Effigy of hanging Palin prompts visit from feds
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CavemanLawyer
I hope somebody tests that theory. Morrisette should get right on it, in the interests of fairness and testing the theory (which I think probably would have been true in the absence of the Palin and McCain mannequins.)
Anyway Mr. Morrisette, any relation to Alanis? --Cirroc
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ptolemy
I think this election reaction from some people is getting a little scary.
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Helter_Skelter
If it had been an effigy of Obama in a noose, he'd have already been in FBI custody and charged with multiple hate crimes. And after being released from prison, he'd be on every FBI domestic terrorist watch list for the rest of his life. The MSM would be all over it, 24/7.
But an effigy of Palin in a noose? No big deal.
And still, the leftists don't get it.
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sailwind
This is going to one very quite thread I predict.
I really hope I'm wrong but the gut tells me I'm going to be right.
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smithinjapan
sailwind: why would it be a quiet thread? Don't tell me you assume that because it's a PALIN effigy and not... ahem... someone else's, you think it's going to be quiet.
That was kind of rhetorical, but it makes a point I was going to make earlier (and will make) to Helter before I got a call and had to refresh the page later, which is that you guys are upset about McCain losing and the prospect of Obama, and are akinning anything that happens with/against him as being biased in one way or another. For example, while this Morrissette is a fool and his 'joke' completely tasteless and I feel he should be ashamed, this is NOT, as Helter tries to do, in any way comparable to the openly advertised threat on Obama's life by the two Neo-Nazi skinheads the other day.
Again, the guy is a moron for making this effigy, but technically, and in particular with Hallowe'en, it's hard to charge him with any crime -- and he certainly can't be locked up. Now, the Feds were perfectly right and in fact had the responsibility to go and check out if it posed a threat, particularly because, as the article says, putting it in a noose is not something to be ignored, but if they find no evidence of it being a threat, whay can they do? What can the man be charged with? If it had a note saying, "This is going to be YOU, Palin!" then the guy can be arrested and locked up for threatening the life of a senator.
So, let's clarify a couple of things here:
This guy sounds like a bit of a nut, and someone to keep an eye on, but so far he has not issued any threats, and aside from the very tasteless display he has done nothing wrong.
This is nothing at all like the death threat by the skinheads -- in which the Feds were also dispatched, but which Helter seems to think Obama received preferential treatment for some reason solely because the two were arrested while Morrissette was not.
I agree with ptolemy; the reaction this election is getting is downright scary at times, and I predict, with the desperation that will ensue on the losing side, it could very well get MUCH worse.
Finally, we end with Helter's closing comment: "And still, the leftists don't get it."
Well, at the very least I don't get what you mean by the last line. People on the left don't get... what? That this was not a death threat? That people are the Right seem to confuse apples with oranges? Are you going to allow sales of Obama masks for Hallowe'en, but if someone dons a Palin or McCain mask with the slightest lack of respect for the rest of their attire you think they should be locked up? Come Hallowe'en night, there are going to be people wearing masks for whom they support, or those they are against -- and in all likelihood they'll arrange the remainder of their costumes accordingly... but they cannot be arrested either so long as they are not a threat.
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yabits
One of the main points is that the displays were done by the owners on their own private property. If someone wanted to hang an effigy of ANY candidate as a stunt, and not as a threat, on their own property, and it doesn't violate any contracts or covenents they might have signed, they should be perfectly free to do so. And it should not matter if it's Obama or Biden or McCain or Palin.
It is well within the bounds for law officials to pay a visit to ensure that someone's first amendment right to free expression isn't intended as a threat to someone else. Everyone who understands American history, however, knows that the noose has traditionally been used to intimidate and threaten black people indiscriminately. More decades will have to pass before the feelings about this subside. (And I've got a notion that a successful Obama presidency will aid in that cause immensely.)
But still, a lot of right-wingers apparently just don't get it.
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skipthesong
it's hard to charge him with any crime" That would depend on the state's hate crime measures. Had it been in NYC, of the state of New York, and had it been Obama or any black person, the idiot would have been arrested but would not have been arrested had it been a white person. That's just New York though.
But, I really don't see a big problem with it since it is of Palin and the best thing she should do is ignore it.
Helter, many on the left are denouncing it, at least from what left leaning media I usually look at. It hasn't made any Spanish media on the East Coast though.
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skipthesong
btw, many of these incidents have come out to be hoaxes, like what happened at Columbia. Has there been any indications of that reported?
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skipthesong
Obama presidency will aid in that cause immensely." Really, you don't think that finally a federal hate crimes law will go into effect?
Additionally, could or should this be taken as a threat, if real and not a hoax? I believe in most places, swatzstickers are considered as such...
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ImperiumMundi
the usual double standards. move along.
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smithinjapan
skipthesong: "Had it been in NYC, of the state of New York, and had it been Obama or any black person, the idiot would have been arrested but would not have been arrested had it been a white person. That's just New York though."
Do NYC's hate laws state that if it's a black person they will be arrested, but not if they are white? That sounds more like speculation (based on past examples perhaps, but still) and not a matter of law.
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smithinjapan
Imperium: "the usual double standards."
Really? Where is the Obama effigy, and the prison where the man/woman who displayed it kept? haha. Move along is right. Come on, man, you can do better.
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rabblerouser
That's really a condemnable act.
Hope Mr. Morrisette get's a good scare from the FEDs this halllowen
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skipthesong
Do NYC's hate laws state that if it's a black person they will be arrested, but not if they are white? That sounds more like speculation (based on past examples perhaps, but still) and not a matter of law." Ok, you got me. I haven't read the law. But I do have quite a few lawyer friends and one friend works with the Kings County prosecutor. Now, according to them it would have to be a horrendous crime in order to a hate crime to be pushed against a black person, where as, as past examples have shown, simple to place a hate crime charge against a white male or non-black Hispanic. Its pretty much the defult. I am not going to list the cases even as recent as last year, I'll let you do that, but try to spend a few months in NYC and you tell me if I'm wrong.
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timorborder
Don't know about everyone else, but I think this sort of thing goes beyond the Palin!!!!!
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Bento
Can
t recall the tv show, but i recently saw one of the pre-election "guage americas mood" type program from about 1 week ago and it did show a halloween effigy of Mr Obama (albeit with a slightly corrupted name) hanging from a tree in the front yard of a southern house..no mention of secret service involvement there.Having said that it was from a state where a good proportion of the white voters still labour under the illusion that Obama is islamic due to his middle name being Hussain..0
Madverts
Heh, the flailing comments from the Palin JT camp are at best amusing. I saw an interview here on Canal + where questions were being put to men in a blue-collar area of the US that normally always votes Democrat. The men are sat round a table eating breakfast with a In Guns We Trust poster in the backdrop and the reporter says to one man, "will you be voting for Senator Obama?"....the man replies no, and when asked why, he simply states "because I don't like n......".
Y'all have got a fundemental, ingrained racial problem in the US as the comments about Obama's perceived special treatment show. One can only hope the Obama presidency, which is sure to happen now, might make headway to changing all this.
As to effigy's hanging, Sarko has been hanging from a bar/tabac near me since he got elected...
0
moonbeams
what a jerk
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skipthesong
one reason where I would feel a bit of sympathy for Palin is mostly for her kids.. she is a mother and having an effigy of you mother must be one hell of a sight..
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ImperiumMundi
let them have their fun. next halloween obama's recently proposed department of peace and non-violence will be spending your money to see to it that no one in America gets away with this unless it is officially $anctioned.
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CavemanLawyer
Skip and Smith, you both have good points. How it would all come out in the courts is anybody's guess, and I am sure that both outcomes happen with regard to those silly hate crime laws. A lot of that depends on the mood and prejudices of the people, and hatred of whites, real as it is, is not even fathomable for a lot of people, even lawyers and judges.
I believe that if it were an effigy of Obama, public opinion would go nuts, and even the most ridiculous charge would be filed just to get this dude into a courtroom.
God I hope not. Hate crime laws are about as stupid as they come. You punish the crime, not the motive. The motive has no bearing on punishment unless those making the rules and/or the judgments are prejudiced themselves. Why should someone get more time for killing a person of a race they hate, but less for killing for money? It makes no sense.
And it just gets silly when this guy has effigied not one but two white people and nobody is thinking race hate. But noose an Obama mannequin and that is right where minds go. Why? Because he is white? Heck, I am white and I have more negative feelings about whites than any other race. --Cirroc
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CavemanLawyer
You never know. They might have a picture of it as their computer wallpaper right now! --Cirroc
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JoeBigs
I am glad to see that the secret service has paid this wing nut a visit. There is no place for any American to be doing things like this. Our country does not need any more fuel for the fire that has been lit.
People like this need to understand that this is not a way to try to make a point.
I hate wing nutz, Right or Left!
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LFRAgain
I did a little digging in response to Helter_Skelter's claim of overkill reaction from the authorities. Let's see...
Oregon school says 4 confessed to Obama effigy Sep 30, 2008
Hmm... No FBI arrest. No terror watchlists. No hate crime charges. Despite the clearly racist undertones of the note attached. Interesting.
Is Morisette's political statement in poor taste? Yes. Is it mean-spirited? Sure. Hate-crime? Well, not by the Federal definition of such a crime, although this campaign certainly seems to be bringing out the disdain in some people. Like the woman at a recent McCain rally who cried out that Obama should be killed for his supposed ties to a "terrorist." Oddly enough, she didn't end up in prison, on any watchlists, or charged with hate crimes.
So the double-standard here is what, exactly?
0
Triumvere
Stupid, tasteless, and self-defeating.
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bebert
More hysteria over Palin by the politically correct. Now they're on record with the Secret Service. That will be a nice little nugget for the jury should either of these clowns ever get in trouble with the law - perhaps if one of them over reacts and bitch slaps a loud right wing type.
This is more of a distortion of history by the civil rights people than reality. There were plenty of hangings in America's 19th Century West and hardly any were of blacks. The noose is really a symbol of vigilante justice, not racism, and not necessarily bad if you have a corrupt legal system that lets criminals go through jury nullification (think O.J. Simpson) or other underhanded means, such as not inditing, evidence tampering or executive pardons.
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timorborder
The following comment should be read with a large dose of irony:
Of course it would be different if it was an effigy of Obama hanging from the tree. Think about it, a person of color hanging from a tree with all the neighborhood kids running around in their Hallowen outfits - white bed sheets. :(
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SuperLib
We may strive for equality in society but it doesn't mean all of the races (plus women) all started at the same point. They each have their own history and the same message can be interpreted different ways depending on which race/sex it's directed at.
If you made an effigy of Bush in a French Maid's the reaction would be different than putting Palin in the same outfit. No one would use the word "sexist" when talking about Bush. They might use other descriptions, but for Palin the message would mostly be sexist. Put Palin in a ghost costume and some people might see a KKK member and claim racism, but the same outfit on Obama probably wouldn't get the same reaction.
I don't think you can look at one presentation and say the reaction would/should be the same for all people. Some issues are hot points between races/sexes.
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Betzee
West Hollywood is known as a gay neighborhood and Halloween is an adult holiday in Los Angeles. The display is protected by freedom of speech (which McCain and Palin presumably also defend).
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sailwind
In short they get a pass.
Nice
0
Alphaape
smithinjapan, I am not sure if you have seen a video clip of this guy explaining his actions but let me paint the picture for you. He is from West Hollywood, arty type, and his "life partner" was with him as he was explaining the shock value of true art.
Yes he is a nut, and if I were to hang an effigy of RuPaul or another gay person, you best believe that there would be protest in the streets.
It is a freedom of speech issue and they can do it since most courts will assume that it is just done as a Halloween stunt, and would technically be considered as not a hate crime. Listening to some lawyers on TV, they stated it would be just about ok if they had a display of a KKK cross burning (which was a true case) and the defendants just claimed they were in the spirit of Halloween (and they won).
Overall, I think this was just in bad taste, just a few "bohemians" trying to make themselves relative.
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Betzee
It was investigated by the secret service and they decided the creators didn't pose a threat to the safety of either candidate. By contrast, the secret service arrived at a different determination when a student at a rival school threatened, in an email, "to drag Chelsea Clinton's bloody carcass" around the football stadium when she was a college student. Surely you can appreciate the difference.
Do I personally agree with the display? No. But I respect that freedom of speech guarantees the right of non-violent expression despite the fact it may be offensive to the majority.
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skipthesong
LFR: The FBI is investigating whether any civil rights were violated.
"A criminal investigation is much more rigorous than an academic one, obviously," said Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman. She couldn't say when the investigation would be complete."
FYI! How do you know they are not on any lists?
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adaydream
Poor poor taste, illegal I'm not so sure, but it's still poor taste. < :-)
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RomeoRamenII
It's Hollywood - what'd ya' expect?
If it would have been obama, screams of racism would flood from the American media non-stop. But because it is Mrs. Palin, it's ok.
The hypocrisy of the U.S. media is astounding.
RR
0
Betzee
Why blame the media?
Hate crimes are directed at groups, this was directed at two public figures. I don't think any straight white male or female would be hesitant to walk the streets of West Hollywood as a result of this display.
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sailwind
Serious question? Then why don't you just say so? Instead of dressing this up as some sort you respect their right to freedom of speech. Just say I don't like Sarah Palin but this is over the top. How hard can that be to do?
This is tasteless no matter how you look at it. They are free to express themselves and I am just as free to condemn it. I'd rather be on the side that thinks this way over the line and say as such. before I would even think about their freedom of speech rights as expressed by this garbage they are calling art.
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Betzee
I appreciate the wisdom of our founding fathers, obviously you don't hold them in the same high esteem, Sailwind.
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sailwind
Ummm, re-read my post
Apparently I do.
0
proxy
lol.....before all you "double standards" nuts get too far ahead of yourselves; there was one incident in September of an Obama effigy being hung at a university in Oregon and just last week some guy in Ohio hung an effigy of Obama in his Halloween themed yard and here is the link to that story, too bad youtube removed the video:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/19/racist-obama-effigy-hungn135971.html
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yabits
LOL!!! Well, that might be right if justice in the United States in its first two centuries applied equally to the races. All a black person had to do in some places was assert his privilege by registering to vote in order to trigger said "justice."
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jeancolmar
"If it would have been obama, screams of racism would flood from the American media non-stop. But because it is Mrs. Palin, it's ok."
For once, ironically, RR got it right, sort of. Why? Because the US has a long and bloody history genocide against African-Americans. If it had been the other way around, that right-wing WASPs were the victims, then, of course, the hanging Palin doll would not have been okay. As it stands, I think anything that smacks of advocating violence against anyone is not really okay. McCain stuck in the chimney is fairly harmless. The hangman's noose as a symbol is not harmless. I'd have the Palin doll coming out of a toilet or something.
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LFRAgain
Ahh, you want to play that way, do you? Fine.
How do you know they ARE on any lists? Nyuk! Nyuk!
Seriously though, that has to be quite possibly the worst counter-argument you've ever offered here, Sailwind. No offence, but really.
Otherwise, I find it incredibly ironic that any Republican would be terrified that hanging Obama in effigy would result in being placed on the "no fly list," a list that is the brainchild of . . . a Republican administration.
0
goodDonkey
Helter_Skelter said:
Once again what you are saying is simply not true. An effigy of Obama hanging in a tree was discovered at George Fox University in Oregon on September 24 of this year.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw~092408~news~obama~effigy.a95f35cb.html
A Conservative blog was preaching that it was free speach:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2094629/posts
So the fact that you did not know anything about Obama's effigy in a noose pretty much blows away all your theories about the Main Stream Media only emphasizing what the leftists, liberals, or what ever other word you want to call us today, since the press, Obama's campaign and the rest of us did not make a big deal out of it. But they did about Palin.
Fortunately I will not capitalize on the issue of who reported what. I think the Palin story is a valid one. My comment is simply to say once again that when the Republicans play the victim card because "the media is trying to get Obama elected," that it is total crap.
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Taka313
LFRAgain, Regarding your post at 08:34, the thing is, the evidence you provided came from an totally biased main-stream media news story, so...it obviously cannot be trusted.
As for this story, I have to wonder if MoonUnit, over at the Bad-News-for-Liberals screening room at the Global Liberal Media Conspiracy Center let this slip. Perhaps she was on the bong, as we know that the completely and utterly liberal run media would never let something like get into the news. Bad MoonUnit. Bad!
Seriously, no one in America should have themselves hanged in effigy. We, as a culture, should be above this type of nonsense.
Taka
0
Sarge
I've seen photos of this. Is that supposed to be Palin hanging there? Doesn't look much like her. Mr. Morrisette should have spent a little more time on it ha ha ha! I wonder if he'd have had a visit from the Feds if he'd made a hanging Binny...
0
goodDonkey
sarge said:
They did not have time to order the tiny haute couture dress from Saks for the effigy. Besides the fact that it costs $35,000.
I forgot to mention that the address I posted:
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw~092408~news~obama~effigy.a95f35cb.html
needed modification. To get there you would need to replace these "~" with these "_" .
0
Sarge
Hey, if no action is taken against Morrisette, my friend says he's going to hang an effigy of Biden that will look just like him! ( Biden )
0
goodDonkey
sarge
Don't forget the hair plugs! They make him look so distinguished.
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Sarge
goodDonkey - I'll tell him. Hee hee!
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Madverts
Bah.
When the left was shrieking that the American MSM was backing the run-up to the war in Iraq I sort of believed it, largely due to the shameless fear-mongeing vomitted up by the Bush Co whitehouse and lapped up by the press.
I fail to see how the MSM is biased towards Obama, and when the earlier shrikeing about the Pastor, or the more ridiculous shrieking on plin's behalf rearding Obama's "ties to terrorism" not only got the air-time the republicans hoped for, but also showed them to be the pathetic bunch of hate-mongers they have become.
Sailwind and other moderate repubs take note. When Obama wins it will have absolutely nothing to do with a percived media bias - it will because of the last eight years of mis-management, and a candidate that represents more of the same.
Still, if you feel the need to put the blame elsewhere, the blunt edges of my posts are hardly going to pry open closed minds....
0
SuperLib
Oh the media is completely in the tank for Obama. But since I voted for him I'm just not that interested in fighting that battle.
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Helter_Skelter
You may be the only one.
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Betzee
The point people are missing is that this Halloween display was put up by a resident of the building on property he either owns or rents. It was easy for the secret service to ascertain the individual, who was interviewed and dismissed as not posing a threat to Palin, which is the only issue they are concerned with. Then it became a freedom of speech issue. The police could not remove it because Governor Schwarzenegger is backing McCain or Sailwind finds it "tasteless no matter how you look at it." This was exactly the type of freedom of speech the Constitution protects.
Neighbors, however, became concerned and attempted to cover the Palin effigy with a sheet. Their actions were presumably motivated by convenience and security concerns; they don’t want a lot of looky loos coming into a congested area where many park their cars on the street making them easy targets for vandals. After speaking to them, as well as the Mayor of West Hollywood, the artist decided to take it down because he realized, although he'd violated no laws, it was bad for the community. It was a decision made by a responsible adult.
While it didn't make news here on JT, Wednesday morning, another effigy of Obama was found. This one was hanging from a tree on the campus of the University of Kentucky. It has since been taken down.
Those who were responsible for this effigy acted in anonymity which they used to protect their identities rather than the law. Freedom of speech doesn’t apply to the public environment anyway. Moreover, there is a history of lynching black men south of the Mason-Dixon Line; it is difficult to believe they were ignorant of that when they put up the effigy. On the contrary, it's likely they were all too cognizant of the symbolism.
The president of the university rightly condemned their actions, as opposed to their judgment. It's not a distinction I expect the selective outrage crowd to appreciate, however. They were probably view the two effigies are equivalent.
0
Betzee
Should have written "They will probably view the two effigies as equivalent."
Anonymous acts are meant to intimidate. You don't know who was responsible so you become suspicious of everybody (as the perpetrators intended). By contrast, while the West Hollywood effigy would be considered tasteless by many, I doubt it would be intimidating to any.
0
LFRAgain
Helter_Skelter,
To which you responded:
Umm... Not quite. Lot’s of people see the incessant GOP whining about media coverage as sour grapes.
The key difference between how much coverage Obama is getting versus how much McCain is getting has a lot to do with what the GOP and the Democratic Party have chosen to feed to the media. When the GOP couldn’t actually dig up anything truly negative or insidious about Obama himself, and the “He’s the biggest celebrity in the world” strategy didn’t produce desired results, they decided that guilt-by-association was the next best weapon.
The Democratic Party, on the other hand, didn’t really introduce anything that couldn’t be confirmed regarding McCain and his running mate. In no case where negative light has been shined on either McCain or Palin (particularly Palin) has the coverage been false or misleading. None.
Palin DID support pork barrel spending in her home state. Palin DID abuse her position as a state governor. Palin DID go on a shopping spree with $150,000 of GOP campaign money. Palin’s husband WAS a member of a secessionist party. Palin DID support the banning of books in Wasilla.
McCain, in the meantime, DOES support the war in Iraq. McCain DOES support a continuation of Bush’s tax cut plan. McCain ISN’T knowledgeable about the economy (by his own admission). McCain DID sign legislation that paved the way for bank deregulation.
The GOP had plenty of opportunities for positive media exposure, and it squandered those opportunities by calling attention to issues that WEREN'T issues. It wasted time trying to create an impression that something was wrong with Obama, not by presenting anything questionable the man himself had actually done, but rather by sowing seeds of doubt through insinuation and gossip campaigns that ultimately led many McCain supporters to believe, of all things, that Obama is Muslim (he’s not), that Obama is not an American citizen (he is), that he “pals around with terrorists (he doesn’t), and that he is a communist/socialist (he’s not, or at least is no more than any other politician in Washington who isn’t calling for an outright abolition of taxes of every kind).
Case in point, the accusation leveled against McCain by members of his own party in the 2000 campaign that he had fathered a (gasp) black baby out of wedlock died on the vine, because the mainstream media smelled it for the garbage it was. I don't recall anyone screaming for MSM for folow up on the "black baby" story then. Perhaps that's because McCain ultimately lost against Bush for the party nomination? Hmm...
Rumor, whisper campaigns, innuendo, thinly-veiled accusations that the McCain campaign would never say directly on the national stage, knowing full well they’d be called on it – These have been the bread oand butter of Republican efforts to, ahem, “get at the truth” of Obama’s character since they realized to their dismay that Americans really didn’t care that Obama has less administrative experience than other candidates, and in fact may actually prefer things that way. And because the MSM wouldn’t jump at such obvious bullshit, the Republicans have been crying foul.
0
Nessie
I disapprove, but I recognize his right to do it.
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sailwind
So have journalists that still value their integrity.
His Bio
Michael S. Malone is one of the nation's best-known technology writers. He has covered Silicon Valley and high-tech for more than 25 years, beginning with the San Jose Mercury News as the nation's first daily high-tech reporter. His articles and editorials have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, the Economist and Fortune, and for two years he was a columnist for The New York Times. He was editor of Forbes ASAP, the world's largest-circulation business-tech magazine, at the height of the dot-com boom. Malone is the author or co-author of a dozen books, notably the best-selling "Virtual Corporation." Malone has also hosted three public television interview series, and most recently co-produced the celebrated PBS miniseries on social entrepreneurs, "The New Heroes." He has been the ABCNews.com "Silicon Insider" columnist since 2000.
And what he said. Try to convince a real journalist with the argument the MSM isn't biased.
Just an excerpt, read the rest at the link. Take it from an expert in the field that bleds ink for living.
The Presidential Campaign But nothing, nothing I've seen has matched the media bias on display in the current presidential campaign.
Republicans are justifiably foaming at the mouth over the sheer one-sidedness of the press coverage of the two candidates and their running mates. But in the last few days, even Democrats, who have been gloating over the pass -- no, make that shameless support -- they've gotten from the press, are starting to get uncomfortable as they realize that no one wins in the long run when we don't have a free and fair press.
I was one of the first people in the traditional media to call for the firing of Dan Rather -- not because of his phony story, but because he refused to admit his mistake -- but, bless him, even Gunga Dan thinks the media is one-sided in this election.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people who think the media has been too hard on, say, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin, by rushing reportorial SWAT teams to her home state of Alaska to rifle through her garbage. This is the big leagues, and if she wants to suit up and take the field, then Gov. Palin better be ready to play.
The few instances where I think the press has gone too far -- such as the Times reporter talking to prospective first lady Cindy McCain's daughter's MySpace friends -- can easily be solved with a few newsroom smackdowns and temporary repostings to the Omaha bureau.
No, what I object to (and I think most other Americans do as well) is the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side -- or worse, actively serving as attack dogs for the presidential ticket of Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Joe Biden, D-Del.
If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as president of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography.
That isn't Sen. Obama's fault: His job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media's fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.
Why, for example to quote the lawyer for Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., haven't we seen an interview with Sen. Obama's grad school drug dealer -- when we know all about Mrs. McCain's addiction? Are Bill Ayers and Tony Rezko that hard to interview? All those phony voter registrations that hard to scrutinize? And why are Sen. Biden's endless gaffes almost always covered up, or rationalized, by the traditional media?
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6099188
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LFRAgain
I already read Mr. Malone's take on the bias argument, and while he presents what on the surface is a very valid argument against media bias, he doesn't really offer any compelling evidence that the Republicans are being raked over the coals unfairly.
Cindy McCain's drug addiction? When, pray tell, was the last time we even heard about that in the current election cycle? I can't even recall if ever having been brought up. In fact, it was first brought to the surface by Republicans when they were turning on each other like jackals during the 2000 Republican nomination race.
Senator Obama's college drug dealer? Where was Mr. Malone's moral outrage (and yours, for that matter) when current president Bush was given a free pass by the media for his youthful "indescretions" with cocaine? We still can't get a straight yes or no from Mr. Bush on the subject to this day.
I'll stand behind the charge that the media is being unfairly biased today when we see Republicans admit they received their share of free passes during Bush's first campaign, while Al Gore was being ridiculed in the press on a daily basis.
It seems apparent to me that both parties are equally skilled at whining like petulant children when their candidate tanks due to his or her own ineptitude.
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sailwind
I have no Idea, I just posted a fair and balanced journalists opinion. I never thought to attack him if I didn't like what the man thought he had to say.
Sorry, if that upset you in some way.
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Betzee
Well, one was coming down in LA County, where many people put up adult-themed Halloween displays, while the other candidate's effigy was going up:
Lisa Castaneda of Redondo Beach put up the blood-covered figure on Wednesday. A placard read "Nobama."
Castaneda included the effigy in a larger Halloween display and says she didn't mean to be racist or offensive. But the display drew immediate criticism and she took it down Wednesday night at the request of a McCain campaign representative.
These two Halloween effigies reflect the fact many of us live insular lives, interacting with people who think the way we do. So the idea someone else might be offended doesn't figure in until the media spotlight is focused on us, making neighbors, not to mention the community, understandably nervous. I'm sure Sailwind would be the first to agree, "This is tasteless no matter how you look at it."
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Betzee
I have respect for both Ms. Castaneda and Mr. Morrisette. They recognized their obligations as members of a community rather than just making it about "me, me, me, and my rights."
By contrast, I have no respect for the actions of someone who acts in a cowardly anonymous fashion and leaves others, such as the president of a university, with the burden of explaining them.
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LFRAgain
It doesn't upset me so much as compel me to point out that Mr. Malone, the "impartial" technology writer, might not be seeing things as "fair and balanced" as you would like to think.
The below paragraph alone was enough to raise my suspicions that Mr. Malone isn't wearing his journalist heart on his sleeve merely for the benefit of protecting the Constitution:
Why, for example, haven't we seen interviews with the doctor who prescribed Cindy McCain's drugs?
Why are some Republicans so unwilling or unable to accept that mainstream media already HAS looked into the Obama-Ayers connection – several time, in fact. Are they only unhappy because nothing untoward was found? Perhaps the Republican Party and the seemingly omniscient bloggers who propel the worst of anti-Obama rhetoric have some dirt that the mass media doesn’t. If so, why aren’t they sharing?
Tony Rezko? Well, if corruption is the charge, then why haven’t federal investigators gone after Obama? Is the infinite wisdom of the "conservative" bloggoshpere that much greater than that of US federal attorneys? Again, if they’ve got something, by all means, do the electorate a favor and please share.
Phony voter registration forms? ACORN reported the inconsistencies themselves. And the campaign workers who committed the fraud were fired and face criminal charges.
The reason these various insinuations have died on the vine is because they lack substance, the same way accusations that McCain was in bed with Charles Keating eventually and rightfully faded away.
Biden’s gaffes? Malone can’t be serious about this.
If you’re going to cut and paste someone else’s opinion to bolster yours, make sure you’re seeing that opinion from all sides, and not just the one that produces all the answers you like best.
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jwills79
There was similar Obama effigy on the University of Kentucky. The two offenders (students) were caught and are being charged. They did commit several crimes to put there display on the U of K campus.
I hope the other inmates like those students real purrrty lips.
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