My Reply to the "Obama is a Muslim" emails going around...

[RoadRage]

I think everyone has received this thing 10 times or more by now. My husband sent this email to his DAD the other day... and I encourage all Obama supporters to hit "Reply to All" when they get the next one and send something like this along. We need to start cleaning up these rumors!



Barack Obama is a Muslim?

No, actually he is not. He's Christian, and he's been a Christian for long before he ever considered a Presidential Run. (http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp) Not that it's important to everyone, but we wanted to clear it up. There are certainly a lot of lies on the Internet about it... and the email just sent proves that.

Click here (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2007/dec/20/chain-email-gets-obama-religion-wrong/) for who started the rumor that Obama took his oath on the Koran. In actuality, he took his oath using his own personal Christian bible.

Click here (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20604_1.html) for the representative that DID use the Koran. His name is Keith Ellison, and you can call him a Muslim because he is, and he's proud of it! Freedom of Religion - what a novel idea in the United States of America!

Also, note that there is NO requirement in US law to take the oath on the Christian bible or any book for that matter. When the time comes for new Representatives to be sworn in, no Bible, Koran, or other book is involved. The Speaker of the House asks everyone to stand and raise their right hands. All 435 members are sworn in right then, at their desks, at the same time. That's the swearing in ceremony.

Later, a Representative may schedule an "unofficial" ceremony to be photographed for the voters in his/her district. THAT ceremony is set up by the Representative's office and can include anything he/she wants... a judge, a friend certified to give an oath of allegiance, and any book the Representative chooses (Bibles, Koran's and Law Books have all been used). He could even choose to use no book at all. Also, that ceremony has no official standing... it's just for the voters back home.

Something else to consider. The US Constitution states that in Article 6, section 3, that, "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States".

Additionally, If you really do want to know more of the TRUTH about the Senator from Illinois, click here (http://www.barackobama.com). Obama has been more then forthcoming about his past.

I'm sure you did not intend to purposely spread lies about Obama - but by sending out emails like this before checking them for facts you continue to allow others with a political agenda to use you for their candidates gain. I hope that in light of this new information, you'll spread the truth about Barack Obama. You certainly don't have to vote for him or support his policies. But, I'd appreciate it if you also didn't spread false rumors about his past to further someone else's political agenda.

Thanks,

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. I just scanned this, it looks well written and sourced, bookmarking.

Nice job. :toast: MKJ

[dmallind]

2. Ellison's a Rep, but other than that a good response, NT

[RoadRage]

5. Thanks.. i had no editor. :)

I just changed it.. appreciate the fact check!

[zanne]

3. Here's something I find very strange...

I volunteered and made phone calls for Obama for ten months. I never once had to answer a question about his religion. Out of the thousands of calls I made, only two said they would not vote for an Arican-American.
I don't know where all this hatred is coming from, but it's not from Democrats or Independents.

[Deep13]

8. Same people who put a pic of Kerry with Jane Fonda in my mailbox. nt

[zanne]

15. self delete for mental slowness.

[zanne]

18. You got that right! nt

[Anouka]

17. Actually, it is coming from Democrats, some.

I don't think we should ignore that.



this isn't about party. this is about people, irrespective of party.

[RoadRage]

21. I think some will say whatever they think will make

the other candidate look bad, no matter what. But, the Dems who do it are dispicable.. don't spread the lies now, and then act all appalled if Obama wins the Primary and now you have decided that Obama is better then the Repug.

[Deep13]

4. Ellison is a House rep., not a Senator.

Anyway, I'll mark this for future reference. I'm sure I'll be seeing that e-mail again.

[RoadRage]

7. Thanks.. just changed! NT

[BOSSHOG]

6. Nice letter but way too polite

I wouldn't communicate with my Dad about politics, he's no longer with us but he was rather apolitical. But I would probably start with, You are a fucking hatefilled ignorant moron tool. In other words, a proud member of the base of the republican party. Then I'd take the gloves off.

[RoadRage]

9. Yeah..

But you have to assume that people are getting this from Friends, Family members - or in my case clients who I'd rather not piss off and lose relationships with.

But in my HEAD i'm saying "You're a fucking hatefilled ignorant moron tool".. LOL!

[midnight]

10. The U.S. Constitution. I love that Old Piece of Paper. So much

fear about who we worship. The authors of the Constitution knew from experience that Article 6, section 3 would help us out.

[zanne]

19. But haven't you heard?

Libertarians and Republicans have officially taken over ownership of the Constitution, and they see it differently. (Remember what they did to the flag?)

[RoadRage]

20. Yup.. they see it as something to PISS on. NT

[Dawgs]

11. Good job... bookmarking!!

[gratuitous]

12. It is nice and polite

I wouldn't change anything, though I'd find it mighty difficult not to include something to the effect that one of the Big Ten cautions us against bearing false witness against one's neighbor, and Jesus had a pretty expansive definition of who one's neighbor might be. With that in mind, is it sufficient to be sorry about spreading falsehoods, or should good Christians go the extra mile and actually make an effort to undo some of the damage done by spreading falsehoods? What, indeed, would Jesus do (besides not spreading gossip and falsehoods in the first place)?

[RoadRage]

16. Yeah.. i see your point..

But, I really wanted to keep Religion out of it as much as possible.. because I don't want some bible thumping republican to come back with another verse and drag me into that whole discussion! I'm the first to admit that since my last day of Catholic School 8th grade.. i haven't opened a church door or a bible. I try not to start debates I may not be able to win. ;)

[vi5]

13. My response to the sender of those is always..

"Look, no matter how many times you send me this I'm still not going to vote for Hillary. So please stop flooding my inbox with this e-mail."

[RoadRage]

14. Yeah.. but

some of the people i'm getting them from are Rebulicans... a few more are totally not Political in any way shape or form. They're just the type of people who send out the "Send this to 10 people in the next 3 minutes or something bad will happen to you".

Either way.. i figure the best way to debunk a lie is to reply with facts.. and ASSUME that there was no malice intent. Plus, by replying to all - you prevent (or hope to) all of THEM from sending it out to their friends.

[rucky]

22. Cut. Paste. Send to address book.

We should nip this in the bud NOW.

[Mz Pip]

23. Oddly enough

I haven't received this yet. I have two RW cousins, one who forwards everything to me in a mindless sosrt of way, just assuming it's true. My other cousin will send stuff like this to me and ask me to fact check it. Maybe he's too lazy to do a snopes search on his own, but at least he asks and doesn't assume it's true. I know he's no fan of Bush but being a Republican seems to be part of his DNA. I don't see him ever crossing over but I do see him staying home.

Small steps.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

24. The worst of the Clintons' dirty politicking

doing more than just about anything else to turn people off from the Clintons. It's called "blowback."

[RoadRage]

25. I honestly don't know if this was a Clinton original...

or a repug original. Either way - the emails are horrible. I just can't stomach the thought of another Dem starting that. I know one of her staffers forwarded it.. but I don't see them starting it. Maybe I have to much "HOPE". :) I've been accused of worse!

[aquart]

26. Now there's a rabid assumption with no evidence of any kind.

But I KNOW that a DU Obama supporter (icon said so) was circulating ancient trash about Hillary last night.

Would it be horribly racist to ask when and how, if Dad was Muslim and Mom was atheist, Obama became a Christian? What denomination? It's one thing to be born into a faith, that tends to make one quite casual about obedience to the rules, but if one is an enthusiastic convert, that's a whole other story. So, if it's not too horribly racist, I would like to know how Obama obtained his Christian commitment. I don't want a Huckabee hiding among the Democrats.

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

28. You mean, like Bob Kerrey's comments?

"Hey people, I know there's been a lot of talk lately about Barack Hussein Obama, yeah that's Barack HUSSEIN Obama in case you didn't hear, being a Muslim Manchurian candidate, with his background in madrassahs and his Muslim heritage and such things but you know, I personally wouldn't believe there's anything going on there. Oh by the way, did you all hear me just talking about the Muslim madrassah background of Barack HUSSEIN Obama?"

[DesertRat]

27. Thanks. Kick n/t