http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2008/06/24/opinion/doc485fe2862ab91612285398.txt#blogcommentsThe importance of being honest
Published: Monday, June 23, 2008 1:05 PM CDT
Nathalie Guyol
Guest columnist
The discussion that has arisen on this page beginning with undocumented attacks and repetition of unfounded rumors in an effort to discredit a candidate for president of the United States has reached a level – and the practice has become so common – that I believe it merits a full commentary.
We all read letters to the editor, and they do have an effect, so when such a letter consists of untruths, when the allegations are serious enough that they should not be made unless they can be proven, I believe it is important to respond, to be sure readers are aware of the truth.
With that in mind, though I don’t want to engage in battle with a particular individual, I do want to address the issues that Mr. Karl Pace and I have been discussing in the letters column. To that end, I will try to focus my criticism on the message, more so than on the messenger.
In response to a letter making certain allegations against Barack Obama, I requested, as an Obama supporter, that the writer tell us his source(s). I described what journalists typically accept as a source.
Let’s examine the substance of the reply to that request.
Notwithstanding that “many incidents in public” hardly qualifies as a source, the reply claims that Barack Obama “has shown no allegiance to the U.S.A. by not standing at attention for the Pledge of Allegiance.” There is no photo or reference to a verifiable news report to document this, and I believe we are therefore free to conclude that no such documentation exists. Didn’t happen.
A claim is made that Obama does not salute the U.S. flag; that’s obviously silly, since that’s expected of those in uniform but not civilians, so I really can’t address it.
It is claimed that Senator Obama refuses to wear a flag lapel pin.
The reply letter went on, “This was actually on television and brought to his attention by Lt. General Bill Ginn, USAF (ret.), on Saturday, March 22.” Handicapped by not knowing exactly what “this” referred to, I used the Google search engine and did find that on “22 Mar 2008 18:48:04 -0400,” a sender identified as “LTG Bill Ginn” forwarded to an unspecified audience an e-mail containing, word for word, the material that followed.
E-mail. To most thinking people, the quality of the source suggests the quality of the information. But I went looking for the documentation anyway.
I checked with snopes.com, a respected Internet Web site that debunks rumors and confirms truths. The following three paragraphs appear to have been lifted verbatim from an e-mail that was making the rounds as recently as April of 2008 – perhaps I have stumbled upon the original source!
“Obama was forced to explain why he doesn’t follow protocol when the national anthem is played.
“According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Section 171; during rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention, facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.
“As I’ve said about the flag pin, I don’t want to be perceived as taking sides,” Obama said. “There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.’ If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.”
But here’s the fun: Unlike the people who forward these e-mails, or send them as letters to editors, snopes.com offers sources for its material, and so we now know that the last paragraph above was itself lifted verbatim from another source: The Arizona Conservative, in a column written by John Semmens on Oct. 27, 2007. The title of the column? “Semi-News — A Satirical Look at Recent News.”
Satire, Mr. Pace. You’ve offered us satire as truth.
Finally, just to wrap this up, thanks to snopes.com we now know where to look in “Audacity of Hope” for the alleged statement by Obama, and it appears the reason the page was not identified in the letter is that the quote is not from the book.
According to snopes.com, there’s an e-mail (again!) going around that misquotes the following passage from page 261:
“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 reassurances 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.”
Not everyone has time to read every book, but certainly anyone who uses the Internet to receive and send email should find it easy to verify what he reads or hears before repeating it up as fact — for starters, just type in www.snopes.com.
America is about to choose the next leader of the free world, so the stakes are high and lies cannot be tolerated – on either side. I hope each of us will pay close attention to what is said, or implied, and speak up whenever and wherever truth is dishonored.
Nathalie Guyol is a contributing Monday columnist for the Daily Light. She is an essayist living in Waxahachie. She can be reached at guyol@flash.net.
Empire or democracy? Letter: On Dr. Kelley
Article Rating
Current Rating: 4 of 1 votes! Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thedailylight.com.
Your comment has been submitted and will be viewable once it is approved.
newintown wrote on Jun 23, 2008 4:03 PM:
" Obama wouldnt know the truth if it slapped him in the face. I feel truely sorry for all of you Dems buying his bill of goods.
If you want socialization of medical care.
If you want redistribution of wealth.
If you want a weak military.
If you want higher fuel prices.
If you want a large government that regulates everything you do.
BY ALL MEANS VOTE OBAMA! "
ellisprzr wrote on Jun 23, 2008 5:40 PM:
" Don't forget what is behind door number 2:
-Social security benefits for illegals
-granting drivers licenses to illegals
-extending welfare programs to illegals
Can't wait to find out who will foot the bill for this nonsense! "
awillis111 wrote on Jun 24, 2008 12:15 AM:
" Fact 1: Tony Rezco, shady back room property deals, that benefitted Mr Obama, by helping aquire his property in Chicago at less than market value.
Fact 2: Fr. Micheal Pfleger, Rev Jeremiah Wright. One White, One Black; Both anti-semitic America haters that preach hate of everything that is not part of Black Liberation Theology.
Fact 3: William Aires. An admitted, and unrepentant, domestic terrorist, that bombed the Pentagon, NYC Police headquarters, and the US Capitol building as part of the Weather Underground, and was quoted on 9/11 as saying that he did not regret any of his activities, and thought that the underground didn't do enough.
Fact 4: All the subjects listed above have been friends, pastors, spiritual leaders, and political backers of Barack Hussien Obama for the past 20 years, yer when he is confronted with their un-American acts and words, his only respomse is that these are not the people he knew.
From these facts, Ms Guyol, it leads me to conclude that Mr Obama does not have the jusgement or the experienced to hold the highest office in this nations government. It appears that he is unable to tell a foe from a friend. "
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
