McDiggy

<a href="http://www.newsandsentinel.com/letters/story/07282002_let11_mcintyre.asp" target="_blank">http://www.newsandsentinel.com/letters/story/07282002_let11_mcintyre.asp</a>

The poor grammar makes me cringe. I would love to know how the bloody hell this thing got published.

<img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" /> Why is West Virginia so pathetic?

[ July 28, 2002: Message edited by: McDiggy ]</p>

GaryP

Don't put your beautiful state down too much.

This kind of drivel appears in papers all over the country. While it may be more prevalent in places like WV, we all need to stick together and speak up when possible to set the record straight.

McDiggy

I'm actually more offended by the grammar than the opinion. It's almost like the editor wants us to look like hillbillies.

Buffman

This basic letter has been making the rounds of the Web e-mail for weeks. It was initially aimed at the Muslim women in Florida who had refused to remove her "burka" for an auto license picture. At that time it was supposedly written by someone from Tampa. Then it appeared again written by a 78 year old, retired, nun.

Here is a somewhat edited version of the reply I sent to the person who forwarded it to me. (I have received at least three versions so far.)
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&g t;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&g t;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

This is an Editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa Newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he?

xxxxx Which Tampa paper. What date? What is the author's name? What are the accurate facts? Why the secrecy? --- I am well aware of this specific Muslim women's attempt to express her religious conscience vis-a-vis a governmental bureaucratic licensing agency. Do I agree with her? Of course not. But it isn't a matter of whether I personally agree with her faith belief rituals or not. It is a matter of whether they are constitutionally legal and protected. In this instance, I believe they are. I can find no logic that our national security would, in any way, be jeopardized by her having a driver's license picture taken wearing a "burka." If America is so frightened that it agrees that we all need national identity cards that contain DNA samples for proper identification, then I suggest that we get about the task of creating them and the data banks that can instantly read and identify the data on the card and that of the individual claiming the card is theirs. Currently I know of no more accurate identification than that.

xxxxx Yes! The author did quite a successful job on playing to the fears, ignorance and bigotry of many uncritical readers.. Look how many addressees there are to whom this garbage was sent. In my opinion, his thoughts and words should be an embarrassment to any American that cares about our Constitution, and especially to any sincere, tolerant, and thoughtful Christian.


IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT.

xxxxx Adapt to what? His personal faith belief system? His prejudices? His level of ignorance? Must they learn to abide by our laws? Naturally. Must they learn what it means to live in a country like America? I can only hope that they will. Is it just possible that this Muslim woman is actually demonstrating what good citizenship, individual responsibility and real Americanism is all about? Does anyone sincerely think that she is unaware of the potential consequences of her actions so soon after the Muslim extremist attack of 9/11. Personally, I suspect that she is a very courageous lady.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some
individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we
have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans.
However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the
"politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that
our patriotism was offending others.

xxxxx "In a democracy dissent is an act of faith."

xxxxx "To criticize one's country is to do it a service....Criticism , in short, is more than a right; it is an act of patriotism---a higher form of patriotism, I believe, than the familiar rituals and national adulation." (J. William Fulbright)

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who
is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost
entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a
few things that those who have recently come to our country, and
apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America
being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our
sovereignty and our national identity.

xxxxx And exactly how has American diversity diluted our sovereignty and national identity? Must we all become his ideological and philosophical clones in order to satisfy his faith belief system? It would certainly seem so.

xxxxx "There is a road to freedom. Its milestones are Obedience, Endeavor, Honesty, Order, Cleanliness, Sobriety, Truthfulness, Sacrifice, and a love of the Fatherland." (National Socialism: Adolf Hitler)

xxxxx(Please note that Hitler chose to differentiate between "Honesty" and "Truthfulness." Why do you suppose that was the case?)

As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language
and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of
struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have
sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to
become part of our society, learn the language!

xxxxx What makes this arrogant man think that he speaks for me, or any other American? What has speaking English got to do with a driver's license photo? Is a driver's license a national identity card? What is the primary purpose of a driver's license? Why do we need a SS Card or a Passport if we have a Florida driver's license? Underage kids have been buying beer with forged Florida driver's licenses for decades. What makes a driver's license such a big deal to this "All-American Patriot?" (Perhaps he simple hates anything Islamic.)

xxxxx "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." (Samuel Johnson)

xxxxx "But let it be considered, he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which on so many, is a cloak for self-interest." (Boswell)


"In God We Trust" is our national motto.

xxxxx Partially true. We have two national mottos. For the majority of our federal republic history, our national motto was "E Pluribus Unum" until a few so-called patriots convinced a cowardly Eisenhower Administration and Congress that Joe McCarthy was right and that atheistic Communism was a threat to all the supernatural faith believers in this country. Take the time to read and learn:

<a href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm" target="_blank">http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm</a>

This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.

xxxxx Yes it is!

We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation,

xxxxx This is a lie. Our nation is not founded on Christian principles. That is an extreme, right wing, fundamentalist Christian LIE! The "primary framers" of the Constitution had been influenced by Deism and the Enlightenment; and actually denounced the miracles and rituals of Christianity. The Constitution makes absolutely no statement about God, Jesus, Christ or Christianity. No prayers were held at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Does that sound like a Christian decision or Christian founding document?

<a href="http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/xian.html" target="_blank">http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/xian.html</a>

<a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/myth.html" target="_blank">http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/myth.html</a>

...and this is clearly documented.

xxxxx No it isn't! That is another prevarication. What testable evidence does this author present to back up his allegations.

<a href="http://www.freethought-web.org/ctrl/archive/boston_tripoli.html" target="_blank">http://www.freethought-web.org/ctrl/archive/boston_tripoli.html</a>

It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

xxxxx And exactly which of the Gods is that? Elohim? Yahveh? Jehovah? Allah? Zeus? Ra? Gilgamesh? Shiva? And which of the various biblical lists of the supernatural God's commandments should be displayed? Those favored by the Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims?

<a href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10co.htm" target="_blank">http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10co.htm</a>

xxxxx So is superstition, myth, slavery, bigotry and every other wrong...that men like this continue to promote with their mindless Christian fundamentalist propaganda.... part of our culture. This man wants a theocracy, not a democratic federal republic. This man has no concept of liberty and freedom to express one's conscience without fear of government, or hooded, intervention.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.

xxxxx Are we traitors and un-American if we don't believe and do exactly as he dictates? It would seem so.

xxxxx This form of "Love it or leave it" mental illness is exactly why the Constitution and Bill of Rights had to become the law. This type of person belongs back in the biblical Dark Ages which they pray will return...not out on the streets (or in the newspapers) preaching their intolerance, inaccurate history and divisive rhetoric.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change,

xxxxx (That kind of absurd remark, that you are abetting by helping to pass it around, is making me almost physically ill. So let us quickly return to slavery and no voting rights for women in order to reverse these unwelcome changes. This man is completely happy living in his delusional world of superstition and myth.)

...and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First
Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so.

xxxxx OUR COUNTRY? Our Land? Our lifestyle? I thought we took it away from the native Americans. I have no idea what constitutes this man's definition of "lifestyle." I do not consider groveling on my knees before some sacrificial altar erected to a supernatural Sky Pixie as much of a lifestyle, nor praying five times a day to that "identical" Pink Unicorn in the heavens before smashing myself into buildings filled with innocent people.

xxxxx "Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons." (Bertrand Russell)

But, once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

xxxxx What has any of that to do with her religious beliefs and a driver's license photograph?

xxxxx "Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic, form of idiocy." (George Bernard Shaw)

Please pass this along if you agree.

xxxxx "Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past." (George Orwell)

xxxxx And here I thought the DODO bird was extinct. The guys in the white coats should round him up and place him in a zoo. Men and women like this have Post Traumatic Bible Reading Syndrome.

Denshuu

America consists of a conglomeration of cultures, some that have blended over time to create small subcultures that are uniquely American, but are in no way more American than any of the other thousands of subcultures that have originated during the "melting" of traditions formed by all those who have immigrated over the last few hundred years. We don't have a culture.
And our national motto is "Out of many, One." Sorry.

This nation was founded by atheists, noncognitivists, unitarians, and deists. Check out the Treaty of Tripoli, or hey, how about the Constitution? It is not appropriate to display it (I'm assuming this guy's talking about the 10 Commandments) on the walls of government-funded schools of a secular nation, as this defeats the purpose of our founding fathers breaking off from a theocracy in the first place to seek a way of living that didn't hold one religion of higher value than any other.
And again, the Christian god can't be a part of an American culture, seeing as how an American culture doesn't exist. Just like the Christian god, eh?

He speaks for all Americans when he say that we're all happy with our "culture" and this god is a part of it. Apparently, he doesn't realize that the people who realize that the pledge (and what he thinks is the national motto) are in an embarrasing contradiction to the Constitution are the atheists. We are the ones who don't want to let live some state-sponsored religion because we don't have any insecurities about the all-powerful wizard tossing us into a vat of Draino for not endorsing his doctrine. We, as Americans, aren't going anywhere. We're keeping oppresive fundamentalists like this genius from turning this country into the very same country that our founding fathers broke off from to create a better way of living in the first place.
And what's with him addressing non-Americans as the one's "complaining" about the pledge? His name's McIntyre. What is that, like, Irish?

That is what our founding fathers did.
That is exactly why America came to be.
Our founding fathers didn't like your "Christian principles, national motto, and way of life," so they set sail to find another country to live in.
Jeez... Someone send this guy a Klez virus.

And the sad thing is is that the majority of Americans agree with this guy. Remember when the Pledge ruling first hit the news and the numorous polls we all visited and took part in? The majority of people think that this is a Christian nation, and they want a theocracy. Have we learned nothing from Star Wars? A democratic republic is what we're striving for, not another oppresive theocracy.

I swear, if I see Palpatine on CNN one more time with another one of these pin-heads backing him, I'm just gonna take this little red button here and blow up the entire damn country, because at that point it would be a lost cause.
I'm just glad I'm in the Netherlands right now.

Edited for content.

[ July 30, 2002: Message edited by: Denshuu ]</p>

butswana

It's been around since late September. I've heard of it being published in various forms in a half dozen newspapers.

Toto

Snopes has heard of it:

<a href="http://www.snopes.com/rumors/american.htm" target="_blank">http://www.snopes.com/rumors/american.htm</a>

4th Generation Atheist

Why, when someone claims anything "isn't some Christian, right-wing, political slogan" that someone always turns out to be some Christian, right-wing, political boob? It doesn't matter who wrote that thing; the opinions, and poor composition, speak for themselves. You sure as hell know it wasn't Carl Sagan who wrote that!