My oringinal title was going to be
MB Asked Me To Write This
But of course, I doubt MB even knows I'm here, as I obviously don't do diaries well and rarely comment. In a way though, he did in fact ask me to write this diary, just as he asked all of us to let the community know what you are doing to help elect progressive Democrats this coming election cycle. That was this diary. This past week or two, I've had the pleasure of getting a bit more involved in the effort. One cost me a few dollars, the other has likely cost me a chunk of business that may hurt financially, but right now it hurts so nice that I just don't care.
I own a small computer tech shop in Marion County, Florida. I'd say it's a "small business" but in fact it is not. It's more like a miniature sub-atomic particle of a micro business. Just me, banging out repairs, reinstalls and virus/spyware removals 6 days a week. As a result, I host some web sites for a few customers and a few of my own and have for the past 8 years.
I have given several presentations on general computer issues to a few local clubs over the years, and occasionally I'll get E-Mails from them apprising me of club activities, meeting announcements and the like. I rarely read them based on the titles, they are not really pertinent to me as I am not a member of their groups, per se.
Until the morning of September 11th past, that is. On that day, one member decided to send everyone the following bit of hateful, racist crap that prompted me to take a stand and renounce it for what it was.
Hi All, Debra Burlingame ( the sister of the pilot of the plane that was flown into the Pentagon on 911), my brother Robert, and others from the 911Families.org put together a one minute commercial in protest of the planned Mosque near Ground Zero. In general it seems to be an emotional appeal to sensibility. I'm totally against Sharia and was bitter about them getting a foothold in this country long before 911.
Dumbass(bolding added and name changed by diarist to more accurately reflect the sender)
My brother's letter:
Hi All, Myself along with several 9/11 family members/survivors filmed an ad opposing the Mosque @ Ground Zero yesterday. It should air in the near future. The stinking politicians and rats in the media are not telling the public the real issues behind this. They selected that location specifically to be a deliberate provocation. In America they say it is to build bridges between the Muslims and the west. Over in the Middle East they say it symbolizes Islamic supremacy over the infidels! They are doing this to mock the victims and rub salt in our wounds. Is it not strange that Obama suddenly is interested in the rule of Constitutional law? My kids went to public school and were prohibited from having a nativity scene in the school. Now the tax payers are funding a world-wind fund raising tour by a radical Imam. What happened to the separation of church and state on that? Do you all recall that the Palestinians sized the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem shortly after 9/11 and desecrated it? When I was in critical condition in Monterfiore, Muslims around the world celebrated the 9/11 attacks; now we're supposed to welcome this with open arms? They intend to infiltrate all of our institutions and drag us down from within. Approving this is purely capitulation and a betrayal of that solemn pledge to, "Never Forget." Best, Robert
PS: You may pass this along if you wish. You can Google the words WE REMEMBER or use the link below: http://www.youtube.com/... =============================================================== Debra Burlingame On The Ground Zero Mosque: http://www.youtube.com/... =============================================================== Leaders bungle outreach http://www.nypost.com/... Leaders bungle outreach By REUVEN FENTON and JEREMY OLSHAN Last Updated: 5:24 AM, August 23, 2010 Posted: 3:58 AM, August 23, 2010 Backers of the Ground Zero mosque held a secret meeting this month with a handful of 9/11 victims' families in an attempt to ease their suspicions about the project -- but it may have had the opposite effect, several in attendance told The Post. Convened Aug. 10 by Daisy Khan, wife of Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam for the controversial mosque, and Sharif El Gamal, one of its developers, the meeting had been billed as a chance for the families to get their questions answered. But retired firefighter Robert Reeg, 58, who was injured on 9/11, said the mosque backers refused to say one word about where the $100 million in financing would come from. "They kept talking about wanting to build bridges, but they weren't answering any questions," he said. Raheel Raza, a member of the Muslim Canadian Congress, who also raised questions about financing, described Khan and El Gamal as "very arrogant" at the get-together at the Interfaith Center on Riverside Drive. As for building the mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, it's "a deliberate provocation," Raza told a Canadian news service. Raza came with Maureen Basnicki, 59, of Toronto, whose husband died in the World Trade Center's north tower. "I went in wanting to embrace this. I think we were all tolerant of other religions, and I didn't want to be portrayed as a bigot," she said. "But I left more certain than when I arrived that this mosque was something I didn't want to see."
After a few minutes of careful consideration, and at least a dozen edits to remove the intial burst of hostility I felt and thusly penned, I decided to hit the Reply to All button. I pandered to their ignorance by making my reply short and simple, so that the intended audience would easily digest it.
(My Business Name) does NOT approve of this and I refuse to be associated in any way with the blatant ignorance, religious intolerance, lies and outright bigotry put forth in this hateful E-Mail.
If this is the sort of E-Mail I can expect from your group in the future, please REMOVE me from any and all future mailings associated with your fine organization.
Have a Wonderful Day
My Real Name My Business Name
It went to roughly 30 or so past, current or potentially future customers so it may prove to be a bit costly in terms of business, but I just could not let the E-Mail go unanswered. I anxiously awaited responses, girding for the fight as it were... furiously checking my E-Mail every few minutes, then every hour or so... I'm ready to do battle, but alas, all I ended up with was 3 half-assed apologies.
One apologized for the sender gaining access to the E-Mail list of the club,(apparently the sender's spouse was an officer of the club) but not for any content the E-Mail contained. One apologized for the sentiments contained in the E-Mail but didn't think it merited my "harsh" response. One related that for the most part, the entirety of the club felt the way the sender felt, they get them frequently, and though the writer agreed with me and lauded my effort to distance my business' name and reputation from the E-Mail, they closed by requesting that I "kindly not share their thoughts with other members of the club." Go figure.
That's it. Cowards. Call em out even a little bit, and they wither. This particular club was mostly pilots and former military, almost lily-white and all were gray-haired. There was a single exception, a hispanic man that they twice made deragatory references to during the part of their meeting that I attended, he laughing right along with them. They started their meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, though I doubt seriously if most understand the "with liberty and justice for all" part.
No fiery responses telling me how incredibly wrong I was, how horrible Muslims are, how Sharia law was to be imposed imminently as outlined in the original E-Mail. Nothing, nada, zip. I admit to being a bit disappointed. At the same time, it felt great to hit that Reply to All button, and if I get anymore of those rancid, hate filled crap-mails, I will respond and encourate others to do the same, it feels wonderful.
How does that help Dems get elected in November? I'm not certain that it does, but it may help enlighten the foolsthat not everyone feels the rage and hatred towards our fellow travelers in this world that they apparently do, not even here in the middle of rural Florida, where most of them are represented in Congress by (r)Cliff Stearns, the supposed "citizen congressman" who got elected based on a promise to limit himself to two terms... that was almost twenty years ago now.
I've also sent a few dollars to my congressman, maybe you've heard of him. The other way I helped our cause was to help this guyget to Washington DC for the 10.2.10 rally. I helped by donating a domain name and some space on my server for progressivesponsor.comand by helping to get the ball rolling with a couple of small donations to the cause. As a result of DiegoUK's efforts at getting himself to the rally, others can accomplish that same task, for this rally, and others in the future. Many of you have already been to the site and though it's still a work in progress, it has and will hopefully continute to make a difference by helping make our side more visible.
If you can spare a few dollars to help some members here get to the rally in DC, or if you need a ride or are looking to offer a ride to a fellow DKer, head on over to progressivesponsor.comand lend a hand. DiegoUK is doing all he can to help others here, and then some. I figured it was time for me to lend an assist. How about you? I have more space to give if someone has an idea for a site they would like to develop, just as DiegoUK did.
It may not be much, but I'm helping in a way that I can, and it feels great.
