BS: I hate this stupid email

Subject: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: GUEST,282RA
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:48 PM

>>Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one pissed off lady.<<

The following drivel was obviously not written by a housewife in New Jersey. It is typical White House/GOP propaganda written by a shill paid to repeat the White House's false propaganda meant to achieve nothing more than to pull the wool over the eyes of the American public.

>>"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September
11, 2001?<<

Are you asking if they were Muslims or are you asking if they were Iraqi? Yes, they were Muslims but, no, not a single one was Iraqi. This has been the White House tactic since day one: Blame 9-11 on Iraq. They're all Muslims and so who cares which Muslims actually pulled it off? Among Bush's supporters, this kind of thinking has great resonance but it doesn't fly for intelligent, decent people who are not about to let thousands upon thousands of innocent people die in Iraq over a Bush administration lie.

>>Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not
brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac
from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly
three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?<<

Yes, but more people than that are dying in Iraq every month or two with no end in sight. If it is unacceptable that people should die in those numbers in America even once, it is unacceptable for America to force it on another country for years at a time.

>>And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was
"desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it
wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.<<

An overworked American soldier? You mean a soldier sent to Iraq four or five times because there is no draft and therefore not enough soldiers to effectively fight this war? So do I care if this soldier is overworked? Absolutely, I care. As for his desecrating the Quran, I care no more than if he desecrated a bible or the Rig Veda, but that he is doing it out of stress and mental instability brought on grueling multiple tours because the rest of Americans don't want to get their hands bloody concerns me a great deal and, if you had any sense and any decency, it would concern you also.

>>I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and
repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.<<

Turns himself in??? How pathetic. Your president said he was going to catch him. Now that he has proven himself too incompetent to do that, you expect bin Laden to simply turn himself in??? And if he doesn't then you're going to hate Islam?? Not only is that incredibly immature, it's absurd because you obviously despise Islam already and we know that even if bin Laden turned himself it wouldn't change your feelings about Islam one iota. You have a right to despise this religion if you are so inclined but don't dangle your contempt for it in front of people like a carrot on a stick. Nobody really cares what you think anymore than you claim to care about Islam.

>>I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East
start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a
crime in Saudi Arabia.<<

Isn't Saudi Arabia this big American ally? Yes. So why complain about the laws of a country we call a friend? A more pertinent question to ask is whether the bible was outlawed in Iraq under Saddam? No. There were and still are Christians living in Iraq. Thanks to Bush, there very likely won't be in a few years.

>>I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for
hacking off Nick Berg 's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling
slashed throat.<<

Nick Berg never made a sound—watch the video, which you obviously haven't. There is a video of a man screaming while his head is being cut off with a knife and the least you could do is learn his name to honor him properly instead of calling him by someone else's name. That is disrespectful and only shows how ill-informed you really are. You only bother to mention him to advance your agenda, otherwise you obviously don't care or you would know his real name.

>>I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come
out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by
hiding in mosques.<<

Perhaps you would rather they hide in tanks? Don't be ridiculous. Moreover, you have no knowledge of how Muslims view their religion and you, by your own admission, don't care to know. What then gives you the right to pronounce what is disrespectful to Islam? That makes you a hypocrite. Please be quiet and stop embarrassing America.

>>I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in
search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.<<

The concept of nirvana does not exist in Islam, stupid. How can you pass judgment on that which you clearly do not understand and don't care to understand? Why then should anyone listen to you since you know nothing of what you speak and are proud of it?

>>I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their
First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.<<

More pro-war whining: "Wahhh! The media aren't reporting the war the way we want them to. They only focus on the destruction we are causing and ignore the good things! Wahhhh!!!" You had your chance to make good things happen—you had four years—and you blew it. Don't blame anyone but yourselves. Bush declared the end of major combat years ago. Whose fault was that but his? You have been allowed to run this war the way you saw fit without any interference or oversight from anyone and you blew it. Now be quiet.

>>In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine
roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care. When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.<<

Apparently, this New Jersey housewife listens to Rush Limbaugh since she spouts the exact same rhetoric. Are we talking about the brave marines that raped a 14-year-old girl, murdered her and her family including a 5-year-old girl? Like the marines that murdered an unarmed man and then tried to make him look like he was planting an IED? Admit it, THAT is what you don't care about! It is the media reporting on such incidents that infuriates you against the media.

>>When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is
told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to
the bank: I don't care.<<

Told not to move by whom? Someone speaking English? But then, why am I asking you?

>>When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer
mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.<<

But these are piddling incidents that you are using to hide disgusting atrocities committed by American troops. It is these atrocities that you don't care about and we know this by your omitting any mention of them simply because you can't defend them. Be honest for once. I'm not trying tear down our troops but when an atrocity is committed, it's an atrocity no matter who does it.

>>And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled
"Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -you guessed it -"I don't care!!!!!<<

So what?

>>If you agree with this viewpoint,<<

I don't.

>>pass this on to all your e-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!<<

That's exactly what I am doing.

>>If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button.<<

You wish. I'm curious, though, your reference to a delete button in a letter supposedly written by a New Jersey housewife—how does that work? Are we to believe a New Jersey housewife wrote this and sent it out by email all across the nation??

>>Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more
atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country!<<

That won't happen because our great president assures us that he's keeping the country safe. Remember?

>>And may I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a
difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." --

Ronald Reagan<<

The same Reagan who pulled our marines out of Lebanon after a suicide bomber killed over 200 of them?

>>I have another quote that I would like to add AND .......I hope you forward all this.<<

I will.

>>"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will
be a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan<<

Yes, I'm sure every New Jersey housewife is brimming with Reagan quotes. I'm not going to bother to check if Reagan said any of those things because it's my turn to say, "I don't care."

>>One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the
anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's
Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said:

"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how
many want in... And how many want out."<<

Well, Iraq must measure greatly because we sure wanted in there. And millions have fled Iraq because of the chaos and violence we unleashed there by invading that nation. It takes some gall to criticize Iraq for this reason.

>>Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
               1. Jesus Christ
               2. The American G.I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF
THEM. AMEN!<<

I forget the former by choice because I don't believe in fables and as for the latter, who has shuffled them off to a hellhole and left them there since 2003 with no hope of winning? They didn't offer to die, we demanded it of them.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: fumblefingers
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:53 PM

How do you know any/all of these things?

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Cluin
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 12:57 PM

If this was secretly put out by the White House, the US is in big trouble. The Bush admin is even dumber than we all fear.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 01:00 PM

Vairy interesting....but....

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: kendall
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 01:33 PM

Guest 282ra
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Hermann Goering was right. It works in any country.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: 282RA
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 01:52 PM

It's not that dumb. This is about the 5th time I've received this and everytime I do, it arrives titled "My feelings exactly" or "Couldn't have said it better myself" and that worries me. A lot people buy this crap.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: kendall
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:20 PM

I meant what YOU said!

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: GUEST,282RA
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:43 PM

I'm responding to someone else.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: GUEST,Peter Woodruff
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 04:48 PM

The Rapture can't come soon enough. Then, atleast, we will be rid of the people haters.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Cluin
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 05:02 PM

Just because a lot of people buy it doesn't mean it's not dumb.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 05:03 PM

Well said 282RA. You omit (at least):

The gallant combatants who fly safely at 40,000 feet or more, in the most advanced weapons known to man, safely out of range of any oposition, and bomb and blast an effectively defenceless country back into the stone age. How do we know the country was defenceless - well, if it had any weapons of mass destriction it would have used them, no?

The cultural invaders, who in pursuit of money would desecrate anything, and call themselves justified becuase their morality, the freedom of money, counts for more than the religions or cultures of others - and who therefore think themselves absolved from any right of defence or reprisal.

Now I'm not too keen on most religions, and some jihadists annoy me, but you can't smash consensus into people with a hammer. Try a screwdriver and a few good turns.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: skipy
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 06:33 PM

Stand two
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: kendall
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 07:34 PM

What rapture? Nothing in the Bible about a rapture.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 07:54 PM

Kendall, I checked a concordance site and found three instances of the word "rapture" in different English translations of the Bible... but none of them had anything to do with people being plucked off the face of the earth and popping out of graves to meet up with Jesus in the air.

FYI, here are the verses: Song of Solomon 6:11, "The Message" version; Song of Solomon 2:3, Darby Translation
and John 20:20, Amplified Bible.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Little Hawk
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 08:39 PM

The Rapture was an idea concocted long after the Bible was written.

"This doctrine gained popularity in the 1830s, and more recently in the 1970s, with proponents of the premillenialist, and in particular the dispensationalist, interpretations of scripture.

There is much debate over when the rapture will occur in relation to the Tribulation, a seven-year period preceding the second coming of Christ to the earth. Three different views predominate. The first is that it will take place sometime prior to the Tribulation. The second is that it will take place mid-way through the Tribulation. The third is that it will take place after the Tribulation, when Christ comes to earth to establish his kingdom, taking over rulership of the world for 1000 years. (see Millennialism). A fourth view has recently developed, called the Pre-Wrath view."

As for that email, it's classic war propaganda designed to whip people up into a frenzy and send them out to kill. Such propaganda suits any government intent on making war. I'm sure the Nazis had such letters published in their press to stir them up, and I bet the Islamic Jihadists do also.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 09:07 PM

James Dobson or some other Christian fascist must have written this...

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 09:27 PM

Nah, Dobson's writings are more cohesive than that (not that he makes any more sense, but he's got more style).

Little Hawk, what did you just quote from? I'd like to read more.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 11:18 PM

Thanks, Guest 282RA, very well said.

There are a lot of logical fallacies such as rhetorical straw men in that original letter. It's painful to read because too many people will read it uncritically, assuming that A leads to B leads to C.

Fumblefingers asked How do you know any/all of these things?

Why do you ask? Do you disagree, or are you thinking about shooting the messenger if only you can get someone else to actually do the work for you?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Little Hawk
Date: 14 Aug 07 - 11:39 PM

I went straight to Wickipedia for that, Sharon. But there's lots of info if you do a Google search on "the Rapture" + "history of".

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Flatpick
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 04:33 AM

The first casualty of war is the truth - some bright person wrote that years back. It still applies.
A more recent one from the first Gulf war, from the London Times, if my attrophied memory serves, is:
"Once again, the politicians,
Whose only talent is for lying,
send young men to go where they daren't go
And do their killing and their dying."
seem about right?

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 07 - 05:45 AM

The e-mail looks like the work of a real crackpot. The trouble is, I keep getting e-mail like this from very pious, sweet, nice people I know from church. They don't send so many now - I tend to respond to the ones I find objectionable and un-Christian. I use Scripture and Vatican documents to refute them, and I think that makes them nervous.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 02:13 AM

I treat all Emails like that one, as I would a paper chain letter. It goes in the trash - as does almost anything anyone sends me with 'forward this to ** of your friends or your nose will drop off'.

Posting it here just spreads it that little bit further.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 08:26 AM

I'd like to get more of those chain letters that stick on a 5 c piece on the top...

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 08:40 AM

What nonsence.

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: frogprince
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 08:42 AM

I cringe especially bad at a bunch of them we get which conclude, "If you're not ashamed of Jesus, you will send this to all your friends".

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 07 - 09:52 AM

Actually, Liz, I found it a convenient response to cut and paste next time a well meaning friend sends me something like that. Not that too many of my friends have those political leanings, but there are a couple who don't seem to have caught on about my political preferences.

"Say, Mr. X, did you see the response a guy posted to THAT VERY email you just sent me? It's great. . ." and there it goes back to him.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 01:56 AM

Stilly - I don't recall ever receiving such

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 02:01 AM

Bugger... sorry, the cat sat on the keyboard at the wrong moment!!

I don't recall ever receiving such Emails but my sister used to send me a selection of extremely graphic or the sickly 'you're my friend forever cos Jesus says so' with ickky piccies type... Although my political leanings are not secret, I don't shout about them either, so people don't send me stuff like that... unless it's my sister who will forward any old crap to me. I think I blocked her address for a year because she sent me the most revolting and vomit-inducing crud.

On the whole, I think I'd rather have a nice, anonymous lunatic sending me arguments than the sort of pseudo Christian pap she sent round.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 06:44 PM

There's one acquaintance in particular who sends me some of these things. Because of the range of positions represented, I'm not sure if he has no political beliefs, if he has no filters as far as "common sense" and "taste" are concerned, or if he's sending them along assuming I'll snort, laugh, and hit the delete button. A response like this will certainly clarify MY position!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: SharonA
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 08:30 PM

I received one of those icky religious ones the other day from my neighbor, forwarded from his mother. But it wasn't in the smily-emoticon vein. It was a list of people, famous and not-so-famous, who had made frivolous remarks about God or Jesus... and the terrible fate that had befallen each of them. Eek!

I wish I hadn't deleted it; I'd love to have been able to reprint it here for everyone's amusement. Here are two stories that I remember from it, that made me chuckle at the people who build their faith on sand like this:

(1) An anonymous teenaged girl was about to go riding with her friends. Her mother was concerned and said "God be with you". The daughter said jokingly that He would have to ride in the trunk because there was no room in the passenger compartment. You guessed it: the car was wrecked, so badly wrecked that the make and model of the car was unrecognizable, and yet the only part of the car that was intact was (gasp!) the trunk (doesn't that generally have the car name on the lid?). Inside the trunk was a carton of eggs and not one egg was broken, (No explanation as to why teenagers were joy-riding with eggs in the trunk!)

(2) John Lennon said in 1966 that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. "Later" he was shot several times. No more details were given in this story; the reader is naturally expected to assume that Mark David Chapman acted as God's emissary, rather than acting on his own disturbed obsession with Lennon's remark (made 14 years earlier).

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: frogprince
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 08:34 PM

Ah, yes, Sharon; we got that same "inspirational" one some months back. God sure has a short, nasty temper, doesn't She...

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:21 AM

Yup, absolutely nasty... and short except in the case of John Lennon, where (S)He took fourteen years to get around to striking down the infidel (that's why I had to laugh at that "later" part!).

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 11:51 AM

Hey, Sharon, do you read Martha Stewart Living? You'll notice a story subject that you shared with me last year as Secret Santa.

Back to the email discussion.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:34 PM

Maggie: I'm not sure which story you're referring to (please PM me and refresh my memory about this). But I most definitely do

NOT

read anything that has (ick) Martha Stewart's name on it. The company I used to work for worked with her and her company on a line of products, and I'm here to tell you that it was not a pleasant experience. Y'know all those terrible things they say about her?... All true! The mere mention of her name brings on post-traumatic stress. *shiver*

Subject: RE: BS: I hate this stupid email
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 01:41 PM

Henry Mercer's house, the tile guy. Nice article. Too bad about Martha--I really enjoy the magazine. A dear old friend of mine, my hairdresser, died of a heart attack last month, after several years of poor health (arthritis and hip replacement). He had great style but no budget in the end. I gave him Martha Stewart Living for the last couple of years and he got such pleasure from the well-conceived and beautifully photographed articles. I'm so grateful that I thought to give him that subscription, and it was an affordable gift for me.

SRS