Like many of you out there, I have been bombarded with political propaganda from friends on both sides of the political map. In general, I find that there is very little information in the emails. Most of it is emotional imagery that is very powerful. I find, more often than not, that all the information that is presented by the activists are either red herrings or contrary to fact. I'm always am cautious of long "informative" emails that use a lot of description and "personal stories". Especially ones that use bold lettering or colored fonts. But, it seems, that those are the emails that compel people to click the forward button.
One example of propaganda from the Democrat side sent to me by my friend.
Shown below is the Wasilla town hall where Sarah Palin spent most of her elected career.
Palin casts herself in the role of a reformer and claims to be strong against corruption and criminality. No doubt she is sincere in this, but the public has a right to know how successful she has been. In 1996, her last year as mayor, the police department reported 242 cases of larceny, 96 cases of assault, 56 for burglary, 113 for shoplifting, 116 for outstanding warrants, 3 for sexual assault, 6 for weapons, 42 for drugs; not to mention 454 motor vehicle accidents. There are 63 registered sex offenders in Wasilla, an astonishing number for a city this small. See http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Wasilla-Alaska.html and http://www.idcide.com/citydata/ak/wasilla.htm and http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=103These figures, showed no improvement during Sarah Palin's years as mayor.
And just how big is this mighty metropolis whose citizens don't drive very well and suffers from the scourge of criminality? It is, (gulp!) all of 8,000 residents, the population was even less during the time she was mayor. The amount of crime reported in Wasilla is wildly disproportionate to its’ size. So what is going on in that tiny burg? If Sarah Palin couldn't clean this city up where are her bragging rights as a reformer?
Palin supporters among the evangelical churches would be shocked to learn that thievery ran riot in Wasilla with her at the helm. They might even begin to ask some very uncomfortable questions of John McCain. The question that they would ask the most is: “With all the talent available to the Republican Party, why on earth would he select this nobody from nowhere?”
Boy democrats are weenies. What a luke warm piece of propaganda. This is one of the few things I have that isn't just "Palin is a dummy. I don't like her, you shouldn't either". Anyway, crime IS high in Alaska. It is hard to compare the crime statistics of Alaska with anywhere else in the US. It is dark and cold most of the time in Alaska. There are more men than women, and most of the work force is comprised of blue collar workers. The cards are stacked for a bit more crime per capita than other states in the US. I'm confident that the statistics would not of been better had anyone else been in her position.
I'm sure if McCain were ahead in the polls right now, I'd be getting a lot juicier bunk from my liberal friends. But the Obamacans are feeling pretty confident. So, most of the scary stuff is coming from my conservative friends this election season. Like this horrific example.
These pictures are of Muslims marching through the streets of London during their recent 'Religion of Peace' Demonstra tion.
Why would anyone think that we should be at war with such nice, peaceful Muslims? Americans need to know - You need to forward this one to everyone! These Pictures tell it all! Muslims have stated that England will be the first country they take over!
These are pictures not shown on American TV or in American Newspapers (as they might help Bush's war on terror), but were forwarded by a Canadian Friend who thought Americans ought to know!
And Americans are actually considering electing the democrat presidential candidate, Barack Obama, who said in his book, Audacity Of Hope: 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'
The fonts in this one are BOLD and colored in RED and BLUE!
Right away I feel upset when I see this. It clearly displays to me the racial hate and bigotry that is apparently in the hearts of some Americans.
This email propagates a lot of incorrect information. The sheep guilty of forwarding this monster don't consider the fact that Obama is NOT Muslim, that mainstream Muslims are peaceful, and that anyone, even a Muslim, has a right to run and be elected to the office of the President. Did the person forwarding this email not notice that all of the text on the picket signs are exactly the same. The same "sharpie", the same font. This picture is obviously photoshopped. This piece of hate propaganda was forwarded to me by a Christian relative. She should of asked herself "What would Jesus do?" when she got this one. He would of marked it SPAM and deleted it from his mail box.
If I was an evil person, I would conjure up some pictures of Christian extremist groups doing exactly the same things pictured in the photo's above. It would be a true representation of Americans because all American Christians believe the same things that White Supremacists and The KKK believe, right? (you can tell this piece of work really got to me)
Anyway, the hope is that these jabs will make it easier for undecided people to go with their gut. It's a "Vote for me is a vote against the other guy" approach. This approach directs attention away from any argument of substance, and takes community discussion away from the actual political agendas. (It's easier to repeat rhetoric than to discuss the economy)
So, please recognize that emails that seem longwinded, emotionally involved, and suck you into a perceived situation are almost always SPAM. The best thing to do in these cases is to drag your cursor over the "mark as SPAM" check box and click. Then proceed to delete the plague from your email box.
Also, please use your head when you vote. Don't let emotional grab nabbers suck you into illogical thinking. Turn off the TV commercial, turn off the radio ad, grab your voter pamphlet, and read. Then make a decision not biased by emotionally charged propaganda.
So, please recognize that emails that seem longwinded, emotionally involved, and suck you into a perceived situation are almost always SPAM. The best thing to do in these cases is to drag your cursor over the "mark as SPAM" check box and click. Then proceed to delete the plague from your email box.
Also, please use your head when you vote. Don't let emotional grab nabbers suck you into illogical thinking. Turn off the TV commercial, turn off the radio ad, grab your voter pamphlet, and read. Then make a decision not biased by emotionally charged propaganda.
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BTW The actual quote from Obama is from page 261 and is as follows: "Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
-Obama is saying that he is not for internment camps.
-Obama is saying that he is not for internment camps.
I hope you're not for them either.
