I want the Facts, Man, Just the Facts

I hate spam email. Particularly this time of year when it is mainly political and mainly in opposition of a candidate. It is a rumor mill gone amok!

Does the opposing side think up these things in the middle of the night and then surreptitiously send them out in batches to unsuspecting people, in the guise of friendship? "Hey Jeanie – long time no see! Did you know that your next door neighbor was looking at porn last night??? I saw him through the window!" Then pretty soon, you start looking at your neighbor like the Monster from Hell and wish death upon him a thousand times. You took that email as FACT! You didn't check the facts (the neighbor was actually watching CNN) because, after all, a friend sent it. Would a friend make something like that up?

The same is happening in the presidential campaign. Put aside the fact that the real contest is between two people in THE SAME PARTY. When stuff like this happens, it almost forces voters to go to the other side and avoid this juvenile behavior altogether. McCain might just win out of default because the Democrats can't make their children play nice.

I have just about had it with Hilary Clinton and all her jealous jabbering. She claims she has more experience (being a wife – duh!). She claims she is the one to answer the white house phone at 3:00 in the morning – and we only have to worry about her diving under her bed to hide from what she perceives as sniper fire. She tells her husband to put a sock in it. Put aside the fact that her husband is a philanderer, womanizer, cheat, adulterer, etc., ad nauseam, and she couldn't control him then – how is she going to control him when she is busy answering the phone at 3:00 in the morning? Then she takes out of context a statement her opponent made at a private fund raising function and blows that all out of proportion. She is a spiteful 12-year-old brat having a tantrum and resorting to maligning gossip as her leverage.

Now there is this particularly evil email that goes round and round and round about Barack Obama not putting his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. I've seen it before when he first announced his candidacy. But in studying the facts of the case – it is noted that it wasn't the Pledge of Allegiance, it was the National Anthem. There is no note saying he just put his hand down before everyone else or that he was not reciting the Pledge. He is pictured with Richardson (who supports him) and Clinton – all three with their backs to the flag. Further, the picture itself is taken out of context and if you want to attack Obama on not being reverent to the Pledge and/or Anthem – what about Clinton with her back to the flag??? O give me a break!

Check out Snopes at http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/anthem.asp

It is very troubling to me that people receive this email, believe it as factual (and who is to say who started it – did Clinton in the middle of the night and then pass it on as Jane Doe?). They are sending it to their family and friends; they are spreading it around their churches. They will not vote for Obama based on this one frivolous egregious email. And they won't bother to check the facts either because they want to dumb down.

I pray for the intelligence of the people!

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