I'm so sick of getting this shit emailed to me!

[Dukkha]

This came from my whacko Aunt this morning. The text was made real big too. i guess the asshole who wrote it figures lies sound truthful if the typeface is made bigger:

Story in Tampa Newspaper

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in America because it is the Country of Choice??????
Think about it.

All I have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS? I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by everyone, we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season's Greetings. It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday? We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I m now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that.
This says it all!

This is an editorial written by an
American citizen, published in a
Tampa newspaper He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS,
NOT AMERICANS,
MUST ADAPT.
I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we
are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,
we have experienced a surge
in patriotism by the majority
of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had
barely settled when the "politically correct! "crowd began complaining about
the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there
are a few things that those
who have recently come to
our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a
multicultural community
has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we
have our own culture, our
own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.
Therefore, if you wish to become part
of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women,
on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented.
It is certainly appropriate to display it
on the walls of our schools. If God
offends you, then I suggest you
consider another part of the world as
your new home, because God is part
of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or
you don't like Uncle Sam, then you
should seriously consider a move
to another part of this planet. We
are happy with our culture and have
no desire to change, and we really
don't care how you did things where
you came from. This is
OUR COUNTRY,
our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the
right to express his opinion and we
will allow you every opportunity to do so!
But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag,
our pledge, our national motto, or our
way of life, I highly encourage you
take advantage of one other great American freedom,
THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.
It is Time for America to Speak up
If you agree -- pass this along;
if you don't agree -- delete it!

AMEN

I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends
(and enemies) it will also, sooner or later
get back to the complainers, lets all try

I uaually just delete them but in 2005 I won't let it slide anymore. I hit "Reply All" with: "Fuck You Bigots! Pass THAT along."

Did I mention I Fucking HATE my family?

[otohara]

1. Ugh -

Is she insinuating you should leave the country?

[asthmaticeog]

2. "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT"

There were jews on the Mayflower. I'm jus' sayin'.

[gollygee]

3. BARF

According to that *I* should leave and this is my f'ing country as much as it is hers.

:puke:

[opiate69]

4. Ugh... but, I have nothing better to do so....

"I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by everyone, we can no longer say Merry Christmas"

Say it all you want, jackass.. just don't expect to use my tax dollars to promote your (plagarized) holiday.

"It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?"

Isn't it amazing how Christmas always occurs over the ancient Pagan winter solstice holiday? Especially considering how, if Jesus even existed, he was almost certainly not born in December?

""In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan."

Um, yes Virginia, it is a Christian, right-wing, political slogan. It was established in the 1950s as a result of ridiculous anti-Communist sentiment, and pushed through the legislature by Christian groups such as the Knights of Columbus. Read a history book or two. This counry thrived for almost 200 years without this divisive slogan. I think we'd be just fine if we removed it and went back to the original-"E Pluribus Unim" ("From many, one")

"We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I m now being offended."

Why are you offended? Because we won't allow you to dominate the public square with your mythology? Get over it. You still have over 300,000 houses of Worhip in this country, and the last time I checked, they were all free from government interference. Even when they preach abhorrent hate and even when they go out of their way to influence politics among their parishioners. Keep your god out of my government, and I won't push for my government to tax your church. Deal?

"But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag,
our pledge, our national motto, or our
way of life, I highly encourage you
take advantage of one other great American freedom,
THE RIGHT TO LEAVE."

Considering that you don't seem to have the faintest idea that this country which you so blindly love was actually founded upon the idea of open dissent, perhaps you ought to leave? There are plenty of countriesacross the globe who have restricitve, theocratic, nationalistic governments like the one you seem to think we should have.(at least, until we bomb them into "democracy") I'm sure you'd be welcome in most any of them. Better get a few Berlitz language books though.. they'd probably demand that you learn their language.

[RebelOne]

5. I get that same thing all the time from right-wing friends.

But I know how to hit delete.

[Taxloss]

6. I thought "E Pluribus Unum" was the national motto.

eom

[Divernan]

7. I started hitting "Reply to all" button, when I responded

that the material they forwarded to me was a legally actionable, libelous pack of lies, and then included a factual correction courtesy of an urban legends website. Next I proceeded to send to the entire group of the sender's neocon buddies at least three articles sharply critical of Bush and his administration. This enraged them like poking a sharp stick into a nest of hornets. now they leave me off their mailing list.

On Edit: Of course, I no longer have any right wing "friends", but since I could not respect their personal characteristics of racism, intellectual laziness, greed, mindless hatred, shallowness, lack of interest in reality and or stupidity - guess what, I haven't missed them at all and in fact find their absence from my life to be a very positive experience.

[ikojo]

9. I used to do this when I received stuff like this

The problem is that generally the people who send out such trash don't bother to read the rebuttal.

My mom used to send out all kinds of crap like that and I WILL respond to her. She hasn't done anything like that in a couple of months. Now when she does I am quick with the response and she'll say something like, "I guess I am just gullable."

YES, YOU ARE.

At one time my mom was passing them by me before she sent them out.

[Demit]

8. Up till the McCarthy era, motto was "E Pluribus Unum"

The original motto of the United States was secular. "E Pluribus Unum" is Latin for "One --from many" or "One from many parts." It refers to the welding of a single federal state from a group of individual political units -- originally colonies and now states.

...The motto "E Pluribus Unum" appeared on a scroll held in its beak. The seal was first used on 1782-SEP-16. It was first used on some federal coins in 1795.

...In 1956, the nation was suffering through the height of the cold war, and the McCarthy communist witch hunt. Partly in reaction to these factors, the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution to replace the existing motto with "In God we Trust."  The change was partly motivated by a desire to differentiate between communism, which promotes Atheism, and Western capitalistic democracies, which were at least nominally Christian. The new motto was first used on paper money in 1957...


During the 1950's the federal government's references to God multiplied: The phrase "under God" was added to the otherwise secular Pledge of Allegiance and "So help me God" was added to the oaths of office for federal justices and judges.


more at http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm

[GOPFighter]

10. This is so insulting...!

You did the right thing. We've got to fight back. We can no longer be silent. THEY are the whiners and complainers.

I love to point out to these assholes who complain about political correctness that there is no law that prevents them from wishing someone a Merry Christmas, or telling offensive jokes, or referring to minorities with offensive labels. So go ahead and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, go ahead and tell any joke you want. Use the pejorative labels for minorities you learned as a kid. No one will arrest you. You won't be hauled in front of a judge. The only bad thing that will happen is your fellow citizens will label you as an asshole.

[bbernardini]

11. PLEASE let us know what response you get from your aunt.

[NYC Liberal]

12. IRONY ALERT!!

"Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we continue to make the changes forced on us?"

Truely, Freeptards have ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE OF IRONY!!

[amazona]

13. just block 'em

I block the email from people who send me garbage like this. Life is short and my email address is a privilege, not a right.

If the whacko Aunt has to spend money on a long distance phone call instead of emailing for free every time she gets a tiny little thought echoing around in her tiny little head...well...she'll think twice if it actually costs her a few pennies to broadcast her ignorance.

[Mz Pip]

14. I always bookmark these threads

so I will have a wealth of snappy responses if or when one of these pieces of crap hits my inbox.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[davsand]

15. I'm betting you are off that email list.

You now may well be on the"shit list" however. :)

The "love it or leave it" rant is as old as the stars, and it is every bit as lame today as it was fifty years ago. I fully understand the desire to scream "Shut the fuck up, already!" but have discovered it does no good in the long run. My response has become much more academic and borderline of being deemed rabid.

I take that opportunity to launch into a long history lesson about this nation being founded by a bunch of political dissidents, and how our national TRADITION should never be abandoned.

Then I go on to talk about the importance of free speech and how so many of our patriots in uniform have bled and died in defense of the ideals represented in our Constitution.

From there, I go on to talk about how un-American it would be of me to sit down and keep silent if I felt our government had taken a wrong turn. We have an obligation to all who came before us to be engaged in the process of our government, and I refuse to abdicate that responsibility in the face of uneducated disapproval.

I have found that if I can invoke the Founding Fathers, Veterans AND the responsibility of a participatory democracy, the most passionate of idiots will leave me alone. The added bonus of it all is it makes the sender (or speaker) look like an undereducated heathen.

I had an old lady screaming at me in a grocery store last summer about my anti Bush buttons. She was dumb enough to use the old "love it or leave it" argument with me and I just laid her out verbally with the argument above.

Who knows--maybe you will want try my argument out next time--unless a "STFU" approach seems like a better idea at the time...


Laura

[Skittles]

16. please reply

IMMIGRANTS TOOK OVER "OUR COUNTRY" FROM NATIVE AMERICANS.

[Left Is Write]

17. Idiots.

I wonder who told the writer of the first piece that he can no longer say "Merry Christmas." As far as I can tell, he and I and anyone else who wants to is still allowed to say that. Did a law get passed or something that I haven't heard about? :eyes:

[skygazer]

18. Yeah, I have a family of nutjob Repukes too

My dad just emailed me one about how in the old days Hollywood actors were "real patriots" who didn't "hate America" and then it gave a big list of all these actors who had volunteered for WWII.

Instead of trying to argue with him and explain how people get disillusioned when their government consistently lies to them and sends them to fight and die in needless wars that are all about corportate greed, I simply said, "yeah, it's like those damn politicians - let's look at them and see who the real patriots are!"

And I included the list - I'm sure he'll love that! Serves him right for sending me such shit!



Prominent Democrats

Representative Richard Gephardt, former House Minority Leader - Missouri Air National Guard, 1965-71.
Representative David Bonior - Staff Sgt., United States Air Force 1968-72
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle - 1st Lt., U.S. Air Force SAC 1969-72
Former Senator Bob Kerrey... Democrat... Lt. j.g., U.S. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam
Senator Daniel Inouye, US Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, World War Two
Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat
Representative Charles Rangel, Staff Sgt., U.S. Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea
Former Senator Max Cleland, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) - U.S. Army, 1951-1953
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) - Lt., U.S. Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) - U.S. Army Ranger 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91
Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) - served as a U.S. Army officer in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) - Lt. Col., U.S. Army 1956-76; two tours in Vietnam, two Distinguished Flying Crosses as a helicopter pilot, two Bronze Stars, and the Soldier's Medal.
Former Representative "Pete" Peterson, Air Force Captain, POW, Ambassador to Viet Nam, and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: Staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; was wounded and received a Purple Heart.
Bill McBride, Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor - volunteered and served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam; awarded Bronze Star with a combat "V."
Gray Davis, former California Governor, Army Captain in Vietnam; received Bronze Star.
Pete Stark D-CA, served in the Air Force 1955-57
Wesley Clark Democratic Presidential Candidate - lengthy military career.
Chuck Robb, US Senator from Virginia, served in Vietnam
Howell Heflin... Democrat... Silver Star
George McGovern, famous liberal, awarded Silver Star & DFC, dozens of missions during WWII.
Pete Stark, D-CA, served in the Air Force
Former President Jimmy Carter, most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, seven years in the Navy.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale, U.S. Army 1951-1953
Former Senator John Glenn, D-OH (1974-1999) - Served in WWII and Korea; extensive military commendations include the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions, and the Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
Congressman Tom Lantos, D-CA - Did not serve in the US military; did serve in the Hungarian anti-Nazi underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg, is the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress.



Prominent Republicans

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - avoided the draft, did not serve
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - avoided the draft, did not serve
House Majority Leader Tom Delay - avoided the draft, did not serve. "So many minority youths had volunteered ... that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself."
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt - did not serve
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - did not serve.
Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve
Rick Santorum, R-PA, third ranking Republican in the Senate - did not serve.
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott - avoided the draft, did not serve
Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld - served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. Served as President Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East and met with Saddam Hussein twice in 1983 and 1984.
GW Bush - decided that a six-year Nat'l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he's "been to war."
VP Cheney - did not serve; several deferments, the last by marriage (in his own words, "had other priorities than military service")
Att'y Gen. John Ashcroft - did not serve; received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State
Jeb Bush, Florida Governor - did not serve
Karl Rove - avoided the draft, did not serve
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich - avoided the draft, did not serve
Former President Ronald Reagan - due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII.
"B-1" Bob Dornan - avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes. Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.
Phil Gramm - avoided the draft, did not serve, four (?) student deferments
Senator Richard Shelby, did not serve
Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ - did not serve
Senator Tim Hutchison, R-AR - did not serve
Rep. Christopher Cox, R-CA, fifth-ranking Republican in Congress - did not serve
Representative Saxby Chambliss, Georgia - did not serve
Former Representative JC Watts - did not serve
Jack Kemp, did not serve (was unfit because of a knee injury, though he heroically continued as a National Football League quarterback for another eight years
Former Vice President Dan Quayle, avoided Vietnam service, got a slot in the journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard when the unit was at 150% capacity
Eliot Abrams, did not serve
Paul Wolfowitz, did not serve
Former Representative Vin Weber, did not serve
Richard Perle, did not serve
Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy - did not serve.
Rudy Giuliani, did not serve
Michael Bloomberg, did not serve
George Pataki, did not serve
Spencer Abraham, did not serve
John Engler, did not serve
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – did not serve; website used to claim service as a "Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran." A current biographical website makes no such claim. In reality, was a National Guard lawyer who never left South Carolina during the Gulf War.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, did not serve
Rep. John M. McHugh, R-NY - avoided the draft, did not serve
Arnold Schwarzenegger, CA Republican Governor - went AWOL from his Austrian army base to enter a bodybuilding competition

[Left Is Write]

19. I love it!

I particularly love the editorial comment about Kemp and his heroic football service. :D

[trogdor]

20. How many times did Buffalo make the playoffs...

...when Kemp was the QB? Zero?