Do Your Research

It never ceases to amaze me how gullible people are.

I can't tell you how many people I have met who are filled with misinformation about Senator Obama. "He refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance--he even said so in his book!" Yeah, that's what someone said to me over dinner after a soccer tournament last weekend. She told me she had actually read his book "Dreams From my Father" and that he had said he refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Well, you know, I read that book and I don't ever remember him saying that in his book. Ever. I had a discussion with her about this and she was adamant. Then she mentioned some picture where he was standing with his hands at his side and everyone else had their hands over their hearts. Hmmm, sounded like she had received some email to me.

So I did a simple Google search, and of course, up comes a bunch of pages dispelling the rumor. The picture was NOT about the Pledge of Allegiance. It was taken at an event and it was during the National Anthem, and somehow someone spread an email rumor that Obama refused to put his hand over his heart during the Pledge, then that morphed into he refused to SAY the pledge, and it went viral. There was NEVER anything written in his book saying this, and he always puts his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge. And he DOES say the Pledge.

But why are people so willing to believe this garbage? Why don't they just do a Google search? Do they believe every email chain letter about every potential computer virus that comes their way and pass it on everyone in their address book? Are they that stupid? Or do they do their research to see if it's a hoax? And if so, then why not do the same thing when they receive this CRAP about Obama?

I truly think it is because they really want a reason not to vote for him, so if they hear something negative about him, they don't want to know the REAL TRUTH. So they don't bother to research it. They just pass on lies without doing research. Which to me is rather despicable.

I find it interesting that I have never received ONE negative email about Barack Obama. I never received the Muslim one, or the Pledge of Allegiance one. I guess people know better than to send me anything like that because I've been known to speak out when I've received any kind of email that smacks of intolerance. Thank goodness, less spam.

If you support Obama, or even if you're just open to seeing what Obama is about, then please don't just take any of these scurrilous rumors about Obama at face value. Do your research. Go to Google and type in a couple of keywords, like "obama pledge of allegiance" or "obama muslim" or whatever else you're concerned about. You'll find the answer you're looking for.

Barack Obama is not Muslim

How many million times does that have to be said before it gets through people's heads? My God, I have seen so many comments on blogs, on 60 Minutes, EVERYWHERE! Do people think he's lying? There have been investigations done! He is not Muslim. They interviewed the headmaster of his elementary school. It was not a Muslim school. It was NOT a madrassa. What I find interesting is the people that are most gullible are those who choose not to educate themselves. They're like little lemmings who just follow the crowd and jump over the cliff because all the other lemmings are jumping over the cliff. Please, please, please people...EDUCATE yourselves! Don't believe every email that comes into your Inbox! It's like the people that forward every virus hoax that comes along before verifying it. It absolutely amazes me how many people choose to believe this about Obama without doing their homework, and then when he says he's not Muslim, would rather believe the rumors than believe him!

At the Democratic caucus, one woman there was voting for Clinton because she was worried about Obama and his being a Muslim when he was a child and how that would affect his judgement. Four of us at the table told her that it was not true, that it was just a rumor that was being spread about him. Yet she could not be persuaded that it wasn't true. She was absolutely convinced. What is wrong with these people? Do they WANT to believe this about him for some weird reason?

I read his first memoir, "Dreams of My Father". This was written in his first year after graduating from Harvard Law. There was not one mention of being Muslim. NOT ONE. He did mention the Christian church he belonged to. This was way before he even considered running for President. Isn't that enough proof right there?

The really disgusting thing about this is that the scurrilous email that apparently has been going around is really offensive to Muslims because it suggests that there is something wrong with being a Muslim.

Republicans use his middle name, Hussein, repeatedly. They know that it's code for "Barack Hussein Obama is a Muslim, therefore he is anti-Israel, or pro-Palestinian or soft on terrorism." It's gotten to the point where the Republican National Committee has now said, "Don't use Obama's middle name."

Stop the bigotry!