I received three urban legend e-mails in the past week. One was about how the liberal media didn’t report on Billy Graham leading people through the streets of New Orleans (that’s because it never happened). Another was a Paul Harvey commentary on how Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is linked to the Black Panthers (Harvey never said it, and the claim isn’t true). The third was an Andy Rooney commentary about all the Christian symbols on federal government buildings (Rooney didn’t write it, and much of the information is inaccurate).
Another e-mail making the rounds recently was about how Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has ties to terrorists.
It seems like all the urban legend e-mails that I get (including an oldie but goody about how Procter & Gamble is satanic) are trying to appeal to conservative Christians. Is that true of most of these e-mail hoaxes, or do these just happen to be the ones that people forward to me? Do liberals have their share of hoax e-mails?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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63 Comments
Yeah, all the urban legend emails I get say bush is intelligent. Go figure.
Quick note, I use to get quite a few forwarded from a friend of mine who attended a certain church that has been in the news. They were all about how Christians were being maligned and that shows and religious based programs were being cancelled. “Touched by an angel” was cancelled because they had said God one to many times. The fact that all TV. programming has a life expectance and that program had a several year run had nothing to do with it! Sometimes I feel the only ones plotting against Christianity is Christians.Read the Chronicle sometime, it is amazing how much misinformation is put out about plots and ploys to destroy Christianity.
I get very few, but I haven’t noticed them to be targeting one side or the other.
On the other hand MSM seems to run with Urban Legends that target mainly the leftists, ie, Global Warming (the sky is falling,) coal-fired plants using up all the water, America’s poor treatment of the rest of the world, Obama Winfrey is a good choice for President, Michael Moore knows what he is talking about, Cindy SheeHasDirtForBrains represents mainstream America….stuff like that.
A burgeoning urban legend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sct9igr7wMA
I used to get a bunch till I emailed the sender a quite serious warning to stop emailing that untrue crap to me.
It’s almost always something that isn’t true if it comes from the right.
This topic is so one sided it is repulsive. Philip should do a tiny bit of homework before accusing one group of these urban legends. There is absolutely no truth to his claim.
Check out snopes.com for the newest rumors/legends. They are about God Save the Queen; Mules in the Patton film; Boys in the band; exploding trombones; Domino’s pizza; a crude Bears fan; IRS relocating to Costa Rica; frozen Niagra Falls; etc., etc., etc.
There is absolutely no conservative/liberal bias in any of them. Philip got 3 emails and makes deductions from that? This is reporting???
“It’s almost always something that isn’t true if it comes from the right.”
pmom = genius
I bet you pass those emails on Fleets enema, hell you probably write them.
I bet you pass those emails on Fleets enema, hell you probably write them.
B.S. These lies are written in think tanks supported by conservatives and then distributed. It’s so obvious, but of course if you call it what it is, a vast conpiracy, people say you are nuts.
I did however begin one leftist counter attack by nicknaming Republicans Pukes. Now its everywhere.
enjoy you pukie world, you red-neck, religious rightist cacaheads.
When I receive those e-mails, I do the research, proven them wrong, e-mail the facts back to the senders and all copied on the original.
I must have received fifteen variations on the Qu’ran Chapter 9 Verse 11 theme over the past few years. I am sure you have received the same: Qu’ran 9:11 the Eagle will rise from the desert, yada, yada.
Chapter 9, Verse 11 of the Qu’ran is about REDEMPTION – it says nothing about Eagles rising.
After a while, the loonies stop sending me the e-mails.
…reports of Jack-a-lopes riding on ethanol-powered Armadillo tractors in downtown Wichita…Reports that Kansas Legislature has passed a bill to put bricks in the Aquifer to make the water level rise…Reports that T-Shirts with seat belt graphics on them will save Kansas motorists tens of thousands of dollars…Reports that paying DUI penalty with a Vision Card is acceptable at Dillons…Reporting that blaming your invisible dog for farting actually works while standing in a checkout line at Walmart…:-)…
“It’s almost always something that isn’t true if it comes from the right.”
Another one-trick pony…
One big difference is that some of these legends are re-inforced by certain media outlets. For example, the supposed Obama-Hillary-Madrasa BS reported by the Moonie church and FOX.
Yes I’ve gotten those pieces of poop.It’s always some conservative sound byte about some evil lib conspiracy to bring down the nation, and always in the form of a chain letter where they try to guilt you into forwarding their lies to X number of people.
They’ve already tried to pre-emptively swiftboat Hillary (to no effect), so expect more of the same.
For the sake and sanity of all of use, Hillary SHOULD be swift-boated right out to pasture.
us*
“Urban Legends that target mainly the leftists, ie, Global Warming (the sky is falling,)”
GSheridan,
In the wake of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and its declaration that it is “very likely” (at least 90% certain) the burning of fossil fuels has caused the raising of global temperatures, the time is right to start referring to you as what you are: a 10%-er.
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/UN_panel_issues_tough_climate_change_verdict.html?siteSect=105&sid=7488178&cKey=1170415973000
What are YOUR scientific qualifications, GSheridan, for dismissing the work of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?
CF, their qualifications?Being a dittohead of course.
Philip Brownlee admitted that he is not smart enough to avoid urban legend emails, that he is dumb enough to open them, and that he reads them.
Explains a lot.
Signs of an Urban Legend, Myth or Folklore:
Appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms.
Contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often “punishes” someone who refuses to forward the Legend).
Makes good storytelling.
Does not have to be false, although most are. Urban Legends often have a basis in fact, but it’s their life after-the-fact (particularly in reference to the second and third points) that gives them particular interest.”
It is highly inflammatory.
It asks that you send a copy on to everyone you know.
It does not mention any names. References to a “friend of a friend”, or an unnamed relative, such as “my cousin”, or “some girl/boy/man/woman” are highly suspicious.
It does not cite any specific sources (”the NY Times” is not a citation — “the January 22, 1996 edition of the NY Times” is, though).It does cite sources, but the sources cannot be found. Anyone can tag onto a piece of e-mail a bogus source to make it sound more authoritative.
It does not say exactly when this event occurred. “Last month” is a relative term that means “the month before the one that I, the reader, am currently in”. If the story has been circulating on the Internet for three years (not unusual for urban legends), then “last month” becomes completely meaningless unless there is a specific date mentioned.
It says, “THIS IS A TRUE STORY!” That’s an automatic warning flag.
I do not think most urban legends are written to target conservative Christians, and I am certainly doubtful there is some sort of right-wing conspiracy creating and sending urban legends.
However, based on personal and anecdotal evidence, I am comfortable asserting that most urban legends that are perpetuated are of a nature that may appeal to many Christians.
My theory on this: Many Christians have a religious foundation where they are taught not to question or think critically about faith and religious issues, only to believe what they are taught.Some of these Christians apply this to nearly everything even slightly religion related. They read something that seems to fit their religion and automatically believe it without question. Thus, after reading about how Billy Graham led people through the streets of New Orleans, they are biased to believe it to be true and they send it on to other people, most likely people like themselves that will send it to even more people.Most of the Christians that I described above are conservative. Therefore, the urban legend emails that get sent are of a conservative Christian nature.
Other people, both Christian and not and conservative and liberal, who are more inclined to question something like the Billy Graham story verify the accuracy before sending it on. They do not send on false Urban Legends. If it is a false Urban Legend about a liberal or non-Christian topic, this group will not send it. The conservative Christians also will not send it since they do not agree with it. Therefore, the false Urban Legend emails that do get sent have a predominately conservative Christian slant.
Ditto that, Brian. I was thinking the same thing.
If you can convince yourself the entire universe is only 10,000 years old, you’re pretty much unable to think rationally and use evidence.
CF,Just the fact that it was sponsored by the UN is enough to invalidate the findings.
Brownlee could have answered his question by going to Snopes, but instead used his false information to gin up the religious bigots in his audience with yet another bigoted stereotype. What a surprise.
KSGolfnut,
Spoken like true trailer trash.
Balls=10%’er.
Actually, I take that back. I want to apologize to trailer trash everywhere, many of whom are good folks, for associating them with KSGolfnut, who, as always, has demonstrated that he has nothing to say that someone else hasn’t said first.
I guess Benny is insulted.What’s wrong Benny?Pantywad?
If you want winger urban myth,all you have to do is visit the “discovery institute” website.
Conservative christian myth #1.Intelligent Design.Darwin’s theory of evolution has proven controversial among the general public,although the commonly raised objections are without scientific merit.
I ROUTINELY get crap like this from some outfit called beliefnet.com.
http://www.snopes.com/religion/religion.asp
NASA scientists discovered a lost day in time.Atheist professor challenges God to keep a piece of chalk from breaking.
Son discovers wealth secreted in a spurned Bible.
Alabama redefined the value of pi to 3 to bring it in line with Biblical precepts.
Scientists drilling in Siberia punch through to Hell.
A group known as ‘The Second Coming Project’ is seeking to clone Jesus from the DNA of holy relics.
You must sign a petition to stop Jesus from being portrayed as a homosexual in an upcoming film.*
Atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair is circulating a petition to have religious broadcasting banned from American airwaves.*
The Rev. Joe Wright offered a controversial prayer at the opening of a Kansas legislative session.*
Attorney General Janet Reno defined a cultist as someone “who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second Coming of Christ . . .”*
Mike Hutchinson, a missionary serving in Africa, is about to be hanged for the accidental death of a pedestrian.
Prayers are needed for David Allen, a missionary serving in Thailand, who is wasting away from an unknown disease.
John Michael Montgomery’s song “The Little Girl” is based on a true story.*
St. Chad is the patron saint of disputed elections.
George W. Bush took a half hour off from glad-handing supporters at a ‘thank you’ dinner to witness for Christ to a teenage boy.*
John Wayne was brought to Jesus thanks to a note from an evangelist’s injured teenage daughter.*
Marking ‘Jedi’ as your religion on census forms will force your government to grant it official status.
The red dot on a Hindu woman’s forehead is nothing more than an indicator of her marital status.
Having survived a horrific storm, a slave trader promptly gave up his livelihood, became a Christian, and penned the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ in thanksgiving.
Woman dies leaping through her car’s sunroof when events conspire to convince her Jesus has returned.
Man contemplating suicide receives a phone call from Almighty God.
Orthodox Jews have marital relations through a hole in a sheet.
7th graders in California are subjected to an intense three-week course in Islam and are forced to pray to Allah and memorize Koran verses.
By proclamation of Governor George W. Bush, 10 June 2000 was ‘Jesus Day’ in Texas.
A Saudi Arabian newspaper ran an article claiming that Jews use the blood of Christians and Muslims in foods created to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Psalm 118 is the center of the Bible.
Certain symbols displayed on the packaging of a variety of grocery items signify that their manufacturers have paid a secret tax to the Jews.*
Billy Graham and John Wayne had a hand in the creation of the song “It Is No Secret.”
Teen dies in car crash with dashboard-mounted plastic Jesus in her heart.
Quranic verse speaks of the “wrath of the Eagle cleansing the lands of Allah.”*
Lightning strikes a church during a sermon after preacher identifies thunder as the voice of God.
A physician once placed dying patients upon a scale in order to measure the weight of the human soul.
While a student, Albert Einstein humiliated an atheist professor by using the “Evil is the absence of God” argument on him.
The practice of raising a finger when leaving the Sanctuary originated with slaves signaling they’d received permission from their masters to absent themselves.
Not permitted to celebrate Christmas in Meulaboh, Christians gathered on a high hill nearby and thus were spared when the tsunami wiped out the city.
Part of the process of determining that a Pope has died call for him to be tapped on the forehead with a silver hammer.
Airlines will not pair Christian pilots and co-pilots out of fear that The Rapture will snatch away both crewmembers capable of landing the flight.The exclamation ‘Holy Smoke’ derives from the burning of the ballots used to elect a Pope.*
A great place that debunks and confirms any e-mail urban legend is: http://www.snopes.com
$10,000 bounty offered people to start myths:
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/02/02/bush-linked-group-offers-bounty-to-debunk-climate-study/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.guardian.co.uk%2Finternational%2Fstory%2F0%2C%2C2004230%2C00.html%3Fgusrc%3Drss%26feed%3D11&frame=true
Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study
Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world’s largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today.Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The AEI has received more than $1.6m from ExxonMobil and more than 20 of its staff have worked as consultants to the Bush administration. Lee Raymond, a former head of ExxonMobil, is the vice-chairman of AEI’s board of trustees.
The letters, sent to scientists in Britain, the US and elsewhere, attack the UN’s panel as “resistant to reasonable criticism and dissent and prone to summary conclusions that are poorly supported by the analytical work” and ask for essays that “thoughtfully explore the limitations of climate model outputs”.
Climate scientists described the move yesterday as an attempt to cast doubt over the “overwhelming scientific evidence” on global warming. “It’s a desperate attempt by an organisation who wants to distort science for their own political aims,” said David Viner of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.
“The IPCC process is probably the most thorough and open review undertaken in any discipline. This undermines the confidence of the public in the scientific community and the ability of governments to take on sound scientific advice,” he said.
But Conservative Christians need to have a big bad boogeyman to keep them riled up. This tactic worked for Bill O’Reilly and that nonsense notion of a war on Christmas.
Perhaps this is the real reason behind these emails.
I just got done reading that Ben.Problem is, every time this admin gives the public another kick in the balls, the conservative base is brainwashed into thinking the kick is actually good for them.Delusional 10%ers.
http://www.snopes.com is a good source on the validity of any of these urban legends that go around.
I cured the folks who used to email me all that crap by sending it back to them with the snopes.com material. Now when they (still) forward stuff (admittedly less) to me, they let me know they checked snopes to make sure before they sent it.
Its a start.
You can’t buy much for $10,000 these days. You’d think the evil corporate interests behind the holocaust er.. global warming deniers could afford a little more.
My hypothesis on this squares with brian’s post at 9:21 AM, supra.
Brian was right on target. Combining his thesis with the fact that there is a larger preponderance of Far Right Wingers in this part of the country, will tend to skew what is being on around here, as well.
I have noticed that the blind acceptance crowd doesn’t begin to think, once they’ve been confronted with the truth, they simply stop emailing their legends to me!
By the way, I received an urban legend email a few months back that started out with a claim that the sender had checked it on Snopes: when I checked Snopes, it was clear that it hadn’t been! The pseudo conservative nuts are trying to end-run the truth again.
Meanwhile, those of us with the capacity to think, whether conservative, liberal, or moderate, simply don’t pass the trash along.
Popular urban myths promoted by Fox News include:Obama was trained as a terrorist when he was six attending a Muslim university (in reality it was a secular public school).
Iraq has WMD (nope)
Iraq has unmanned ariel drones that can drop anthrax on America (balsa wood model airplanes)
Iraq was seeking out nuclear materials from Africa (nope).
There’s a link between Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein (a theocrat and a secular, nope)
Bush has a plan for Iraq (hehe, never)
The insurgents are in their last throws (yeah, sure Dick)
So much stupidity but it seems the Christiantaliban believes it all the time. I’d still get that Madalyn Murray O’Hair urban legend well after she’s been dead. Next thing the righties will be telling me is some beggar 2000 years ago died and wants to be my best friend.
You mean good stuff like this,huh Doug?
The media is liberal.Bill & Hillary Clinton are radical leftists.George W. Bush is a Texan.George Bush was a successful businessman.Bush won Florida in 2000.Losing by 2 million votes in 2000 is a mandate.This administration will hold itself accountable.Bush will restore honor and integrity to the White House.The Healthy Forests Initiative will help forests.The Clear Skies Initiative will reduce air pollution.Republicans are compassionate conservatives.It is executive privilege not to reveal the members of the energy task force.Vice President Cheney no longer has ties with Halliburton.Bush is not that familiar with Ken “Kenny Boy” Lay.There is no global warming.There is global warming, but humans aren’t causing it.If there is global warming, it’s actually good for us.There are legitimate scientists who dispute the “liberal” theories about global warming.Sex education causes STDs and increases pregnancy rates.Unemployment numbers have never been so low.Outsourcing will create more jobs.The vast majority of Bush’s tax cuts go to the bottom end of the spectrum.Tax breaks for Hummers are good for the economy.Tax cuts increase federal revenue.The estate tax hurts family farms.Privatizing Social Security will save Social Security.Citizens will earn more money for retirement with “private accounts.”Republican proposals to change Social Security are not plans to “privatize.”They are not “private accounts,” they are “personal accounts.”The economy is doing great.Nothing is more important in a time of war than cutting taxes.Bill Clinton is responsible for 9/11.Bill Clinton was offered Bin Laden on a silver platter and turned it down.No one could have anticipated airplanes flying into buildings.We have removed the Taliban from Afghanistan.They hate us for our freedom.The Patriot Act is needed to protect Americans.Giving up some freedoms is necessary to defend freedom.”Bin Laden Determined to Strike within the U.S.” was a historical document.The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.Anyone who leaks information will no longer be a part of this administration.There can be no doubt that Saddam has reconstituted his WMD program.The only way to get Zarqawi is to invade Iraq.Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9/11.Critics of the war are liberal, left-wing radicals.Opposition to the war gives aid and comfort to the enemy.Democrats hate America.Dissent is unpatriotic.The Iraqis will welcome us with open arms and flowers.It could take six days, six weeks – I doubt six months.Several hundred thousand troops is wildly off the mark.Yellow ribbon magnets on your car mean you support the troops.Iraqi oil will pay for the war and the reconstruction.US liability for the war shouldn’t be more than a billion dollars.Saddam would not let the weapons inspectors in the country.Saddam would not let the weapons inspectors do their jobs.There is a large international coalition participating in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”We know where the WMD are. They’re in the area around Baghdad and Tikrit and north, south, west and east somewhat.Those trucks we found in Iraq were mobile biological weapons labs.Iraq sent its WMDs to Syria.Mission accomplished.The violence is the result of a few Baathist dead-enders.The insurgency is in its last throes.Bring It On.No one could have anticipated the Iraqi insurgency.There is no civil war in Iraq.We’ve turned a corner in Iraq.A spike in violence in Iraq is a sign of American success as insurgents resist positive changes.A decline in violence in Iraq is indicative of American success in getting a handle on Iraqi security.There is no need for a bill banning the use of torture.We do not torture.A “signing statement” freeing the executive branch from having to follow a law is necessary during a time of war.Progress as a result of the “historic” pass of sovereignty, formation of government, election in Iraq will be seen in the next 6 to 8 months.A plan to withdraw troops is defeatist.Congress had access to the same intelligence on Iraq.There is a war on Christmas.There is a war on Easter.Democrats and the ACLU want to ban the bible.Democrats and the ACLU want to make it illegal to pray.Jesus would have voted for Bush.Gay marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage.Republicans are pro-life.Democrats are the party of death.Evolution isn’t supported by the facts.There are legitimate scientists who dispute the “liberal” theories about evolution.Man existed alongside the dinosaurs.The earth is 6,000 years old.Terry Schiavo wanted to live.Michael Schiavo wanted to murder his wife.Michael Schiavo abused his wife.Terry Schiavo can laugh, smile & communicate.Terry Schiavo can recover.The country is ‘bitterly divided’ over the Schiavo controversy.George W. Bush is a war hero. John Kerry isn’t.John Kerry shot himself in the leg to earn his medals.Bush is a war president.Bush is a popular president.The Democrats are weak on national securityDiebold voting machines are secure.Fox News is fair and balanced.Jeff Gannon is a journalist.Bill O’Reilly looks out for you by cutting through the spin to get to the truth.No one could have anticipated the breech of the levies.Tom DeLay is decent Christian businessman.The Delay investigation is the result of a rabidly partisan prosecutor.Nobody at the White House knows Jack Abramoff.The Corruption scandals are bipartisan.The 9/11 plot would have been discovered with the NSA domestic spying program.Press reports about warrantless wire tapping undermines American national security.Bill Clinton did it too.Democrats don’t want to wiretap terrorists.Whenever we say “wiretap,” that means we’re going to get a court order.The government is tapping your phone to protect you.Leaks of classified information authorized by the President are ok because he can de-classify anything at will.Leaks of classified information to the press by a whistleblower to expose illegal activity are treasonous and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.George W. Bush is a decider.Dick Cheney is a sober shooter.Joe Wilson admitted that Valerie Plame wasn’t covert.Valerie Plame is a traitor.Joseph Wilson is a traitor.Patrick Fitzgerald is going to indict Joe Wilson.Karl Rove has a faulty memory.Scooter Libby has a faulty memory.Gas prices are high because of liberal environmentalists.Gas prices are high because of taxes.Drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge will lower the price of oil.Windfall taxes on high oil company profits is socialism.It’s surprising that Bush’s poll numbers are so low since people like him so much.Basically everybody likes the president except for a few wackos on the left.George Bush doesn’t read the polls.The Democrats are in disarray.
Outlander,
“You’d think the evil corporate interests behind the holocaust er.. global warming deniers could afford a little more.”
Lot’s of $’s has been spent since the late 1980’s, by fossil-energy, and right-wing groups like Rev. Sung Myung Moon.http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/skeptic-organizations.html
How about nearly $16 MILLION?’Scientists’ Report Documents ExxonMobil’s Tobacco-like Disinformation Campaign on Global Warming Science’http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/ExxonMobil-GlobalWarming-tobacco.html
Or $100,000 from an coal-burning electric co-op (actually from it’s unaware customers) to climate skeptic Pat Michaels?’Making Money by Feeding Confusion Over Global Warming’http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GlobalWarming/story?id=2242565&page=1
Wonder how many of these people also watch the Pat Robertson Comedy Hour?
tracy, roflmao! That list was so good that I forwarded it to the people who like to send me that kind of crap. Of course I attached a “Warning! Reading the following could cause republican-american’s heads to explode!”
Thanks daves.Keep that list handy whenever wingers are around to counter all their “facts”.
oh, I will! I copied it to notepad so I have it handy. I’m just waiting for the nasty response like I got when I refuted the “clinton body count” email I received last week.
Brian you might have hit the nail on the head. I know that when I get an email like that, I will look it up and then delete it rather than send it on.
“gin up the religious bigots”
The only religious bigots I’ve seen on this blog are the Christian fundies/wackos who hate all religions except their own.
bigot: One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.American Heritage Dictionary (used in many school reference books)
How ’bout-tracy is scroll over?
and fleetie is walkover!
“bigot: One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.”
Boy RD, that would pretty much fit everyone who posts here.
Damn, jr, don’t be so quick witted. But is nice you come to the aid of tracy. That’s sweet.
The media is liberal. Nope! Just full of BS most the time.
Bill & Hillary Clinton are radical leftists. Bill isn’t. Hillary is.
George W. Bush is a Texan. True! Whenever you establish a residency in any state, you are rightfully called by that state.
George Bush was a successful businessman. False!
Bush won Florida in 2000. True.
Losing by 2 million votes in 2000 is a mandate. Nobody lost by 2 million votes that year.
This administration will hold itself accountable. False. The checks and balances of our system will.
Bush will restore honor and integrity to the White House. Depends on your opinion.
The Healthy Forests Initiative will help forests. True.
The Clear Skies Initiative will reduce air pollution. True.
Republicans are compassionate conservatives. There are some, but many are not.
It is executive privilege not to reveal the members of the energy task force. True! Their proagative.
Vice President Cheney no longer has ties with Halliburton. True.
Bush is not that familiar with Ken “Kenny Boy” Lay. He took his campaign cash.
There is no global warming. False.
There is global warming, but humans aren’t causing it. Causing some of it.
If there is global warming, it’s actually good for us. Good for some, bad for others, most won’t have an effect.
There are legitimate scientists who dispute the “liberal” theories about global warming. True. Their are legitimate scientist who challenge the data, methodolgy, financial contributions, interest groups and policy pushers.
Sex education causes STDs and increases pregnancy rates. False.
Unemployment numbers have never been so low. Very true.
Outsourcing will create more jobs. True! Somebody is getting a job. It might not be you or in America, but a job is a job for somebody.
The vast majority of Bush’s tax cuts go to the bottom end of the spectrum. True. The bottom spectrum recieved the largest cut in the percentage of taxes or was even wiped clean of any income tax liability all together.
Tax breaks for Hummers are good for the economy. Very false.
Tax cuts increase federal revenue. If it stimulated positive economic growth. It does.
The estate tax hurts family farms. Good!
Privatizing Social Security will save Social Security. Nothing will save Social Security now. But privatizing will help people.
Citizens will earn more money for retirement with “private accounts.” Very True.
Republican proposals to change Social Security are not plans to “privatize.” It needs to be privitized.
They are not “private accounts,” they are “personal accounts.” True.
The economy is doing great. Very Ture.
Nothing is more important in a time of war than cutting taxes. The tax cuts came before the war.
Bill Clinton is responsible for 9/11. False. The terrorist were.
Bill Clinton was offered Bin Laden on a silver platter and turned it down. Unclear.
No one could have anticipated airplanes flying into buildings. People thought of it.
We have removed the Taliban from Afghanistan. Removed them from government power. True.
They hate us for our freedom. True.
The Patriot Act is needed to protect Americans. Not really true.
Giving up some freedoms is necessary to defend freedom. Very false.
“Bin Laden Determined to Strike within the U.S.” was a historical document. Not clear on what that means.
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. True.
Anyone who leaks information will no longer be a part of this administration. Was said. But who leaked all the Pentagon information hasn’t been discovered yet.
There can be no doubt that Saddam has reconstituted his WMD program. True.
The only way to get Zarqawi is to invade Iraq. False.
Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9/11. False.
Critics of the war are liberal, left-wing radicals. True. They aren’t the only group that critize the war, but there isn’t a left-wing soul on planet earth that does, because a Republican is President.
Opposition to the war gives aid and comfort to the enemy. It doesn’t give them aid and comfort, but it gives them hope and a progaganda tool.
Democrats hate America. False. They hate Bush and Republicans.
Dissent is unpatriotic. False.
The Iraqis will welcome us with open arms and flowers. True. They did.
It could take six days, six weeks – I doubt six months.Several hundred thousand troops is wildly off the mark. Not fimilar with this statement.
Yellow ribbon magnets on your car mean you support the troops. True.
Iraqi oil will pay for the war and the reconstruction. Not for sure. The only country that has ever paid us back in war debts is Finland.
US liability for the war shouldn’t be more than a billion dollars. Don’t know where you got that statement.
Saddam would not let the weapons inspectors in the country. True. He kicked them out on several occasions.
Saddam would not let the weapons inspectors do their jobs. True.
There is a large international coalition participating in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” True.
We know where the WMD are. We found a few viles of stuff that can kill hundreds of thousands of people. WMD’s for Democrats means vast stockpiles of nuclear missles.
They’re in the area around Baghdad and Tikrit and north, south, west and east somewhat.Those trucks we found in Iraq were mobile biological weapons labs. They were destoryed when we found them.
Iraq sent its WMDs to Syria. Possible.
Mission accomplished. That aircraft carrier Mission was accomplished. True.
The violence is the result of a few Baathist dead-enders. And Iran and many other groups.
The insurgency is in its last throes. Desperate situtation will lead to desperate measures.
Bring It On. Hell Yeah!
No one could have anticipated the Iraqi insurgency. The level of it. True.
There is no civil war in Iraq. True. A civil war is defined as two or more seperate political groups fighting for the control of the government. Sectarian violence isn’t about the control of the government, it’s about settling long held fueds between tribes.
We’ve turned a corner in Iraq. We’ve done some great things there. It’s more free then it has ever been in it’s history.
A spike in violence in Iraq is a sign of American success as insurgents resist positive changes. I wouldn’t consider it a success, but there is truth to that statement.
A decline in violence in Iraq is indicative of American success in getting a handle on Iraqi security. True.
There is no need for a bill banning the use of torture.We do not torture. True.
A “signing statement” freeing the executive branch from having to follow a law is necessary during a time of war. What law?
Progress as a result of the “historic” pass of sovereignty, formation of government, election in Iraq will be seen in the next 6 to 8 months. That happened. True.
A plan to withdraw troops is defeatist. Prematurely. Yes.
Congress had access to the same intelligence on Iraq. True.
There is a war on Christmas. False.
There is a war on Easter. False.
Democrats and the ACLU want to ban the bible. False.
Democrats and the ACLU want to make it illegal to pray. False.
Jesus would have voted for Bush. False.
Gay marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage. False.
Republicans are pro-life. Some are, some aren’t.
Democrats are the party of death. False.
Evolution isn’t supported by the facts. False.
There are legitimate scientists who dispute the “liberal” theories about evolution. True, but they are guided by spirituality rather than facts.
Man existed alongside the dinosaurs. false.
The earth is 6,000 years old. False. Much older than that.
Terry Schiavo wanted to live. She was already dead.
Michael Schiavo wanted to murder his wife. He wanted to free her soul.
Michael Schiavo abused his wife. No evidence of that.
Terry Schiavo can laugh, smile & communicate. Used to, before her injury.
Terry Schiavo can recover. False.
The country is ‘bitterly divided’ over the Schiavo controversy. They were sick of it.
George W. Bush is a war hero. False.
John Kerry isn’t. I wouldn’t call him a hero. He is a war veteran though.
John Kerry shot himself in the leg to earn his medals. I don’t know. Maybe. People did do that back then.
Bush is a war president. That’s what people say.
Bush is a popular president. Pretty much everybody in America know who he is. So yes! He is popular.
The Democrats are weak on national security. They have a different perspective. Mostly politically driven.
Diebold voting machines are secure. True.
Fox News is fair and balanced. It’s like any other news channel.
Jeff Gannon is a journalist. Have no clue who he is.
Bill O’Reilly looks out for you by cutting through the spin to get to the truth. His own reality. Not neccesarily the truth and he spins like a top.
No one could have anticipated the breech of the levies. They were hoping it wouldn’t breech.
Tom DeLay is decent Christian businessman. He was a failure at business and he is a corrupt figure and a very bad person.
The Delay investigation is the result of a rabidly partisan prosecutor. True, but Delay deserves it.
Nobody at the White House knows Jack Abramoff. They just know his lobby money.
The Corruption scandals are bipartisan. True.
The 9/11 plot would have been discovered with the NSA domestic spying program. Not for sure.
Press reports about warrantless wire tapping undermines American national security. Leaked detailed classified information does.
Bill Clinton did it too. True.
Democrats don’t want to wiretap terrorists. No! They just want to do the opposite of what Bush is doing.
Whenever we say “wiretap,” that means we’re going to get a court order. True.
The government is tapping your phone to protect you. Your phone is not tapped.
Leaks of classified information authorized by the President are ok because he can de-classify anything at will. True.
Leaks of classified information to the press by a whistleblower to expose illegal activity are treasonous and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If it exposes illegal activity, then no. If it exposes legitimate but may be controversial to some activity, then yes.
George W. Bush is a decider. True.
Dick Cheney is a sober shooter. LOL!
Joe Wilson admitted that Valerie Plame wasn’t covert. No. The government did.
Valerie Plame is a traitor. False.Joseph Wilson is a traitor. A liar but no traitor.
Patrick Fitzgerald is going to indict Joe Wilson. Nope.
Karl Rove has a faulty memory. Pay him enough money and he will remember.
Scooter Libby has a faulty memory. He is on trial for that. We will see.
Gas prices are high because of liberal environmentalists. Not the full blame, but they do rightfully deserve a bit of the cost.
Gas prices are high because of taxes. It is taxed pretty heavily.
Drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge will lower the price of oil. True on a temporary basis.
Windfall taxes on high oil company profits is socialism. It’s not socialisim, it’s descrimination.
It’s surprising that Bush’s poll numbers are so low since people like him so much. Many people don’t like him now.
Basically everybody likes the president except for a few wackos on the left. I don’t know about like, but wacko leftist hate him.
George Bush doesn’t read the polls. Probably true.
The Democrats are in disarray. False. They are just like the Republicans.
WOW Joe
I mean WOW!
That HAD to have taken alot of time.
No wonder you did it late on a Friday evening. There is something in there to earn you an angry shot back from basically every single poster on the blog!
I have any number of problems and a few agreements.Your understanding of the economy is CLEARLY biased toward your position in it.
The one that sticks out most?
WHY are you in favor of the failure of family farms?
I do not think most urban legends are written to target conservative Christians, and I am certainly doubtful there is some sort of right-wing conspiracy creating and sending urban legends.
Please: I researched the one about Al Gore and Osama Bin Laden. It was sent to radio stations as a printed script. Thousands and thousands of copies.
I thought I was the only one who got these things and objected to them. I usually reply with links to the correct story if possible and sent to ‘reply all’ every chance I get. And they do play to Christians and Republicans more often than not. At least the ones I get.
Those urban legend emails are for the gullible, so they appeal best to the religious zealots.
“Boy RD, that would pretty much fit everyone who posts here.”
I thought exactly the same thing and posted anyway. Food for thought?
“WHY are you in favor of the failure of family farms?”
I can answer that one for you, JR. Joe believes that all farmers are wealthy and drive Escalades, even though the only farmers he knows are corporate. He needs to hang around the farmers I know: the real family farmers.
” And they do play to Christians and Republicans more often than not”
Well, Chris beat me to it to say they are gulliable enough to believe ANYTHING that fits their “poor persecuted majority” world view.
They are always looking for a reason to whine about their persecution.
And we all know, the information on the internets is SO reliable…
I used to work in tech support at a local university. After a short period of time I noticed that the conservative Christians, by far, were most likely to fall for hoax emails. Over and over again.
The support calls from these people were taking so much time we had work hard to get then to use the hoax email verification site at McAfee before calling us.
Based on info at Snopes and elsewhere, this appears to be a common occurance.