Well, I feel bad that I threw a hissy fit and derailed this thread, so in atonement I'm going to post a version of the kind of political humor that now gets chain-e-mailed—like dte's parable—just to show the difference between thirty years ago and now. It's a very crude letter that I had given to me when I first moved to Oklahoma, and while it's very simple, rural humor, and I suspect pretty old(some of the jokes are ancient) it's got everything in modern politics that stirs people up: Family values, sex, business difficulties, abortion, and religion. It's obviously making fun of Democrats, nonetheless, I don't find anything mean in it, and it's got its funny side if you don't mind a lot of barnyard references.
DEPUTY COLLECTOR OF INTERNAL REVENUE
Dear Sir,
I am a lifelong Democrat and I just received your letter in regards to the taxes I owe you. You say the bill could have been paid off long ago. Well, I will try to enlighten you.
In 1907 I bought a new sawmill on credit. In 1909 an ox team, a timber cart, two ponies, a revolver, also two fine razorback hogs, all on the installment plan.
In 1910 the mill burned down and did not leave a damn thing. The ox team got scared by a coyote and tipped the cart into the river, the revolver misfired while I was cleaning it and shot one of the hogs, one of the ponies died and I loaned the other one to a son-of-bitch who starved it to death, then I joined the church.
In 1911 my father died and my brother was lynched for horse stealing, a railroader knocked up my daughter and I had to pay $88 for a doctor to keep the bastard from becoming my relative.
In 1912 my boy got the mumps and they went down on him and the same doctor had to castrate him to save his life. Then later I went fishing and the boat turned over and I lost the biggest catfish I ever saw. Two of my boys were drowned, neither one of them being the one that was castrated.
In 1914 I burned out and went to drinking. I didn’t stop till all I had left was a Waterbury watch and kidney trouble. Then for some time all I did was wind the watch and piss.
In 1915 my wife ran away with a bootlegger and left me a pair of twins for souvenirs. Then I married the hired girl to keep down costs but we had trouble in bed. I paid the same doctor $45 for advice and he tole me to create some excitement at the right moment, so that night I took the shotgun to bed with me and at what I thought was the right moment I stuck the gun out the window and fired. My wife had a stroke, I ruptured myself, and I shot the best cow I ever had.
In 1916 I decided to try again so I bought a manure spreader, a John Deere binder, and a threshing machine, all on the installment plan. Then along came a cyclone and blew everything into the next county. My wife got the clap from a traveling salesman, my boy, not the one that was castrated, wiped his rear on a poisoned corncob, and the farrier accidentally made a steer out of my best bull.
Now at the present time you say you can cause me trouble. If it cost a nickel to crap, I’d have to throw up. Trying to get money out of me would be like trying to poke shit up a wildcat’s ass with a toothpick. But you are sure welcome to try.
Yours for more credit,
Joe
PS You may be a Republican. I may be a Democrat, but we can still get along. I’ll hug your elephant, and you can kiss my ass.
(I cleaned it up just a little, but I couldn't clean it up too much because it wouldn't be the same.) So, peace offering, and like the politicians say, if I offended anybody, I apologize.