; I try to speak in a way that is understandable and clear (and I get much feedback people who say that I am quite good at making very complex ideas understandable for the common person), but perhaps I am failing here. I don't think so, though.

[MADem]

57. I am afraid that people have been lying to you all your life.

You're not very mature, you are not very wise, and you can't read for shit.

Is that plain enough for you?

This has nothing to do with people who are "on my side." I favor a solution to the Health Care imbroglio that will work and serve all Americans. I would like a public option, certainly.

What I don't favor is using blatantly immature and sexist imagery to "sell" the idea. How long, Mister Maturity, do you think it would take the Palin-Coulter-Malkin troika to jump all over that "immature" shit and call all Democrats sexists?

Think it through, Mister Maturity. Aside from being WRONG--and it is wrong, to imply that only those with "balls" possess the favorable characteristics of bravery and fortitude--it's DUMB. It's asking for Faux Poutrage/Backlash from people who can pick up that idiotic theme and wield it like a massive cudgel.

But see, it takes both wisdom and maturity to see that. Go on and get yourself some some.

[MADem]

14. Your post is symbolic of an unprogressive POV. I think men and women need to start

respecting one another. It's way past due. Enough with the balls, the bitches, and all that horseshit.

"Balls" references have no place in a society where men and women are treated equally. Some of the biggest cowards I've met have had a set of balls, and some of the bravest people I've met haven't.

Of course, women still don't have an ERA, and it's due in no small part to pisspoor attitudes like yours. You are sporting a misogynistic viewpoint with your insistence that it's "just" a symbol or metaphor. Do you "not mean anything by it"when you make outdated racial references, or gay slams, too?

Really--why don't we just call our opponents a bunch of step-n-fetchits for the GOP, or tell them that their POVs are "just so GAY!" After all, these are just "expressions" aren't they? What's the big deal?

You should be embarrassed, but that takes self-awareness. You're dead wrong on this.

[global1]

18. You Know MADem - I Just Don't Think You Like Me....

I can accept that. Sorry I disturbed your perfect world. You're a real "Ball Buster"

[MADem]

22. There ya go--you don't like what I say, so you GET PERSONAL.

I don't like what you are saying. It has nothing to do with "you." I don't KNOW you.

Your POV is offensive.

I don't live in a "perfect world." Your mindless sexism, and your poutrage that I NOTICED it, prove that.

[global1]

30. I'm Not Pouting And I'm Certainly Not A Sexist or Racist For That Matter.......

I'm just trying to get a message across in a whimsical manner that the bulk of Americans can understand.

I'm sorry you just cannot accept that.

[MADem]

36. Yeah, and calling someone a "Lazy ole N word" isn't racist, either. Suuuuure.

Whaddaya mean? I didn't mean YOU were a lazy old....I was just using a "colloquialism!!"

You are pouting, is what you are doing. And you're using an offensive term that suggests that those without gonads are less brave or less possessed of the grit to persevere.

And "I'm sorry you just cannot accept that." It really says something that isn't very progressive about you and your level of understanding.

I am no longer surprised that women have been waiting eighty six years for an Equal Rights Amendment. People like YOU are a huge reason why. The "I meant nothing by it," and "I am only kidding" excuses just don't cut it. And if pointing it out makes me a poor sport, too bad. You're WRONG.

[Lorien]

46. Thank you! So here's a perfect alternative:

http://www.motivators.com/Promotional-Custom-SpineKeychain-20934.html



It can be personalized too!

[MADem]

3. Well, you could always send them a bag of guts.

Of course, you'd probably be put on a "list," in some fashion for sending biological material through the mail.

Look, here's the truth of that kind of stuff--the 'target' will never see it. The mail doesn't even get to the Congress in a timely manner anymore. It goes to a processing facility where it's sniffed for anthrax and other poisons.

People know now that the only way to "snail mail" Congress is to use a POSTCARD. Anything else takes forever.

Also, the notion that fortitude is associated with gonads is considered a bit, er, regressive by many if not most people. One of the bravest Americans on this planet is our Secretary of State, and the only balls she grabs are her husband's, presumably.

[global1]

11. Don't You Think That The MSM Would Love This Kind Of Story?.......

even if they had to go to the processing facility to get the story - the message still gets out and the Dems in Congress would hear it loud and clear.

Or is it better to go to Town Hall Meetings and stoop to the level of the Repugs and try and shout over them?

Come on - "Grow A Pair"

[MADem]

12. I think the balls=courage idea is a nonstarter.

And the only way the MSM covers that stuff is if they can SEE the goods. The processing facility is off limits to civilians. The media would be lucky to get a stand-up outside the facility, and some file footage.

Send postcards with pictures of guts on them. Or pictures of Audie Murphy, Martin Luther King, or other brave Americans. Do a "courage of your convictions" campaign.

You "stoop" when you equate sexual organs to bravery.

Go to town hall meetings, and when it's your turn to speak, say "I resent these people standing up and suggesting that I want to kill my mother or the disabled child next door. I resent that these people are saying I am a communist. I want none of these things. I just want EVERYONE in this room--even the people who are swearing and shouting and disrupting-- to be able to have affordable, comprehensive health care. I don't want ANYONE here to go broke trying to pay for cancer treatments, or lose their house because they need heart surgery."

That'll shut 'em up, or at least shame 'em.

[TankLV]

23. The problem is YOU think EVER suggestion is a non-starter.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lyric]

4. GREAT IDEA!!!

My god, why haven't we thought of this before?? I can just see Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi now...they'll be SO ASHAMED that we pointed out their lack of testicles that they'll probably fall all over themselves to do what we want!!! Brilliance!!! In fact, we should send them some of THESE, as this will REALLY pound home how classy and not-sexist we are:

[global1]

13. Actually Barbara Boxer And Nancy Pelosi Have Bigger Balls Then Most........

of the male Dems.

Bottom line - though - it is a powerful message that we would be sending to the Dems.

It also is a bit of a economic stimulus - if we all go out and buy some balls to send. The United States Post Office would derive some financial benefit as well in the postage.

It's a win-win all the way around. And it really shows up the Repugs.

And think of the joy the kids would have when all these balls get donated to them.

We can "Have A Ball" with this campaign. Come on "Grow A Pair". Pass Health Care Reform with a Strong Public Option.

[Kalyke]

34. They don't have balls.

They have ovaries.

So do I.

Odd that even liberal men can't tell when they're perpetuating misogynistic attitudes.

[Lorien]

48. They really don't get it, do they? nt

[MADem]

49. Some liberal men can tell, and don't do that lame shit.

They don't need to wave their balls about to prove their bravery or their fortitude.

It's just a few here who can't "get the spirit."

Funny, in a strange way, they're a lot like those anti-health care shouters at the Health Care Town Halls--insulting, as well as angry and afraid that something is being taken from them if they can't use their "balls" to imply courage.

I personally think it's more apropos to use a BRAIN to imply courage. People who make decisions based on the motivations of their sex organs often make horrible errors in judgment, after all. Ask Governor Sanford!

[Lorien]

51. I prefer backbones:

http://www.motivators.com/Promotional-Custom-SpineKeychain-20934.html

Less sexist, more to the point.

[Coyote_Bandit]

6. Maybe some BBs

with the message that they are both bigger and tougher...and perhaps small enough to grow......

[napi21]

7. I like the idea! How about we start with Reid tomorrow?

Maybe include a short note "Because you seem to have lost yours" just in case he doesn't get the intended message.

I'll go look up the address and post it here for ya.

Washington DC
522 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)

[LiberalEsto]

15. I'm not sure

that Reid would recognize a pair of balls if he saw one.

[glowing]

8. I say we mass fax pictures of Spines. Best way to get it there.

A picture of a spine (so we aren't so offensive to women who don't have balls) and put on it Single-Payer or HR676.

[global1]

10. We Go "Balls To The Walls" And Send "Balls To The Halls" Of.....

congress.

Come-on people - it's better than disrupting Town Hall meetings.

It's simple and really puts out a message and it is constructive versus the destructive campaigns that the Repugs run.

I'm serious about this. Come on DU'ers - Grow A Pair.

[global1]

16. Come On People - Do You Just Want To Sit Back And Cry In Your Beer.......

do something constructive for a change. Don't just sit here on DU and criticize everything. Don't let the Repugs - crap on you.

Mobilize. Fight Back.

I don't want to be here in September and hear all of you naysayers say - see the Dems were weak. They got beat. The Repugs won.

Now is the time to do something.

Can you imagine them coming back from the August recess knowing that in some processing center - there were millions of all kinds of balls that were sent from all over the country - by their supporters - to give them the courage to act on our behalf and Damn the Repugs.

The MSM would be all over this story. We'd be seeing shots of piles of balls that ultimately would be donated to kids all around the country.

I can't believe we can't get more support for a campaign like this.

Come on people - "Grow Some Balls"

[MADem]

19. Because it's just so "progressive" to use that misogynistic reference.

That's not fighting back. That's pointless and asinine.

[derby378]

20. I like this!

I should mail my Congressman, Pete Sessions (R-TX) a set of brass balls. Either that or, God help me, those ridiculous "truck balls" I sometimes see on the freeway.

[global1]

24. I Don't Think I Would Mail Balls To Repugs......

seems like they have the balls already to stand up and fight this 'health reform' - even if they are on the wrong side.

I want the balls to go to the Dems. The message is to get some courage and stand up against these Repugs and do something for The PEOPLE for a change. For A CHANGE.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. Didn't the governator try this

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/1/749055/-Bull-testiclesLets-send-Schwarzenegger-raisins!">and that didn't go over so well?

Maybe they need some megaphones instead.

[global1]

32. I'm Not Advocating Send Bull Testicles.......

just some recreational type balls - that one - convey a message and two - can be made useful after the message is received - buy bring some joy to others.

It's meant to say to the Dems - your constituency supports you - go for it. Bring 'health care reform home for us with a strong public option'. Don't be intimidated by the Town Hall Disrupters. We support you.

[BumRushDaShow]

42. He used a sculpture of such

and I understand what you are trying to convey. But I think that there may be a better symbol to use that would be considered less stick and more carrot for some of them.

I was a bit afraid to suggest this because of the controversy of it being used in the past, but perhaps band-aids might be more appropriate in terms of saying "No more band-aids" to fix health care, It's time for the cure" (or similar).

[madokie]

28. hairy ones even

Naw nothing we do is going to change any minds. They've already been bought and paid for

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lorien]

47. Did Sibel Edmonds, Rachael Cory and Helen Thomas have hairy ones?

The truly brave these days usually don't have balls. I think what our reps need are BACKBONES: http://www.motivators.com/Promotional-Custom-SpineKeychain-20934.html

[Echo In Light]

52. The problem isn't cowardice, it's IN$TITUTIONAL COLLUSION.

[IDemo]

54. Or maybe just forward them an image:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

56. Won't work. With the money they get from the lobbyists they can buy golden balls.