Slight variations of the same crap keep circulating, rearranged or updated in minor ways to seem "new." When I get stuff like that, Snopes.com is my best friend. I also have archives of old e-mails I composed when I really got into rebutting RW garbage, but only a couple of people dare send me that junk anymore.
I never send my family anything remotely political, either. They're not interested in opening their minds or looking at verifiable facts or reconsidering their views.
The last e-mail I sent my uber-Libertarian brother was about LED technology, as part of a batch mailing I sent to my regular list; I actually thought he might be interested. Instead of replying to the content of my e-mail, he zoomed straight down to my sig line (same as the one here). Here's the exchange, copied and pasted directly from the e-mail:
Brother: kennedy is wrong and a dummy. Corporate power is nothing. the only power of force is goverment, big companies can only hope to buy the power of government. that is the problem through out the ages and in our country now. Goverment power is true power, and it is sold all the time to companies in the form of restricting trade, and laws that benefit those that plied governemt thugs with favors and bribes.
Me: LOL... Now that's funny! I guess that means you don't want any LED lightbulbs, huh?
Brother: no I didn't really read or follow that. But kennedy is a socialist and i think he is an enemy of freedom
Me: Do you always read and respond to people's signature lines rather than the actual content of the e-mails they take the time to send you?
Brother: (No response)
This is the mindset we're dealing with. I just can't be bothered anymore when simple, nonpolitical attempts to communicate, like that above, lead only to absurd rants. I also know from multiple past experiences that to engage with them in the smallest way leads immediately to personal attacks. These days, keeping my own BP under control is far more important to me than trying to influence anyone else. If their eyes haven't been opened by now, nothing I say will change their minds and we have nothing to discuss. Whatever comes, they asked for it.
At another time I had asked a different family member if we couldn't just "agree to disagree." The response was an angry glare right into my eyes and a "No, never!"
It's a shame, but we really have little in common anymore, and talking about their health and the weather gets old real fast. Everything else is in some way connected to the current political situation and is untouchable if I want to avoid an argument, so there's not much communication anymore.
I can't/won't deal with their abuses any further and have given up on these individuals.
:shrug: