D and E can be the same thing, so I say combine those two, add in H and finish off with I. But with that said, when I get those emails I generally just choose A because it's the easiest.

I'm prepared to have the "but he's a Muslim" conversation with a few people in my family. I have a few relatives that I believe are inclined to think that way and here's how I'm thinking of handling it, should the subject come up. If not, I'm not bringing it up.

I'm going to say "I know you don't believe Sen. Obama is a Muslim because every single person who believes that is a fucking idiot and I refuse to believe that about you." Now, I don't think everyone who doesn't support Obama or is voting for McCain is a fucking idiot but the people who say he's a Muslim are. I don't care if that person has a PhD, still a fucking idiot. They are fucking idiots if they believe that, plain and simple. The subject of his religion has been refuted time and time again. I don't know why we shouldn't take people's religious views at face value - if someone says they are Christian/Catholic/Mormon/Scientologist/Jehovah's Witness/atheist/Moonie, etc... I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt and are sincere in how the worship but my understanding of Islam is that actual Muslims don't have any use/respect for people that public say they are Christian but secretly worship Allah.

Of course, I don't know if anyone in my family believes this and I am almost certain that you have more qualms about calling relatives "fucking idiots" than I do, so I'd probably not do/say anything until after the election then you can gloat all you want.

I went to an Obama rally today in Ft. Collins, Colo.
10,000 were expected; between 45-50,000 showed up. Mind you, only about 130,000 people live here. And they consistently elected Marilyn Musgrave, one of the nuttiest nut-job conservatives in Congress, so that turnout was pretty phenomenal.

@ Dana: I'd say J) Set up a imaginarydaddy@tig.com email and let all your good buddy readers cover points B through H, and forward it all to him. At the very least, you probably won't get any more annoying emails from your Pop.

I'm afraid if at this point of the electoral cycle people are still believing the "Obama is muslim" lies, then they are a lost cause. Maybe ask if they've heard the rumors that McCain was brainwashed by the Viet-Cong when he was a POW to be a Manchurian Candidate, considering that was what Dubya's buddies in 2000 wanted us to believe.

"Dear Dad,

While I understand your concerns, I will not at present have time to fully respond to the many already widely refuted points in your message.

Between now and 8 p.m. PST on November 4th I will instead be spending my time in Get Out the Vote efforts to ensure that all Christians, Muslims, POWs, community organizers, and other citizens of our singular, fragile planet might be able to move on into the remainder of the 21st century with a renewed sense of hope, of collective involvement and purpose in our economic, environmental, and social challenges, and with mutual respect for and understanding of both our similarities and differences.

I like to think that those are the kind of views that would make any father proud."

Ooh, Richard, that's good. REALLY good. I might borrow it.

(Not that it would make my father proud, sadly.)

My dad was an authoritarian conservative miserly religious hypocrite. Although we never actually had it out or came to blows, we haven't talked at all in 20 years. He could be dead by now for all I know or care.

So, the question for you is how much you're willing to put up with crap from people just because they're related to you. Since there's virtually no chance of you changing his mind, choices D-H would be a huge waste of your time. Choice C is unnecessarily cruel and also premature. I'd probably do B, and if I continued to get rightwing propaganda from him after that, I'd block his email address and report him as a spammer to my ISP.

Or maybe I'd use the apparently top secret nuclear option 'G'?!?

Mobtown Shank had a similar situation (why do so many of us have these uber Republican relatives?) and one of the best responses I've ever read.

@Jennifer -- OMG that is truly amazing. What an eloquent reply!

I thought so! (If I had the money, I'd hire him to run interference whenever my uber Republican father comes to visit.) Glad you enjoyed.

I truly did. And I did reply to my own father last night. It was nowhere near as good as that link, but I think it made the point.

I know I won't change his mind, but it felt good not to sit and take another stupid piece of propaganda email.

One more week! Woot woot woot!!!