On the importance of basic fact-checking:

So I got this in an email from a family member today. I get these things occasionally because a lot of my family are backwoods New Englanders, and while the majority of New England is liberal, you still get the rural Republicans making retard noises.

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There are no good responses to this…..

Yes, he told us in advance what he planned to do. Few were listening.

The following is a narrative taken from a 2008 Sundaymorning televised "Meet The Press'. From Sunday's 07 Sept. 2008 11 : 48 : 04 EST, Televised "Meet the Press" THE THEN Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag. General Bill Gann' USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain WHY he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. The General stated to Obama that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171... During rendition of the national anthem, when the flag is displayed, all present (except those in uniform) are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Or, at the very least, "Stand and Face It". NOW GET THIS !! 'Senator Obama replied : "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides". "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression.." "The anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all that sort of thing." (ARE YOU READY FOR THIS???) Obama continued : "The National Anthem should be 'swapped' for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing'. If that were our anthem, then, I might salute it. In my opinion, we should consider reinventing our National Anthem as well as 'redesign' our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love. It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we, as a Nation of warring people, conduct ourselves like the nations of Islam, where peace prevails - - - perhaps a state or period of mutual accord could exist between our governments ..." When I become President, I will seek a pact of agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation, have placed upon the nations of Islam, an unfair injusticewhich is WHY my wife disrespects the Flag and she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past". "Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put my hatred aside. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First black Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America " Yes, you read it right. I, for one, am speechless!!! Dale Lindsborg , Washington Post

EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NEEDS

TO READ THIS, SO KEEP IT GOING ! !

SAVE AMERICA BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE ! !

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It's extremely painful for rational, thinking people to read, I know. I definitely did a /headdesk once or twice. This is not the first time they have sent me stuff like this, either (see this article for more).

The following is my response, verbatim:

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There is absolutely a good response to this, and that response is: Nationalism is just as divisive and hate-inducing as any religion, and to claim that the United States is better than every other country in the world is not only absurd, it's evidence that one has not been paying attention to reality.

Also, I'm going to call complete bullshit on that last "quote" about how he intends to disarm America and all that other nonsense. All this rant is is some bigoted, racist retard who wants to fire up dumb people to revolt against a government that isn't oppressing them, by tricking them into believing it is. This is, literally, the stupidest thing I have read all year, and that takes some doing since Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and the rest of the Republican party are trying their hardest to be as dense and ignorant as possible.

Oh, I just did some quick 5 second research on the internetz and it looks like I was right that this quote is pure fantasy:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp

So if you were sending me this to show how ludicrous and insane the Republican party and it's base have become, I kind of already knew, but thanks for more material for my page. If you actually thought that this was true... just please do some basic fact-checking before you send me these types of things :P

I do agree with the last bit. This country does need to be saved, but not from the President; it needs to be saved from people like Dale Lindsborg.

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This is partially why liberals and progressives manage to get beat out these days by Republican Fascists: we see things like this and blow it off as some stupid chain email or ridiculous bullshit, not realizing that this is being spread by tens of thousands of mindfucked morons daily who believe every single word of it. We don't understand that people really are so stupid as to think this is actually true.

Fact-check everything. Demand that anyone who makes claims like this provide credible, sourced evidence. If they don't want to, or think they don't have to, or call you a liberal swine (yeah, been called that a LOT lately), then you can dismiss their claim completely. Do your own fact-checking and show them. If they blow you off and refuse to even look at it, they're a lost cause. You can't reason with the unreasonable, and the only way to stop them is to get out and vote.

We need to start organizing better, start understanding that passivity equals political loss, and that the crazies are way more active than we are and the only way to beat them is to, well, beat them at their own game, only instead of spreading shameless lies, we spread education and facts.

Get out there. Be proactive instead of reactive. Thinking your vote doesn't count = 2 votes for the Republicans. Don't be that person, you're not only hurting yourself, but every other progressive you happen to agree with, but can't be bothered to support. Your vote matters, make the most of it, each and every election.

We need you.

That will be all.