Seems to me that it was religion the was the linchpin to make her right wing. Once that is removed from the equation it comes down to everyday issues; ones that affect daily life. she evidently sees this now and I'm sure wonders how or why she was casting her lot with racist plutocrats.

Don't be overly optimistic, though. You might be setting yourself up for a big disappointment. Just let it happen. Don't pressure her to change, because if you do, she won't.

Is she convinced by Fox News quasi psychiatrist, Mr. Albow, that the World Cup is an Obama conspiracy to distract from Bengazhi, because if a Latino believes that she is far from deprogrammed.

Why does the main stream media never report on the insanity of Fox News, mockery is good entertainment, I bet their ratings would soar.
If any DU member does not hate Fox News with a passion, they are on the wrong site.

I pointed out the fact that 12 embassies were bombed under Bush and no hue and cry was raised by Republicans. She repeated the disinformation mantra that many right-wing sites spread that no Americans were killed and I pointed out that over 50 Americans did die. It took awhile for me to convince her. I made her uncomfortable by telling her that her disregard for the lives of non-Americans mirrored the racism she had experienced in her life.

your sister is not. One cult reprogramming at a time.

and her husband and two daughters just immigrated from South America. We explained what Fox is and what their purpose is. Hopefully, we nipped it in the bud. Yes. It is a good start and there is hope. I went from Reagan republican to progressive or whatever rwnjs want to call me.

Glad you're here! Pre-emptive! Good work! Pox Noise is truly that: a POX on - (forgive me, but I don't think it's an overstatement anymore) ALL of humanity! They give air time, face time and presumed "credibility" to the flat-earthers and know-nothings and science-deniers and other proudly ignorant views, thus helping them spread. And with that kind of "mentality" governing, the survival of our very PLANET is now threatened. Many of them think Jesus will magically come down and wave some magic wand and fix everything that they broke, poisoned, polluted, killed, squandered, and otherwise fucked up. Reminds me of the Biblical accounts of the Israelites (as I was taught anyway) who had a Messiah actually standing in their midst and didn't accept Him. Seems to me they wanted some big fat powerful celestial Warrior-King galloping into town in a fiery chariot pulled by teams of golden horses, with a crown on His head and a blazing sword in His grip. I think their "latter-day descendents" if you will - expect the same kind of thing. A Savior in THEIR image, according to THEIR definition. A punishing, vengeful God-figure coming down like some Heavenly Cleaning Man to sweeten the waters, the soil, and the air that's been fouled, fix the broken everything, and clean it all up for them and usher them into His Kingdom because they're so deserving.

I hope there are legions more cases like this, where people are starting to wake up from the Pox Noise stupor. Some of them are indeed doing so. But it's not happening fast enough, or on a large-enough scale. And the same thing should be happening to hate radio, but after years of boycotts and more than 3,000 sponsors pulling out from the limbaugh show, he's still on - alive and well.

We've got a LOT of work to do - to rescue our country from these delusional assholes.

That is a strange interpretation as to what Israelites may or may not have wanted. Having not been there I can't say for sure, but that doesn't jibe with what I learned in Jewish religious classes.
Not trying to start a controversy just saying interpratations are different. Guess I'll ask the Rabbi.

I probably don't need to say anything more, 'eh?

and not an official church position.

I've posted about him before - coming by to conduct catechism class every now and then. I had trouble accepting a lot of what he said, particularly when he'd opine about families and marriages and all that. I found myself thinking - "how the heck do YOU know? You're not a dad! You're not a husband! You don't go out to work every day to bring home the money to buy us food and laundry detergent and so we can keep the car running. You don't have kids to support or a marriage to keep solid. How on earth can you sit there and tell us how it's supposed to be?" Never did get past that, either. Still feel that way.

Is to witness the destruction and suffering that your country's policies create. My undergrad degree is in International Relations. Things became clearer as I deployed to some not very nice places. My bro was infantry. He was in Fallujah in 2004 and made two other deployments. He changed too. His words, ""It is all about oil."

Our family is interracial and interfaith. We will go to a synagogue or a Catholic Church as long as they are reality based. We take religion very lightly because the focus needs to be on the here and now.

And may I say

Semper Fi!

Ooh-Rah!

I hope you get your sister back soon.

Hoping for the best outcome!

Thanks for the thread, peace to you and your sister. Rozlee

Good to have you with us! This is a good start. But it's only a beginning. They have such a big lead on us - one they've been building and carefully tending for at least three decades. Ever since the rise of the cancerous tumor that was ronald reagan. We've got a LOT of work to do. In EVERY direction and at EVERY level.

...the rise of the cancerous tumor that was Ronald Reagan...

I'm still chuckling. He was, wasn't he?

Here's a link you might like about the Bush family, if you haven't read it already: http://www.globalresearch.ca/dynasty-of-death/3558

Actually, she does shut it off to go to bed. Unless she falls asleep with it on. In which case, she shuts it off when her miniscule bladder makes her get it during the night to go to the bathroom. I know, TMI.

i wake up to it, go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to it, wake up to it........

Is akin to quitting smoking. The withdrawals are painful, fill you with anxiety, make you prone to binge behaviors (eating, swearing, drinking), and worth it if you want to live a long healthy life.

Just gently help her through it, hold her hand on rough days, remind her that with progressives, civilization advances; with conservatives, civilization stagnates, and be a good sibling.

Those things are addictive. We used to take our lunch breaks at one in the afternoon to watch our favorite one at work and our Anglo supervisor got so caught up in it, that he took Spanish classes to keep up with it.

I, ii, iii. Still have to take IV. French was easier to learn for me for some reason. I can read Spanish better than I can speak it. Our nieces look at me weird when tío gringito speaks to them in Spanish. They speak some English, but are doing great in school and speaking more English everyday.

My Spanish got a little rusty and my family cracks up sometimes, especially when I struggle with a word in Spanish and insert the English one instead.

I come from a military family, all of whom considered themselves republicans, myself included. My eyes were opened when they attacked Iraq. My father became a Democrat shortly thereafter, I believe around the "mission accomplished" time as he, an educated Marine veteran who served in WWII, confided in me that he realized that Bush, Cheney and the gang were idiots. He asked me for a Kerry/Edwards sign for his front yard, which I provided. Likewise, not too long ago one of my brothers quietly mentioned that he "was on my side, now", after too many conversations with fellow conservatives left him stunned and bewildered. That was a good feeling after years of hearing how liberals like me just wanted to apologize to the terrorists, sing kumbaya, and take money from hard working people and give it to welfare bums.

I can tell you from experience that when people establish their identity, for want of a better word, they don't give it up easily but where there is sense, there is hope.

I have some friends who re-located to another state - and ended up in Red State areas. They evolved into Baggers, addicted to Fox, Palin and Beck TV. Previously they had been moderate Dems, socially liberal and largely a-political.

After their move, they formed local ties with conservatives. Soon ended up displaying all the paranoia that Obama is a socialist/Marxist/Nazi/Kenyan terrorist. We could not find any facts we both could agree on.

I gave up discussing politics of any kind with them, but slowly increased rapport as to world views. Never slid into arguments of size of government etc, as that catapulted them into defensive mode, getting them to obsess, rant and intensify their commitment to the wingnutt-o-sphere. No conflict, no resistance. Just mellow humanity and rapport on other matters.

Works better. Their intensity is lessening. Getting more relaxed, less warlike.

As we learn from Buddhism: whatever is resisted, grows.

-Laelth

and the more thinking you do the better you get at it.

would gladly deport her back to the Old Country.

As an aside, having the TV on 24/7, or at least while anyone is awake in the household, is insidious, not matter what is on. I just came back from a week visiting my two sisters who live together these days. Both in their 60's, educated, liberal, read books and so on. But the TV is on from the time one gets up until the last one goes to bed. It's never on Fox, but it's as if there's no off switch. Whenever I was there alone I turned it off.

Hopefully, she will start to question just a little more every day, and if you can get her to watch anything else it would help. Perhaps you can buy her a radio that only gets NPR and PRI. Amy Goodman would be a good way for her to start her day.

My mother and a couple of friends of mine are like that; All TV all the time. It's distracting and irritating as hell to me, but they seem like they absolutely can't bear NOT to have some background audio/visual "noise".

Attended an very informal dinner/party hosted by a conservative co-worker. As we gathered in the living room over some drinks and to talk, the TV was on fox news, but with the sound muted. Without being too obvious, I nevertheless tried my best to preempt any would be political discussion before it could happen. It was obvious ( knowing this conservative fairly well ) he was just itching for one of us in attendance to be baited into mentioning something that was on TV. I felt like a captive audience in some political indoctrination scheme.

The one thing that did help me in regards to changing the mind of someone who is religious to think a bit more is by explaining the following statement:

"Democrats don't want abortion, but they go after the root cause. Not blanket prohibition, but to actually help out the mother."

If you can explain that in a way that can appeal to their humanity, it can work.
The probability is low, but it can work.

The idea is that life is hard, who actually tries to help people to be able to survive in the world?
Who actually cares about life, before and after birth, to make it easier for the mother?
Who actually wants to basically provide benefits for the mother and is fighting for post-natal care?
Who actually wants to help out the mother for their children's food and education?

Then explain that given those benefits, people would more likely feel able to deal with the things life bring them.

Problem is, it requires to make them think beyond the simple act, never thinking about the probable reasons.

If she can make the logical connection of how the right demeans and attacks immigrants (or any "others&quot to how the right deals with all other issues, including abortion rights, maybe there is hope.

Anyone trapped in that propaganda bubble is going to have difficulty getting back to fact and logic based reality.

Taking baby steps away from Fox is an improvement. Maybe she will slowly see the light! My fingers are crossed for you!

As inane as they are, I'd rather have her watching Bridezillas and Real Housewives of Wherever than conservative non-news TV.

The same thing happened to my mother, but she never pulled away. She was always a little conservative, but didn't talk too much about it.

I began to notice something was up, when I would see my family at holidays. My mother started saying things like, "Isn't that awful about such and such politician..., or isn't that horrible how some people are saying "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas."

I was usually dumbfounded. I thought her "Bunko" friends were filling her head with conservative talk. But my sister finally told me that she had Fox news on ...as you said "All. Day. Long."
It's a sad addiction that my mother never overcame.

Good luck with your sister! It does sound like she's snapping out it!

I'm glad she's moving toward different things.

with their immigration stance. Your sister is a good example of this.

Not that this is a good long term strategy, but the money they're raking in by labor arbitrage pays off for them now in a big way. Social issues, wedge issues, are enabling that as of present. If the money rolls in, they won't complain.

...and apply Lincoln's rule eventually.

You never know what's going to happen there.

instead of being one of the haters.