Oh man. Do I even bother to respond to this at all?

[TNDemo]

My mother found her biological family in the 1980s. Her mother was gone but she got to know the extended family. My mother died a few years ago and I have had an e-mail relationship with her cousin, in her early 60s. This cousin was getting married for the fourth time last week and invited me to come and I went and met more of the family. We decided to have a get-together this summer (at my house) for me to meet other relatives and for us all to bring our pictures and genealogy (my mother had a lot).

This cousin has sent me some Republican e-mail junk occasionally but today this one just took the cake. It was a wav file sung to the tune of Battle of New Orleans and was about people blaming Bush and FEMA and complaining because no one would come save their sorry asses and how they stole everything, etc. It even showed a body floating in the water during this song. I was absolutely stunned at the sheer callousness of this nasty thing.

My cousin made a little comment about how she hoped no one was offended by this. Well, I certainly was. I am probably going to do nothing because I don't want to screw up my budding relationship with my natural family (my family seems to be getting very small these days). Should I acknowledge this in any way? BTW, she of course professes Christianity.

[Deja Q]

1. Point out REAL Christian Bible verses...

though agree that the government is as useful as elephant excrement (or any animal) and we should stick together and help each other, the way REAL Christians would.

[Jean Louise Finch]

2. I think it's definitely ok to say something

You don't have to be nasty, but I think your family should know that stuff like that really offends you and they shouldn't send anything else like that to you. I think a short note that says you found the email callous and cruel (not the person who sent it) is a good thing -- they obviously considered the possibility that it would offend someone, and I think you have every right to say that indeed, it offended you.

Apply the golden rule. If you sent something out that offended them, wouldn't you want them to express that to you?