Email Response to my neighbor...AKA I can't take it anymore...

[ScreamingMeemie]

***For background: This woman is relatively a decent person except for her penchant of sending un snopes'd (think Ollie North warned us about Osama), pro Iraq War/George Bush sentiments with little or no backup...pray for our soldiers, propaganda...She is a member of a Nazarene faithful...when it fits her agenda. She drinks, just doesn't tell them. She puts up with her pastor calling her twice a week to tell her what's wrong with her life, including encouraging her to not pay me for appraisal work done because I am not "saved"...Crazy, eh? I used to just delete the messages unread. Today, I got to thinking that so many are uneducated and uninformed because of the lack of negative response to these falsely patriotic missives. I will not post the email. Suffice to say it was an essay by a Ret. Airforce something or other by the name of somebody Chong, connecting our pre emptive/pre meditated strike on Iraq with...yep, you guessed it--Terra, Terra, Terra!!! And saying that, because Terra had happened under the eyes of Reagan on up, it wasn't a Dem/Repub thing. Yes, the latest, we are all in this fight against the big bad boogeyman together. Anyway, here is my response... a response which will no doubt end our "over the fence" chats and totally cut off any chance of her paying me the $2,000+ she owes me:

XXXXX,

I know you mean well but
Unfortunately this war wasn't presented as a war on terror until it was found that Saddam Hussein, while a very bad man, had no Weapons of Mass Destruction. The ties that have been made between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are false:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47812-2004Jun16.html

"
The Iraq Connection
Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed "

What saddens me most is so many people would believe this, but Iraq had no connection with any of the terrorism attacks listed in the Chong Essay. There simply aren't any...and yet, as a mom, I think of how many innocent Iraqi children, how many soldiers...have lost their lives because of a lie put forth by a money hungry, soul less administration.

George W. Bush, by merely saying he is a Christian, is not a Christian. Going to church does not make one Christ like. He has used the label to spin the truth. He would gladly send our children to war, he doesn't attend the funerals of those who sacrifice...he cuts the benefits of veterans. 50 soldiers dead, just this month alone. My uncle, a ret. Colonel in the USAF, is sickened by this unjust war...for you cannot ever win a war against emotion (terrorism).

False patriotism, yellow magnets, flags and labeling those with credible and reasonable questions as traitors is getting us nowhere. The people of Iraq did not become "terrorists", "insurgents" or whatever the latest label we have given them, until we pre emptively, without cause, attacked their nation. I ask this...would we not retaliate if the same had been wrought upon us?

I am sickened at how many have fallen for this one man and his "corporation's" (for that is what this administration is) lies.

I ask everyone to read, think about and understand the facts of what we have done to an innocent nation, because of one man's grudge and greed.


****For the first time in a long time, I feel better.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Lord, how can you stand getting email like that?

I'm afraid I wouldn't have been such a good neighbor.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. I only got a few paragraphs in... I went back after I posted this

and saw this paragraph...

"Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war, perhaps exemplifies best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue, involving the treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war, by a small group of our military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein"...:puke:

This is what we are up against...and they are blindly following. She is in the 33% I imagine. The sick thing is, she was a Democrat until she "found God" and even though "The Democrats are right on a lot of things, abortion is WRONG, so I have to back Republicans now"....O.M.F.G.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. In Crawford, Ann Wright called them the 30/20s

30% of Americans support the war and only 20% strongly support the prez.

[blogslut]

2. I would have blocked her

But that's just me

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I have asked her repeatedly to not send propaganda, but that if

she got her facts in order, I would gladly listen to her...She basically forwards crying eagle pictures superimposed over burning WTC stuff.

I have to start speaking to these people...My children's future depends on it. It came through loud and clear with this email, just how misinformed and ignorant people are.

[alfredo]

5. The way I handle such things is I tell them it is a hoax, send

a link to the snopes.com article. I show them the terms I used in the search, then remind them that they should check such things first. I give pointers on how to spot hoaxes. In some cases I point out that many of the hoaxes target the religious and politically conservative. I point out that the left wing and secular community is not manipulated to such a degree. I instruct them to type in "Hillary Clinton" and then look at how many of the entries are false and how many are true.

I end with the snopes link and remind them to use it before sending it out to anyone to avoid being embarrassed.

In most cases it works.

BTW, if they piss me off, I am not near as nice. I ask them why is there so many hoaxes targeting republicans and Christians? And why are they trying to turn you against your fellow Americans? Do they think you are stupid and easily manipulated?

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. I've done it a million and a half times to no avail. this one didn't

come up on Snopes because it's a bullshit opinion of a nobody. When I snopes her I usually reply all. I also sent reply all on this one. :hi:

[alfredo]

16. Try these: "to avoid embarrassment, please check the

truthfulness of messages you forward." if that doesn't work: "Forwarding obvious false propaganda reflects poorly on the sender."

Or if all else fails: "Hey fuckface quit sending me this shit."

You can block her address, mark it as spam or report her to her ISP.

[China_cat]

6. You can always take her to small claims court for the money.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. It's not so much the money I care about but her complete idiocy and

the fact she repeatedly sends this crap. :hi:

[China_cat]

19. True, but if you take steps to make sure she pays you

what she owes you for work you did in good faith, I'll bet you never see another email from her. She'll know you're serious.

[Occulus]

31. $2000 isn't small claims where I come from.....

If you anything in writing, take it to court. Sue her ass for the money in the most merciless fashion possible, and if you can show her "pastor" encouraged her, nail him too and maybe even see if you can initiate a conspiracy to commit whatever charge.

Get her for court costs and legal fees, too, but definitely see if you can show the "minister" instigated her. If he did, he may be found equally responsible.... or have involved others giving the same treatment to others "unsaved" business owners... and the thing is, "religious" scoundrels- the Christers, I mean- who pull this kind of crap are usually arrogant and brazen enough to admit it because they were "doing Gaaaawwwwd's werk", and some of them are actually proud to be "able" to screw you over, and out of your money.

And that's exactly their justification, too (the one you gave, I mean)- you're not "saved", so you don't deserve to be paid for the work you did. Pay attention to that; it's what they want the whole country to be like (see: dominionism). They are really a shocking danger to America and should be dealt with in the harshest legally allowable way.

Scoundrels, the lot. String her up by her fingernails in civil court and see if you can tie the "pastor" into it as well. Who knows? People all over town may be owed money by this pair of schmucks. Such would seem to fit the pattern of this type of "religious" person.

[Zen Democrat]

9. I answer every one with the truth with links.

And usually Snopes will do. It's amazing to me that amount of stuff that went around three years ago is coming back around. Ignorance has no bounds.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. The Oliver North one has been sent by her on three separate

occasions. When I snopes her she usually apologizes and continues on her merry way.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. I started replying to this sort of email with the Snopes link. The

result is that after a few weeks, I rarely get any of these anymore. It's wonderful!

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. Lucky you. I always respond with snopes. She always apologizes

and continues to send them. Snopes doesn't cure everybody of their forwarding affliction. ;)

[KC21304]

10. I'm sure you have all gotten the " What's wrong with

this picture" piece of garbage. I reply to all with the snopes link and then add: " I don't think Jesus appreciates your prayers for the troops when it is accompanied with these hateful lies. This is the kind of hatred that starts wars."

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. This one was the "This War is Real" one, that tries to unite us by

urging us to reject all Muslims.

http://www.hildaterry.com/thiswarisreal.html

[KC21304]

14. This is the one I'm referring too.

I've gotten it 5 times in the last week.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/marines.asp



I don't know what to tell you about a neighbor. She shouldn't be able to cheat you out of your money and harass you besides. Good luck.

[Zen Democrat]

20. Truth is the Marines were being FORCED to pray for the president.

Had to sign pledge cards to pray for *. The truth is much stranger than the lies the right-wing spreads.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Now this is a good point - NOT

"5. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful?

Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian), that made no difference. You either went along with the administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including 7,000 Polish priests). (see
http://www.nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm )"

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. If you make it through the whole essay you will want to vomit...

Especially when you get to the part of "the Muslims" taking over France.

I almost cannot stand the thought of living next to this woman any longer. I was at the end of a long list of recipients with things like this in the subject line: Wow! My eyes are opened now... :eyes:

She did not even have the decency to clean up the message.

[jedr]

13. I may be wrong but;

I'd swear out a complaint at the magistrates office over the 2k and kiss her good-by. You'll get your money, and be rid of the annoyance. It seems like it's not much of a joy to live near her anyway, so it kills two birds with the single stone.....but that just me, I'm getting too old to tolerate unnecessary B.S. On edit: The kicker for me is the fact that she is willing to nullify the debt because your not "saved" but you have to live next her, not me. If you're already labeled a " Heathen" be a good one.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. I don't need the money so it's not really at issue, it was just

an illustration of how her "church" covers for her bad behaviour and makes it "okay". I don't want to put any more money into her. :)

[Toucano]

15. Nazarenes are a particularly evil sect.

Thank you for giving her the straight story.

[joeunderdog]

18. I don't send out liberal rants to anyone

unless, of course, they send me a bogus email or RW propoganda puff piece. Then I hit em with a tank. You asked for it, you GOT IT! They will get a polite, but information-filled response. I will let them know where and when they're all wet and I don't hold back.

I never throw the first punch, but I've got one hell of a counterpunch. No one gets too "sour grapes" about it because they started it.

My last one was when I was informed not to patronized Target stores because they don't support the Salvation Army or the Veterans. I stated that we shouldn't support the President either because of all the cuts he has made to the Vets. I gave an 8 bullet list of the cuts with a link.

Thank you for not shopping Target...

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. That is absolutely wonderful

Good on you!

:yourock:

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. I felt a lot better after writing it.

But I am still sickened to think that so many people will read that anti muslim garbage and agree with it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. I have two friends who send me that crap

One of them I work with and she is married to an obnoxious puke, but is divorcing him. So she has not been forwarding as much of his crap lately. Last week, I sent her an email about the Exxon boycott and she sent me one the war mongers are sending out about a Citgo boycott. We laughed about that. Time to stop buying gas I guess. LOL

The other one I feel for. She has been a friend for 35 years and she is fairly liberal but she lives in central Kansas - small town fundie central. Her husband died unexpectedly 18 months ago and a local church has taken her in, so to speak. She gets the most racist and ignorant emails from her new church friends. I do my best to debunk them politely and I am hoping she forwards my replies back to her friends. I have only sent a few back to 'everyone'.

[TahitiNut]

28. "And then I ask everyone to think about WHO has an interest in ...

... misinforming and lying to you, and having you believe a falsehood. Why are you repeatedly being fed this misinformation? Who benefits from your belief in a lie? Personally, I stop trusting people who lie to me."

I ALWAYS include words to this effect when I get such emails from my right-wing correspondents. At a minimum, it sure reduces the amount of shit in my Inbox.

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. There are days, living next door to this person, that I feel as if I am

in a badly written sequel to "The Manchurian Candidate". The true bible thumpers have lost their heads over this one, to a scary degree.

Off topic: heard anything on a punkingal visit?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

30. Nicely said!

I did appraisal work for a while, and incidents like the one you describe chased me out of the business.

I hope she does the right thing and pays you.

[ScreamingMeemie]

32. As you probably well know, she won't.

;) And due to the fact that she is a neighbor of mine, I didn't push it. I just learned my lesson and anything I do with her stamp on it is C.O.D. only. I've had to walk away from three front porch steps because the borrower did not know it was C.O.D. Her business is tanking...she is involved with the whole Source One shake up by the Feds going on...so I guess, in a way, justice is being done. :)

Thanks Tom.

[bigtree]

34. she still owes you

the $2000 plus a premium for the wisdom you provided her

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. Hehehe...She just called and asked me to bring in her mail while

they were out of town. I am busy. ;)