Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Vilerat
May 11, 2002
We all have those crazy family members who feel it’s their duty to forward on every single ridiculous piece of political garbage that hits their inbox to everybody on their mailing list. Unfortunately every time we see another email from granny it’s a 50/50 chance it’s either a rundown of how their day went with pictures or some terrible forwarded chain letter that usually describes Obama as a baby eating Nazi Jew who will put granny in a death camp while swallowing your soul. Many of us probably even set up their computer enabling this and a good chunk wish we could go back and maybe write them hand written letters some more so they wouldn’t feel they had to get the internet in order to keep track of the family.
Oh well, damage done.

This thread is going to serve two purposes:

A. A repository of all the crazy we get emailed so we can laugh at them.
B. A place for you to write out thoughtful “canned” responses to mail back so maybe, just maybe, some of them can be reached with logic and reason.

Oh well at least we can still have some laughs.

~How this works~

If you receive an email from granny that is one of your typical lunatic fw:fw:FW:You won't believe this but it's true!!! style emails we want you to post them in this thread. We'll all have a good laugh at them but more importantly some of you will write out a reasoned cited response which we will then link in the OP. People will inevitably get the same email since these go around in cycles and you'll then have a ready response for when you inevitably get the same one in your email.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Vilerat
May 11, 2002
We'll start it off by everybody's favorite sheriff Joe Arpaio! Including family members commentary for extra cringe...

quote:

The bleeding heart liberal media don't report the good stuff, they only only report negative stuff.
( in my view)


My kind of man. now if they would only make him the head of homeland
security.

> Subject: SHERIFF JOE
> IS AT IT AGAIN!
>
> You all remember
> Sheriff Joe
> Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink
> and made the inmates wear pink prison
> garb. Well...........
>
> SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!
>
> Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!
>
> Maricopa
> County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a
> year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe
> offered to take the department over, and the County
> Supervisors said okay.
>
> The animal
> shelters are now all staffed and operated by
> prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal
> in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has
> prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior.
> They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt
> an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given
> them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog
> shows.
>
>
> The best part? His budget for the entire department is now
> under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a
> Maricopa
> County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and
> current on all shots, in great health, and even had a
> microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.
>
> The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for
> working, but most would work for free, just to be out of
> their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for
> utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners
> out of the fees collected for adopted animals.
>
> I have long wondered when the rest of the country would
> take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy
> some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county
> years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of
> their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and
> harvesting by hand.
>
> He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat,
> and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery,
> where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas
> tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We
> have six trees in our yard from the Prison.
>
> Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.
> Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all
> his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special
> hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and
> report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs
> Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had
> 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration
> laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just
> for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a
> 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.
>
> TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO
>
> HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY
> SHERIFF
>
> AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER
> THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:
>
> Sheriff Joe
> Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City
> Jail': He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and
> charges the inmates for them.
>
> He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took
> away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.
>
> He started chain gangs so the inmates
> could do free work on county and city projects.
>
> Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't
> Get Sued For Discrimination.
>
> He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A
> Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He
> Hooked Up The Cable TV Again . Only
> Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.
>
> When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will
> Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My
> Chain Gangs.
>
> He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value.
>
> When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This
> Isn't The Ritz/Carlton....... If You Don't Like It,
> Don't Come Back.'
>
>
> More On The Arizona Sheriff:
>
> With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix
> (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press
> Reports: About 2,000 Inmates Living In A
> Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County
> Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To
> Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts.
>
> On
> Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either
> curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which
> reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before.
>
> Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat
> Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK
> SOCKS.
>
> 'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James
> Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year.
> 'It's Inhumane.'
>
> Joe
> Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent
> city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink,
> and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic....
> He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates:
> 'It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are
> Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear,
> But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your
> Mouths!'
>
> Way To Go, Sheriff!
>
> Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a
> lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be
> punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until
> it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit
> another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers
> money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have
> for themselves.
>
> If you agree, pass this on. If not, just delete
> it.

the
Jul 18, 2004

by Cowcaster
I'm sure most of these will be e-mails from Conservatives. On the opposing side of the coin, I have a crazy Liberal cousin. She's deep into meditation, holistic treatment, organic foods, paleolithic diets, and whatever the pseudoscientific treatment "du jour" is. She constantly posts that new age poo poo on Facebook all the time. I'm almost certain she hasn't vaccinated her child, since I got into a huge argument with her once on Facebook when she suggested that it would have given her son autism. When I mentioned that I needed to get my tetanus booster shot, she proudly proclaimed that she hadn't had one in about 12 years. She's even suggested that the H1N1 outbreak was somehow related to the government. Just showing that there are familiar crazies on both sides of the aisle. I don't know which is worse.

Dr. Arbitrary
Mar 15, 2006

Bleak Gremlin
By popular demand and easy reference:

quote:

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 15 minutes.” The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.” It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and lifted up his arm to strike him.

At that moment the professor was transformed into a 7-foot grizzly, wreathed in a halo of holy fire. The bear spoke: “Blasphemer thou art, thou thinkst to take the place of God? Those who deny me face eternal fire, but you who knows my work and yet commits the sin of Satan I curse a hundred times over!” The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently picking at his boils. Then Richard Dawkins burst into the room, wielding a copy of The Selfish Gene and crying “Leave that boy alone, you pathetic atavism!” As the holy bear whirled around, terrible light flashing in its eyes, Dawkins shed his mortal form, raised each of his seven horned heads, and hissed. “It’ssss me you want!”. And then the Lord and the Antichrist joined in the final battle.

The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.




Subject:Economics 101 (Stimulus Bill)

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?"

The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed.

At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.

They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed.

The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told.

The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.

The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"

The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper.

The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.

However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!"

The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile,
"Congratulations! You now understand the stimulus bill."

Edit:
I don't think there's a way to respond to this. It's just a story about a professor being a dickhole to one of his students and instead of explaining something, he just shoehorns the subject into an analogy that could work for anything. Professor, I don't understand (Defense spending, Foreign Aid, Prayer, etc.)

I'm going to throw in another email, this time with a response that I thought was pretty good when I wrote it.
>> Subj: FW: A VINDICATION OF PRESIDENT BUSH
>>
>> look at this! Time will tell more of what we thought
>> of the man all along, won't it? How is the media in
>> such control of us?
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Subj: A VINDICATION OF PRESIDENT BUSH
>> This has been flying under the radar. Read the
>> MSNBC article and check the truthorfiction.Com site. The
>> TruthOrFiction version is shown below.
>> This event is factual. President Bush has taken
>> the heat of being called a liar and a war monger for 5 years
>> while he kept his silence to protect the people of the
>> world. This is truly a display of selfless honor.
>> On July 5, 2008, the Associated Press (AP) released
>> a story titled: Secret U.S. Mission hauls uranium from Iraq
>> The opening paragraph is as follows:
>> The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's
>> nuclear program a huge stockpile of concentrated natural
>> uranium reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a
>> secret U.S. Operation that included a two week airlift from
>> Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.
>> See anything wrong with this picture? We have been
>> hearing from the far-left for more than five years how, Bush
>> lied.
>> Somehow, that slogan loses its credibility now that
>> 550 metric tons of Saddam's yellowcake, used for nuclear
>> weapon enrichment, has been discovered and shipped to
>> Canada for its new use as nuclear energy.
>> It appears that American troops found the 550
>> metric tons of uranium in 2003 after invading Iraq . They
>> had to sit on this information and the uranium itself, for
>> fear of terrorists attempting to steal it. It was guarded
>> and kept safe by our
>> military in a 23,000-acre site with large sand
>> beams surrounding the site.
>> This is vindication for the Bush administration,
>> having been attacked mercilessly by the liberal media and
>> the far-left pundits on the blogosphere. Now that it is
>> proven that President Bush did not lie about Saddam's
>> nuclear ambitions, one would think the mainstream
>> media would report the story. Once the AP released the
>> story, the mainstream media should have picked it up and
>> broadcast it worldwide.
>> This never happened, due in large part I believe,
>> to the fact that the mainstream media would have to admit
>> they were wrong about Bush's war motives all along.
>> Thankfully, the AP got it right when it said, The removal of
>> 550 metric tons of yellowcake the seed material for
>> higher-grade nuclear enrichment was a significant step
>> toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy.
>> Closing the book on Saddam's nuclear legacy.
>> Did Saddam have a nuclear legacy after all? I thought Bush
>> lied.
>> As it turns out, the people who lied were Joe
>> Wilson and his wife. Valerie Plame engaged in a clear case
>> of nepotism and convinced the CIA to send her husband on a
>> fact finding mission in February 2002, seeking to determine
>> if Saddam Hussein attempted to buy yellowcake from Niger .
>> The CIA and British intelligence believed Saddam contacted
>> Niger for that purpose but needed proof.
>> During his trip to Niger , Wilson actually
>> interviewed the former prime minister of Niger , Ibrahim
>> Assane Mayaki. Mayaki told Wilson that in June of 1999, an
>> Iraqi delegation expressed interest in 'expanding
>> commercial relations for the purposes of purchasing
>> yellowcake. Wilson chose to overlook Mayaki's remarks
>> and reported to the CIA that there was no evidence of
>> Hussein wanting to purchase yellowcake from Niger .
>> However, with British intelligence insisting the claim was
>> true, President Bush used that same claim in his State of
>> the Union address in January of 2003.
>> Outraged by Bush's insistence that the claim
>> was true, Wilson wrote an op-Ed in the New York Times in
>> the summer of 2003 slamming Bush. Wilson did this in spite
>> of the fact that Mayaki said Saddam did try to buy the
>> yellowcake from Niger .
>> The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
>> disagreed with Wilson and supported Mayaki's claim.
>> This meant nothing to Wilson who was opposed to the Iraq
>> war and thus had ulterior motives in covering up the prime
>> minister's statements.
>> It was a simple tactic really. If the far-left and
>> their friends in the media could prove Bush lied about
>> Hussein wanting to purchase yellowcake from Niger , it
>> would undermine President Bush's credibility and give
>> them more cause for asking what other lies he may have told.
>> Yet, the real lie came from Wilson, who interpreted
>> his own meaning from the prime minister's statements and
>> concluded all by himself that the claim of Saddam attempting
>> to purchase yellowcake was 'unequivocally wrong.'
>> Curiously, the CIA sat on this information and did
>> not inform the CIA Director, who sided with Bush on the
>> yellowcake claim. This was made public in a bipartisan
>> Senate Intelligence Committee report in July 2004.
>> Valerie Plame also engaged in her own lie campaign
>> by spreading the notion that the Bush administration outed
>> her as a CIA agent. Never mind that it was Richard Armitage
>> -- no friend of the Bush administration -- who leaked
>> Plame's identity to the press. Never mind that Plame had
>> not been in the field as a CIA agent in some six years.
>> The truth is, due to their opposition to the war,
>> Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame, the mainstream media and their
>> left-wing friends on the blogosphere engaged in a propaganda
>> campaign to undermine the Bush administration. Now that
>> Saddam's uranium has been made public and is no longer a
>> threat to the world, do you think these aforementioned
>> parties will apologize and admit they were wrong? Don't
>> count on it. The rest of the American people
>> should hear the truth about Saddam's uranium.
>> It is up to you and me to inform them every chance we get.
>> This story was verified, if you want to check it
>> for yourself, click on the links below.
>> http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/u/uraniumyellowcake.htm
>> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25546334

My response:
I'm not really sure why Bush would need vindicating, most people I talk to think that it was great that we kicked butt in Iraq back in 1990 and stopped all the weapons programs that Hussein had been working on. It was nice to read the article and see that all the materials were remnants of that old research done before George H.W. Bush stepped in and stopped Hussein from continuing to develop and produce WMDs.

It's heartening to get confirmation that if Bush hadn't stepped up to the plate in 1990 and crushed Saddam's weapons programs, he'd definitely have been able to make weapons that would threaten the balance of power in the Middle East.

Anyone who thinks that Desert Storm/Desert Shield was a waste of manpower and resources really needs to look at the evidence, that war really is a model of an effective modern military campaign. I suppose it may have been better to confiscate all the weapons materials that were in Iraq at the time but it's nice to see that the munitions sat and rusted in their bunkers between then and now rather than being used.

Dr. Arbitrary fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Jan 16, 2015

Sgt. McKill
Sep 30, 2005
kill kill kill
I got this e-mail from my dad the other day, I think it's a popular one.

quote:

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK,
we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering,
blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

the
Jul 18, 2004

by Cowcaster

Sgt. McKill posted:

I got this e-mail from my dad the other day, I think it's a popular one.

To that I would say, "Explain to me one policy of the Obama administration that is even close to something like this."

Owlofcreamcheese
May 22, 2005
Probation
Can't post for 9 years!
Buglord

Sgt. McKill posted:

I got this e-mail from my dad the other day, I think it's a popular one.

I think it'd be fun to see a study that actually did something like this in a middle school or something. Because even in the dumb hypothetical I bet it wouldn't work such that the whole class agrees to fail.

Dr. Arbitrary
Mar 15, 2006

Bleak Gremlin

Sgt. McKill posted:

I got this e-mail from my dad the other day, I think it's a popular one.

Wouldn't socialism be:
The professor has everyone bring in all their computers, encyclopedias, pens, pencils, paper and any other supplies. He sets up a study room where anyone in the class can use the computers or materials, a situation that is far less convenient for the people who used to have home computers and encyclopedias, but a very good deal for the people who had no prior access.

I'm not sure how to finish the story, maybe the students don't want to buy supplies next year so the university has to charge more to cover the cost of materials. It's not nearly as dramatic as the original story I guess.

Soft Money 1M
Jun 28, 2007

by mons all madden
Of course the hypothetical also implies that studying hard/working hard = guaranteed success. Never mind how silly this is in a real life example, but as anyone who has ever taken an economics class knows, it's not uncommon for half the class to study really hard and just not "get it" and end up flunking out.

Slobjob Zizek
Jun 20, 2004

Sgt. McKill posted:

I got this e-mail from my dad the other day, I think it's a popular one.

This analogy makes no sense, because 1) stimulus in a depression is meant to "buy time" until the next true economic boom, so that civil unrest doesn't happen in between the bust and boom, and 2) there is no real expectation that the US will ever pay back all its debt (so the money is free, in that sense).

Discospawn
Mar 3, 2007

No offense, but I think this is kind of a pointless idea. While it's an interesting phenomenon that the widespread use of the Internet has brought back a resurgence of chain letters and smug emails, the people who send them aren't looking for a political discussion. If somebody forwards poo poo like this to everybody in their contacts list, it isn't the initiation of a conversation, it's more like a declaration of ignorance. If you reply back with facts and figures, they will not accept it because they don't care about such things. They only care about hypothetical situations that reinforce their views and that they believe are witty or clever.

For most of these people, I doubt it's even political, but rather a fear of Obama or generational differences or other forces beyond their control, so when they get one of these messages that reinforces those fears and seems to strike back at them, they forward them as an offensive against those forces. I think if you really want to bother the person who sent the forward, you shouldn't try to calmly and cooly respond with logic and opinion, but you should try to feed their fear.

The Macaroni
Dec 20, 2002
...it does nothing.
Some of the purpose of this thread is just to have a good laugh at the e-mails themselves, though.

Man, there are some awesome Mormon ones that I saw in a blog awhile back. I'll have to try and find them.

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
Ah, yes.

My normally perfectly sensible father, who knows and shares my thoughts on e-mail forwards, slipped one day and bounced me this.

quote:


I normally do not forward these things but this if this is true, WHY!!
-Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 9:16 PM
Subject: OIL (not a joke)





Subj: OIL (not a joke)


THIS is why a lot of us just don't have any trust or confidence in our government!!!


















OIL (not a joke)

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report ( hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota ; western South Dakota ; and extreme eastern Montana ..... check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay , and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels.. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

'When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea.' says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

'This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years.' reports, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for2041 years straight.

2. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from TWO YEARS AGO!

U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World!
Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006


Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States .

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy.....WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entir e Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price - even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, - it has to. Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?
Got your attention/ire up yet? Hope so! Now, while you're thinking about it .... and hopefully P.O'd, do this:

3. Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you want to complain about gas prices .. because by doing NOTHING, you've forfeited your right to complain.
--------
Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this to every one in your address book.
By the way...this is all true. Check it out at the link below!!!
GOOGLE it or follow this link. It will blow your mind.
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911 <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911>



My response (cc'd to my whole family):

quote:

Before you feel like sending something to me on whatever unbelievable thing just landed in your inbox, do two things.

1. Think- is this probably bullshit? If yes, delete it. If no-
2. Does it say FWD:FWD:FWD:FWD: at the beginning? If yes, delete it. If no-
3. go to http://www.snopes.com search for a few details

Doing this, I found this page:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/bakken.asp

Where I find that yes, it is actually bullshit.

Do me a favor and leave dumb poo poo like this out of my inbox. If I want my mind blown I'll go back to doing drugs.

the
Jul 18, 2004

by Cowcaster
When something says "NOT A JOKE!" and "HAS BEEN CHECKED BY SNOPES!!" over and over, you can bet that both statements are false.

sexy mouse
Sep 18, 2008

sexy eye~
sexy nose~
sexy mouse~
don't you know~
I thought everyone knew by now that Snopes is just a liberal run site set up to spread lies.

Kugyou no Tenshi
Nov 8, 2005

We can't keep the crowd waiting, can we?

Hagetaka posted:

Oil e-mail

Wait. If he actually clicked the link at the bottom of the e-mail he sent you, he would have seen that the story about the Bakken formation from USGS says the exact same thing that Snopes does (3 to 4 bbl, averaging around 3.65 bbl). I'm starting to think that e-mails like this are originally written as social experiments to troll people who don't even bother reading the links in the e-mails they forward.

Thankfully, I don't get political fwd:fwd:fwd: e-mails that often, but I used to get religious ones all the time.

pesty13480
Nov 13, 2002

Ask me about peasant etymology!

quote:

Fwd: FW: Have You Seen this Irony?

Dear Friends:

Some of you may have seen this, but I thought it rather bizarre...

The family that died in the Butte, Montana, plane crash hit a Roman Catholic cemetery with a Pro-Life memorial monument within it.

The family that died was, evidently, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and 5 grandchildren of Irving Bud Feldkamp III, who is the owner of the largest chain of abortion clinics in the State of California.

You can read more about this at http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/646579835.html


“But, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”— see Luke 13:2-5


Grace to you, in the Lord Jesus Christ,


David MacKenzie

I received that from my father, a man who is not David Mackenzie, by the way. I sent him this response. It was put together hastily and with a minimum of research, but I thought it would suffice. If someone would like to use it, go right ahead. Oh, and I went for the Catholic bit because they're all a bunch of hardcore, fundamentalist protestants and they hate Catholicism:


"The victims were identified as Erin and Amy Jacobson of St. Helena,
Calif., and their children, 4-year-old Taylor; 3-year-old Ava, and
1-year-old Jude; Michael and Vanessa Pullen of Lodi, Calif., and their
children, 9-year-old Sydney and 7-year-old Christopher; and Brent and
Kristen Ching of Durham, Calif., and their children, 5-year-old Heiley
and 3-year-old Caleb."

I do see the irony, just not for the reason the author seemingly
appreciates; that being said, I'm somewhat glad to see that when God
makes a point of crashing a plane full of children into a cemetery as
a lesson to the abortionists, He opts for the one holy and apostolic
variety and not some schismatic protestant outfit. I'm not certain
that qualifies as a raging endorsement, mind you.

amateur economist
Nov 12, 2007

by Ozmaugh

Kugyou no Tenshi posted:

Wait. If he actually clicked the link at the bottom of the e-mail he sent you, he would have seen that the story about the Bakken formation from USGS says the exact same thing that Snopes does (3 to 4 bbl, averaging around 3.65 bbl). I'm starting to think that e-mails like this are originally written as social experiments to troll people who don't even bother reading the links in the e-mails they forward.

Thankfully, I don't get political fwd:fwd:fwd: e-mails that often, but I used to get religious ones all the time.

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck

Douginc
Mar 25, 2009

amateur economist posted:

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck

Yes, yes, and YES.

There are some drat good satirists on here that I'm almost positive could come up with good believable lies that might spread like wildfire.

People seem to naturally believe things the way they want, honestly, without any research or thought. So, when subjective and biased bullshit that matches their world view comes along, it doesn't matter to them that it might not pass a smell test, they want so badly to believe it, it becomes fact.

Owlofcreamcheese
May 22, 2005
Probation
Can't post for 9 years!
Buglord

amateur economist posted:

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck

Obama plans to pass environmental regulations on cars so strict that the type of fuel nascars use will be outlawed. pass it on.

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
Obama plans to tax the death benefit given to war widows from their husbands' life insurance (SGLI).


(the beauty of it is it's taxable income like it always, always, always has been)

Vilerat
May 11, 2002

amateur economist posted:

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck

This would be awesome. This needs to happen.

Jazu
Jan 1, 2006

Looking for some URANIUM? CLICK HERE

amateur economist posted:

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck

God, no, don't make the world stupider.

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
Obama plans to tax the free tuition given to active-duty soldiers as an income benefit in order to pay for Obamacare

just find some passage in one of the House bills that mentions veterans in an offhand way and cite it as SEE SEE RIGHT HERE RIGHT HERE

tonelok
Sep 29, 2001

Hanukkah came early this year.

amateur economist posted:

SA should try writing it's own chain email that's just plausible enough to seem realistic, and then see how long it takes to hit our inboxes or be the subject of commentary on Glenn Beck
Hell yes.

Hagetaka has the right idea.

Illegal immigrants receiving some form of the coverage in the proposed healthcare bill would be another candidate. Of course it's specifically spelled out that they won't receive it, but you could probably find some wording in another part of the bill that's vague enough. CNN's http://www.factcheck.org/ site has a lot of stuff revolving around.

GD_American
Jul 21, 2004

LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AS IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!
It just needs some strain of absurdity involved, otherwise it's just another piece of crap floating around the Internet

Stoic Madman
Dec 4, 2004
This title space left unintentionally blank
Obama to require those reported for opposing health care bill to undergo "counseling" to correct their misconceptions. It feeds right into their view of Obama as an evil fascist, plus it builds on an already existing conspiracy theory.

Ok, here's what I got so far, I'm asking for input on this as I lack crazy conservative relatives to send me chain emails to use as a model. I have plenty of crazy liberal relatives, but that's a discussion for another time.

Stoic Madman's Fake Chainletter posted:

I just got off the phone with my cousin who lives in Washington DC. She works the General Accounting Office (they research the cost of all proposed government programs, among other things) and I'm still shaking. She was telling me that Obama just issued a directive to hire several thousand people as “councilors”. Now, these aren't to help people with emotional problems, no way.

Remember that website the Obama Administration set up to report people who disagree with the Obamacare plan? Well, now we know what they're going to do with that information. Obama is going to require all persons reported to undergo mandatory “counseling” sessions to correct their “misconceptions” about his plan. You'll be forcibly detained by federal agents, without committing a crime, and held indefinitely until you're deemed “cured” by your assigned counselor. No word on what they'll do with people who won't change their minds, but the death panels that Obamacare mandates gives you an idea.

Now we know why they are hiring all those “interment center” guards! This is real folks! And if you've publicly criticized Obamacare, you're going away for a long time! Time to start panicking!

I think it's kinda lame, but that's what 10 whole minutes of labor got me. So, too over the top, or is this what we're looking for?

EDIT: Also, I really have no way to get this into cirulation among the crowd we want it to circulate in. Like I said, I don't really have any crazy conservative relatives, and I'm not on any conservative forums. If I join now just to post this, it might look supicious. Does someone who's got an account as part of the Freep troll project want to use this? Let me know if you post it somewhere, or send it to someone, so we can watch and see if it takes off.

Stoic Madman fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Aug 15, 2009

deptstoremook
Jan 12, 2004
my mom got scared and said "you're moving with your Aunt and Uncle in Bel-Air!"

Hagetaka posted:

It just needs some strain of absurdity involved, otherwise it's just another piece of crap floating around the Internet

The only trouble with this is that most of the chain emails already have this kind of absurdity weaved into the email. The absurd yet veritable tenor of these emails is exactly what leads to their spread.

Can you believe how many barrels of oil are in Montana? It's absurd, but here are a few links nobody is going to click.

The trick, then, is to find the point where your message is more absurd than the rest (already hard), but not gibberish (probably a distant boundary!) I recommend, whatever the end product is, that it contain an encoded satire which will insult the intended audience. IT doesn't matter if someone picks up on that, as the chain letter will grow exponentially and be unstoppable after a few passes....

There are troubling ethical concerns about this idea, but it does seem like fun.

Willa Rogers
Mar 11, 2005

Want "healthcare reform" to pass? Then just hand over some dough to the DNC, because that $1.5 million/day lobbyist fund just isn't enough to pass a bill that will provide billions in subsidies to the insurance industry:

quote:


Chip in a dollar a day to help pass real health insurance reform.

Opponents of change are doing everything they can to slow the pace of health insurance reform. So we're launching our "Dollar-a-Day" campaign to fight back. A huge response will show the insurance companies and their allies in Congress that their delay tactics will only make our movement stronger.

Your donation will help us to keep training volunteers, hiring organizers, running ads, organizing local events, bringing constituent voices straight to Congress, and make sure real-life stories are heard louder than the lobbyists' spin.

We'll bill your credit card for 30 days' worth of donations now and once every month until real health insurance reform is signed into law. When the bill is signed, we'll refund a prorated amount for that month.

Please make your donation today using the form on the right.

https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/dnc08dollar?source=20090729_dollar_nd

And the best response, from a wonkette poster:

quote:

A number of understandably perplexed readers have forwarded us this weird, offensive e-mail from the notorious spammer “Mitch Stewart, BarackObama.com,” who wants us to donate money to the DNC — one dollar a day “until real health insurance reform is signed into law,” so as to “show the insurance companies and their allies in Congress that their delay tactics will only make our movement stronger.” Well that’s a great idea, pretend Obama organizing troupe at the DNC! But down here on Planet Earth, we’re going to tell you “no,” and also maybe to eat a bag of lightly salted poison rat dicks.

So first they want money, because their massive majorities and executive positions in several thousand wings of government have been unable to finish a bill. “Your donation will help us to keep training volunteers, hiring organizers, running ads, organizing local events, bringing constituent voices straight to Congress, and make sure real-life stories are heard louder than the lobbyists’ spin,” this stupid evil e-mail from Hell tells us, as though we are SIX-YEAR-OLD RETARDED CHILDREN FROM OUTER SPACE.

Why have more local events, or bring more hobos to Congress? The public already favors both tax increases on super-millionaires to fund universal coverage and a public option to compete with private insurance, by wide margins, in Polls. The reluctant congressmen are already aware of these facts and these people with their “real-life stories,” and they have chosen to go with the “lobbyists,” who pay them money to bankrupt the country and kill most of its people. Minds will not be changed, so now the more appropriate action w/r/t these evil representatives would be to simply drown them in the Anacostia River, and get on with the business of producing sensible legislation. It’d be too easy! “Hey, Blue Dogs,” you’d say to the slobs, “we hear the insurance lobby dropped a few shiny, fancy nickels in the Anacostia River, just for you — a Treasure Hunt!” “Doggoneit Ima git me dem dere nickel-munnies ‘fore you do, Mike Ross, haw haw haw, derpa derpa derp,” they’d mutter, before drowning in the sludge stream for good.

Uhh… so let’s get back to Mitch Whatever’s terrible, astonishing e-mail: “So I want to ask you for something unusual: Can you chip in $1 each day until we pass real health insurance reform? A huge response will show the insurance companies and their allies in Congress that their delay tactics will only make our movement stronger.” They want to charge $30 at a time, is the thing! “We’ll bill your credit card for 30 days’ worth of donations now and once every month until real health insurance reform is signed into law. When the bill is signed, we’ll refund a prorated amount for that month.”

Yet they do not offer any worst-case contingency info! What if Barack Obama never signed into law “real health insurance reform,” which, depending how you weigh the adjective “real,” is the likely outcome in 60% to 175,000% of current scenarios? Then this deadline would be open-ended, so DNC staffers could literally flush your $30 automatic payments down the toilet, every month, until Piper Palin takes over as dictator in 2034 and saves everything.

Here’s when we’ll give you money, rear end in a top hat Democrats: when you pass a good health insurance bill with your power and majorities and knowledge of Senate Rules. Well, maybe not money, but we will consider voting for any of you ever again, in the future!

But money right now, for the Democratic Party, to somehow sway the insurance lobby’s biggest allies in Congress? DO THESE FARTS REMEMBER THAT THEY PUT *MAX BAUCUS* IN CHARGE OF REFORMING HEALTH CARE? DO DNC SLOBS EVER *READ* ABOUT MAX BAUCUS? LOOK AT WHAT THE ANCIENT DEMON MAX BAUCUS IS DOING. GOD. JESUS. KIDDIN’ US? JOKING? ARE YOU ATTEMPTING TO MAKE FUNNIES HERE? FUCKBEANS. gently caress. BEANS. BWAH.

http://wonkette.com/410169/give-barack-obama-money-because-health-care-reform-hasnt-been-passed-yet

Sir Tonk
Apr 18, 2006
Young Orc

Stoic Madman posted:

EDIT: Also, I really have no way to get this into cirulation among the crowd we want it to circulate in. Like I said, I don't really have any crazy conservative relatives, and I'm not on any conservative forums. If I join now just to post this, it might look supicious. Does someone who's got an account as part of the Freep troll project want to use this? Let me know if you post it somewhere, or send it to someone, so we can watch and see if it takes off.
Don't the Fox shows have blogs or forums or something? And you could always start with FreeRepublic, or a sport specific forum like with the NASCAR idea.

Gun control is a hot issue, even though the Dems seem to be ignoring it these days. And everyone loves publicly funded abortions!

edit

Tutankhramen posted:

You know about Barack Hussein Obama's radical African-American beliefs, right? Well here's something everyone, democrat or republican needs to know. My cousin's husband is an aide to senator who for obvious reasons I can't name. She told me that buried in the Obama health plan is an "affirmative action" clause. For some medical procedures blacks are given priority, because of their minority status. This means that if you are waiting in line in Obama's socialist DMV hospital, someone can skip in line ahead of you just because of race. If that is not racist I don't know what is.
oooo, it's got socialism and the DMV. I hate both of those things. A good start

Sir Tonk fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Aug 16, 2009

Dr. Arbitrary
Mar 15, 2006

Bleak Gremlin

Sir Tonk posted:

Gun control is a hot issue, even though the Dems seem to be ignoring it these days. And everyone loves publicly funded abortions!

I heard that they cross reference the records of gun sales with the records from that 'report people who oppose Obamacare' list to create a database of 'dangerous' citizens.

Typhoon Jim
Sep 20, 2004

space moo

quote:

REMEMBER THAT THEY PUT *MAX BAUCUS* IN CHARGE OF REFORMING HEALTH CARE? DO DNC SLOBS EVER *READ* ABOUT MAX BAUCUS? LOOK AT WHAT THE ANCIENT DEMON MAX BAUCUS IS DOING. GOD. JESUS. KIDDIN’ US? JOKING? ARE YOU ATTEMPTING TO MAKE FUNNIES HERE? FUCKBEANS. gently caress. BEANS. BWAH.

FROM MY BASEMENT'S HEART I STAB AT THEE

TO THE LAST I SHALL GRAPPLE WITH THEE ON THE INTERNET MAX BAUCUS YOU ASSTARDED FUCKSPROCKET

Tutankhramen
Mar 5, 2007

Anybody can kill anybody.

My fake email:

You know about Barack Hussein Obama's radical African-American beliefs, right? Well here's something everyone, democrat or republican needs to know. My cousin's husband is an aide to senator who for obvious reasons I can't name. She told me that buried in the Obama health plan is an "affirmative action" clause. For some medical procedures blacks are given priority, because of their minority status. This means that if you are waiting in line in Obama's socialist DMV hospital, someone can skip in line ahead of you just because of race. If that is not racist I don't know what is.

Forward this to all your friends, this is what Comrade Obama is really about.

Gumby Orgy
Mar 21, 2007

by T. Finn
"Found this picture online, and the question was…..



What is she hanging on to?


Answer: His stimulus package?????."

While on some level funny, this is actually one of the least crazy emails I have gotten. Most of them have been about how "Obama gonna take our guns," or how racist Obama supposedly is, how he is ruining this country, support the Tea Parties, ect.

Typhoon Jim
Sep 20, 2004

space moo

Tutankhramen posted:

My fake email:

You know about Barack Hussein Obama's radical African-American beliefs, right? Well here's something everyone, democrat or republican needs to know. My cousin's husband is an aide to senator who for obvious reasons I can't name. She told me that buried in the Obama health plan is an "affirmative action" clause. For some medical procedures blacks are given priority, because of their minority status. This means that if you are waiting in line in Obama's socialist DMV hospital, someone can skip in line ahead of you just because of race. If that is not racist I don't know what is.

Forward this to all your friends, this is what Comrade Obama is really about.

This really is not any more crazy than believing that the digital cable converter that you had to install on your old TV is a government-designed device to brainwash you. People actually believe this.

That's the problem I have with faking emails- I feel like in the long run it's not really doing anything useful. I mean, what do we all get if they're actually believed? No difference from today.

Binary Logic
Dec 28, 2000

Fun Shoe
I don't know enough about Obama's health care reform to contribute if that's what the fake chain letter is going to be.
But here's a goofy, poinltess one I received last week.

quote:

Teaching maths in 1970

1. A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.

His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.

What is his profit?



2. Teaching Maths In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.

His cost of production is 80% of the price.

What is his profit?



3. Teaching Maths In 1990

A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.

His cost of production is £80.

How much was his profit?



4. Teaching Maths In 2000

A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.

His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20.

Your assignment: Underline the number 20.


5. Teaching Maths In 2005

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. Your assignment: Discuss how the birds and squirrels might feel as the logger cut down their homes just for a measly profit of £20.


6. Teaching Maths In 2009

A logger is arrested for trying to cut down a tree in case it may be offensive to Muslims or other religious groups not consulted in the felling licence. He is also fined a £100 as his chainsaw is in breach of Health and Safety legislation as it deemed too dangerous and could cut something. He has used the chainsaw for over 20 years without incident however he does not have the correct certificate of competence and is therefore considered to be a recidivist and habitual criminal. His DNA is sampled and his details circulated throughout all government agencies. He protests and is taken to court and fined another £100 because he is such an easy target. When he is released he returns to find Gypsies have cut down half his wood to build a camp on his land. He tries to throw them off but is arrested, prosecuted for harassing an ethnic minority, imprisoned and fined a further £100. While he is in jail the Gypsies cut down the rest of his wood and sell it on the black market for £100 cash. They also have a leaving BBQ of squirrel and pheasant and depart leaving behind several tonnes of rubbish and asbestos sheeting. The forester on release is warned that failure to clear the fly tipped rubbish immediately at his own cost is an offence. He complains and is arrested for environmental pollution, breach of the peace and invoiced £12,000 plus VAT for safe disposal costs by a regulated government contractor.

Your assignment: How many times is the logger going to have to be arrested and fined before he realises that he is never going to make £20 profit by hard work, give up, sign onto the dole and live off the state for the rest of his life?


7. Teaching Maths In 2010

A logger doesn’t sell a lorry load of timber because he can’t get a loan to buy a new lorry because

his bank has spent all his and their money on a derivative of securitised debt related to subprime mortgages in Alabama and lost the lot with only some government money left to pay a few million pound bonuses to their senior directors and the traders who made the biggest losses.

The logger struggles to pay the £1,200 road tax on his old lorry however, as it was built in the

1970s it no longer meets the emissions regulations and he is forced to scrap it.

Some Bulgarian loggers buy the lorry from the scrap merchant and put it back on the road. They undercut everyone on price for haulage and send their cash back home, while claiming

unemployment for themselves and their relatives. If questioned they speak no English and it is easier to deport them at the governments expense. Following their holiday back home they

return to the UK with different names and fresh girls and start again. The logger protests, is

accused of being a bigoted racist and as his name is on the side of his old lorry he is forced to

pay £1,500 registration fees as a gang master.

The Government borrows more money to pay more to the bankers as bonus's are not cheap. The parliamentarians feel they are missing out and claim the difference on expenses and allowances.

You do the maths.

8. Teaching Maths 2017


Binary Logic fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Aug 16, 2009

Owlofcreamcheese
May 22, 2005
Probation
Can't post for 9 years!
Buglord
I like that it portrays a switch from fractions to percentages as a decrease in education or something.

thegreatcodfish
Aug 2, 2004
How about stuff pastors hand out?

quote:



The Issues

As Christians, our number one course of action is to pray for those in authority and for our nation. But we cannot stop there - we must also fight on every level we can. It is essential to keep your ears and eyes open to act when necessary, and to educate others at every opportunity. Free market is under attack because the marketplace is a mountain that needs to be ruled! The health care issues are important because people that choose to live by faith would be penalized for it. Our children are our responsibility - not the state's or the world's. So let's get busy!


1. UN Convention the Rights of the Child" treaty (CRC)
Our ratification of this treaty would constitutionally obligate us to follow
it's tenets, which are often interpreted in the most liberal terms possible.
For example, a judge in Ohio, who thought we had signed the treaty, banned smoking in homes as harmful to children, citing the treaty as his authority
for doing so. Any state or federal laws could be dismissed if they conflict
with provisions of the treaty (such as abortion restrictions on minors).
There has been dispute about this constitutional obligation, but from what I
have read, there is a real danger in this regard, and therefore, we must
oppose ratification of this treaty. The current administration is very
determined to get it ratified as quickly as possible.

Action to take: Contact President Obama and your senator and urge them to oppose ratification. Ask them to cosponsor the SJRes 16 - the Parental Rights Amendment.


2. Health Care Reform
There are several versions of this being proposed, but the original proposal is
H.R. 3200. There is a ton of reading to be done about this, but here are some
bottom line bullet points that are in the bill that are of great concern:
a. Abortion, not currently paid for with federal dollars, will become a funded medical procedure.
b. Euthanasia definitely has an inroad through wording in the bill
c. Government access to your checking account and the right to withdraw from it through a national health card
d. Employees who do not participate in a plan will be taxed at a proposed additional 8%. This is estimated to eliminate 5 million jobs.
e. As an individual, if you choose not to have coverage, you will be taxed.
f. Your health care will be rationed by a committee that determines your need - care and need will not be determined by your doctor, but by gov. mandate
g. Groups like ACORN will have input and access into hospital expansions and local policies
h. Vaccines will be required
i. There will be a huge expansion of government departments and beaurocracies to regulate, maintain, and control this vast program. These will be the people that determine implementation of much of the plan.
j. The cost is 100's of billions of dollars, with no clear plan for paying for it, other than additional taxes on anyone making over $350,000 a year (this figure includes the revenue of small businesses, not just personal income, so we could expect to see job losses from this.)

The proposals in their current state are draconian and just ambiguous enough to
allow a vast scope of regulation and liberal interpretation. The proposed costs
do not include the amount of taxes each state would be required to raise to pay
for unfunded mandates, not to mention the governments complete inability to
properly estimate the cost of anything, much less stick to a budget.

Action to take: The Democrats have vowed to quickly pass is bill when they reconvene in Sept. Now is the time to contact your senator and congressman with your opposition. In addition, you need to be prepared to defend your position among your co-workers and family who may be in favor of it. Go to or form town meetings to protest. Plaster your car with bumper stickers. There is a ground swell of opposition, and polls show that almost 80% of Americans oppose this bill - but the media is ignoring all of that. If you are aware of a protest event, call your local paper, radio, and TV news station insist that they cover it. Write letters to the editor - the AJC, Time and Newsweek need to get a barrage of letters about this.


3. Cap and Trade - H.R. 2454 - The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
This is an energy bill that will raise the cost of energy exponentially. Listen to
the discipleship class teaching from 8/2/09 for a greater understanding of how
this legislation works and what it's origins are. The attitude behind this bill is that we must save the planet regardless of the cost; humans are the problem and must suffer the consequences of our misuse of Mother Earth. Some effects of this bill:
1. Because transportation and energy prices will rise dramatically and very quickly, we can expect the price of food and goods to follow.
2. Both large and small businesses will be unable to absorb the increased costs, resulting in layoffs and closings.
3. All Americans will have a much larger proportion of their budget towards transportation and energy. The poor and those on fixed incomes will suffer greatly from this. If credits are proposed to offset this, there will be additional taxes levied to cover those credits.

Action to take: This bill has already passed the House!! It merely awaits Senate vote to become law. Call, write, pound on your Senator's door in the middle of the night. Write letters to the editor of the AJC, Time, and Newsweek


4. EFCA - Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)

This is an act that would take away the secret ballot in labor elections
and allow unions to get employees to sign cards in favor of the union instead. It will subject employees to peer pressure. Also, once they sign the card, they cannot change their mind and "unsign" after further discussion with their employer over issues. A government arbitrator would set wages, hours, and employment terms - the employer would not have input into the process.

Action to take: Let your congressman and senator know that you are opposed to this act being brought back before them


5. The "Credit Card Fair Fee Act" - H.R. 2695

National retailers are proposing a legislation that would authorize them to band together and take over the nation's electronic payments system, which allows credit/debit cards to be used at retailers across the nation. The retailers pay a fee for this service, as little as .05% per transaction to as much as 12%. This act would not give retailers under a certain level of sales the option to have this service, no matter how much they were willing to pay for it. They would be forced into a cash or paper check payment only, which will reduce their sales and ultimately reduce free market competition. Can anyone say "Walmart"?

Action to take: Let your congressman and senator know that you are opposed to any action along these lines. This issue is not the same one as protecting consumers from unfair credit practices. You can google H.R.2695 for more info



The following sites will provide detailed information on the above issues:

https://www.heritage.org

https://www.afa.net

Both of these sites are easy to navigate and have clear links to these most of these issues. For the EFCA, go to the heritage.org site and type EFCA into the search link.


I'm working on capturing and uploading a power point he had someone do on "An Inconvenient Truth" a few weeks ago. If I can find it I will post the entire email he did on the Rights of the Child (If anyone is interested). It's pretty bad.

sheri
Dec 30, 2002

thegreatcodfish, Where do you live?

Why do you still go to that church? Do you do anything to counter his incorrect information he's putting out there as "facts?"

It is too bad that churches do this and get away with it. If you're tax exempt, stay out of politics.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

honestshrubber
Mar 22, 2005

sheri posted:

It is too bad that churches do this and get away with it. If you're tax exempt, stay out of politics.
Taking positions on public policy issues is not the same as "getting into politics." I really don't think there is anything wrong (legally or ethically) with a church or other non-profit expressing its views on policy issues and urging its members to participate in the political process, especially when there are no elections coming up that they could be viewed as trying to influence.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply