And what is it with so many of them being young and attractive? Maybe they're vampires...

Scott McLemee of the group-blog Crooked Timber occasionally blogs about the weird details of the Larouche cult -- it makes for fascinating reading, in a trainwreck kind of way.

I've NEVER spoken to these people, but every time I see them I make eye contact and smile. Just enough attention to reinforce their motivation and keep at it.

What these people realize; what makes freedom of speech and representative democracy so neat, is that they people can throw their support behind someone they believe in regardless of his chances to actually winning an election, and people like you can secretly/openly deride their idealism, so that people like me can come on here and call you an asshole.

I suppose that people who support bill richardson must be genetically deficient because he has little to no chance of actually being president?

I laughed today. Twice.

I'll tell you how these folks connect with the people. I was walking down Pine with my 82 year old mother over Thanksgiving when of them walks up to us and asks "Do you want to know about how Dick Cheney is fucking the American people up the ass?" (or something to that effect. I know for sure ass fucking was used in some sort of manner)

That is not the kind of language one uses with Mother Vel-DuRay - she's old school, and feels strongly that intelligent people don't need to swear, especally in the vicinity of nice stores (unless it's her doing the swearing, of course. Sometimes, when she thinks it's just her and the washing machine, you'd think she was raised in a saloon. She hates laundry day).

The young man was lucky he didn't get a purse upside his head. (That was reserved for me when I told him to get the fuck aways from us) and I hate to think what would have transpired if she had happened to have a soapy washcloth with her.

I will never hear the end of our little experience with the larouchies.

Forget silver salvers of X, G, K and T...and horse? Not even a clean needle!

Larouche is way off base, man.

the LaRouch-y Federalist paperisn't that terrible. probably just as whack as the Stranger's propaganda.

i think the new cult is Stoicism.
Do you remember, when Bill Clinton's soundbyte writers fed that one to the press?
Yeah, before the Lewinsky meltdown, I thought Free Willy was ok, him and his bedtime reading Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
Absolutely perfect for leading this cute hellhole country into more depression, angst, mudsliningingslingblade and worship.

tell they in a shouting voice that you are a FLAMING fag, proud of it and want to date the young cute ones.

then, KICK their table over and walk on with a pronounced swish and great purpose. Don't look back.

I used to do it on Broadway years ago - they have been collecting change and spouting off for a very long time

they hate Bush and Cheney, God, it feels strange to be in agreement on anything.

I'll tell you what, Jesus: I'd rather try to show them they should respect me as a gay man because I have common decency and scruples, not by being a stupid, overwrought snap queen who destroys their personal property.

You're an embarrassment, dude.

oh, Dude.

you are so sweet, in the face of rank homophobia, bet you would go to the ovens wondering why being nice just didn't work.

by the way, they quit working Broadway for years, cause the response was not welcoming. (and I think the Goodwill card table survived fine)

And a poser with the name Cornball, dares to mock Jesus? Hey, hey, ho.

But I can discern a slight difference between innocuous (brainwashed) goofballs at a card table who may or may not proactively make a snide comment to me, and the jackbooted forces of a fascist dictatorship.

But that's just me.

For whatever reason, I never honked at these guys. Since I stopped driving, I never take their flyers either. Maybe I should start. Just to encourage them. When they go home to their significant others, they can smile and think they "got me to convert". Maybe my "support" will just push them further down their spirally path toward psychosis.

ha... sorry guys, I just faked it. ...you bastards.

Dan - what were you doing in the belly of the merchandising beast - are you back from bucolic Vashon Island?

Yea, those guys are whack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQMpOIHzzw&feature=related

The young man was lucky he didn't get a purse upside his head. (That was reserved for me when I told him to get the fuck aways from us)

So grandma hit you for saying "aways"?

I helped organize a rally last year for Sen Cantwell's re-election campaign. They came en masse and stood at the back of our rally. When Sen Cantwell came to the microphone they started singing (or screaming) their anti Cheney songs at the top of their lungs. We asked them to stop so that people could hear the Senator speak; they did not.

They are very rude people. They also did not make any sense. Why protest and disrupt a Democratic rally if they are angry about Cheney?

It is then that I asked one of them what they are going to do when their cult leader dies. The person almost came at me and tried to hit me.

I've seen these folks in various cities over the years. They're always the same -- rude, unkept and believing in the weirdest conspiracy theories out there. To them everybody in politics is corrupt, evil and part of a global conspiracy, EXCEPT their fearless leader, even though he has been to jail. I sometimes feel sorry for them, until they interupt my rallies where I am trying to do something constructive.

Hopefully they will get the mental help they need after he is dead.

Nice post.
You must not be a Seattle dweller.
That kind of attitude toward freedom is not allowed here.