I am totally in trouble with the family, got sick of the hateful emails and sent this...

[Danieljay]

Extended 'family',

If anyone one person is offended, I apologize. Not my intention.

That being said, I have been receiving unsolicited, hateful, and racist emails regularly from people on this address list, including family members. I'm done with it. Its difficult not to respond. I got put on this email list and since that time have received unsolicited bigoted emails from people I don't know, and some people that I do know, and I responded, sometimes I admit. inappropriately.

Somewhere, sometime, some ONE has to stand up to this kind of garbage that incites fear and hate. I accept full and total responsibility for being that person, regardless of the consequences. Its the right thing to do.

I for one refuse to participate any longer in those who want to blame Muslims, Mexicans, Blacks, gays, or anyone else based on ignorance and xenophobia for their problems. Its not funny. Its bigoted, its racist, and its just plain wrong, humanly and spiritually.

You are absolutely right, people can agree to disagree on politics, but I draw a line when it comes to hate speech and those who promote it.

There is a different between political opinions and just plain hate.

At least I finally got someone's attention.

I will remove you all from any generic email list I have, I would ask that you all do the same. If you wish to correspond with something positive, please feel free.


Blessings Be.


Daniel

[Stellabella]

1. Bravo to you!

There's nothing in that response that is at ALL offensive - you are being a pure grownup.

[wtmusic]

2. Hey if you get in trouble for a thoughtful email like that

it's their "trouble", not yours

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Taking the high road is never easy...

Congratulations on this move.

There is no good excuse for hate mail.

There are plenty of issues to talk about, and anyone who isn't talking issues is avoiding the real problems we all have and replacing those issues with unmitigated hate.

K&R

:patriot:

[awoke_in_2003]

19. "You can't take the high horse...

and claim the low road." GWB :)

[rwenos]

4. I Had the Same Problem

Until the RW relative sent me some hate piece about Obama exploiting his black ethnicity for political advantage.

I sent the same posting right back to him, and cc'd it to everyone on HIS send list (so they'd all be sure to see it). I said the writer of the piece was a racist bastard, and provided a link to www.kkk.com, suggesting that if that was how the relative thought, I'd make it easy for him to link up with like-minded citizens.

I have never yet gotten another email from that relative.

[Indiana_Dem]

7. Sweet! I bet that felt kind of good! lol nt

[rwenos]

13. The Wife Was Not Thrilled

Since it was one of her in-laws.

But I still have people in her family I love, and who will still feed me Christmas and Thanksgiving turkey. So yes, it was rather satisfying!! :-)

[daninthemoon]

5. Sorry man, and I can somewhat relate. I'm hoping that the era of

President Obama is going to make final and wonderful changes to America's culture. I'm afraid that in the short term we may see a resurgance of some ugly albeit unintended racially tinged stuff, but this election, along with many many great improvements in America, will be a solid irrevocable line. There was a time before the Civil War, ands a time after. there was a time before the Civil Rights movement, and there was a time after. This election is the next, and hopefully the final line.

[prayin4rain]

20. me too... i think the consciousness of the country will evolve more in the next four years than

it has in the last 20 years... I can't wait!!!

[Indiana_Dem]

6. Very good! Very nice! I couldn't be that nice. I'd keep writing until I had it all out of me.

And THAT would spell trouble for my relationships. I've done it a couple of times and I was sorry I worded things certain ways but I was mad. You did a decent job. I'm going to start calling you Obama! :)

[patrice]

8. "Whatsoever you do for the least of these . . ." And those who are blindly hated and judged by

others ARE the least of us.

[SharonAnn]

9. You're absolutely right that "Somewhere, sometime, some ONE has to stand up to this kind of garbage"

I've done the same kind of thing, though not expressed so well.

People now know not to send me that kind of email. I "Respond to all" and that somehow upsets them. Interestingly, I would get back "Thank you"s from some of the people on the copy list.

Also, I usually include some "facts" about the issue along with a few links for the rest of the data in case they want to know the truth. Then I say "You can look it up!"

Anyway, my inbox is free of most of this "crap" and it has been for over a year.

[ColbertWatcher]

10. Congratulations!

Here is your "Spammie" award



It is presented to anyone who fights the fearmail clogging the internets with one last electronic jab!

[blue sky at night]

11. a very simple technique....

in outlook, just right click on the persons name in the inbox, drop down to "add sender to blocked list" and no more shit happens. I had to do it to a freeper cousin of mine, just couldn't take their mindless blather any more. Perhaps I will turn them back on after their world crumbles when a NIGG....a fine black gentlemen wins the Whitehouse and ends Eight years of DISGRACE!!!

wow, we are going to party!!!

BTW, every time you hear "them" call someone a terrorist, just substitute the word I almost spelled above....

thanks, great post.

[nichomachus]

12. Don't you just love it

They send you hateful, racist, bigoted stuff. If you tell them that you don't like it, they get offended. Typical right wingers.

[progressivebydesign]

14. That is most excellent! You did it respectfully. I hope they feel ashamed.

You did nothing wrong, and everything right. Just consider us your extended family for a while, if you need to. :grouphug:

[Danieljay]

32. the bond the binds the true family, is not one of blood, but of joy and respect in each others lives

Richard Bach.

[Dragonfli]

15. Very Well Thought out - Not Mean At All! nt

[Swamp Rat]

21. oi!

:hi: :hug:




PS. You are the bee's knees. :hug:

[Dragonfli]

24. How you been man?

:toast:

[Swamp Rat]

26. I'm surviving

Still haven't recovered from Katrina, but it could be worse.

To you I owe a debt of gratitude... for instance, even if I lost my computer during Gustav and Ike, I knew that some of my work was preserved at swamp-rat.com. Thank you sooooooo very much. :hug:

I hope all is well with you. :toast:

Let me know if you ever come to New Orleans. ;)

[Dragonfli]

30. Much the same with me -survivin'

Had to go bankrupt because of all the medical bills, was out of work for a while for health but could be worse. No need to thank me for the website. I host a few good friends with businesses in order to a have the server for my own sites and for a few other friends. I break even so no skin off my nose for swamp-rat. I like having your work out there because I Love it!

If I ever get to New Orleans, you will be the first guy I look up.

I will be sure to bring my towel

[Swamp Rat]

31. hee hee!

Look forward to it. :D

[musette_sf]

34. oh noes!!11! you forgot Mr. Bingle!!!

shouldn't he also be part of the North Pole Defense Network??

[spag68]

16. Bigotry

It's hard to believe that it has been about 20 years since the genetic scientists discovered that all of humanity was 99.999% the same. And we are all about 4 or 5 genes from the apes or plants for that matter. I thought that this crap was over then. Sadly it still exists and I for one blame the Republican politicians that want to keep us divided. Serious people in the labor movement have known this for 100 years or so, they have to keep us divided or we would gain enough power to ensure a decent living for all of us. That would affect their almighty bottom line and so they can't let it happen. I have high hopes that this is the time for all of us to finally force them to understand the plight they have put us in. They have gone too far this time. Elect Obama and 60 senators and make them work for us. Just think we might actually have decent health care and education like those terrible commie states like Sweden and Norway, Don't you see how bad it is over there? Tell you what let's give it a try and see, then maybe we can even make it better.

[MadMaddie]

29. See there ya go talking about science

:sarcasm:

Scientific study is great if all people paid attention to the results!


Education is the key to defeat ignorance and we can get there!

[Poll_Blind]

17. I make a habit of almost never reading messages like yours but...

...I did. And you said the right thing- pretty much exactly as I would have said it.

  Too many "go along" with the bullshit and not enough people have the moral keel to just go- "Hey, this is wrong! I reject it!"

  Good for you! I don't care what the hell they think of you- you did the right thing. You already won.

PB

[prayin4rain]

18. good for you taking a stand.. and it will blow over n/t

[stoge18]

22. Good for you!

You got it off your chest, and, as you say, likely got their attention.

K&R

[mzmolly]

23. Daniel, you are a true patriot.

:toast: to you!

[LynnTheDem]

25. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!

:applause:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

27. I Think You Did Great! I Sent My First To A Family Member Not Long Ago.

I'm fortunate in that my family members don't really discuss politics that much and they are all voting for Obama. My brother can be ignorant and republican sometimes though, but at his core he's a democrat. I was pissed when he forwarded the below email to me though, and I felt the need to respond. It was the first email from a family member I ever got related to politics or bigotry at all. I'll copy it below. It starts with his reply after I responded to his initial mail:



Re: New Plan for US
Print | New Window Full Message
to you - Sep 21 More Details


sorry man wont forward you shit like this again

--- On Sun, 9/21/08, wrote:

From:
Subject: Re: New Plan for US
To:
Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 9:21 PM

Robin Williams would not come up with such bigoted, racist, ignorant, uninformed and frankly downright dumb tripe.

Not sure who did; but whoever it was is not somebody I'd have any respect for and most definitely not somebody whose ignorant and hateful message I'd voluntarily want to spread through forwarding...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/williams.asp


-----Original Message-----
From:
To:
Sent: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 7:54 pm
Subject: Fw: New Plan for US



--- On Sun, 9/21/08, wrote:

From:
Subject: Fw: New Plan for US
To:
Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 1:50 PM



----- Forwarded Message ----
From:
To:
Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 11:20:26 AM
Subject: New Plan for US

You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.
Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)
"I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."
1. "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere" again.
2. We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.
3. All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4. All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5. No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.
6. The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing non polluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.
7. Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8. If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9. Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10. All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?
"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "
If you agree with the above forward it to friends...If not, and I would be amazed, DELETE it!!

[sandnsea]

28. me: "Don't send me this shit, EVER!!"

That solved my email problem.

[Shakespeare]

33. Yeah, I sent almost the same thing out to my extended family a few months ago.

I got a couple of faux-innocent, maudlin "but we're family, can't we just love each other blah blah blah" emails in return.

email --> blocked

I understand I'm the main topic of conversation when my cousins get together these days. Fuck 'em.

[SeattleGirl]

35. Very well said!

You made good, strong points, but you didn't resort to hateful, angry speech (which is what you were speaking out against).

Well done!

[Danieljay]

36. Thank you. All of you. I need the support. !! n/t

[pitohui]

37. nice job, well done

you go the extra mile, i admit when i used to get emails like that i would just block that person from sending me any more emails without bothering to tell them why

it sounds like you have been VERY patient

[OneGrassRoot]

38. I ended up writing an open letter on my blog, comprised of email rebuttals....

calling out racism and bigotry in not-so-pleasant terms.

Whenever I reply with this, if I get one response I'm lucky (though usually it's the Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter talking points).

And, it prevents anything else from being sent my way.

[flpab]

39. smear emails

My dear aunt has sent me two, one being about Obama being the anti-christ. It was sent to her via about 100 others who kindly put all of their addresses on my email...hit reply with the snopes truth. I called my mom to tell her I probably ticked off the aunt and her relatives. They did it once before with another and did the same that time. My one friend in Ga. has sent me some bad stuff and we had it out via email but agreed to disagree.

[OneGrassRoot]

40. Welcome to DU!

Snopes and Factcheck are a beautiful thing these days, eh? :)

Yes, it's amazing how people TRULY believe it's true if it's in an email, or online anywhere. Stunning really.