My wife remarked to me yesterday that someone who was in grammar school

[MineralMan]

with her, lo these many years ago, commented on Facebook nastily toward Lt. Colonel Vindman, calling him a coward and a traitor. She asked what I'd say in response to that.

I suggested, "When did you serve in the military? When were you wounded? When was your Purple Heart awarded?"

She did. The guy unfriended her. "Good," she said.

Those who dis those who served in the military almost always didn't serve in the military. Questions like those will soon rid your feed of such slimeballs. If the person answers the questions to the effect that that person did serve, you can simply say, "You're calling a fellow veteran who was wounded a coward? Really?" That will fix that.

[keithbvadu2]

1. Those who have not served

The Trumps are not shy about proclaiming how much they have 'sacrificed'.

Visit to Arlington Cemetery reminded Donald Trump Jr. of all his family's 'sacrifices,' he writes

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/visit-to-arlington-cemetery-reminded-donald-trump-jr-of-all-his-family-s-sacrifices-he-writes-1.606501

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212910508

"I gave up my life to move to Washington to help Americans," Ivanka Trump says in Davos interview.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Good response, MM. I love these stories of sacrifice by Ivanka, and rump's ...

sacrifice in not serving and avoiding not getting a STD, although I think that he's lying when he says this (his mental state resembles someone w/ an advanced case of a STD long untreated.

These people don't know what the word sacrifice means, obviously.

[Frustratedlady]

3. A few years ago, a friend of many years, died. Not wanting to attend the funeral, another friend

and I went to the funeral home to pay our respects. This person who died had a Trump problem in that he had difficulty telling the truth or enhanced the story to make himself look good. We always called him on the lies, but it never stopped him.

As I was leaving, I glanced at the program and could not believe what I saw. He apparently tried to impress his second wife that, while serving during the Korean War, he won a Purple Heart and she not only believed him, but added it to the program of his funeral. I turned to my friend and said, "Even in death, he lied."

A good lesson on how your lies will follow you around...even to the grave.

[PatSeg]

4. Now that was a truly dedicated liar

I've known people like that and I never understood how their minds worked. They will lie about anything, even when the truth may be better.

At least he was consistent!

[Frustratedlady]

5. The only thing we could figure was that he fed that lie to his fairly new wife...

and she dutifully believed it. But, the thing that confused us was that his son was a minister and surely knew better. I suppose he could have bought a Purple Heart at an antique shop or got one somehow, but he never won one.

I thought that maybe he actually did win one, so I checked all the military sites for winner's names of Purple Hearts and he was not listed. That probably sounds like I am being nosy, but I couldn't believe that even after death...

You just never know what motivates those people.

[PatSeg]

6. Maybe it is insecurity

People often try to make themselves more than they are, because they don't think people will love the person that they are. They can get very creative, it is a shame they can't channel that creativity into something more productive.

I've also known the people who believed the lies and when they found out the truth, it often was devastating.

[The Wizard]

21. Liars depend on everyone else to be honest

When you give them false information they can't process it and their myths dissolve. Lawyers do this in cross examination. Once the witness agrees to the lie the story begins to unravel. Everything changes once the lying starts.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. Bravo!!

[busterbrown]

8. Guess your wife's friend didn't expect that.

Your wife's style... Hit em hard and fast... Keep it simple... Yea.. thats the way!!

[MineralMan]

9. People like that never expect to be called on their

bullshit. My wife usually doesn't do things like that, but I suggested it and she tried it Boom! Problem solved.

I handle it differently. The first time someone from the old days spouts a Trumpism, I just block them from my feed. I don't bother engaging them. I simply don't have time. My wife has always tried to reason with such people, but is tired of doing that at this point.

[busterbrown]

13. I respect your ability to act sensibly...

Once in awhile I'm an irresponsible Dem.. who does not know how to leave a political argument as a stalemate .... Little I can do about it...Really.. These nuts who surround us are literally incapacitated in understanding the damage they are doing to our planet..

I always read your posts closely.. I learn a lot.

[The Wizard]

22. My favorite retort to Trumpinistas

Kindly furnish us with peer reviewed empirical data to support your assertions.

[yonder]

10. Nice. A few non-threatening questions to suss out any lack of confidence in his position.

[BigOleDummy]

11. Thats my standard

response to people like that. Mine is more usually, "Oh, you're a veteran too? When/where did you serve?" Thats my response when I'm called a "traitor" or similar crap from the trumpists. You are 100% correct it shuts up the vast majority of them immediately. If they DO happen to be a fellow vet its a great way to change the subject too.

[RazBerryBeret]

12. I had this very same "argument"

with a FB friend for HS.... i kinda wish he would unfriend me, I'm not gonna cave and unfriend him, that's like giving up... haha.

[cwydro]

14. I rarely visit facebook anymore, but so glad I've no friends who spout right wing garbage.

I don’t consider it a political platform.

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. WTF? He was subpoenaed! He told the truth!

[extvbroadcaster]

16. Get rid of facebook

Finally people are wising up that Facebook sucks. Oh, it works for some people to keep in touch with family and such. But for most people it is just "brag book" where the postings are all of vacation photos and the kids senior prom. Nobody ever posts their DUI mugshot or their divorce papers. And do you really want to hear from the kid that sat behind you in high school history? There is a reason people drift away from each other, and Facebook disrupts that natural flow. Once you are "friends" with some somebody you might just realize they were an asshole in high school and still are. No Facebook for me.

[MineralMan]

17. It does work for keeping in touch with friends and family.

Sometimes, it can also work for catching up with old friends and acquaintances. However, when you start doing that, you'll find some who are not really worth continuing to communicate with. Those, you can simply dispense with and unfriend.

Then, you can keep those connections that you value and continue to communicate.

That's how I use Facebook, and it's how my wife uses it.

You don't have to use Facebook. It's a choice for everyone, isn't it?

[dhol82]

19. I have eliminated all toxic people from my FB feed

It is useful for keeping in touch with family and friends in addition to my high school class.
Fortunately, my HS class was very liberal.
So is my family. And my friends.

[MineralMan]

23. Yes. So have I. I block people without any remorse.

[Nature Man]

24. You can make an ethical choice about the products you use.

[MineralMan]

25. You can also use products in an ethical way.

Like most social media venues, Facebook lets you control what you see in various ways. It also lets you control who sees what you post there, and what they can do with what they see.

Customizing your Facebook experience is part of the way you can make it more ethical, in your own terms.

[Nature Man]

26. The problem comes from what Facebook is

not how you use it.

Website user experience has nothing to do with ethics.

[maxsolomon]

18. My tack is a little different.

Instead of challenging their credentials to make a slanderous statement like that, I ask for specifics on what they're referencing.

"What did Col. Vindman do that was cowardly?" Partially it's because I have no fucking clue what they're talking about, and I want to challenge them in good faith.

Trumpists cannot give specifics &/or facts. They're reacting from their reptile brains.

THEN I stick the knife in and twist it.

[Efilroft Sul]

20. It's like getting the trash to take itself out.

[Nitram]

27. Communicating with such people is not only a total waste of time, it is bad for the heart.

[MineralMan]

28. I agree. I never do. I simply block them at the first opportunity.