Tampa Bay Times PolitiFact (R)
Is it all fair game when it comes to our modern political discourse? Do the ends justify the means, no matter if that includes outright lying and cheating? Although our history is filled with deceptive political shenanigans, the expansion of the Media and the Internet has exacerbated the impact of these illegitimate measures which are compounded by perhaps the most politically ignorant and gullible American public of all time. I recently received an e-mail that had already made the rounds on the Internet that Sean Hannity was going to show a video on his Fox News show but it was "pulled off the air by the Obama Administration" but that you could still see it on YouTube "before it gets pulled." The video? A poorly edited mash-up of Obama speeches crafted to create a message that he really is "not one of us!" Sound familiar? See all the hype about Obama 2016? More of the same, but this one has a twist...it claims Obama has BLOCKED the free press from showing material on the air. Really? Doesn't the First Amendment protect the press? Of course it does and of course Obama DID NOT block a thing from Sean Hannity's show. But where is Sean Hannity in this matter? Is he out front proclaiming this email is nothing but a lie? A hoax? A misguided attack on Obama? Sean Hannity is missing in action. Why? Because he hates Obama so much, allowing the ideologically propelled opponents of Obama to cling to anything that will convince them that Obama is evil, is okay. Sean Hannity enjoys the spotlight, as long as it helps to destroy Obama. But Hannity then becomes part of the problem doesn't he? Isn't he using (by his silence) his position on Fox News to misguide Americans into hating their President? No matter the nature of the lie, as long as Obama is defeated, then Hannity is okay with that? When I responded to the person sending me the email along with all of its recipients that the email was not true, I received replies that Obama has ruined America. Wait a second...even though the email is false and I provided ample Internet links to establish the evidence of its falsehood, the response is "so what, Obama's gotta go!" What gives? Do honesty and truth no longer matter? When Mitt Romney bloviates that "redistribution is not an American value" (also a lie) does he mean lying, cheating and manipulating are an American value?
In our local paper, a new ad appeared sponsored by GINGPAC, which stands for "Government is Not G-d." According to their website, they are dedicated to amending the First Amendment so that Christianity is protected. They favor the Senate candidacy of Todd Akin (because he opposes abortion in all cases, including incest and "forceable" rape...like there is any other kind?) and because they claim Obama " is a Muslim." Their ad reads "Barack Hussein Obama Will Move America to....Force Police Agencies to allow Muslim Brotherhood to select staff" (really?). "Force courts to accept Islamic Sharia law in domestic disputes" (but Ecclesiastical Courts are okay)...Really? "Force employers to give illegal immigrants the jobs of U.S. citizens" (huh?). "Force doctors to assist homosexuals in buying surrogate babies"(What the hell does that mean anyway?). The ad goes on to read..."Barack Hussein Obama is the only President in history who has deliberately removed the words "endowed by their Creator" when referring to our Declaration of Independence, not once but several times"(actually this is a lie)...and that "he as President can take rights away for the "social good." Wow. Really? Of course not, but as I have been writing, lying to destroy another seems to be the new value system of the politically engaged religious right. And where is Mitt Romney to snuff these lies out? To proclaim lying and distortions like these have no place in American society? "All I need is 51% to win" is all Romney can say.
The ends rarely if ever, justify the means. Lying and cheating are not American values.
In our local paper, a new ad appeared sponsored by GINGPAC, which stands for "Government is Not G-d." According to their website, they are dedicated to amending the First Amendment so that Christianity is protected. They favor the Senate candidacy of Todd Akin (because he opposes abortion in all cases, including incest and "forceable" rape...like there is any other kind?) and because they claim Obama " is a Muslim." Their ad reads "Barack Hussein Obama Will Move America to....Force Police Agencies to allow Muslim Brotherhood to select staff" (really?). "Force courts to accept Islamic Sharia law in domestic disputes" (but Ecclesiastical Courts are okay)...Really? "Force employers to give illegal immigrants the jobs of U.S. citizens" (huh?). "Force doctors to assist homosexuals in buying surrogate babies"(What the hell does that mean anyway?). The ad goes on to read..."Barack Hussein Obama is the only President in history who has deliberately removed the words "endowed by their Creator" when referring to our Declaration of Independence, not once but several times"(actually this is a lie)...and that "he as President can take rights away for the "social good." Wow. Really? Of course not, but as I have been writing, lying to destroy another seems to be the new value system of the politically engaged religious right. And where is Mitt Romney to snuff these lies out? To proclaim lying and distortions like these have no place in American society? "All I need is 51% to win" is all Romney can say.
The ends rarely if ever, justify the means. Lying and cheating are not American values.
RSS Feed
