Shape up or ship out

I recently received a chain letter "Shape up or Ship out" The letter quoted below is based on a lot of (deliberate?) misinformation. I intensely dislike lies and smear campaigns. A person (even Obama) should be judged on what he actually says and does.

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

"We're no longer a Christian nation"
The origin of this mis-information can be traced to Sean Hannity on Fox news. What was dropped in the quoted versions is the word "just". The text of the speech in fact was released to the press (including Fox) long in advance of the delivery:

"Given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."

http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_obama_say_we_are_no_longer.html

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

"America is arrogant"

This half truth can also be traced back to Sean Hannity where he went on at length about Obama continuing a tradition of blame America first. Obama addressing Europe, stated (referring to the Bush administration) "...there have been times where America's shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive." The key part left out was what followed:

"Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad .... On both sides of the Atlantic, these attitudes have become all too common. They are not wise. They do not represent the truth. They threaten to widen the divide across the Atlantic and leave us both more isolated. They fail to acknowledge the fundamental truth that America cannot confront the challenges of this century alone, but that Europe cannot confront them without America."

It is interesting to note that apparently Fox also left that part of the speech off their website.

http://mediamatters.org/research/200904040003

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

There is so much in that letter that is a repetition of half truths and misinformation but this missive is already pretty lengthy. So I will close with the reason I am writing this entry. I think the man who wrote that letter is a good patriotic American who has been fooled by evil, malicious lies. I believe that lies deserve to have the light of truth spread on them or else evil wins.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

I decided to write this entry and send it out to some people I know. What will you do?



On Sun, Dec 6, 2009 at 10:35 AM, wrote:

In a message dated 12/3/2009 2:21:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, xxxxxxx writes:

Subject: 95 Year Old WWII Battleship Sailor Tells OBAMA to "Shape Up or Ship Out

Wow! Read this one. It is really good.

And this gentleman says it just like it is.

Subject: WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out !

WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out !

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii

for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now.

He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of.

You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:

" We're no longer a Christian nation"

" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even

announced to the world," America is mean-

spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching

that nonsense to 23 generations of our

war dead buried all over the globe who

died for no other reason than to free a

whole lot of strangers from tyranny and

hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.

You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.

And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes

When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.