Poor, Oppressed White America

Yesterday, I received probably one of the most ridiculous emails I've ever gotten. Words cannot explain the stupidity someone would have to agree with, and forward, something like this. My friend sent it to me because he knew I'd respond in kind. My usual M.O. in these situations is not only to respond to the sender, but to every single address it was sent to, if they've chosen to forward the email without editing out the previous addresses.

Here's the body of the email:

Subject: Fw: Why haven't we heard of this atrocity? 

This is a difficult “read.” 

Another example of how "WE" do not count in New America!!!!! 

Why hasn’t this gotten even a CRUMB as much publicity as the Trayvon Martin case. The text description is horrific. As horrible as this is, it needs to be widely circulated. The animals below car-jacked then raped Christopher Newsom, cut off his penis, set him on fire and shot him to death while they forced his girlfriend, Channon Christian, to watch. An even more cruel fate awaited her. She was beaten and gang-raped in many ways for four days by all of them, while they took turns urinating on her. They then cut off her breasts and put chemicals in her mouth... and murdered her. 

VICTIMS: 

  

PERPS: 

 

Knoxville (WVLT) - The District Attorney General of Knox County announced the list of charges facing now five suspects in the double murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. 

The District Attorney General, Randy Nichols, is not saying whether or not he will seek the death penalty, but he does say the State will seek conviction for all charges filed in a 24-page indictment from the Knox County Grand Jury. 

Lemaricus Davidson, 25 , faces a total of 46 charges. Letalvis Cobbins, 24 , faces a total of 46 charges. George Thomas, 24 , faces 46 charges. Vanessa Coleman, 18 , faces 40 Tennessee state charges. Eric Boyd, 24, arrested in connection with the fatal car jacking, only faces federal charges as an accessory after the fact. 

So . . . where is Al Sharpton, President Obama and Jesse Jackson? Are they providing counsel and help to the families of the victims? 

No - the victims were white 

Why hasn't this received national coverage like the "Duke rape case"? Oh, that's right - the victims were white 

Why hasn't the NAACP, ACLU, New York Times, etc., called for an investigation? 

The victims were white. 

Why hasn't the FBI been called in to investigate this as a hate crime? 

Because the victims were white. 

When a white radio shock jock uses the phrase 'Nappy-headed Ho', it got 2 weeks of constant news coverage and cost the announcer his job. But when a white couple is tortured, raped and murdered by a black gang, it gets barely a passing blip on the local news -- and NO MENTION AT ALL on the national evening news. 

Pass this around, and maybe it will land in the hands of someone in the media or politics who has the guts to stand up and recognize the unfairness of this Racism.

My response:

Well, now I've seen it all. 

Do you know why you haven't heard about the Christopher Newsom murder on the news? Because it happened in 2007. If you were paying attention, you would have heard about it. All the suspects we're arrested, convicted and are serving multiple sentences for this horrific crime. 

The FBI didn't investigate this as a hate crime because there was no proof it was racially motivated. No, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson didn't show up to protest because the perpetrators were caught, but do you know who did? Around 30 white supremacists led by Alex Linder rallied in downtown Knoxville on May 27, 2007. 

I wonder if George W. Bush "provided counsel to help the families of the victims." After all, he was President at the time. 

Complaining about the Trayvon Martin coverage has got to be the silliest thing I've heard in a long time. The reason it's news is because unless there was an outcry from activists, there would have been no charges filed, and George Zimmerman would still be "patrolling" the streets thinking he has every right to "Stand His Ground." But I suppose Trayvon Martin didn't have the right to stand his? 

And we never heard of Natalie Halloway, or Etan Patz, or JonBenet Ramsey, or Stacy Peterson because they're white, right? Oh, wait. WE DID HEAR about those cases. 

But maybe you're right. I mean, history has shown that white Americans have been SOOOO oppressed in this country. What is this "New America" you speak of? The one that's supposedly post-racial because we have a black president? Doesn't show by these types of emails. Or perhaps you think you have it so bad, you'd rather trade places with a black person. 

 

Seriously, Dude?!

U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, Montana's chief federal judge, sent an e-mail to some old buddies with a joke that implied President Obama was the offspring of his mother and a dog...

The message's subject line was "A Mother's Memory."

The Great Falls Tribune, which obtained the forwarded message, published it in its entirety:

"Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

"A little boy said to his mother; 'Mommy, how come I'm black and you're white?'

"His mother replied, 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!'"

This is a US Federal judge. But hey, it's okay right? We're in a post-racial nation now that we have a black man as president! How can you claim there's ANY racism in this country when we have a black president?!!

My Response to "The Grey-Haired Brigade" Email

I was forwarded an e-mail a few days ago from a friend who knows I "like" these kinds of things. It was forwarded by a barfly we both know. Actually, barfly is too harsh a term. He's a regular. And when talking sports over a beer, he's fine (even if he is a Yankees fan), but we've never spoken politics. And now I know why. Here's the email, copied word for word from this website:

"The Grey-Haired Brigade"

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "baby boomer" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill and that is probably true.

But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration. In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.

We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II and fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote the pledge of allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "land of the free and home of the brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America.

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic congress. You fell for the "Hope and change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all.

You make a lot of noise but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the social ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting.

Many of those who fell for the "great lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the Kool-Aid. Now you're paying the price and complaining about it.

No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.

Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in one month we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in November we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House or to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People", and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.

So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the Grey-Haired Brigade."

Here's my response:

I hope the Grey-Haired Brigade will remember this email when they vote for Sharron Angle as she's advocating to privatize your Social Security benefits that you've paid into for decades.  Oh, wait, she doesn't want to privatize them, she wants to "personalize" them. Yeah, tell me what the difference is.

I hope the Grey-Haired Brigade will use the smarts they got from going to school where they "studied English, history, math and science" when they vote for Rand Paul who is a proponent of abolishing the Department of Education and perhaps cutting down on federal student loans if given the chance.

I hope the Grey-Haired Brigade will remember this email and think twice before casting a vote for Christine O'Donnell, who is in favor of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that gives them extra cash for Medicare prescription drugs that the Republicans didn't see fit to provide them when they signed Medicare Part D into law under Bush with no way to pay for it.

We thank the Grey-Haired Brigade for their service to this country in previous wars as they should thank the young folks they're complaining about for defending their country in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can't seriously believe that the almost one and a half million active personnel in the US Armed Forces are all Republicans, can they?

We know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner.

We sing along to America The Beautiful.

We Pledge allegiance to the flag.

But none of that really matters to you even as we young 'uns are the ones who are providing the payroll taxes that are paying for YOUR Social Security, all the while challenging those who would take it away from you, the ones who the Grey-Haired Brigade would prefer to have in office. Remember that the next time you want to complain about the young folk.

Perhaps if the Grey-Haired Brigade thought about the results of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as even some conservative economists have done, instead of blindly accepting accusations of failure as fact from GOP politicians who've done nothing but stand in the way of progress for the benefit of their party and not the benefit of the people, instead of listening to the likes of Rush Limbaugh who wanted Obama to fail even before his first day in office regardless of the consequences of what that would mean for the country, instead of following conspiracy theorists like Glenn Beck who whip people up into a fearful frenzy to the point of scamming them into buying gold and survival food kits from disreputable companies who until recently used Beck as a paid sponsor, we'd be much better off.

Yes, we voted for Obama, but we don't have buyers' remorse. On the contrary, it's like buying a new car and not being able to go more than 60 MPH the first month. We are actually frustrated that he hasn't been as progressive as we'd like but we're just getting started, baby. Health care reform, Wall Street reform, credit card reform, The Lily Ledbetter Act, moving troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan where they should have stayed in the first place, ending the Stop-Loss policy, eliminating outdated weapons systems like the F-22, saving the auto industry and millions of jobs with it, restarting the nuclear nonproliferation talks, and the list goes on. And this is in spite of Republican obstruction.  If you really pay attention, it's more the Party of No that has slowed down Hope & Change for an outside shot at More Of The Same.  How did that work out in the first decade of the 21st Century?

If there's a difference of opinion on policy issues, that's a completely legitimate debate to have, but if Republicans are actually blocking legislation that they themselves authored just to slow things down, maybe the Grey-Haired Brigade can enlighten us as to how that helps their constituents.  I keep hearing all this talk about "taking our country back" and "reclaiming our land and our freedom." But to that I ask, "Take it back from whom?" "What freedoms have you lost that you want to reclaim?"

But go ahead, Grey-Haired Brigade, go to the polls and vote your conscience.  But you'd better be right. Otherwise, we'll see you on the ice floes as the people you'd like to have in power don't really care about you. They care about their corporate masters, the ones who grease their palms so they can screw WE THE PEOPLE. And I don't want to hear any whining about it when they do.

And one more thing: STAY OUT OF THE LEFT LANE, SLOWPOKES!

Tea Party Scumbag Carl Paladino's Racist E-Mails

When are these morons going to realize that e-mail is not private? If you forward dumb ass, racist, pornographic e-mails, eventually you're going to offend someone and they're going to rat you out.

WNYMedia.net reveals that [New York Gubernatorial Candidate Carl] Paladino has “regularly forwarded pornography and racially degrading material to friends on the Internet.” The Buffalo News reports:

[WNYMedia.net managing director Marc] Odien released e-mail pictures that supposedly show Miss France having sex with a man, a photo of dancing African tribesmen entitled “Obama Inauguration Rehearsal,” a photo of President Obama and the first lady doctored to simulate a 1970s pimp and prostitute, and an e-mail showing chimpanzees doing an Irish dance entitled “proof the Irish discovered Africa."

And of course, in the new era of No Accountability, all you have to do is blame the Democrats. First he tried to sidestep the question of the e-mails by saying he didn't know what e-mails reporters were referring to, then that he forwarded e-mails without knowing what was in them and finally he was being smeared by Democrats...



...and now comes a crap ass apology and again trying to deflect and transfer the blame of his amazing stupidity of forwarding offensive, pornographic and racially incendiary e-mails on the Democrats!

"I confess to being human and imperfect, as are all of God's children," [Paladino]  told a Buffalo crowd Monday. "I am proud that I've created hundreds of jobs and opportunity for people of every ethnicity, color and sexual preference."

Paladino said he "didn't originate any of these e-mails" and was "somewhat careless" in forwarding them.

He said he tried to send the e-mails to "a very specific bunch of friends who somewhat enjoy that humor."

Paladino apologized to women for passing along porn - but not men.

"I say this to the men out there who have never opened a graphic image on the Internet: Don't vote for me. For those who have, I welcome your vote," he said.

Paladino's spokesman:

We're not surprised the political establishment feels threatened by Carl's drive the take Albany back for taxpayers. Our campaign won't be wading through the details of what is just another liberal Democrat blog smear. It figures that members of the Party who brought us record taxes, record spending and record debt would want to change the topic from reform to having sex with horses and S&M parlors.

Is Paladino racist? Who knows? Did he send racist e-mails? Absolutely. Now, I'm not going to say that I haven't engaged in off color humor (I'm an equal opportunity offender, including self-depricating humor) but I'm also not running for fucking Governor of New York State! And what kind of idiot actually forwards e-mails without knowing their content? Have you or anyone you know ever done that? He's obviously a liar as well as a classless punk and yet another millionaire trying to capitalize on the Tea Party rubes thinking it has anything to do with grass roots.

And yet after all of this, Paladino still thinks "the e-mails will not hurt his chances to gain the Republican Party's nomination this summer."

Clueless. I'm eagerly standing by to watch the inevitable political implosion of Carl Paladino.

But It's Not About Racism (The Tennessee Hospitality Edition)

"Walt Baker, the prominent CEO of the powerful Tennessee Hospitality Association who was a key figure in gaining approval of the controversial $585 million convention center, sent the kind of "joke" email last night -- comparing First Lady Michelle Obama to Tarzan's Cheeta..."

At least the story has a happy ending. Walt Baker was fired.

(H/T GottaLaff)

But It's Not About Racism (One of the Most Racist E-Mails Ever Edition)

A friend was appalled at an e-mail he received from a family member living in the southwest. He forwarded it to me for my take. Here is the email, undoctored except for the size and compilation of the photos for space reasons:

Subject: READ THIS AND WEEP!!!!!!!



I wonder how many other governmental type trucks they have been cloning?
Texas DOT Vehicle stopped by an alert DPS Trooper on I-10 between San Antonio
and Seguin , TX .



The Mexicans cloned a Texas DOT Truck and got busted smuggling drugs...
I wonder how long they got away with it before they got busted?
Let's give them more welfare money, more of our Social Security money, and raise your taxes to fund their free-ride... !

BELOW ARE PICTURES TAKEN AFTER A RAID ON A DRUG DEALER'S HOUSE IN MEXICO CITY...THIS HOUSE WAS IN A GATED AND WEALTHY SECTION OF MC. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS???



AREN'T WE GLAD THAT WE HAVE AN OPEN BORDER POLICY BETWEEN US?
JUST LOOK AT HOW WELL IT'S PAYING OFF........



I THINK ALLOWING MEXICAN TRUCKERS IN THE U.S. IS A GREAT IDEA!!! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE MILLIONS OF REASONS WHY.........



SEE HOW WELL THESE TRUCKERS ARE DOING? WHAT ARE WE THINKING???



Notice that nearly 100% of this money is U.S. currency!!! Do you now wonder why the cost of living has catapulted in our country??? I don't.

Some of the illegal aliens we're letting in can afford anything at any cost!!! And for the ones who cannot........ we'll give it to them anyway!!!



AND WE HAVE TWO BORDER PATROL AGENTS IN PRISON FOR SHOOTING AND WOUNDING A WELL DOCUMENTED MEXICAN DRUG DEALER

WHO, BY THE WAY, WAS ARMED AND ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A CONVICTED (BY MEXICO ) MURDERER.



MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, DOESN'T IT??? AUTOMATICS, SILENCERS...... THEY'RE ALL HAVING A NICE LAUGH ABOUT THIS STUFF AT OUR EXPENSE!!!



And our Government wants to give ILLEGAL ALIENS amnesty and not build the border fence because of funding!?!?!? SEND THIS TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR LOCAL CONGRESS REPRESENTATIVE. Our country is bleeding from the outside in!!! Don't you think it's time we take back what WE (NOT the Government) have sacrificed for over 140 years for??? I do. Build the fence higher and deeper, tighten border control, and send EVERY illegal alien home!!!

Nice touch, that patriotic eagle, huh?

So here's my take:

1 - This is one of the most racist emails I've ever seen.

2 – Drug smuggling has been going on forever. Just ask Oliver North. Things like this happen. That’s why it’s call DRUG SMUGGLING and not DRUG CARRYING OVERTLY ACROSS THE BORDER IN PLAIN SIGHT.

3 – ALL Mexican truckers are now to blame? That’s rich.

4 – Notice that it’s all US currency? NO SHIT! We have a horrible drug problem in this country, not only because of the "evil drug lords", but because of our DEMAND for it. (See Oliver North.) By the same token, we can be called ENABLERS of the drug trade.

5 – We no longer have don’t have an “open border” policy with Mexico & Canada. We must now show our passports to get across their borders. This happened under the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. I don’t know if it’s a holdover from the Bush years, but if it was a real problem, you’d think the Bushies would have done something about it before they left office, or at least after 9/11.

6 - According to this douchebag, all illegal aliens are rich, drug trafficers who can buy anything at cost, driving the cost of living up for us poor, flag loving Americans. But it doesn't matter because if they're not smart enough to be drug dealers, they'll just get on the government teet with...

7 – Welfare? Don’t you have to have documents to receive welfare? And Social Security? Don’t you have to pay into Social Security if you actually have a legally obtained job? Just more racist immigration hyperbole.

8 - Guns: Gee, those look like American made guns to me. You can thank your National Rifle Association for their lobbying against stricter gun laws that make it much easier for US made firearms to fall into the hands of those evil drug smugglers, gang bangers and common criminals to use against our law enforcement officers.

9 - "Sacrificing for 140 years"... Hmmm... that would have been 1869. What were we recovering from back then? Oh yeah, The Civil War. This imbecile is citing the time around the end of the Civil War as the starting point of their "sacrifice." What happened back then? Oh, I remember. Slavery ended. Negroes were freed by that Rupublican bastard Abraham Lincoln. Sounds like subtle secessionist talk to me.

But I really don’t get surprised by this type of stuff anymore. This email combined with the fact that the whole racism debate with Obama that is happening right now only goes to further prove the point that racism is not only a factor, but a significant one in this country. Electing a black man to the Presidency has only exacerbated it. It was hidden for a while now, just bubbling under the surface. The sleeping giant of Racism has now awakened – it didn’t go away because smart people actually voted for the smart guy.

Instead of being happy the Drug Enforcement Agency caught this particular crime and that our law enforcement is working, the racist who originated this email just decides to blame a WHOLE RACE of people. Because as we all know everyone else is evil if they don’t need sunblock. Did this same person blame the entire Caucasian race for Bernie Madoff? By their standard are all white people now thieves?... Or would it just be the Jews?

Pathetic.

ADDING... By the way, Texas racist email originator, this happened in your state. Stop your whining and start cleaning it up. Or better yet, just go ahead a secede already. Take your Governor's advice. We don't need you, we don't want you. Leave us Austin, and go away. Form your own banana republic and see how far that gets you when we sanction your ass.

Dear Red States

I don't know who the originator of this e-mail is, and I know that it's a few days late but I thought it was so funny that I had to post it. To whomever wrote it, thank you!

To: Broadway Carl
From: Anonymous

Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California , Hawaii , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois and all the Northeast. It may even include Florida and Ohio , they are seriously considering it. We've given them until Nov. 4th to decide. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country. Since we're dropping the middle states we're calling it United America, or simply the U.A.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. You can take Ted Nugent. We're keeping Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. You get WorldCom. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get Ole' Miss. We get Harvard and 85 percent of America 's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama . We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms, and the highest concentration of pregnant unwed teenagers. Please be aware that the U.A. will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, really we do, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire. We'd rather spend it on taking care of sick people, and educating our children.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy Redies believe you are people with higher morals then we Bluies.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out, Blue States


Update (4:40pm): A quick Google search brought me to this. Still funny.

Another Smear E-Mail in a Never-Ending Series: Iraq Safer Than Chicago

Another pathetic attempt to make is seem like all is going well in Iraq, children are singing, birds are chirping, dogs and cats are happily coexisting and that if Barack Obama wins the Presidency, the US will become one major "combat zone" just like Chicago and worse than Iraq - oh yeah, and Obama's from Chicago.

Here's the ridiculously inane e-mail (as received):

The US should immediately pull out of Chicago!

CHANGE CHICAGO NOW!!!

Body count. In the last six months 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago, 221 killed in Iraq .

Sens. Barack Obama & Dick Durbin, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Gov. Rod Blogojevich, House leader Mike Madigan, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike), Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J. Daley).....our leadership in Illinois.....all Democrats.

Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago . Of course they're all blaming each other. Can't blame Republicans, they're aren't any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country. Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look'em up if you want). Chicago school system one of the worst in country.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois, and He's gonna 'fix' Washington politics?

Well, well... where to begin?...

As usual, the originators of these types of e-mail don't link it to any pertinent information to verify these numbers. The author doesn't specify what "six months" he's talking about. The number of US military casualties from January through June is 2008. The number for the year to date is 270.

Since I don't want to spend too much time on this, I was not able to find a homicide rate for Chicago for the current year. The total homicide rate for Chicago in 2007 was 442, a 6.2% from from the 2006 total of 471.

So let's just assume that the year to date number of 292 for 2008 is an average and close to correct. Is the author then trying to equate military deaths in Iraq to civilian deaths in Chicago? If we are acting as a police force in Iraq, shouldn't the author equate the military deaths in Iraq to police officer casualties in Chicago? If that were the case, then year to date the number would be US casualties - 270, Chicago Police - 2.

And if you're going to use homicide numbers in Chicago, shouldn't you use the Iraqi civilian casualties? Or do those innocent civilians not count?

The death toll of Iraqi civilians has been very sketchy depending on who's counting. From the Congressional Research Service updated on August 27, 2008:

...For some time, the United Nations attempted to release comprehensive statistics on Iraqi civilian deaths. From August 2005 to March 2007, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) published a series of quarterly reports on human rights in Iraq that included sections on Iraqi civilian casualties. On April 25, 2007, however, the Iraqi government announced its intention to cease providing civilian casualty figures to the United Nations. Ivana Vuco, a UN human rights officer, stated, “[Iraqi] government officials had made clear during discussions that they believed releasing high casualty numbers would make it more difficult to quell unrest.”

...In an interview with the Boston Globe, Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, the chief U.S. military spokesman, said Iraqi ministry civilian death tolls estimates have risen from a low of 568 in December 2007 and 541 in January 2008 to roughly 721 in February 2008 and 1,082 in March 2008. “There was somewhere on the order of a 25 or 30 percent increase in the number of civilian casualties when you consider March compared to February,” Smith said, although “the numbers are still nowhere near what they had been last summer.” The New York Times reports that the Iraqi Health Ministry lists a total of 865 civilian deaths for July 2008 and 975 deaths for June 2008.

So, 975 Iraqi deaths reported in June as opposed to a claim of 292 deaths in Chicago for an unknown six month span. Kinda blows that e-mail out out of the water, doesn't it? And you'll forgive me if I believe that these "official numbers" aren't exactly accurate. With the reluctance of the Iraqi government to release their casualty numbers, the zealousness of the Bush administration to tamp down the numbers and use the surge as an end-all-be-all for success in Iraq, who knows how many Iraqi civilians have been killed?

Here are some other estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths from the same congressional report:

Iraq Body Count - March 19, 2003 - August 22, 2008: 86,661 - 94,558
Iraq Coalition Casualty Count - April 28, 2005 - August 22, 2008: 43,099
Brookings Iraq Index - May 2003 - August 14, 2008: 113,616
The Associated Press - April 2005 - February 13, 2008: 34,832 dead - 40,174 wounded
The Iraq Family Health Study (the “WHO study”) - March 2003 - June 2006: 151,000
The Lancet, “Mortality after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq” - March 19, 2003 - July 31, 2006: 426,369 -793,663

And finally, this number from Just Foreign Policy.Org:

The estimate that over a million Iraqis have died received independent confirmation from a prestigious British polling agency in September 2007. Opinion Research Business estimated that 1.2 million Iraqis have been killed violently since the US invasion.

As for the tax rate and the debt, the national debt $10 TRILLION and a yearly budget deficit of over $400 billion, but I'm not going to get into that portion of this stupid ass e-mail because for me, the main issue was the ludicrous idea that Iraq is safer than Chicago.

Maybe the originator of this e-mail should take a walk down a Baghdad street and compare it to a walk down a Chicago street. If given the opportunity, I'd bet my house they would pass on it.

How Stupid Is Bill O'Reilly?

Here's a clip of BillO's faux outrage of the hacking of Sarah Palin's private Yahoo e-mail account. I assume "faux"outrage because of the "shoe-on-the-other-foot" theory. If Obama's e-mail had been hacked, do you think BillO would come to his defense or inquire about the contents of the e-mail?

In this clip O'Reilly shows he knows practically nothing of the law, bitches about invasion of privacy when the Bush administration has been illegally wiretapping for years, and compares a website's posting of the illegally obtained information (which supposedly is protected by First Amendment rights if the story is newsworthy) as complicit in the crime and equating it to stealing a letter from a mailbox and sharing its monetary contents with a second party. In that hypotectical, he goes over the line and fudges the facts in trying to create a different scenario but claims it's the same thing.

Thankfully, Megyn Kelly sets him straight by asserting that if Fox News was the hypothetical recipient of the illegally obtained news, they would have no qualms about airing it. BillO disagrees and tries to dupe his viewers into believing what he wants to believe but knows is not true.



I wonder if he'll do a story if it comes to light that Palin used her private e-mail for governmental reasons to keep possible illegalities out of the public record... or would he just let others beat him to the scoop because that info was not leagally obtained?

Smear E-Mail Redux - Obama & McCain On The Issues

Here we go again. Another Obama smear e-mail, this time comparing the supposed stances each presidential candidate. Once again, the list of unverifiable information in the e-mail is astounding. But I'll go through them by actually doing as little research, as the sender of this e-mail most likely has not.


2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS

ISSUE: Favors new drilling offshore US
JOHN McCAIN - Yes
BARACK OBAMA - No

False. Obama opposes offshore drilling as the sole solution, but said he would consider a compromise if it were part of an overall comprehensive policy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and point us toward a path of new, renewable sources of energy.

From CNN.com 8/3/08 - Obama said Friday that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs.
"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama told The Palm Beach Post early into a two-day swing through Florida.
..."I made a general point about the fact that we need to provide the American people some relief and that there has been constructive conversations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate on this issue," he said during a press conference in Cape Canaveral. "What I will not do, and this has always been my position, is to support a plan that suggests this drilling is the answer to our energy problems," Obama added.
"If we've got a plan on the table that I think meets the goals that America has to set and there are some things in there that I don't like, then obviously that's something that I would consider because that's the nature of how we govern in a democracy."

And let's think about this logically. The oil companies currently own approximately 63 million acres of offshore leases that they are available to drill on and currently do not drill on. Even if they started drilling today, which is what John McCain proposes, there wouldn't be a drop of oil produced from any of the sites until 2017, nine years from now, and not a drop of usable oil because of the lack of refineries until 2030. That's twenty-two years from now... is that going to help short-term gas prices? And ultimately, if the oil companies did drill and got the oil out of the earth, it is now their oil, which goes on the global market. It isn't going to be sold exclusively to the United States. So to say that offshore drilling is going to reduce our prices is a false argument.


Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it.
JOHN McCAIN -Yes
BARACK OBAMA - No

Okay gang, everyone say it with me. Judges do not make laws. Congress makes laws. Judges interpret the laws. Now if you want to get into a philosophical argument about Obama and McCain's stances on Roe v. Wade (I like to call it a patient's right to privacy not a woman's right to choose) then have at it. But for someone like McCain who vowed to appoint Supreme Court judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade, isn't that the same as saying that his judges would "interpret" the law to his liking?

OBAMA: When we get in a tussle, we appeal to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution's ratifiers to give direction. Some, like Justice Scalia, conclude that the original understanding must be followed and if we obey this rule, democracy is respected.
Others, like Justice Breyers, insist that sometimes the original understanding can take you only so far--that on the truly big arguments, we have to take context, history, and the practical outcomes of a decision into account.
I have to side with Justice Breyer's view of the Constitution--that it is not a static but rather a living document and must be read in the context of an ever-changing world.
I see democracy as a conversation to be had. According to this conception, the genius of Madison's design is not that it provides a fixed blueprint for action. It provides us with a framework and rules, but all its machinery are designed to force us into a conversation.

Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 89-92 Oct 1, 2006

Served in the US Armed Forces
JOHN McCAIN - Yes
BARACK OBAMA - No

True. Duh... what does that have to do with anything? Is this to infer that McCain would support the troops and Obama wouldn't? The same McCain that voted against funding the troops in the middle of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over a dozen times and didn't even have the guts to vote on the new GI Bill, deciding instead to skip the vote, that John McCain?


Amount of time served in the US Senate
JOHN McCAIN - 22 YEARS
BARACK OBAMA - 173 DAYS

False. I don't know when this e-mail was originated, but Barack Obama won his senate race in November of 2004 and was sworn in as a US Senator in January of 2005. I know that math is hard for some Republicans but just for the record, today is August 31, 2008. I think that's more than 173 days. He also spent 8 years as an Illinois State Senator from 1997-2004.


Will institute a socialized national health care plan
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

Sigh... Yes, those evil social programs like Medicare and Social Security and public schools, and police and fire departments and the post office... boy they've made our lives a living hell, haven't they? And oh, by the way, every member of Congress including John McCain gets affordable health insurance... the kind that Barack Obama wants everyone to have. You can see his detailed health care plan here.


Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy.
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

False. See Obama's stance on abortion here.


Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

False. Since when does "being as careful getting out as we were careless getting in" constitute "immediate" pull out? This is just another scare tactic for those who believe Iraq is the central front on terrorism (Al-Qaeda wasn't in Iraq until after we got there). but even if you debate that issue, here is what Barack Obama said:

Barack Obama offered his "Plan for Iraq" in an op-ed in today's New York Times, affirming that he would begin a "phased redeployment of combat troops" that would remove them in 16 months, by summer of 2010.

You can read the Times Op-Ed here. Also, since it seems that the Bush Administration and the government of Iraq are in negotiations for a timeline for US troop withdrawal, then I suppose Obama was right after all.


Supports gun ownership rights
JOHN McCAIN - Yes
BARACK OBAMA - No

Here are a quick couple of quotes regarding Obama and his stance on gun ownership rights:

"As a general principle, I believe that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right, in the same way that we have a right to private property but local governments can establish zoning ordinances that determine how you can use it."

"...I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families. We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage. And so I think there is nothing wrong with a community saying we are going to take those illegal handguns off the streets. And cracking down on the various loopholes that exist in terms of background checks for children, the mentally ill. We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measure that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions."

And seriously, does anyone really oppose registering and licensing guns for law abiding citizens, while at the same time, trying to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill? Haven't we had enough random bell tower, college campus shootings?

You can view Obama's more detailed stance on gun control here.


Supports homosexual marriage
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

False. From CNN.com:

Barack Obama opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a constitutional ban. Says he would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. As stated on the Obama campaign Web site, he supports full civil unions that "give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights." Says the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Advocated legislation that sought to expand federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Says the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy needs to be repealed.

John McCain also opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment.


Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
JOHN McCAIN -No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

False, as you will see in the related issue below. You can also see Obama's detailed economy plan here.


Voted against making English the official language
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

True. Here's the reason.

"I believe the American people understand in order to succeed in our society, immigrants need to learn English. But the amendment would do a number of things that are problematical. The first is that it is contrary to the provisions of law that exist in many States. For example, in New Mexico, you have in their State Constitution, a provision that says that many of the documents within that State have to be provided in both English and Spanish. The same thing is true for the State of Hawaii. I believe this is a States rights issue, and those constitutions of those States ought to be respected. I do not believe it is a matter we ought to be imposing here from Washington DC. Also, this amendment would undo an executive order conceived by President Bill Clinton and implemented by President George Bush. Both recognized it is important that people who have limited English proficiency receive the kinds of services so they can understand what is going on in terms of the interface between the Government and themselves."

Common sense, no?


Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals
JOHN McCAIN - No
BARACK OBAMA - Yes

False. This is simply a twist of the wording to confuse the reader into thinking that any illegal immigrant can apply for Social Security benefits. What the bill was actually about was to reduce fraud and prevent identity theft by undocumented workers. What it would have done was to deny benefits accrued to those who paid into the system after they became legal. Barack Obama voted yes to kill the bill on the basis of the following:

"Americans understand that for years there are undocumented workers who have tried to follow our laws and be good neighbors and good citizens, and have paid into the Social Security Trust Fund.
Once that person regularizes his or her status, and as they proceed down the path to earned citizenship, they should have the benefit after having followed the law and made those contributions. That is fairness.
We should not steal their funds or empty their Social Security accounts. That is not fair. It does not reward their hard work or their financial contributions.
The amendment proposes to change existing law to prohibit an individual from gaining the benefit of any contributions made while the individual was in an undocumented status. I oppose this amendment and believe it is wrong."

And by the way, it's also false because McCain voted WITH Obama to kill the bill as well.



*******
The second part of this e-mail deals with the claim that Obama would kill us on the tax front. This has been debunked at FactCheck.org, a non-partisan group.

They write:

"Alert readers may already have noted that this chain e-mail does not provide links to any of Obama's actual proposals or cite any sources for the claims it makes. That is because they are made up. This widely distributed message is so full of misinformation that we find it impossible to believe that it is the result of simple ignorance or carelessness on the part of the writer. Almost nothing it says about Obama's tax proposals is true. We conclude that this deception is deliberate."

I'll provide their answers here to the following claims as well but feel free to check the link above.

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN - 0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA - 28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

False. The claim that Obama would impose a 28 percent tax on the profit from "all home sales" is false. Both Obama and McCain would continue to exempt the first $250,000 of gain from the sale of a primary residence ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly) which results in zero tax on all but a very few home sales.

It's untrue that Obama is proposing a 28 percent capital gains tax rate. He said in an interview on CNBC that he favors raising the top rate on capital gains from its present 15 percent to 20 percent or more, but no higher than 28 percent. And as for a 28 percent rate, he added, "my guess would be it would be significantly lower than that." Furthermore, he has said only couples making $250,000 or more (or, his policy advisers tell us, singles making more than $200,000) would pay the higher capital gains rate. That means the large majority of persons who pay capital gains taxes would see no increase at all.

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN - 15% (no change)

OBAMA - 39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')

False. Another false claim is that Obama proposes to raise the tax rate on dividends to 39.6 percent. Dividends currently are taxed at a top rate of 15 percent, and Obama would raise that to the same rate as he would tax capital gains, somewhere between 20 percent and 28 percent but likely "significantly" lower than 28 percent. This higher tax also would fall only on couples making $250,000 or more or singles making more than $200,000.

INCOME TAX

MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

Patently false. The claim that "Under Obama your taxes will more than double!" is also false. The comparative rate tables this e-mail provides for McCain and Obama are entirely wrong, as we explained in an earlier article March 13 about another false e-mail from which these tables are copied. It is supposedly a comparison of tax rates before and after the Bush tax cuts, but it grossly overstates the effect of the Bush cuts. Furthermore, Obama proposes to retain the Bush cuts for every single income level shown in this bogus table.

The false numbers in the e-mail were copied from a similar smear accusing Bill Clinton of the same thing in 1999. It was just copied Obama's name was inserted. Shameless.

INHERITANCE TAX

MCCAIN - 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA - Restore the inheritance tax Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

FALSE! The claim that Obama proposes to "restore the inheritance tax" is also false, as are the claims that McCain would impose zero tax and that Bush "repealed" it. McCain and Obama both would retain a reduced version of the estate tax, as it is correctly called, though McCain would reduce it by more.
The tax now falls only on estates valued at more than $2 million (effectively $4 million for couples able to set up the required legal and financial arrangements). It reaches a maximum rate of 45 percent on amounts more than that. It was not repealed, but it is set to expire temporarily in 2010, then return in 2011, when it would apply to estates valued at more than $1 million ($2 million for couples), with the maximum rate rising to 55 percent.
Obama has proposed to apply the tax only to estates valued at more than $3.5 million ($7 million for couples), holding the maximum rate at 45 percent. McCain would apply it to estates worth more than $5 million ($10 million for couples), with a maximum rate of 15 percent.


NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

FALSE! The e-mail continues with a string of made-up taxes that it falsely claims Obama has proposed. He has not proposed a tax on new homes with more than 2,400 square feet, or a new gasoline tax or a tax on retirement accounts. The most laughably false claim is that Obama would tax "water."

Two claims in this message, while not completely false, are still grossly misleading.

The claim that Obama would impose "new taxes on natural resources" may refer to his support for a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions, which indeed would impose large costs on industries burning coal, gas or oil and, indirectly, on their consumers. But McCain also supports cap-and-trade legislation, and even coauthored an early version of a bill that reached the Senate floor this year. Obama's plan would give the federal government more of the revenue from auctioning pollution permits than McCain's plan. Whether cap-and-trade amounts to a "tax" is a matter of interpretation. The fact is neither McCain nor Obama call it that.

There is also some truth to the claim that Obama would impose "new taxes" to finance his health care plan, depending on your interpretation of "new." He has said he would pay for much of his plan "by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for people making more than $250,000 per year, as they are scheduled to do." That would certainly be a tax increase for those high-income persons, compared with what they are paying now. But whether that's imposing a new tax, or just letting an old one come back, depends on your point of view. It may well be that Obama will eventually propose tax increases to finance some of his plan. We've noted before that the "cost savings" that he says will finance much of his plan are inflated and probably won't materialize, according to independent experts we consulted. But it's wrong to say that he's proposing such taxes now.

The short answer to our reader's question is, no, this message isn't real. It's a pack of lies.

**************

Here's a chart from the Washington Post that breaks down Obama's and McCain's tax plans by income demographic. While both Senators are proposing tax plans that would result in cuts for most American families, Obama's plan gives the biggest cuts to those who make the least, while McCain would give the largest cuts to the very wealthy.

Notice the misleading final line of the chart stating McCain's "Average Cut" would be more than Obama's. Well sure it is when you're giving a 4.4% tax cut to those making almost $3 million per year and a 0.2% tax cut for those making under $20,000 per year. (Click on chart for full size.)

And one last thing regarding the final asinine line of the e-mail: "New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!"

Someone should tell the citizens of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and a host of others that they're apparently living in a third world country because they receive universal health care!

Obama Smear E-mail Update

I've been away for the holiday weekend and obviously haven't done much blogging, but so far I haven't received a return e-mail in response to the one I sent to Mr. Brown. I did receive an anonymous comment that I hope will develop into something.

"I personally know THIS Gary McDermott. He was stationed with the 146th at Vung Tau, RVN as a crew chief on CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters based out of Vung Tau.

I'll be more than happy to forward your blog address to him and he can answer any questions you may have."

Stay tuned.

UPDATE (11:55pm): Another commenter

"#1CubsFanTX said...

Couldn't the Gary McDermott from this organization be one in the same?
http://www.vaughanpva.org/newsletters%202007/2006-2007%20Annual%20Report.pdf
I'm just tired people forwarding e-mails like this before they investigate if the are even true. Good Luck."

That led me to a site called Vaughan PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America) listing a Gary McDermott as it Chapter President with an e-mail address "gmac" as the name? Same Gary McDermott? Let's find out. I sent him an e-mail as well requesting more information.

From: Broadway Carl
To: Gary McDermott, Vaughan PVA
Subject: Regarding an E-Mail Using Your Name
July 8th, 2008 12:08am

Dear Mr. McDermott,

I am writing to you in regards to an e-mail I received entitled, “A Disabled Vet Speaks about Obama.”

In it, the writer speaks of having attended a local college to listen to Senator Obama speak, and after having asked a question regarding what the Senator plans to do in regards to veterans care, the writer claims that he was dismissed, was told to give contact information to an aide, and that he never heard from them again.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much pertinent information to verify this story except for the writer's name and unit. It was signed, "Gary McDermott, 147th ASH Hillclimbers, Vung Tau, RVN 68-69."

In a Google search using that information, I came across a comment posted in TampaBay.com(http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/06/sen-geller-supp.html#comment-118486902) which is an exact copy as the e-mail I received.

A quick Google search of the name and unit above also brought me to the 147th Hillclimbers website and a Gary McDermott is in fact listed as a member. An e-mail I sent to that site has yet to be answered.

If you are the same Gary McDermott, in an effort to verify the validity of this story I was hoping you could help with more specific information as to where and when your interaction with Senator Obama took place. There is so much happening with both campaigns that it’s hard to keep any story straight and completely factual. Both sides will spin to their advantage and I’m just trying to get to the truth.

As a matter of complete disclosure, I am an Obama supporter but I am not affiliated with the Obama campaign or the campaign website in any way. I'm just a concerned citizen who is trying to keep informed and search for the truth. I am also chronicling this exchange on my own personal blog and wanted to let you know that your correspondence to me would be public.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.

I'm hoping for a response.

The Obama Smear E-Mail Campaign Continues

I found this in my inbox today. Yet another one.
************************

Subject: A disabled Vet speaks about Obama

For what may be to come......

I am a VHCM member, I spent 12 months in Vietnam (147th CH47-CE) as most of us did. I am also a disabled veteran; I have been a wheelchair user for 35 years now. A few months ago I went to listen to Barack Obama at a local college. When he was done with his speech I got in line to ask him a question.

When my time came, my question was: "Senator Obama; I work with disabled veterans throughout the VA Hospital system, what is your plan for our veterans, especially our disabled veterans who use the VA Hospitals for their care. I stated we need mandatory funding for our VA system to ensure the care is available when needed, especially in light of the current situation in Iraq and the numbers of troops who are coming home with severe disabilities."

He told one of his aide's to get my name, blew me off, did not answer my question and I never heard from him or the aide again. Is this who we want as our "Commander in Chief"? He wouldn't even answer a "veterans" question, regarding other veterans.

Take it for what it's worth...just thought I'd pass on my experience with Mr. Obama.

Gary McDermott
147th ASH Hillclimbers
Vung Tau, RVN 68-69

If you are wishing for hope and change, you better know what the salesman is selling.

*********END E-MAIL**************

This e-mail may be a fairly new one, for when I tried to look it up for debunking purposes, nothing immediately popped up. A Google search revealed that it was used in a recent comment section of Tampa Bay.com dated June 11, 2008.

Unfortunately, there is nothing to easily verify this comment. The writer doesn't specify the date or what college he supposedly attended listen to Senator Obama. Also, the story sounds incredibly similar to Mitt Romney's encounter with a medical marijuana patient and blowing him off during a rally while Romney was still campaigning.

The writer does provide his full name and unit which I'll track down and see if I can do any amateur investigating to locate the writer and verify the story.

And just for the record, Barack Obama has a very specific policy regarding veterans as President of the United States. Here is a list of bullet points - specifics can be accessed via his website.

A Sacred Trust
Barack Obama believes America has a sacred trust with our veterans. He is committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve.

~Allow All Veterans Back into the VA
~Strengthen VA Care
~Combat Homelessness among Our Nation's Veterans
~Fight Veterans Employment Discrimination

Help for Returning Service Members
Obama will improve the quality of health care for veterans, rebuild the VA's broken benefits system, and combat homelessness among veterans.

~Ensure a Seamless Transition
~Fully Fund VA Medical Care
~Fix the Benefits Bureaucracy

Improved Mental Health Treatment
Obama will improve mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries.

~Improve Mental Health Treatment
~Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury
~Expand Vet Centers

UPDATE (7:35pm): A Google search of "Gary McDermott" and his unit name brought me to this website. The "Crew Roster" does indeed have McDermott's name listed among it's members. I have written an e-mail to a Rodney Brown of the 147th Veterans Association in an attempt to find out more information or hopefully get in contact with McDermott. Below is my e-mail.

Dear Mr. Brown,

Recently, I received an e-mail forward with the subject header, "A Disabled Vet Speaks About Obama."

In it, the writer speaks of having attended a local college to listen to Senator Obama speak, and after having asked a question regarding what the Senator plans to do in regards to veterans care, the writer claims that he was dismissed, was told to give contact information to an aide, and that he never heard from them again.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much pertinent information to verify this story except for the writer's name and unit. It was signed, "Gary McDermott, 147th ASH Hillclimbers, Vung Tau, RVN 68-69."

A quick Google search of the name and unit above brought me to your website and Mr. McDermott's name is in fact on your member list.

In an effort to verify the validity of this story, I was hoping you could help me contact Mr. McDermott or at least forward this information to him in hopes of making contact to get more specific information as to where and when his interaction with Senator Obama took place.

As a matter of complete disclosure, I am an Obama supporter but I am not affiliated with the Obama campaign or the campaign website in any way. I'm just a concerned citizen who is trying to keep informed and search for the truth.

I will include the body of the original e-mail I received for reference.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.

Correcting The Record

A couple of days ago, I received two more Obama e-mail smears in my inbox sent to me by a good friend who knew I'd get riled up about them. For the record, he doesn't believe them either but gets a kick out of me going off on a rant.

Now that I've had time to calm down and process the information, I decided to rebut the e-mail with one of my own, defending Obama's true positions and debunking the smears with the truth, complete with links for all the naysayers to look it up on their own, all the while trying to be polite and not calling them out for the idiots they are. I sent it to everyone on the forwarded list, and then some (including Obama supporters and non-idiots) in an attempt to start an e-mail blast of my own.

Here is the email:
*****************************
From: Broadway Carl
To: Undisclosed list
Subject: Re: THE TRUTH - Obama "saluting the US flag" and "standing with the Muslims"

Hi,

Most of you don't know me, but I received this email with all of your emails attached to it so I thought it would be nice to respond to all of you.

I know we're in the habit of receiving emails like this "Obama not saluting the flag" email and assuming that every time we get an email, it MUST be true. Just like the "forward this email and Bill Gates will give you $100,000". Or "If you don't forward this email, bad luck will befall you and your dog will crap on your carpet".

We all know those emails are false, and all you have to do is look it up on this amazing internet we have and be able to find out in about 5 seconds if they are true or not. Unfortunately, if you have a preconceived notion of someone or something in particular and want to believe it, then you will. We all have an inclination to believe or not believe something based on how we feel about something rather than based on fact.

So I decided to look up the “Obama doesn't salute the US flag" to see if it had ANY merit whatsoever. Just as I suspected, it does not.

According to Snopes.com:

Back in October, 2007, one of the hottest e-mail forwards was a picture capturing Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama standing in front of a US flag (at an Iowa political event) with his hands clasped in front of him during the playing of the US National Anthem (while other persons on the platform with him stood with their hands placed over their hearts.) This photographic brouhaha soon mutated into a FALSE claim that Obama “refused to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance” and the into the EVEN MORE FALSE claim that “he refused to recite the Pledge” at all – rumors which the Obama campaign soon provided evidence to negate.

While this controversy was all the rage on the Internet, political columnist John Semmens included a bit at the end of one of his satirical “Semi-News” columns (found on the website THE ARIZONA CONSERVATIVE) offering a mock explanation from the Senator about his non-hand-over-heart stance, poking fun at Obama by having him voice the opinion that “the American flag is a symbol of oppression” and that the US national anthem is too “bellicose” and should be replaced by something gentler like “I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing.”

This bit of satire evidently came off as too believable to some readers, as it has since been excerpted from Semmen’s column and forwarded via e-mail (WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION) as a genuine statement from Obama. However topical it might be, it’s just a bit of political commentaty-cum-humor, though, not the Senator’s own words.

So it took me longer to type the last three paragraphs out than it did to look this rumor up and find out it was false. And I’m letting you know the truth, COMPLETE WITH LINKS to verify that I’m not just making it up. You’re just one click away from seeing it for yourself and not just taking my word for it.

Here is another email I received. It’s a touching email about “John McCain’s Sons” and their military pedigree. At first glace, and about a 5 second check to verify it, the story seems to check out. Great! Good for John McCain and his sons. I’m sure he’s very proud of them. But then this touching email gets trashed by someone writing the following:

Has anybody heard if Barack Hussein Obama has served in The American Armed Services?

This is for all you Barack voters.
From Barack's book, Audacity of Hope:
"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

HE DID NOT SAY STAND WITH AMERICANS!!!!!

Laura

I don’t know who “Laura” is, whether she was the originator of the email or just someone passing it on, but here is THE TRUTH on this one. And all you had to do was actually look it up in the book which Laura claims the quote came from.

In this section of the book, Senator Obama was speaking about immigrants and citizenship. He often makes speeches to new citizens taking the oath after going through what they had to in order to become legal US citizens. And he speaks of the importance of not allowing inflamed public opinion to result in innocent members of immigrant groups being stripped of their rights, denied their due as American citizens, or placed in confinement, as was done with Japanese-Americans during World War II. Here is the actual passage from the book. Notice it contains no specific mention of “Muslims”:

"Whenever I appear before immigrant audiences, I can count on some good-natured ribbing from my staff after my speech; according to them, my remarks always follow a three-part structure: "I am your friend," "[Fill in the home country] has been a cradle of civilization," and "You embody the American dream." They're right, my message is simple, for what I've come to understand is that my mere presence before these newly minted Americans serves notice that they matter, that they are voters critical to my success and full-fledged citizens deserving of respect.

"Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." [Page 260-261]

Senator Obama was speaking of legal US citizens, immigrants who came to the US looking for a better life, legally emigrating here and that he would support them just like any other US citizen, as is their right. Anyone see the word “Muslim” in that quote? Me neither.

As far as Obama not serving in the Armed Services, well that’s another matter entirely. Obama is 46 years old. I think that means he missed the draft during Vietnam, and isn’t our Army an “all-volunteer” army as our current administration continually reminds us? If serving in the armed forces was a pre-requisite for an elected official, then George Bush, Dick Cheney, Fred Thompson, Trent Lott, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich, John Ashcroft, Karl Rove, Phil Gramm, Tom Delay, and a host of others, would never have been elected to office.

Yes, I am an Obama supporter, but that isn’t the reason I’m defending him here. The reason is that this upcoming presidential election is probably one of the most important of our lifetime, and no matter who you support, you should base your actions on facts, not rumors or email smears. Some of you are going to believe what you want to believe and I know that this won’t change your mind. But others might realize that you can’t believe everything you read in an email, or what you see on the evening news, and you might want to take just a couple of minutes to look things up for yourself.

If you’ve sent emails like “Obama is a Muslim” or “Obama won’t salute the flag” to some that aren’t on the list above or emails similar, I hope you’ll forward this one just like you forwarded the last one. To make a monumental decision like who you want to run our country and how you want the world to view us should be based on the issues and policies and not if someone wears a flag pin or not, or if someone’s wife plagiarizes cookie recipes.

And to whoever originated this email, thanks for inspiring me to find out the truth for myself, base my decisions on facts and to have the inclination to email everyone back to correct the record.

Thanks for reading – and please, forward this to anyone you know to correct the record. You wouldn’t want them to think you were a liar, would you?

By the way, I’m still waiting for my $100,000 check signed by Bill Gates.

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I would ask you that if you are reading this and haven't received my e-mail personally (which is traveling worldwide at this very second!) that you please copy and paste and send to your friends, family, co-workers, colleagues, pen pals, softball buddies, bowling team, garden club, movie club, book club or next door neighbor.

I'm sure they'd like to find out the truth for a change.