so a 'friend' was making fun of me for liking ralph nader (his mother just died at age 99, that's how it came up), and he said he hates nader and all those 'fabricators'

i stopped the conversation before i got too riled.

any clue what this could mean?

I'm guessing he's either mad about Nader "winning" the election for Bush or just knows Ralph for his more recent embarrassing behavior trying to involve himself with sports.

Anyone who doesn't have some respect for Nader and what he has done with his life is a douchebag. You may not agree with his politics or point of view, but he's done things for Americans that most Presidents would love to have accomplished.

I dont know much about nadar, what's he accomplished?

You haven't died in a car crash.

I'm a good driver.

Then bad drivers haven't killed you in one.

Tough to disagree with this. And I doubt I would agree with very much of what his agenda would be in public office.

What brought up Nader?

his mother died. she was 99.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060124/ap_ ... se_nader_2

Ralph Nader's Mother Dies at 99
By DONNA TOMMELLEO, Associated Press Writer

HARTFORD, Conn. - Rose Bouziane Nader, a Lebanese immigrant and author who raised consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, has died. She was 99.

Nader died of congestive heart failure Friday at her home in Winsted, about 20 miles northwest of Hartford. She would have turned 100 on Feb. 7.

"It's just breaking us up," Ralph Nader told The Associated Press on Monday. "The heart that's been beating since 1906 couldn't make it until (Feb. 7). She put a lot of forces into motion directly and through her children that I think created a lot of improvement in our country."

Born in Lebanon, she became a high school teacher of French and Arabic. She married Nathra Nader in 1925 and emigrated to the United States a short time later, settling in Danbury and then in Winsted, where they raised four children.

Ralph Nader founded numerous consumer groups, including the Public Interest Research Group and the Center for Auto Safety. In 2000, he was the Green Party presidential candidate and ran for president in 2004 as an independent.

He recalled his mother's advice when entering the national political scene.

"She always said if you think there's anything more difficult than becoming well-known in our country, it's learning how to endure it," Nader said.

In 1991, she wrote "It Happened in the Kitchen," which explained her philosophy of raising children and the connection between good food and diverse family dinner conversations.

Her husband, a businessman, died in 1991.

Who are the other "fabricators," and what do they fabricate?

Come on, B. Pay attention.

What did he do again?

For example, did you know that it is Ralph Nader who was responsible for the creation of OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and the Consumer Product Safety Administration? And did you know that Nader was instrumental in the adoption of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Wholesome Meat Act, and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act? (Indeed, it was Ralph Nader who maneuvered the auto industry into making airbags available on American cars.) However, more than anything else, Nader is responsible for a wholesale shift in contemporary attitudes toward consumer rights, public safety, humane business practices, and open government.

http://www.harley.com/writing/ralph-nader.html

That last sentence might be a bit much.

He invented the internet.

wow. not even i knew all that.

Which is why I said:

How was he trying to involve himself with sports?? I hadn't heard anything about that.

He spouted some stuff about the steroid issue in baseball. I think he was rambling about TO at one point, too.