Commentary: Lies and election season lunacy

[babylonsister]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/08/21/99448/commentary-lies-and-election-season.html

* Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010

Commentary: Lies and election season lunacy

By Mike Hendricks | The Kansas City Star



This being an election year, the lies are flying like beer bottles in a bar fight.

Take this idiotic "ground zero mosque" debate that's all based on myth and ignorance.

First of all, it's not a mosque. It's an Islamic cultural center that includes a place to worship. Second, it's not at ground zero, but two blocks away.

But the much bigger lie is this notion that building the "mosque at ground zero" would somehow insult the memory of those who died on 9/11 because the terrorists who hijacked the plane were themselves Muslim.

Well, so were many of their victims. And even it were an affront, which it's not, it is perfectly within the rights of the … no, let's stop right there.

See how they suck you in? The reason certain politicians and their enablers in the media start irrational arguments like this one is to divert attention from things that really matter.

snip//

Party hacks on both sides of the aisle are so accustomed to passing off fiction as fact that they stop knowing the difference.

Problem is, the distortions seem to be having an ever greater effect in this age of 24/7 cable news and the Internet.

Take that Pew Center poll out this week showing that a majority of Americans either think President Barack Obama is a Muslim or they're not sure what religion he is.

Hard to believe, given that the non-issue of just two summers ago centered on the influence candidate Obama's fiery evangelical Christian pastor had on his beliefs.

Either the American public can't hold a thought for long, or it's getting dumber by the minute.

Probably both.

[mwb970]

1. The article is tainted by "false balance".

A few years ago, Republicans urged the electorate to "save marriage" when it didn't need saving. Democrats regularly try to get senior citizens' votes by accusing conservatives of wanting to wipe out Social Security.

Um, sorry, but conservatives do want to wipe out Social Security (Sharrron Angle, anyone?). The author writes as though it is obvious that "both sides do it". But both sides don't do it.

I am so sick of false equivalencies between Americans and conservatives. There is a big, big difference!

[babylonsister]

2. I saw that, too. I don't always agree with

every editorial I post, but thought this guy made a few good points. Take it for what it is, though I agree with your thoughts about the false equivalences. There's way too much of that going on.

[mwb970]

3. He did make good points.

Sadly, little bursts of "they're all the same" infect many otherwise sane commentaries on this or that issue. It just frosts me to read about the latest horrific republican assault on America, morality, and common sense, only to be told "Democrats do it too."

:banghead: