Mommy Brain

I got another one of those e-mails again today. You know the ones.

~ From a personal friend of Sarah Palin, assuring us how sincere and wonderful she is.

~ Telling me how I can pray the Psalms for Sarah Palin, or John McCain, and get lots of blessings for myself.

~ Telling me how wonderful Cindy McCain is and how if I vote for John McCain, it will be like getting two-for-one.

I know that sounds a little one-sided, but most of the people whose e-mail lists I am on happen to be Republicans.

What got me ticked was the last one, about Cindy McCain. Now, for all I know, all the things the e-mail said about Mrs. McCain could be true. That’s not what bothered me. This was the last statement:

“This is for all you Barack voters.

From Barack’s book, Audacity of Hope: ‘I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.’

HE DID NOT SAY STAND WITH AMERICANS!!!!!”

Notice the ALL CAPS and tons of exclamation points? Well, it must be true, right?

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong - not even close to a correct quote.

Here is the quote that people have twisted beyond recognition:

“In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction. ” from p. 261 of The Audacity of Hope

Please, check your facts before hitting that e-mail forward button, regardless of your opinions on the candidate in question. (Check FactCheck.org or Snopes.com) It’s one thing to disagree with a candidate’s political views; it’s another thing to take part in the spreading of lies and half-truths in order to help your candidate of choice.

Okay, I’m stepping off my soapbox. For now.