Keith Olbermann Investigates: Is Barack Obama a Secret Muslim?

I started out writing my take on this video, and it morphed into its own post (see here), so I split this post off on its own. My post was serious, this video is mock serious, but is in reality quite funny--at the expense of the dingbats who believe that President Barack Obama is a secret muslim, or "aren't sure." From Friday's episode of Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

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Barack Obama, Secret Muslim???

Image from Metro.Co.UK

Recently, a poll was released, showing that more and more Americans believe that President Barack Obama is a Muslim. A larger percentage "doesn't know" what religion the President is. This strikes me as profoundly stupid after all of the ginned up FOX "News" controversy about Obama spending "20 years" in the church of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright!

It is also an irrelevant question.  Sure, if Obama weren't really Christian, it would qualify as a "lie," since he's called himself one on many occasions. But it would be a lie that is made by many every day, even probably a few former Presidents. What do I mean by that? Only that I suspect the current President is only nominally a Christian, probably more a skeptic, maybe even an agnostic or atheist. I have no proof, and I don't even really care.  Being a Christian is not a requirement for holding office. But it is very nearly an unwritten requirement for getting elected.

But this whole "Obama is a Muslim" thing  goes deeper than what his religion really is. It's yet another fear mongering, hate-baiting, divisionist tactic.  It's a hair's breadth from the birthers, who believe that Obama was born in Kenya (or Indonesia, or Canada, or the Pacific ocean, or. . .), and thus is not a natural born citizen and thus unable to legally be President of the United States.  You can bet that if Obama was a blond haired, blue eyed white guy, none of these sorts of conspiracy theories would exist.

Jon Stewart Skewers FOX "News" on "Ground Zero Mosque"

The (not at) Ground Zero (not a) mosque, and the right-wing (read: FOX "News") reaction to it is ably skewered by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, with a cameo by former NRA president, Charlton Heston. Good stuff!

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Target Ain't People!

I like the idea behind this, even if the singing and dancing isn't as polished as in some of the big, corporate flashmobs. I doubt that many of the onlookers probably grasped the message, though.



Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Simon's Cat Returns in 'The Box'!

Thanks to Tracy for the link.

Proposition 8: It's All About the Evidence

Image from source, CNN

Since Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling a couple of weeks ago that California's Proposition 8 was un-Constitutional, I've been very frustrated reading the proponents' response.  The people who wish to keep same-sex marriage unavailable in California were unsurprisingly outraged by the decision.  But their arguments have centered around a) the judge's alleged sexuality, b) the horrible job the defense did, and c) the same long list of "arguments" that already lost in court.

The a) argument is nonsensical, since everybody has a sexuality, and therefore it would be impossible to get a judge who couldn't potentially be affected by the ruling. The b) argument is accurate, but misses the point the defense had absolutely nothing to work with. And the c) arguments are chock full of irony, since the arguers don't seem to realize that they've already been debunked.  Even though I've been doing this blogging thing for three years, I'm the first to admit that I don't always get my point articulated the way I'd like.  So once again, I'm going to defer to another writer, one who really gets what the Proposition 8 case was really all about.

[Excerpt]

On Prop 8, it's the evidence, stupid

There's a big difference between a political debate about same-sex marriage and the recent hard-fought court challenge to the California ban, Proposition 8.


In politics, anything goes: Vague, sinister comments about same-sex marriage threatening children or undermining the sanctity of heterosexual marriage were prevalent during the Prop 8 campaign. In court, same-sex marriage opponents needed solid evidence to back up these and other claims. . .

Read more at: CNN

Jon Stewart Channels Glenn Beck on FOX "News" Million Dollar Contribution to GOP

Hilarious.

Kathy Griffin on Larry King Live

Wow. Larry King Live may be ending, but he had some good stuff on this week.  And though I just posted clips from his show, how can I ignore Kathy Griffin? Especially when she manages to sneak in a few digs at poor, poor "Dr." Laura. (By the way, Kathy later corrected her statement about Judge Walker being on the wrong side of history).

Stephanie Miller on Larry King Live on Gay Marriage

Is My Cat Trying to Kill Me?

She's not psychotic, but might have multiple personality disorder, so I can never be too sure. . .

Sen. Al Franken Champions Net Neutrality

For as long as I've known of the term, "Net Neutrality" has not been a partisan issue, and has been nearly unanimously thought of as a good thing.  Net Neutrality would ensure that big corporations can't subdivide the internet into categories like cable television; no basic, extended and premium delivery.  Going to Greenlee Gazette should be just as fast and easy as going to any big corporation's site.  

Lately though, as every issue seems to do these days, there's a partisan fight a-brewin'. Anti-neutrality arguments are now being made, turning the tables, saying that Net Neutrality amounts to "government regulation." Some paranoids assign more sinister motives, and claim that President Obama is "taking over" the internet. Whatever.  With all of the non-troversies coming from the right these days, I don't think I'm going to let them sway me without proof. For now, I'm gonna go with Senator Al Franken's take on this.  Because he's good enough, he's smart enough. . .

[Excerpt]
Franken talks net neutrality as FCC visits Minneapolis

Sen. Al Franken spoke out on net neutrality ahead of a Minnesota visit by officials from the Federal Communications Commission to discuss the same issue. The FCC will hold a hearing at South High School in Minneapolis at 6 pm tonight. Franken said on Tuesday that if telecoms have their way, consumers will end up paying much more and have less open access to the internet. . .

Read more at: Minneapolis Independent

The Iraq War is Over?

It feels rather anti-climactic, doesn't it? I hope it remains true, and that combat forces don't ever need to go back and start it all up again. Then again, to be honest, I don't really know what the hell we're doing there that would require that.  I have a healthy respect for the military itself (though not the almost fetishism of many), but at the same time have a great deal of difficulty understanding our reasons for being in Iraq for so long.  I suspect I'm not alone.

As with previous wars, we're leaving a large number of troops in place. Since there are still bases in Japan, Germany and many other places around the world. So is it really over over? Is it ever?  Did we really accomplish anything worthwhile?  I don't think we'll have many generally agreed-upon answers for a long time to come.

[Excerpt]
U.S. ends combat operations in Iraq

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The last U.S. combat troops were crossing the border into Kuwait on Thursday morning, bringing to a close the active combat phase of a 7½-year war that overthrew the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, forever defined the presidency of George W. Bush and left more than 4,400 American service members and tens of thousands of Iraqis. . .


Read more at: MSNBC

FOX "News" Parent Company Gives Big Bucks to GOP

Image from source, NewsCorpse

I run this blog as a hobby, mostly by myself (and am grateful for the occasional help I get from friends). But there are times when--even after three years of blogging--that I realize I'm an amateur really.  I was going to write a post about NewsCorp, the parent company of FOX "News" donating a million bucks to a GOP outfit.  Then I read the post excerpted below, and realized that I couldn't put it better.

[Excerpt]

Fair And Balanced Fox News Funds GOP

A report from Business Week reveals that Rupert Murdoch is keen on electing Republican governors. His News Corp donated a million dollars to the Republican Governors Association in June.


This is a significant contribution to a partisan electoral committee. There are 37 governorships on the ballot this year. Democrats currently hold a majority of state houses, Republicans hope reverse that. And since this is census year, the control of state governments can have a huge impact on the make up of Congress for the next decade by managing the redistricting process. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Levi Johnston for Mayor of Wasilla: A Bridge to Somewhere!

Run, Levi, run!



Found at: Joe.My.God.

Dr. Laura Calls it Quits

Image from source, HuffPost

Well, she was long past her expiration date anyway, wasn't she?  You'd think that old West Wing clip would have put her in her place years ago.

[Excerpt]


Dr. Laura To END Radio Show After N-Word Rant


Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant last week.


"My contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I've made the decision not to do radio anymore," she told Larry King. "The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what's on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry. . ."


Read more at: Huffington Post

Politics of Fear: The Drudge Report

Oh, come on!  This is just naked fear mongering. Screenshot taken at 5:40 edst, from DrudgeReport.com.

Captain Obvious: Faux Outrage is Actually a Delight for GOP

Think back over the last two years to the big, controversial stories in the news. Excepting "Balloon Boy" (which is only related by also being a hoax), almost all of them have been ginned up by the usual right-wing sources, be it the right-wing blogs, talk radio, FOX "News" or a combination of those.  There may be a nugget of truth at the center of the story, but more likely not.  Even if there is, there are so many layers of supposition, exaggeration and invention, it's like an outrage lasagna.  These stories burst out of the blogosphere, out of the right-wing media, and are birthed into mainstream America, as big mutant hideous beasts.

Soon, even people you thought were rational will be seriously advocating excising rights from the Constitution.  It starts heated arguments, so it must be real outrage, not faux outrage, right?  Wrong.  It's called faux outrage because the outrage is based on a stack of half-truths and lies.  Or sometimes just a profound misunderstanding about the facts.  Such is the case with this so-called "Ground Zero mosque."  As I've already posted, it isn't a mosque, it isn't at Ground Zero, it has every right to be there, and there is already an actual mosque in the neighborhood that predates 9/11 and the World Trade Center.  There is also a mosque in the Pentagon.  But oooh, people are angry!  They're just sure them un-'Merrkan Mulsins are up to no good, spitting in our faces. . .forget the fact that many of the people who'd go to this community center are Americans, and that many Americans are Muslim. 

Trying to knock down these built-up brouhahas is almost impossible. People believe what they want to believe, and convincing people they are wrong is a bitch.  But here is something I can declare that I think most people agree with.  The people whose interests are served by most of these stories--the Republican Party at election time--are not outraged. They're delighted that the latest flames have been fanned into a brush fire.  And each time one of these all-consuming, nationwide poutrages is made out of what should be a local issue of minor contention, they're thrilled.

Chris Hayes on the Muslim Community Center Controversy

Okay, this is my last post on this issue. Right. Maybe not.  But it's the last one in a row.  These video clips from The Rachel Maddow Show with guest host Chris Hayes are very instructive on the issue of the so-called "Ground Zero mosque."  If you pay attention to who is driving this story, what some of their other positions are, and feel like just maybe you're being played. . .watch these clips.

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Keith Olbermann's Special Comment Ground Zero Mosque

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Right-Wing World: The (Not at) Ground Zero (Not) Mosque Controversy

Every once in a while, the right-wing outrage machine strikes pay dirt.  They're outrageously good at ginning up outrage, and getting their stories from the right-wing blogs and into the mainstream.  When they get really lucky, their pet story becomes the topic of discussion all over the country.  But after so many of these things (ACORN, New Black Panthers, Shirley Sherrod, and on and on), wouldn't you think that people would start to catch on. Wouldn't you think they'd start to feel used, like someone is pulling their puppet strings?

The current big controversy is of course the Muslim community center that is scheduled to be built in lower Manhattan.  It is being portrayed as a deliberate attempt by Muslims to provoke non-Muslims, since it is being built in the same area of town as the site of the World Trade Center.  It's actually a couple of blocks away, and it isn't even really a mosque, though it does have an area for prayers.  Of course, given Manhattan's size, there's probably nowhere that would be considered "far enough away" for some.  There are actually rumblings from elected Republicans that no mosques should be allowed to be built anywhere!

I'm an agnostic (bordering on atheism), and it is a very strange thing indeed for me to be sticking up for a religion. And I'm not really. I'm defending the Constitution, and I'm deeply, deeply suspicious of any issue being spearheaded by right-wing talk radio, FOX "News," and the rest of the right-wing noise machine.  But I'm also aware that this has touched a nerve with the public at large.  Something like 70% of Americans polled are against this center.  My feeling is that they're being played. Their outrage is being stoked, and when that happens, emotions overrule logic. 

If those against it think "there oughtta be a law" or think that the government should prevent this, then they're asking for the Constitution to be subverted.  If they're thinking that the builders of the center should stop their plans out of "concern" for others' feelings, well, you have to question if those feelings make sense.  This thing isn't a mosque and it isn't at ground zero. There is no evidence that the center is being built with any insult intended, or nefarious purpose.  All of this outrage is based upon the perceived intentions of the builders.  If there's one thing I've learned in my own life, it's that the worst arguments with the most hurt feelings happen when when you try to guess the intentions of the person you're arguing with.  You'll almost always be wrong.

[Excerpt]

How the "ground zero mosque" fear mongering began



A group of progressive Muslim-Americans plans to build an Islamic community center two and a half blocks from ground zero in lower Manhattan. They have had a mosque in the same neighborhood for many years. There's another mosque two blocks away from the site. City officials support the project. Muslims have been praying at the Pentagon, the other building hit on Sept. 11, for many years. . .

Read more at: Salon