Comments on: NewsFlash: Eight-Year-Old Obama Seen at Mosque!

By: C Stanley

C Stanley — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:08:26 +0000

OK, doma, but you still didn’t answer my question: why did YOU bring up the topic of who may have been behind this?

By: domajot

domajot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 17:01:22 +0000

CS-
Wild speculation and aspersion are identical twins.
More importantly, the practice pushes the conversation into a two camp war.
X speculates about someone.
Y counterspeculates about an opponent of X.

The result: a rare moment of agreement about what is not acceptable has been ruined.

Sometimes it’s more productive to focus on ideas than on political enemies.

A lot of good ideas get lost in the noise of constant political battle.

Sometimes ideas are just good, without reference to a political party or candidate.

I have 20 or so other reasons.

By: C Stanley

C Stanley — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 12:48:29 +0000

domajot,
Why did you ask the question about who was raising these specious issues if you didn’t want to read people’s speculation about who may have instigated it?

By: domajot

domajot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 09:22:56 +0000

“casting aspersions at public figures on a blog. Unheard of! Seriously, whatâ€™s the big deal? This is hardly news to anyone.”
———-

It’s hardly news, that’s true. That doesn’t make it pretty. In fact, it turns any discussion, on any topic, into a competition for who can throw in the most insults or aspersions.

It adds nothing. It subtracts from the ability to discuss rationally. And, it’s damnably annoying.

Like the person who said he wants to donate to whoever is the target, I dismiss comments using these tactics, even if the main gist of what they say may have merit. It just becomes annoying noise.

By: Entropy

Entropy — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:17:12 +0000

“It would have been better to just remark that attempts to smear a public figure are disgusting, without going right on to cast aspersions at other public figures.”

Hmm, casting aspersions at public figures on a blog. Unheard of! Seriously, what’s the big deal? This is hardly news to anyone.

By: domajot

domajot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 07:10:35 +0000

It would have been better to just remark that attempts to smear a public figure are disgusting, without going right on to cast aspersions at other public figures.

My own opinion remains the same, whether it is Hillary, the Grinch or contributors of comments.

By: Entropy

Entropy — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 05:00:32 +0000

If you want to know who’s behind all this Obama garbage, perhaps you should check out the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Personally, I could care less if the guy was still a Muslim as long as he puts America first.

By: domajot

domajot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:48:38 +0000

DSL,
The LA Times article just sums up what !) Obama’s campaign staff have said, and 2) what some commentators have said.
The ‘crossing the divide’ quote comes from Obama’s campaing staff, not the newspaper.

The ‘garbage’ that I refer to is aimed at those who are nitpicking through his childhood in hopes of finding some incriminating evidence, like (gasp) Obama in a mosque.

By: DLS

DLS — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:04:11 +0000

> Who are these worms coming out with garbage like this?

You shouldn’t insult your fellow liberals at the LA Times.

If you looked at the title as well as established the complete and correct context, you’d realize that the idea is that he can get along with everyone. And perhaps, those who are reluctant to vote for a black President should consider crossing their own “cultural divide.”

“As a child, Obama crossed a cultural divide in Indonesia”

By: domajot

domajot — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:33:48 +0000

Who are these worms coming out with garbage like this?

By: vwcat

vwcat — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:24:42 +0000

oh wow! A little kid seen at his buddies mosque! I am going to have to change that sticker on my car now. The one saying Obama 08.

By: DLS

DLS — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:07:06 +0000

I can see the Hillary hit-pieces being readied for teevee.

Blended with the image of Obama making a speech is…

* bin Laden speaking (from video footage);

* aircraft crashing into the Twin Towers;

* Ahmedinejad making a speech.

By: Vittal

Vittal — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:50:32 +0000

WOW – Can ‘Sean Insanity’ control his excitement now?

By: Paul Silver

Paul Silver — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 19:47:43 +0000

When I read this kind of pettiness I am inclined to send the target a donation regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican.

If we found out who was the distributor of this effort at character assassination I would make a donation to their opposition.

By: Lynx

Lynx — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 19:32:57 +0000

How many people do you think have ever seen a KKK rally before, out of curiosity or directly to heckle or oppose them? Well, be careful, because if you ever did that, you will be denounced as having “attended a KKK rally”. Yes, because if you enter a mosque you’re instantly a Muslim, if you see a KKK member up close you’re a racist, if you attend a Gay Pride parade you’re Gay and if you write up non-stories to create controversy where there is none, you’re a reporter, but shouldn’t be.