An Answer for all of the "We Can't Trust Obama" Claims

For months, I've been seeing and hearing about those stupid email hoaxes, alleging all kinds of nefarious things about Barack Obama. Lately, a "truthier" version of those emails have been going around, this time using real (or half-true) tidbits to plant doubt in "uninformed" voters' minds. To my way of thinking, many of these undecideds are probably either hard-core Republicans who are trying to justify voting Democrat, or they are people who are (possibly sub-consciously) racists looking for a different label to hide behind. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

The writer of the piece excerpted below got just such an email, from a former employer. At the risk of burning his bridges, he answers every claim in the email--and answers them well. It's pretty late in the campaign for this to help you with your acquaintances who pass these along, but hey, they may be out in force tomorrow! It's well worth a read, in any case.

[Excerpt]

In Which I Burn All Bridges to My Former Boss

An email came to me by a circuitous route the other day. Normally I would pass on responding to something like this--particularly since the specifics have been rebutted by others more effectively than I dilitentte such as I could ever manage.

But this one is special--it comes from a person that I worked with very closely for many years. This person was a veteran of business affairs. A longtime senior executive. And I was his right hand. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

The Politics of Distraction

Well, what do you know? Even up here on a mountain top, I've found the internet! Sure, I'm glomming on to somebody's unsecured wi-fi connection, but if he didn't want me to use it, he'd have a secured network, wouldn't he? Still, I'll probably have very little time to blog, but I thought I'd try to sneak a post or two in. This post is really not my own, but one I found at AmericaBlog this morning. I'm assuming that since it isn't an original creation, that they won't mind me posting the whole piece.

It is a copy of a viral email that's going around, and no that doesn't have anything to do with viruses, Mom. It's akin to (but sort of the opposite of) all of those nasty anti-Obama emails that have been floating around. This one merely asks questions, and I'd like to know the answers myself. . .

Viral Emails

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach teach children about sexual predators, you are irresponsible and eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that hates America and advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer
now.

Source: AmericaBlog

Featured Site: Snopes.com

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm not trying to insult anybody, or question your intelligence. I've been actively using computers since I kid (about 25 years now, in other words), and have been an online user since it became available to the masses (about 17 years or so). So, generally, I may be more familiar with them. No aspersions intended.

That said, I'd like everyone out there who's ever gotten an email, and decided to "send this letter to everyone you know!" to stop and think before doing so. Virtually every letter of this type is nothing more than a hoax. The more dire the news contained within the email sounds, the more likely it is a hoax.

Usually, this sort of email is little more than a nuisance. Bogus computer virus warnings are one of the most pevelant, and generally harmless of the bunch. Next comes the warnings to women to avoid perfume spritzers, or hapless men looking for advice or directions. It's probably best to be on guard from such things, even if the email warnings are false.

Some hoaxes are damaging, like the ones circulating saying nasty things about political candidates, from Hillary Clinton to John McCain; and particularly one about Barack Obama. As I said before, almost all of these emails are hoaxes, sometimes containing a nugget of truth, but usually boulders of lies.

Barack Obama is not a Trojan Horse Muslim. Hillary Clinton was not nicknamed "Running Eagle." Microsoft did not today issue their most dire virus warning ever. That kid with cancer isn't still trying to collect the most get well cards. And Richard Gere never had an intimate relationship with a gerbil (and neither did any other human anyone can find, gay or straight).

Fortunately, there is a resource that can put some of these hoaxes to rest. Simply go to Snopes.com, type a few of the words from your warning email into the search box, and press enter. Put Snopes in your favorites, and use it every time, before you send to everyone you know. They'll thank you for it.