Friday, February 15, 2008

oh, brother, where art thou?

In my brother's house. He picked me up at the airport (air temp: 10 degrees), and we chatted about this and that (mostly our medical problems) on the drive up to Mequon.

We sat around the kitchen table, chatting with Ellen, and a political ad for Obama came on (remember, the Wisconsin primary is next Tuesday). I mentioned that I had just changed my party affiliation from Green to Democrat, so that I could vote in the Oregon primary, and that I would certainly vote for Obama.

Ellen casually mentioned that she's a Democrat, but that Allen (with whom I share a considerable number of genes), is a Republican.

I am shocked, but, in retrospect, statements he's made over the past couple of years gave me pause. I fear my brother is among the brain-washed, and here's the capper:

He said to me: "Don't you know that Obama is a secret Muslim, and that the Muslims are behind his candidacy so they can take over?"

WTF?

Can it be that my dense brother has been drinking the kool-aid of Internet smears? It is apparently so.

Restraining my rage and disgust, I firmly let loose with a rant, asking if he's been watching Fox News. He then asked me, would I ever consider voting for Hillary and I said, of course, if she is the Democratic nominee. He was incredulous, and listed several unflattering adjectives that are commonly used to disparage the Clintons, most of which perfectly suit the Bush crime family.

I gave my stock answer, that the future of the Supreme Court demands that a Democrat take the White House in 2008, and nothing else matters.

I retired up to my room, and, with Google assisting, immediately found two websites that convincingly debunk the Obama/Muslim smear. I emailed them to Allen, but I sense that it may be judicious to avoid politics for the next couple of days.

Big snow-storm expected Saturday night and Sunday, but things should be tidied up by the time I need to head back to Portland Tuesday afternoon. For the moment, though, I feel storm warnings here in my brother's house.

2 comments:

  1. I have an uncle who is FARRRRRRRRRRRR-right wing Repub. He emails me all manner of ridiculous spewage. I've given up sending the emails to debunk the idiotic junk he sends ....mainly since he now sends his crap out via bcc. I think he didn't like when I would send corrections to his mailing list, citing references, and pointing out that his email was spreading falsehoods.

    Now ANY email from him gets deleted without opening. The ignorance is truly staggering!!!

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  2. I asked my 22 year-old nephew how he was going to vote tomorrow and he said, "Republican".

    Gotta have a long talk with that boy.

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