Leah Vasquez Likes Gene Felder Letter
Letter-to-the-Editor published June 22, 2007 in the Laguna Beach Independent
Editor:
I like Gene Felder, I really do. Why, in fact, at all those fun-raisers, feel-good fermentations and gad-flying events he hosts or at least jests for, how can one not like such a witty character?
But really now, his personally paid ads are testing the limits of what even mildly conservative humor can’t ignore: the downright misleading trail of innuendo, mis-infor-mation leading to pretty far-fetched conclusions; well, in fact, its sorta like that all too famous political story told down south by a candidate declaring in a clearly derogatory octave, his opponents orientation as “he-ter-o-sex-ual!” That clinched it and the race was lost by the one who seemed to fit that frightening description.
Relying on reaction to tone while pandering to ignorance building on its fear (remember the orange and red alerts?) the GOP’s mot dujour continues to override and disguise truth and meaning in favor of perverted suggestion.
Back to Gene’s trail of fear: that suggestive ad tucked into Page A3 of June 13 – all about Al Gore’s three houses, his support of Kyoto treaty (a good thing) though America abstained and a final snippet used out of context, the quote from Al.
Now remember a few weeks back his last ad? Hostility suggesting the American Democratic party is the party of that “N-----” word. But not so his fine, fine GOP’s, that Grand Old Party at whose helm sat our great past emancipator, none other than Abraham Lincoln and his Republican party, supposedly the only legitimate fighters for human rights, or better put, abolishing legitimized slavery while those, the others’ party, were supporting slavery, the so called Democrats, so called then but now known as Dixie-crats converted their party to what is the modern version of the GOP. Using transmogrification, Felder ads use suggestive slurs aimed at...whom?
The progressives of today’s Democratic party follow in the path once called Republican. But unlike the Reps of today, Dems brought slavery, women’s rights and issue-driven politics to the forefront and real reform. In reality the ole thyme party Dems (called Dixie-crats) emerged in all its far-flung symbolism as the new conservative GOP: G.ene.O (opinion) P-diddler), resistive to environmental safeguards, in favor of profit at almost any cost, creating territorial disharmony to the brink of world hatred, being divisive through audacious lies, violating and reducing American civil liberties by such means as removing The Constitution’s habeas corpus while nullifying at least nine others in doing so, profiteering and politicizing made-up wars, embargoes and calling GOP taxes, incentives.
Just look at GOPeers: Scooter Libby, Rumsfeld and Gonzales, and a trove of unheroes colluding with Halliburton, hiding under Bush (pun intended) as one by one, their truths be revealed, are indicted hoping for the very guarantees of freedom they helped to abolish.
So the next time we read Gene’s (or other’s) not so covert ads barely disguised as mere suggestion, remember who is expecting and relying on our ignorance, and that’s not funny at all.
Leah Vasquez
Laguna Beach