It's only a joke-viral hate mail's new guise

First there was this in my email list from a friend who is part of a tennis group with whom we often have group discussions after the game.  He sends a load of these:

Subject: Fw: DON RICKLES--- A NATIONAL TREASURE

 If you ain't seen this, you gotta. He hits the nail right on the head!!!!

Someone from Hollywood knows the truth!!

Just had to let you see this one!!!!!!!!!  

  Only at 84 could he get away with this ...

Hello, Dummies! Oh my God, look at you. Anyone else hurt in the accident?

Seriously,Senator Reidhas a face of a Saint - A Saint Bernard. Now I know why they call you the arithmetic man. You add partisanship, subtract pleasure, divide attention, and multiply ignorance. Reid is so physically unimposing, he makes Pee Wee Herman  look like Mr. T. And Reid's so dumb, he makes Speaker Pelosi look like an intellectual. Nevada is soooo screwed! If I were less polite, I'd say Reid makes Kevin Federline look successful.  

Speaking of the Speaker...

 Nancy Pelosi,hubba, hubba! Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity. Seriously, the ex- Speaker may look like an idiot and talks like an idiot but don't let that fool you. She really is an idiot.  

Charlie Rangel ... Still alive and still robbing the taxpayers blind. What does that make, six decades of theft? Rangel's the only man with a rent-controlled mansion. He's the guy who writes our tax laws but forgot to pay taxes on $75 grand in rental  income! So why isn't he the Treasury Secretary? Rangel runs more scams than a Nigerian Banker.

Barney Frank ... he's a better actor than Fred Flintstone. Consider that he and Dodd caused the whole financial meltdown, and they're not only not serving time with Bubba and Rodney, they're still heading up the financial system! Let's all admit  it ... Barney Frank slobbers more than a sheepdog on Novocain. How did this guy get elected? Oh, that's right ... he's from Massachusetts . That's the state that elects Mr. Charisma, John Kerry -- man of the people!

You know, if 

Senator Doddwere any more crooked, you could open wine bottles with him. Here's a news flash, Dodd: When your local newspaper calls you a "lying weasel," it may be time to retire. Dodd's involved in more shady deals than the Clintons .  Even Rangel looks up to him!  

Press Secretary 

Robert Gibbs, I really respect you ... Especially given your upbringing ~ All you've overcome. I heard your birth certificate is an apology from the condom factory. I don't know what makes you so dumb, but it really works for you. Personally,  I don't think you're a fool, but what's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others?  

As for 

President Hussein Obama, what can I say? They say Hussein is arrogant and aloof, but I don't agree. Now it's true when you enter the room, you have to kiss his ring. I don't mind, but he has it in his back pocket.  

His mind is open to new ideas -- so open that ideas simply pass through it. Obama lies so much, I was actually surprised to find out his first name really is Barry or Barack or something? Just don't ask about his middle name! But Obama was able to set a record...  He actually lied more in one day thanBill Clinton did in four years.  

President Obama just completed the UNHOLY and ANTI-AMERICAN TRIFECTA:

1st president in 110 years to miss the annual Army-Navy Football Game.

1st president to not attend any Christmas religious observance.

1st president to stay on vacation after a terrorist attack.

AND ALL IN THE SAME MONTH! WHAT A GREAT MUSLIM PRESIDENT!!

So, Are You Going To Share This WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS?

OR ... AM I GONNA HAVE TO COME LOOKING FOR YA?

----------------

I  drafted the following response;

 

Don Rickles certainly is a national treasure.  He manages to  get away with his cutting humor to be a parody of an out spoken guy, a bit like Groucho Marx sometimes got away with on "You bet your life."

The list of his of not-so-funny personal attacks, often deriding physical appearance of Democratic party members and President Obama isn't even a selection of things he said over the years, and are an illustration of how Rickles differs from those who would really say such things.

One of the problems of this type of fake story, is that the description of actual defects of Democratic policies are seen as similar mean spirited attacks.  There is less receptivity for a genuine discussion of our national policies, which takes a bit of work, at least enough to realize that characterizations that start out as trying to be funny, can metastasize into something much more serious.

This was sent from a satiric site that acknowledges it not only wasn't by Rickles, but not even in his style.

By the way, this rmail is not meant to say  that this kind of distortion that pretends to be satire only comes from the right:

I came across this article, Ted Cruz: “I believe in the Jesus who died to save himself, not enable lazy followers to be dependent on him”

There was a photo of him speaking in the Senate, of a size defining a video clip, which I assumed was of the material quoted below:

“What we have here is our core values as Americans and Christians slipping away into this facade where we should take care of our poor, sick, and disabled,” said Cruz in hour 19 of his filibuster. “It is disheartening to know that the nation our forefathers built is no longer of importance to our president and his Democratic counterparts. Not only that, we are falling away from core Christian values. I don’t know about you, but I believe in the Jesus who died to save himself, not enable lazy followers to be dependent on him. He didn’t walk around all willy nilly just passing out free healthcare to those who were sick, or food to those who were hungry, or clothes to those in need. No, he said get up, brush yourself off, go into town and get a job, and as he hung on the cross he said,”I died so that I may live in eternity with my Father. If you want to join us you can die for yourself and your own sins. What do I look like, your savior or something?” That’s the Jesus I want to see brought back into our core values as a nation. That’s why we need to repeal Obamacare.”

Kind of a strange speech, and like the Rickles one, it is supposed to be satire. Cruz never said it, but tens of thousands of liberals will think that he did.  It would be great if we could simply continue to laugh at what public figures are said to have said, and leave real governing up to those we elect.  It would be great, but they're not really doing much of a job. If people made the effort to call those who spread things that are simply false, and then call it a joke, even though most people don't know its a joke, maybe we could get past anger. 

I wouldn't bet on it happening though.

Regards

Al

----------------

I pondered whether to send this, and decided not to.  Those who hate Obama will have enjoyed reading the email that confirmed their worst suspicions, and to know that their beliefs are shared by someone such as Don Rickles.  Once an extremely demeaning email was sent with a child like Obama riding a tricycle away  from an American Tank, with hostile references to his family.  My angry response from the forwarder was, "It's only a Joke."  So, it's useless to respond to these, as it would be to try to promulgate my criticism of the so called Ted Cruz satire.  We are conditioned to respond to every political or social issue with a quick laugh, or maybe, "a shrug of the shoulders."  Doing more, trying to actually have an effect on our political culture is seen as simply an idle waste of time.  

As it most likely is.

---