18 Comments

1. Jesus. America is more fucked up than I thought it was.

2. This all sounds crazy… until you begin to think.

   These people have a genuine antipathy for Obama. Their feelings are fed by FOX “News”, trash-talk radio, and the GOP VP nominee. I was never really afraid that American politics would resort in physical violence until last week. The McCain campaign has a moral obligation to denounce this entire line of behavior before someone gets murdered.

   I was born after Kennedy and Martin Luther King were dead. Political assassination is an anachronism to my generation… unless McCain fails to stop it.

3. Drill baby, drill!!! Man, that’s effed up!

4. Allah, Ged! An Al-Jazeera news piece? WTF?

   The guy using the word ‘Nigra’ I agree with you on. The guy talking holy spirit in Palin, well that’s his belief, I guess. Some of the others though, however “colorful” they sound, they’re just talking about issues that have been raised. People have some concerns about him.

   There’s a lot of grist for the mill so to speak.

   His preacher of 20 years says “goddamn America”, he’s had associations, however tenuous, with Bill Ayers, unrepentant domestic terrorist. He has quite a few quotes in his book that are difficult to get by without some pause. He described his Grandmother disparagingly as a “typical white person”, and said that the white race would always remain “menacing, alien and apart”. He finds resonance with Malcolm X. He was registered as a muslim at the school he attended for 4 years in Indonesia and attended Mosque with his stepdad pretty regularly. I can rationalize this stuff, but it does take some doing. Are you really voting for this guy with zero misgivings? I hope people are voting for him out of pragmatism, identifying him as the better choice, not because they think he is perfect and infallible.

   All things considered, I’m going to paraphrase John McCain and say that Barack Obama is a decent man. I may even vote for him, just to see what happens. It would be nice if the oceans stopped rising and the world begins to heal from it’s current ruin. I can only assume he’s found a way to remove greenhouse gases from the atmo that he’s going to let us in on after inauguration day. (Actually, I think he said the oceans would stop rising when he got the nomination):)

   I’m also looking forward to him “spreading the wealth” as he said he will in his response to Joe the Plumber. Spread, baby, spread!

5. Yes Ben, an Al-Jazeera news piece. Don’t align yourself with the fools shown in this video and attempt to shoot the messenger. Not all “Muslims” or “Arabs” want to kill us or are even bad people, so before you go down the very same bigoted road at the men and women in this video, think before you speak. They didn’t hold a gun to these McCain supporters heads. No, this hateful bile came right from their own mouths.

   “He’s related to a known terrorist, for one.”

   Yep, Obama is related to a terrorist. Right. That’s an ISSUE that has been raised. That he’s directly related to a terrorist.

   “He must support terrorists!” Yes, he MUST support terrorists and terrorism right Ben?

   “I don’t like the fact that he thinks us white people are trash” Yeah, I hear him calling white folks trash every single day out on the trail, don’t you Ben?

   “Just the whole, Muslim thing…” What Muslim thing?! Obama is NOT a Muslim. And even if he were it should make no difference. Racism and bigotry all wrapped up in a nice little ball of hate right there for you.

   Disgusting.

6. And here’s another example of hate against Obama in action. From the FL GOP none-the-less. Enjoy being on the side of lies, bigotry and racism? Yeah, that’s a winner.

7. i agree with ben, lets get obama in to see what happens. here you have an independent businessman who’s made an untold fortune from microsoft and the likes looking down down on the common man. lets give obama a chance to make things fair. geds county is far more wealthy than mine. take some of geds and kick it over this way.
   and the northern teir of rich socialist states like new hampshire, new york and the likes? time for them to pay for the schools in alabama and s.carolina.
   maybe, just maybe, if obama is for real, our streets will look like those in havana before to long where all are equal and none better than anyone else. yes my dear ged, we will embrace your socialist utopia. then we will seize your wealth.

8. 1 to 10 million ged?? that makes you rich huh? and of course we all know about those evil rich white folk don’t we ged?
   you see ged, we learned from you.

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9. Jim,

   There’s so many things wrong with your comments I don’t know where to start. Is this post about Obama’s policies?

   No. Its about bigoted hate directed for no defendable reason toward Barack Obama.

   Please provide proof that Obama will turn the United States into Soviet Russia. I defy you to find me some. Bush, Paulson and Bernake have done far more to advance that goal than the Senator from Illinois.

   Don’t pretend to think you even know how much my business or I myself make because you don’t. And even if I was “rich”, which I’m not, I’d be more than willing to pony up my fair share. The more you make, the more you pay, that’s the way it works. When you start out and you’ve got next to nothing, you should pay next to nothing. When you become successful, you should pitch in your fair share, perhaps more because you have extra while the rest have crap.

   So here I sit, a successful businessman, totally willing to go back to Clinton era tax rates for the good of the country, your children’s future and the health of our economy. Something inadequate about that Jim or are you just so greedy that you aren’t willing to do your part for the good of your fellow Americans?

   What’s it going to be? Me or we?

10. I’m just a little skeptical of Al Jazeera pieces that’s all – I’m not a fan of that news organization or it’s slant on things. Nor am I a fan of Fox News for that matter.

    You’ve got to read between the lines on these, Ged. The interviewees that made the cut for this scintillating piece of journalism were obviously not the sharpest tools in the shed.

    >“He’s related to a known terrorist, for one.”
    What the guy’s trying to express is probably that he has been linked to a terrorist, Bill Ayers. He has a “relationship” with him.

    >“He must support terrorists!”
    OK, I agree this one’s malarkey. No evidence of that.

    >“I don’t like the fact that he thinks us white people are trash” Yeah, I hear him calling white folks trash every single day out on the trail, don’t you Ben?

    Well, Ged, Senator Obama did accuse rural whites of being bitter and clinging to guns and religion. I thought it conveyed a certain level of contempt consistent with the sentiment that the lady was trying to express.

    >“Just the whole, Muslim thing…” What Muslim thing?! Obama is NOT a Muslim. And even if he were it should make no difference.
    I don’t think he’s a muslim either. But if he were it should make a difference

    Would you vote for a devout Muslim for President, Ged? Maybe you would, proud of your tolerance. Funny, I get the sense you wouldn’t vote for an evangeilical Christian though. I will not vote for a Muslim. Because a true devout muslim is someone who takes the Koran literally. It is an unreformed 8th century religion. In the countries where it rules, women have to wear the burka, a (a sack with eye-holes), they have few rights. People get extremities chopped off. The Koran literally labels all non-muslims, specifically Jews, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists as idolators where Idolaters are to be mistrusted, fought and stamped out. Are you down with that, Ged? Non-muslims are considered 2nd class citizens. Unlike non-violent Christianity, where prostitutes are defended against stoning, and the other cheek gets turned, Under Islam, women are stoned regularly.

    Islam has a constitution in the document that is the Koran that is incompatible with our western freedoms and I would never vote for someone who adheres to that constitution and I would hope that you wouldn’t either. These aren’t people who will just seek to forbid abortion, these are people who when they have a majority and political power will abort YOU if you don’t convert to Islam when they decide.

    So I put it to you again, Ged. Would you vote for a born-again/devout/evangelical christian presidential candidate, knowing that Christianity advocates only peace and non-violence and voluntary conversion in its document? Now, would you vote for a muslim candidate who had a similar devotion to Islam, knowing the tenets of Islam, of conversion by the sword, intolerance of other religions and atheism and brutal oppression of women? I can’t believe that those values would be OK with you in a President or in any politician.

11. “And even if I was “rich”, which I’m not, I’d be more than willing to pony up my fair share. The more you make, the more you pay, that’s the way it works. When you start out and you’ve got next to nothing, you should pay next to nothing. When you become successful, you should pitch in your fair share, perhaps more because you have extra while the rest have crap.”

    is that not what i said? spread the wealth ged!

    Barack Obama was born of Communist activists, mentored by a communist writer and activist, spent his college days hanging around radical activists, worked as a radical community organizer learning the radical tactics of Alinsky, kept contact with radicals through the years, attends a radical church, and today lends his political skill to the international goals of radical activists, and has radicals working on his campaign.

    The fact is, Obama has been around Marxists, of one kind or another, since the age of 12.

    obama/biden ’08!! viva la resistance!!

12. Ben,

    “Well, Ged, Senator Obama did accuse rural whites of being bitter and clinging to guns and religion. I thought it conveyed a certain level of contempt consistent with the sentiment that the lady was trying to express.”

    One remark months ago does not equal what this woman thinks she heard. In addition, Obama says he regrets the statement and apologized for it. But that doesn’t matter because she, like you, hears what she wants to hear.

    “So I put it to you again, Ged. Would you vote for a born-again/devout/evangelical christian presidential candidate, knowing that Christianity advocates only peace and non-violence and voluntary conversion in its document?”

    I hate to break this to you Ben, but this is the United States of America, not Communist China, North Korea or another dictatorship. Someone’s race, sex, religion, sexual orientation shouldn’t make one damn bit of difference in their ability to be hired, get elected, be respected or do their job.

    Would I vote for a devout member of any religion? As long as that person was highly qualified and didn’t let their policy be primarily guided by their faith, yes I would. Be they Jewish, Mormon, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Atheist.

    Let me ask you, would YOU vote for an outwardly gay candidate for President even if they were the one best qualified for the job?

13. I see some stupidity in there, sure. But I also see two statements listed there as simple opinion and concern, by people who don’t pretend they are fact. And I think it’s really sad that people are called “the antithesis of what America is all about” for having an opinion or being concerned.

14. Steven,

    I assume the statements of “simple opinion and concern” you are referring to are these two:

    “He seems like a sheep – or a wolf in sheep’s clothing to be honest with you. And I believe Palin – she’s filled with the Holy Spirit, and I believe she’s gonna bring honesty and integrity to the White House.”

    “Just the whole, Muslim thing, and everything, and everybody’s still kinda – a lot of people have forgotten about 9/11, but… I dunno, it’s just kinda… a little unnerving.”

    I have no problem with what either of these two people said. The majority of things said in this clip have nothing to do with simple “concern”. They have to do with racism and bigotry pure and simple. America is a place where all opinions should be allowed to be heard. So the hateful things that are being said about Obama are protected speech and I actually support them. It doesn’t however make it right and when the violence that will inevitably happen occurs, it will be because the right, including John McCain and Sarah Palin themselves, were the instigators.

    I stand by these people’s comments as the anthesis of America. This country was founded on the basis of religious, social and economic freedom. If someone subscribes to the theory that they are superior to anyone else be it in race, religion, sexual orientation or heritage then they are running counter to the original concept behind America. IMHO.

15. I’m not saying that I’m holding a grudge over the “bitter” comment. I think the people it was directed at are, which she seems to be one of. There’s idiots on both sides that are going to vote for irrational reasons and hold grudges over comments. I know he apologized for it and that’s fine with me.

    I agree with you on voting for devout members of any religion. Obviously questions about particular tenets of the faith that might conflict with our constitutional freedoms would have to be answered to satisfaction. I think that a Muslim candidate would have to reject a lot of things in the Koran and be very moderate to be acceptable. I still hold that strict adherents of Islam would probably be incompatible in more ways than members of other major world religions.

    If a gay presidential candidate had the right stuff and I he was the best qualified for the job of the choices, I would vote for him. He would have to be well-behaved to get my vote though. Part of being well-qualified in my book. Let’s say he was similar in positions to McCain orr Kerry or Joe Biden but had a dude as his life partner, that would be fine, I guess. I might not give my vote though if he like to do those gay parades in assless chaps. That wouldn’t be very presidential.

16. Ben, a well reasoned reply all around. I agree 100%. I don’t subscribe to electing someone based on religious equality, but I also don’t subscribe to discriminating against someone because of their beliefs (unless they have demonstrated they are radical enough to allow those beliefs to influence their policy and actions).

    I also agree 100% about your stance on the gay candidate. Unfortunately our country isn’t in a place where such a scenario would play out in a manner fitting of tolerance I fear. In many areas, we still have a long, long way to go.

17. I was referring to the sheep comment and the one about might be hiding anti-white. The Muslim thing has been beaten to death and is not true. But the two comments I’m talking about are comments about not knowing Obama’s heart, and I can understand that.

    Mind you, I’m not saying I agree with either. In fact, I’ll be really specific: I don’t. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with admitting you don’t know someone’s heart. And I think concern is an appropriate reaction. But it’s the same concerns I’d expect people to have for any other candidate.

    The rest of the comments you quoted are horrible, though. I can’t watch the video. Sorry. Every time I try to watch the ignorant McCain supporters, I feel physically ill. If I actually tried to get through one of those videos, I’m sure I’d end up vomiting…

18. Oh, I read your reply again. Now I think you’re saying that the other comments are un-American. Simple concern is okay, but the people bleaching their bed sheets or making stupid stuff up aren’t. We totally agree. 🙂

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