Anti-Obama Hoax E-Mails Still Fooling Some Folks
This election cycle has its own crazed bits of propaganda similar to the Swift Boat campaign, or the push polling about McCain's out-of-wedlock African-American child. The bizarre attacks, primarily being tossed around by Fox News, this time surround Barack Obama, and the only people who seem to be swallowing the Kool-Aid are some pretty uninformed voters, most recently in Indiana, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Take a look at a couple of the responses the Daily News got on the ground in Indiana leading up to the primary earlier this week:
- "I'm kind of still up in the air between McCain and Hillary... I'll be honest with you. Barack scares the hell out of me... He swore on the Koran."
- "I can't stand him... He's a Muslim. He's not even pro-American as far as I'm concerned."
Hoax e-mails long ago debunked and -- we thought -- forgotten are still informing the decisions of some folks in the suburban and rural midwest, according to the Daily News. The e-mails that have been circulating claim alternately that he's a Muslim, that he's a radical racist Christian, that he's unpatriotic, that he refuses to say the pledge of allegiance, or that he's a communist. How can all of these things be true? They can't, but that doesn't stop some lazy people from believing anything they read in an e-mail.
So how does one stop oneself from becoming part of the problem? Double check "facts" from e-mails with reputable news sources like the Associated Press (AP) or Reuters. Or follow some basic guidelines for skepticism laid out by FactCheck.org. And the next time you get a poorly spelled e-mail from Kofi Annan claiming that Barack Obama ate a cheese burger with Osama Bin Laden in front of a village of starving children, listen to that little voice in the back of your head that says "that can't be true." [Source: NY Daily News, via: Wired]
Filed under: Computers, Celebrities
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rex @ May 9th 2008 7:47AM
So...being a muslim is unpatriotic ;-?
Pat @ May 9th 2008 8:04AM
You have hit the nail on the head.
There are bloggers around who rile me by posting things that are stupidly untrue. Things that you need to just use google and get the answer. I have seen, for instance these viral email saying that Kenya's newly appointed prime minister-Raila Odinag is a cousin of Obama and that Raila is muslim extremist trying to exterminate christians.!
If these lazy idiots were to visit Voice of America -African section or the BBC African section, they would discover that Obama is not related with Raila save for the fact that their fathers happen to have come from the same state-state is no blood relation! How shitty and uneducated is that?
Some of the sites writing this obvious drunken fantasy are apparently collecting donations to do more research on Obama and spread the truth about him.
These are the people who give us a bad name a part from electing bad leaders.People think Americans live in an insulated cocoon of ignorance-ignorance of world affairs.
Alexendria456 @ May 9th 2008 8:39AM
I believe Obama stayed in a church full of hate for political reasons.
Obama had to believe the same thing or he would not have his family in that church.I must remind everyone for twenty years and also the writer of this article.
Douglas Brace @ May 9th 2008 10:29AM
You must not know alot about Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Several years ago I was a vistor for about 2 months when I Rev. Wright was still preaching there. He was never like that when I was there and that congregation is one of the best churches in the free world. Stop listening and watching FOX News and YouTube.
Reginald E Johnson @ May 9th 2008 11:40PM
That church is not full of hate. You should check out the whole truth before you go out on a limb. And if that's the case, check out some of the other comments made by some of these preachers out there. Look what Hagee said about New Orleans; The reason that the hurricane struck New Orleans is that God was getting them. See what I mean
JC Wolf @ May 9th 2008 8:48AM
HILLARY CAN WIN!
WAKE UP OBAMA... YOUR SURGE IS OVER. AMERICA IS BEGINNING TO HATE YOUR VOICE, HATE SEEING YOU 24-7 ON MSNBC - CNN- FOXNEWS. YOU HAVE GROUND TO A HALT.
THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL AMERICA WILL VOTE FOR YOU WITH ALL YOUR CROOKED FRIENDS AND ANTI WHITE, ANTI AMERICAN REVERAND, YOUR WIFE'S BIG MOUTH, YOUR COMMUNIST POET MENTOR IN HAWAII..( YES WE KNOW ABOUT THAT TOO.) YOUR IRAQI MUSLIM BILLIONAIRE AUCHI, AND THE CROOK ON TRIAL REZKO, YOUR BACK SEAT COCAINE AND MALE BONDING IN THE BACK OF A LIMO, YOUR COCAINE AND MARIJUANA USE AS YOU ADMITTED IN YOUR BOOK., YOUR DISSING YOUR OWN GRANDMOTHER, YOU KNOW, THE TYPICAL WHITE ONE.
YOU THINK WE SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU JUST BECAUSE THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON'S HUSBAND HAD AN AFFAIR? WRONG... OUR VOTE GOES TO HILLARY CLINTON.
Douglas Brace @ May 9th 2008 10:27AM
You do realize that talking in CAPS is like yelling. Also do you realize that in the current state of the election (not including Michigan and Florida which F-ed themselves) Hillary would have to win/receive 67% of the remaining delegates and superdelagates in order to beat Obama. Not going to happen. While it is possible, it is not practical. You must be a Reagan Democrat.
Chris @ May 9th 2008 1:42PM
JC,
Your vote may go to Hillary but you have seem to have forgotten why the US is in the situation it is in now. I (like a few Americans) have watched our so called government sell out to other contries. i.e. Ollie North, suppling arms to the Sandanistas arms being sold to Saddam Husssein (sp) and Osama yo mama Bin Laden. If you read between the lines our government does not care about it's fellow human unless it is to look good in the face of other contries, and on top of all that pick up a few history books from time to time because you can't spin history. Don't you ever wonder why our so called satellite t.v.s can't pick up foriegn broadcast anymore? Because your government does not want you to know how other countries view the U.S. I do believe in some of the things Rev Wright said but not all of them. For you to make the statements that you did re: Barak does not make any sense to me considering that politicians are going down left and right. Most of the people serving our country on a political level are in it for themselves and have truly lost site of serving for the common good. Go ahead and vote for however you feel like but remember this. All of the things you have complained about re: our government are being represented by McCain and Clinton. I would trust someone that came from nothing and has at least an idea of what all americans are going through regardless of race, color, religion or sexual orientaion. By the way that remark about throwing his grandma under the bus, lets me and others know that you are closed minded.
Joe @ May 9th 2008 9:55AM
There are character flaws with each of our current candidate choice. The key to our own decision and selection is how much do I believe the in the communication we've experienced. How much research are you willing to do on your own to verify the noise that reaches us. If you are someone who allows others to frame your thoughts, and subsequently, your arguments, then you will always direct your decisions with like-minded people. The great part of the republic we live under is choice & voice. But, with that freedom comes responsiblity to be the most civic minded and contribute with logic and respect for all. Lately the respect and logic of our "citizens" appears to be similiar to followers and not leaders. Too bad, these futures issues can be better resolved with informed masses instead of emotional bigotry.
Douglas Brace @ May 9th 2008 10:40AM
About one month ago I blogged about why I was supporting Barack Obama during the Pennsylvania primary.
http://www.lockergnome.com/dabrace1984/2008/04/10/2008-presidential-election/
In the post I link to several YouTube playlists that describe Barack Obama's religious views. I also post a link to a "Know the Facts of Barack Obam’s Religion" link that is on his campaign's website.
The one thing that I really like about his campaign is that he isn't do any smear campaign. He is beating Hillary because he is talking about the issues. The only issue Hillary is talking about now is the Gas Tax Holiday which is a HORRIBLE idea. It is such a bad idea that 150 economics experts (most of them University/College professors) from both sides of the aisle.
With all that said, whoever the Democratic nominee is, that person will beat McCain. Votes in the USA are tired of Bush politics and that is all McCain is going to offer.
cadoglvr @ May 9th 2008 11:33AM
Obama is a threat to this country. I think all that is true. He wont salute the flag, went to church preaching racism, he wife stated she wasn't proud to be and American. I cant believe so many people have bought into Obama Mania. This is a dangerous man please think before you vote.
john @ May 9th 2008 11:58AM
No, Obama isn't a Muslim. But he is, at best, a snotty little oligarch who thinks he knows best for the ignorant masses. At worst, he is a dangerous racist demagogue who will say anything to get elected. Rev Wright is the black equivalent to a Grand Dragon, which makes Obama the black David Duke.
It's sad, really, because he started out saying the right things. But he's never done the right things and it appears he's prepared to do the wrong things in hid naive quest for power.
An American @ May 10th 2008 5:45AM
These so-called "comments" sound like they were fashioned by Wolfson or his sister Limbaugh. Maybe the two have a "thing" going on. What trash! America deserves better, that's why Obama has not sunk to the crap throwing that the others are engaging in.