This email is to a former 2nd grade teacher who is still friends with my parents down in Texas. I would love suggestions on tone if you have any. Also, if you know of other reliable fact-checking sites let me know.
Mrs. ______,
Greetings. For a few years now I have been on the tail-end of emails you have forwarded about various evil liberals. Though I applaud your interest in politics, and I believe that it is our duty to be active citizens in safeguarding democracy, I feel it is my duty to tell you that not one of those emails (at least, of the ones that have made it as far as me) has ever been true in its entirety. To be sure, there are certainly liberals who do bad things, just as there are republicans. To be sure, there are unbecoming political maneuverings that democrats have done in a desire to get elected, just as there are for republicans. But even in the case of such half-truths, not once has one of your emails truthfully contextualized an argument for what it is. Beyond those, many are completely false. The latest email I received from you states as fact that Obama refuses to wear a flag pin because:
"There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American
flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself
conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air
and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and
less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.'
If that were our anthem, then I might salute it."
Now, I have to admit. That is funny satire, even to a liberal like me. Sometimes we do get carried away in our rhetoric about peace, love and granola. But the problem with your quote is that Obama never said it. Not even anything like it. What he ACTUALLY said is this:
"My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart. You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and ideals. That’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals. The truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security."
You might disagree with that notion. You might think that wearing a flag pin is the most patriotic thing you can do for you country and its citizens. You might think that speaking out on issues of importance to national security is strictly farm league compared to accessorizing with a flag pin. If that is so, you are well within your rights, but please send out emails that state your opinions instead of just making stuff up.
Granted, I know you did not just make that particular email up. I have seen it dozens of time, bandied about the internet by well-intentioned people who are outraged by this attack on American virtue. But here's the deal, almost nothing you receive in an email forward is true, from either side. The reasons for this are two-fold. For starters, the original author is often anonymous (or falsely attributed). Beyond that, every person who receives the email has the opportunity to further embellish it. Imagine a high-tech version of that game we all used to play wherein one kid would whisper in another's ear one message, and as it went around the room, whispered from ear to ear, the message became totally different. Except this game is being played by people who deliberately want a message to be distorted.
Another danger of email forwards is that they often carry viruses and spyware that will infect your computer and make your personal information vulnerable to hackers. Just at the moment, for instance, if you happen to receive an email claiming than an "Obama sex tape" has been uncovered, DO NOT open it. It contains malware called the Mal/Hupig-D Trojan horse. By the way, there is no Obama sex tape. Sometimes people make things up JUST to spread viruses.
So please be careful, both for your sake and the sake of our country.
Here are some valuable resources for you:
http://www.factcheck.org/ -- non-partisan political fact checker. Researches statements made by all candidates.
http://snopes.com/ -- Attempts to verify e-mail forwards and other urban legends.
In closing, I would like to apologize for the length of this e-mail, and I certainly hope you do not think that I am out of line. I remember you very fondly as a very involved teacher whom all the kids loved. I always admired how you had pets in the classroom for the children to take care of. I think it taught kids valuable lessons about responsibility and our interdependence on one another.