Dining Out in Warren County, Ohio.

I had dinner this evening in a popular restaurant in Springboro, Ohio, Warren County.

At the table behind me was a party of about 12 people, apparently celebrating Black Tuesday. (Thankfully, they were ready to leave when my party arrived.)

They were so loud and boisterous that most of the diners couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and the topic that got the most guffaws was Hillary Clinton. They thought it was hilarious that we Dems are dumb enough to run Hillary for President in 2008. They also HOPED she'd be our candidate because no matter who their candidate is, they'll win by a landslide.

These were wealthy, rude, mouthy people -- "suits" with trophy wives -- and they were having an awfully good time at our expense.

We have met the enemy and they're living in Warren County.

We should get together regularly to go out to eat and discuss politics loudly, but no obnoxiously. There is a captive audience all around you when you are in a restaurant. By keeping the discussion on an intelligent level you have a chance of making people around you think. That is not an easy thing to do anywhere in Ohio.

now, CMD, why should people think for themselves when they can listen to Rush and/or Sean and take the easy way out?

I would have walked right up to the loudest, most annoying one and acted friendly, and said, "Hey! Good to meet ya! Can I ask you something?"

When he said yes I would have spit in his face.

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It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I've had shy friends say they wish they could say what they think the way I do!

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Laughing about the firebombing of Fallujah. And when I say laughing, I mean:

"Why should we care what anybody thinks? The whole world hates us anyway, let's just turn all of Iraq into a big pile of rubble!"

Ha-ha-ha! Wow, he oughtta be on Letterman!

These weren't rednecks, either, mind you -- looked like a middle class, middle-aged couple and their twentysomething kids, one daughter and one son. The older woman and man were sitting across the table from each other, as were the younger man and woman, or I'd have thought they were two couples.

Yeah, let's just destroy a country because the rest of the world doesn't like us anyway, so why should we do the right thing?

The Mr. and I went into a long and just-loud-enough recounting of all the strange stories we'd heard about vote suppression, and the FBI locking down the one precinct in Warren County, and anything else either of us could remember. I kept getting serious stinkeye from the older guy at the table, who was sitting facing me, so I know they heard us.

If they have the right to be loud and obnoxious and offend people, we have the right to be loud and obnoxious and hand the TRUTH back to them!

Way to go, nownow!
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about being a guerrilla liberal. He never cared if he offended strangers, though he wouldn't go out of his way to offend friends he knew disagreed with him. He never brought it up around people he knew didn't agree, and he gently but firmly put them off the topic if they tried to start up.

Strangers were another subject entirely.

My FReepish boss tried this with me, the other day. She listens to hate radio in her office all day, and I came in to let her know one of her appointments was there. "Did you hear the latest about Hillary Clinton?" she asked.

"No," I said. "And I think I'll pass. Your appointment is here," I said, and I walked away and directed the appointment to her office. I've put up with enough "hear the latest about x?" stuff out of her, I don't want to get fired, but I don't want to have to listen to the latest OxyRush talking point, either, so I think I'm just going to resort to a polite, "no, thanks!" from now on.

Hand it right back to them.

Heh heh...I grew up in Lebanon. I know what you mean.

Being exposed to that kind of stuff all the time at school, I got used to it. Someone could make a racial slur right next to me and I wouldn't even flinch. It's the kind of thing you learn to live with.

It is starting to drive me crazy. We really need to set up a group to go out every once in a while. I don't talk about politics at all with any of my friends here, they are all reps. Most don't even know that I spent about 6 hours a day working on the Kerry campaign every day since July. I just made stuff up because I couldn't get into one more conversation with them about it, it makes me so mad and I get so emotional when they start to argue about something and then admit that they don't even watch the news but still aren't willing to listen to my educated points.

that I am experiencing that makes me want to punch someone's lights out. I am still too raw with hurt and disappointment to get into a shouting match. I'd just end up crying and screaming. Eat at home! Oh wait, my guy is gloating too! Help.

I mean, do they not understand why that is wrong?

http://www.co.warren.oh.us/geninfo/index.htm

"Warren County's conservative yet progressive government strives to be responsive to our ever-changing population. We invite you to browse our Web site and learn more about the government of Warren County, Ohio."

Pick one- you can't be both!