August 15, 2018

"Trump is the first president in more than a century not to have a dog, and his dislike for the pets shows in his frequent put-downs."

From the front-page teaser for "'Like a dog': Trump has a long history of using canine insults to dehumanize enemies" by Philip Rucker at The Washington Post. Trump called Omarosa "that dog"  — and also "a crazed, crying lowlife." So that made an opportunity to talk about dogs, which is one of the most popular things to do on the internet. But that's because we love dogs, right? So what to say about "dog," the insult, which, of course, must be portrayed as really bad, racist actually, because Trump said it?

Let's look:
Animalistic slurs come easily to Trump, who over the past few years has likened a long list of perceived enemies to dogs — including former FBI director James B. Comey, former acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates, former chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), journalist David Gregory and conservative commentator Erick Erickson.
That makes it hard to call "dog" racist. But not too hard for Rucker.
But in Trump’s telling, Manigault Newman did not simply get fired “like a dog.” She was a “dog” herself.
The old metaphor/simile distinction!

And:
The president’s calling a woman a dog — and not just any woman, but the highest-ranking African American who has served on his White House staff — drew stern condemnations.

“Mr. President, it is beneath you and the office of the presidency to call any woman a dog,” Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) tweeted. “It is degrading and demeaning, and I pray that you will stop this vulgar behavior. Our country is better than this.”
Yes, it's sexist too. Interesting that Rucker made that point without using the idea that a female dog is a "bitch." By the way, has Trump ever called a woman a bitch? Yes! It's part of the famous Access Hollywood audio: "I moved on her like a bitch." Like a bitch. Another simile. Too much of a complication.

Rucker takes on the conundrum of how "dog" works as an insult when we seem to love dogs. He talks to David Livingstone Smith, "a philosophy professor who studies dehumanization and racism":
Smith said leaders use dehumanizing rhetoric to elicit fear and solidarity against some perceived existential threat from “others.” Yet while dogs are considered dirty in some cultures, such as in the Middle East, they are popular in the United States as household pets and are considered loyal and adoring. Smith suggested that a more apt slur in America would be calling someone a rat or a pig or a wolf.

But Trump, an avowed germaphobe, has long had an aversion to dogs.
Wait. He's good with dogs:



The rest of the article is padded with information about other Presidents having dogs. Morsel of evidence Rucker fails to process: The Secretary of Defense is nicknamed "Mad Dog."

126 comments:

David Begley said...

What?! Trump doesn’t have a dog? That does it. Impeach!

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Our country is better than this."
No it is not.
We dropped nuclear bombs on cities populated by civilians, for God's sake. Gave the guys who did it medals.

Kassaar said...

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine

Humperdink said...

Dog is man's best friend! What's the beef? Let's face it, she was a fox in the hen house.

MountainMan said...

"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." - often attributed to Harry Truman, but he never actually said it. And I don't think Truman had a dog in the White House.

bleh said...

Except Trump has called other people “dogs,” not merely they were “like dogs” (if that distinction means anything). Three people he called “dogs”: Ariana Huffington, David Axelrod and som guy named Mac Miller. Pretty easy to search his twitter archive. The reporter didn’t do that?

iowan2 said...

Anyone that has competed athletically has been called a dog.

The left is literally insane. President Trump is the cause. The United States is at levels of success we haven't seen since WW II, but its 'dogs' all the way down.

Mike Sylwester said...

The New York Times published an article in which David Brooks called President Trump and several foreign politicians wolves.

TRUTH DIES IN DARKNESS

iowan2 said...

We dropped nuclear bombs on cities populated by civilians, for God's sake. Gave the guys who did it medals

And saved millions of Japanese lives. Both military and civilian. Dont forget, Japanese did not value human life. The Emperor was literally Deity, and lives were his to do with as he pleased.

Japan could have surrendered after the first bomb...they did not.

rhhardin said...

Shakespeare didn't like spaniels especially, and liked dogs in general less than he should have.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Hey, Trump "worked" as a dog walker at his own hotel in Chicago once!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8MXKdXl6Wk

rhhardin said...

FDOTUS.

There was a conflict in Veep between first dog and first daughter, as to what the name meant.

rhhardin said...

Having a dog revises your standards of hygiene.

Amadeus 48 said...

Who needs a dog when the MSM are such bitches? Trump can hear lots of barking whenever he gives a press availability. I hate to say it, but Sean Hannity has tail-wagging down cold. No, Trump doesn’t need a dog.

Michael K said...

Muslims don't like dogs. Did he mention that ?

Amadeus 48 said...

At least Trump doesn’t eat dogs-except hot dogs from the Trump Grille, which are the best-unlike his predecessor you-know-who. Has anyone seen Bo lately? The Clintons gave Buddy the unkindest cut of all, and then let the Secret Service take the heat for bumping him off, presumably before he could meet up with Mark Levin and spill the beans. Trump is a saint by comparison.

Unknown said...

Yeah, well, where was the outrage when his predecessor actually *ate* dog? Jeez Louise...

Amadeus 48 said...

Next up in WaPoo— Fidogate. Trump’s secret exploitation of dogs. He was heard screaming at Mattis, “Cry ‘Havoc!’ And let slip the dogs of war!”, while at his heels, leashed in like hounds, fire, sword and famine crouch for employment.

Lewis Wetzel said...

To increase his troll-overlord rank even higher, Trump should start using insults that sound like they came from a bad Sinbad the Sailor movie: "Get of a she devil!" "Posturing Pea Fowl!" "Daughter of a shoemaker!"

The Crack Emcee said...

I lived through too many years of Bush/Chimp/Hitler for me to think of race, exclusively, for a lot of this stuff anymore. And, as with the NewAge shit, the Left started it, so I can't even join them in their outrage at what it's doing to the culture. All they can do is cut it out, and stop responding to it, and point to a better way.

Or they're toast.

Wince said...

Isn’t “dog” another word for a bad choice?

As in “turned out to be a real dog.”.

Molly said...

(eaglebeak)

When he was married to Ivana, he had to put up with her dogs -- but after that, no more. Imagine Trump of all people having to endure being licked by a dog....

Robert Cook said...

It's natural for vermin and rats to hate dogs.

dreams said...

I just found another reason to like Trump, pets should be for children and then only maybe.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Robert Cook said...

It's natural for vermin and rats to hate dogs.

Muslims hate dogs. What are you getting at, Robert Cook? Dehumanizing Muslims now, eh?

dreams said...
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Lewis Wetzel said...

What is the accepted way to insult a Black person these days? Apparently animal comparisons are out, and so is calling a Black person stupid. What's left? Rat? Thief? Stinker? Liar?
Robert Cook knows, I bet.

dreams said...
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Browndog said...

Clinton and Obama both got photo-op dogs after winning the White House, so there's that.

I do not expect a big city guy to be able to appreciate fully the joys of a waggy tail. I don't get the feeling Trump dislikes dogs, and doubt if he ever ate them.

DavidD said...

“Lewis Wetzel said...
To increase his troll-overlord rank even higher, Trump should start using insults that sound like they came from a bad Sinbad the Sailor movie: ‘Get of a she devil!’ ‘Posturing Pea Fowl!’ ‘Daughter of a shoemaker!’ ”

Or from Johnny Dangerously: “Fargin’ bastiges!”

Hagar said...

It is OK to call Melania, who has not harmed anyone, a bitch, but just awful to call Omarosa, who has now been found to have planned for a long time to betray him, a dog?

Omarosa is kind of a Black Stormy Daniels with the difference that the Daniels story seems to be run by her lawyer Avenatti, and for his benefit more than Daniels', while Omarosa is doing her own thing, which she has worked on for a long time with malice aforethought.

BudBrown said...

For some reason this post makes me think of Lombardi. It's been 50 years so maybe
I recall it wrong but some reporter asked Adderly how Lombardi was on race and Adderly
said the coach was pretty even-handed - he treated all the players like dogs.

Lucien said...

Pit bull and Doberman are good ways to describe people. Poodle, not so much. Lone Wolf? Could go either way.

tcrosse said...

Hot diggity dog.

Virgil Hilts said...

Oh man, what an opening for Trump to adopt something like Trumph the insult comic dog. He could have the dog come out to press conferences and do the insulting for DT.
Trumph would have to declare his conversion after previously being somewhat of an anti-Trumper.
www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/watch-triumph-the-insult-comic-dog-scorch-trumps-inauguration-116290/

Dust Bunny Queen said...

NOT having a dog or a pet is sometimes the kinder, more humane thing to do.

Dogs, especially, need to be part of their pack. Their human companions matter very much and stability of the group is important. If you are a very busy person who cannot spend much time around your family, much less your dog, it is actually cruel to have a dog. They don't understand absences.

Sure. Trump could have a dog and trot it out for show and tell, like Obama. Everyone would go aaaaw....see how cute that is. In reality, the dog is just a living, breathing accessory.

I respect Trump more for not putting on a show at the expense of another living, feeling being.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

My brother went to high school with Mattis. Mattis actually doesn't like the nickname "Mad Dog" or at least he didn't back then.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


"Blogger Lewis Wetzel said...
To increase his troll-overlord rank even higher, Trump should start using insults that sound like they came from a bad Sinbad the Sailor movie: "Get of a she devil!" "Posturing Pea Fowl!" "Daughter of a shoemaker!""

I'm waiting for him to tweet, "Wind from a monkey's backside!". That would pretty much make the 21st Century for me. Of course, he couldn't say it regarding Valerie Jarret.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Ann Althouse said...By the way, has Trump ever called a woman a bitch? Yes! It's part of the famous Access Hollywood audio: "I moved on her like a bitch." Like a bitch. Another simile.

Are you parsing that as Trump saying he moved on the woman as though the woman was a bitch and he was a male dog? I thought he was talking about himself, making fun of the way he pursued the woman, and in that case he'd be comparing himself to a bitch (in heat), no?
He was talking about how he pursued and "moved on" her, and saying that he failed to "get there" despite his (now embarrassing) efforts.
I don't think your example shows Trump calling a woman a bitch.

walter said...

Why Did the Nazis Like Dogs?

"If dogs could write, Blondi might have written an autobiography entitled “I Was Adolf Hitler’s Bitch.” As a motto for the autobiography she could have quoted the Furher’s words at the end of March 1945, about a month before he committed suicide. “I am surrounded on all sides only by traitors and betrayals,” said Hitler to his crony, architect and Minister of Armaments and War Production Albert Speer. “Only my bad luck is loyal to me – my bad luck and Blondi, my German shepherd.”

Like revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg’s famous cat, Mimi, and Laika, the dog who was launched into space by the Soviet Union – Blondi too was a pet that became a cultural heroine. She starred in Nazi propaganda aimed at depicting Hitler as an animal lover; posters of her with her master were sold throughout Germany and she inspired many Germans to adopt a German shepherd of their own in addition to the entire country’s political shepherd.

Blondi was a concrete symbol of the Nazi regime’s love of dogs. True, signs common in public places in Germany with the words “No Entry to Jews and Dogs” are engraved in the collective memory. However, while the Jews were toppled, excluded, persecuted and in the end slaughtered, dogs received preferential treatment, whether as part of the regime's tendency to protect fauna and flora or out of a specific preference for canines."

FullMoon said...

Ted Kennedy foisted that dog upon Obama. Obama did not ask for it.

Birches said...

Thank you for publicizing the Access Hollywood tape. All this talk about Trump's misogyny and racism by using the word dog and the media can't even remember that Trump called himself one in his most infamous moment. It's almost disingenuous. ...

Dust Bunny Queen said...

You Hound Dog !!

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Birches said...

Thank you for publicizing the Access Hollywood tape.

Came out well before the election. The American People preferred Trump, with all his warts, to Hillary with all her warts.

Ralph L said...

Do Germans call them German Shepherds?
I'm sure Alsatians was too sore a point after 1918.

Hagar said...

I thought Hitler's dog was an Elsasser?

Comanche Voter said...

I suspect that Inga and assorted progressie mavens might take the following as support for the idea that Trump is literally Hitler.

But in pejorative phrase "dog", Trump (nee Drumpf) is simply channeling his inner German. The German language is rich with animal term insults. Everybody knows "Schweinehund" --literally pig dog. But do you know "Schafshacker"? Aka "sheep's prick"?

And speaking of Schafshackers, Obama had no idea what to do with Bo as a pet. The dog was banished to the basement other than for photo ops---and the one photo I saw of Obama with the dog was a hoot. He had no more control over Bo than he would have over an umbrella in a Texas tornado. Or maybe Bo was running away fearing that he might become "what's for dinner" Chez Obama.

Big Mike said...

Obama had a dog just to have a dog for photo-ops. He was a cat person if ever one was.

Ralph L said...

Came out well before the election.

I largely tuned out the campaign. The impression the MSM gave me was utterly false. It happens over and over to incite outrage. Charlottesville, Putin press conference, dogs.

Rick.T. said...

I don’t care that much for dogs....obviously.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Trump should a have big, white, long-haired cat with a diamond-studded collar. He should keep it nearby during press conferences so he can stroke it. Also, Trump should smoke using a cigarette holder. And litter his speech with mentions of "17". Troll Andy Cuomo! Troll that idiot SOB!

wwww said...
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buwaya said...

I like the word "canaille", as it derives ultimately from Latin canis, literal meaning of course is a pack of dogs, and commonly used to refer to a mob of low status.

I would like to use it constantly, but such words need to be held in reserve.

buwaya said...

Trump is an eccentric, he cultivates his eccentricities.
He enjoys them. They also reliably amused his audiences all these years.

It is going too far to call it a schtick, because thats at least part of his true personality.

They also disarmed his critics and opponents, making them underestimate him.
This is still happening, which is surprising to some degree, but it is human nature to rationalize away reality when it conflicts with a world view. There is some residual caste infused amour-propre among his enemies that still cannot get beyond judging a book by its cover.

buwaya said...

Dogs like me, cats like me, but in truth I don't care for either.
We have cats because wife and daughter overcame my defenses.
The cats, unaccountably, like me more than anyone.

Birkel said...

The Germans called them Devil Dogs,
Their real name is Marine.

Henry said...

McKinley had a parrot.

PM said...

What the WaPo really wants to see is Trump sitting in the Oval office stroking a white Persian cat.

Ralph L said...

Wilson had sheep.

Rick.T. said...


Blogger buwaya said..

“The cats, unaccountably, like me more than anyone.”

They like a challenge. There is much anecdotal evidence that they will purposely seek out the person in the room who likes them the least.

wwww said...
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reader said...

When I was growing up what was meant when someone called someone else a dog (almost always a guy) was that they'd hump (sorry) anything. Once again...trailer park.

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

Every high school coach ever:

Quit dogging it.
READ: Give more effort.

Ralph L said...

Once again...trailer park

It was much wider than that.

One thing I love about FailArmy is the dogs rushing in to help (sometimes to hump).

Balfegor said...

I look forward to Trump criticising someone as a "cur." That's a dog-word that needs a little more popularity these days.

tcrosse said...

Johnny is a joker and he tried to steal my baby. He's a bird dog.

Unknown said...

Mr Trump doesn't care if anyone thinks there's something wrong with a president who doesn't own a pet. I wonder how many of our former presidents owned a dog (or cat) because of public perception, while privately hating pets? The way people are so overboard with their pets these days Mr Trump eschewing pet ownership is a refreshing change.

Bill Crawford said...

Ed Stetzer, an evangelical and director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College (IL), tweeted yesterday: "I sure do hope that we can all agree—Trump supporters and opponents—that no person needs to be called a dog, let alone an African-American woman. This is not hard. This is not right. This is not presidential. This is not worth of evangelical support. This is just wrong."

Got 3400 likes and a bunch of comments agreeing how unchristian it is to call someone a dog.

All of whom failed to note both Jesus and Paul used that epithet. Also, has he removed all of Luther and Calvin's writings from his library? Most prominent figures in church history pre-20th century used rather colorful language to describe their opponents.

Kevin said...

[Omarosa has just transformed into a demon]

President Trump: OK... so... she's a dog...

Dust Bunny Queen said...

They [cats] like a challenge. There is much anecdotal evidence that they will purposely seek out the person in the room who likes them the least.

Cats do not like to be stared at directly in the eyes....until they want to do so, that is. (generally when begging for food) They prefer people who are aloof, low key, don't stare, don't talk stupid to them, don't reach for them to pet, don't intrude on their space.

If you are one of those people who exude an air of "I don't care what you do" and are not needy, the cat will think you are one of their own kind. Then they feel comfortable with you and will become quite friendly. Condescending to allow you to pet their purrrrrrfect fur. Once you have bonded with the cat, they own you.

wwww said...
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BUMBLE BEE said...

Not one single solitary thing to like about the man... since he won. Howie Mandel, germaphobe has Animals Doing Things, but Donald, absolutely not!

Jim at said...

They talk about me like a dog. - Barack H. Obama

Obviously racist.

Birkel said...

wwww,

Tell us what a majority of Americans think about the economy.

readering said...

Donald Trump's life expectancy (13.8 years) less than that of a Pomeranian puppy (breed of my dog).

wwww said...
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holdfast said...

Obama ate a dog.

Clinton let his dog get killed by the Secret Service.

Obama named his dog after himself, sort of. And we haven't heard so much as a yip from Bo since the Obamas left the White House. Free Bo!

I don't think the WH is a good place for dogs these days. Advantage: Trump.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

EDH nailed it.

Trump was obviously using Webster's definition number 8.

: one inferior of its kind the movie was a dog : such as
a : an investment not worth its price
b : an undesirable piece of merchandise

Every problem looks like a nail to a man with a hammer, especially if he is as dumb as a Post like Rucker.

Anthony said...

GAWD, these people are just so unbearably and embarrassingly stupid.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

He should have just called her a feckless cunt. Progs fully approve of that epithet to describe women.

Birkel said...

wwww,

Aren’t you too cute by half?
Tell us how people feel about the things that matter most to them (the economy) instead of telling us about things outside the top 10. How about it? Try to be less useless.

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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wbfjrr2 said...

I voted for Trump out of desperation. Now that I’ve seen him in action on the things that count, I don’t give a damn what he tweets. His policies are a breath of fresh air.

He sure keeps the Left (media, dems, academics, lowlife protestors) riled up to the point of acting so insanely stupid that his tweets seem tame, not to mention amusing.

Meanwhile, www, the rest of us are enjoying jobs, pay raises, energy independence, law enforcement, border control, economic growth that is meaningful after 10 years of stagnation etc. As a $20 trillion economy, 3-4 % growth = $600-800 billion growth. The growth number alone is more than the entire GDP of all but 15 or so countries in the world.

So yeah, he can call things as he sees them in my book. Meanwhile I surmise you have no issue with senior Dems calling for violence or at least giving it a pass so long as the targets are anyone not on the left?

Etienne said...

Was Kimmel comparing black dogs to black people?

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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wwww said...
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The Godfather said...

"They talk about me like a dog. - Barack H. Obama

Obviously racist."

Should be "speciesist".

Birkel said...

wwww,
Nobody is confusing you with an honest commenter.
Your wishcasting is noted.
Your placing words into my typing is noted.

Look at the top 10 issues identified by polls.
Show me where the poor manners rank in those polls.

Seeing Red said...
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Seeing Red said...

A political base should not assume outre behaviour they like is comfortable to the majority of Americans.


or, more to the point, with swing voters.



Oh, dear, clutching those pearls. What’s more vulgarian, tweets or beating up cops, protesting, breaking things?

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"Trump is the first President in more than a century …"

How long (after Obama) till we have another President eats dog?

If we are inundated by the Blue Wave, sooner than you might think. Household pets are becoming scarce in Caracas, I understand.

tim in vermont said...

Obama didn't get a dog until he was president for a while. And even then it was a pretty ridiculous breed.

tim in vermont said...

Of course he wasn't judged, because reasons.

tim in vermont said...

According to Hitler's Final Hours, he poisoned his dog in the bunker to test the poison he wanted to take, so maybe it's better that Trump doesn't have a dog, for when he is finally hunted down to his bunker by Mueller.

Drago said...

Balfegor: "I look forward to Trump criticising someone as a "cur." That's a dog-word that needs a little more popularity these days."

Finally, a possible "Tombstone" reference.

Birkel said...

wwww,
I assure you I have never engaged on a female medical issue with you or anybody else. You are either confused or somebody used a sockpuppet with my nic.

It became personal when you inserted words into my typing. That is rude. Your 4:14PM comment was dishonest.

gspencer said...

Whatdaya mean he didn't have a dog? How about the unhinged Omarosa?

(And if you think that's racist, I. DON'T. CARE.)

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

6.4% annualized consumer spending increase says people are feeling pretty good about the economy.

What was that somebody was saying about issues most important to American voters?

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

There are the most important issues to voters. Imagine demonstrating you are correct with actual data.

But do go on about how your 4:14PM inserted words into my typing.
Tell more about that.

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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Birkel said...

wwww,
No, you can see plainly above that your 4:14PM above addressed me and assumed words into my prior message that did not exist. You made up what you wanted me to be saying. i.e., you lied.

Seeing Red said...

Tweets can be avoided, violence not so much.

Birkel said...

wwww,
You should recognize I never typed anything about “preeclamsia” in the thread you imagined I did.
You can check for yourself.

It is odd that you would, once again, demonstrate your dishonesty by adding words to my typing that are not there.

Pattern recognition is a skill.

Darrell said...

A non-performing stock in your investment portfolio is called a "dog."Same with other investments that don't meet expectations. What are the odds that Trump would use that term given his background?

Birkel said...

I knew I should have placed a (sic) after “preeclamsia” instead of just using quotes.

Spelling is also a skill.

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

wwww,
You inserted words into my typing. Lying is a big sin. One of the ten, and all.

When I said the economy mattered more, you supposed to put words into my mouth that I might believe the things you mentioned mattered not at all. In other words, you lied about what I wrote.

You also lied about me writing anything about “preeclamsia” (sic) because you are a liar. I have a strategy for you: quit lying and I won’t call you a liar.

BTW, I cited Gallup to support my assertion about relative importance of issues.

news.gallup.com/poll/1675/most-important-problem.aspx

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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wwww said...
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Birkel said...

How dare you exert your privilege over me to deny I can be any gender I choose?
This is a macroaggression.

I choose not to believe you are terminally stupid.
So I believe you can see how you inserted your thoughts for what you wanted me to be saying into your 4:14PM comment.
You should be ashamed.

wwww said...
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wwww said...
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Birkel said...

More macroaggressions!
Your thinking is so binary!
How dare your cis- thinking impinge my right to self-determination.

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

Then you should quit lying about what I typed to protect your eternal soul and that of your child, too.

(What if I am an atheist online at just this moment. It wouldn’t make your lies fewer.)

wwww said...
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Birkel said...

wwww,
Lying followed by deletions.
Aren’t you special?