We all have that relative, who forwards crap emails to us. For me it's my septuagenarian father, who much like John McCain, only recently has mastered the Google, and will forward anything remotely funny to him-- especially something anti-liberal or anti-Obama-- to everyone in his address book.
We mostly ignore him, occasionally I have engaged him on some of the more seriously wrong emails (the Pledge of Allegiance one, the Iowa-flood-victims-are-better-than-the-Katrina-one), but mostly I ignore them.
This one, however caught my eye, as uniquely different, for its dangerous preamble. More after the flip.
here is the email in question. As to the content of the letter, I really don't care. Sure, it's dripping in right-wing talking points, but the general issue of separation of church and state just isn't my thing, so I really don't care much about the issue to research it, if it's true or not. Maybe commentators can debunk it, if they wish, or point to a snopes article about it. Commentator jmonch helpfully points out that snopes has largely debunked it.
Here's the email:
what gets my goat is this:
This is not sent for discussion, if you agree forward it, if you don't, fine, delete it. I don't want to know one way or the other. By me forwarding it, you know how I feel.
This is not sent for discussion. What a horrific way to abort dissent, before it even starts. Is this what the conservatism is reduced to-- lecturing? I am right in sending this unwanted crap to you, and you are wrong to tell me so. WTF is that?
if you agree forward it, if you don't, fine, delete it. My way or the highway. Another variation of love America, or leave it. That sounds like Uniter vs. Divider language we've all heard before.
I don't want to know one way or the other. More head in the sand politics? Living in a reality-based world (remember that meme?) requires not only knowing where you stand, but where everyone else stands too.
This isn't a link-packed, content-filled diary, but I did think it was important to bring up, because more these will come. They will be about Obama, and issues that I do care about, and they will use this stifling technique to quash discussion. Watch out, and reply reply reply with the truth.