Posts with the tag Barack

AYMAN ZAWAHRI DOES NOT SPEAK FOR MUSLIMS

funkfresh01 — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:33:21 EST

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/19/08) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today condemned threatening rhetoric and racial slurs contained in a new video by Ayman al-Zawahri and said Al-Qaida's second-in-command does not speak for Muslims in this country or worldwide.

SEE: Al-Qaida No. 2 Insults Obama with Racial Epithet (AP)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hPtm1yvXGJVcqVpQdQfpQLY8L-cwD94I51J02

Joe the Plumber: A Prime Symbol of Republican Hypocrisy

Eric Wattree — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:10:13 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Joe the Plumber: A Prime Symbol of Republican Hypocrisy

John McCain accused Barack Obama of being an elitist. He then trotted out “Joe the Plumber” to symbolize that he, unlike Obama, stood in solidarity with the American middle class. That made for great theater, but like John McCain himself, it soon became clear that Joe the Plumber maintained a strained relationship with truth.

ELECTIONS OFFICIALS DENY ILLEGALLY PURGING VOTERS

funkfresh01 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:52:12 EDT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081009/ap_on_el_ge/voter_purges

Associated Press

NEW YORK - A newspaper report Thursday said tens of thousands of eligible voters have been removed from rolls or blocked from registering in at least six swing states, but election officials quickly lined up to defend their registration procedures and said they had done nothing wrong.

The New York Times based its findings on reviews of state records and Social Security data, and said it had identified apparent problems in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.

The Times said voters appear to have been purged by mistake and not because of any intentional violations by election officials or coordinated efforts by any party. It says that some states are improperly using Social Security data to verify new voters' registration applications, and that others might have broken rules that govern removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election.

Happy "Barack-tober"

Mike W, Tulsa+ — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:52:56 EDT

NEW YORK (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama is making some campaign promises we can be pretty sure he won't keep.

Appearing Thursday [1-24-08] on the Late Show With David Letterman, the Democratic presidential candidate delivered a tongue-in-cheek list of his top 10 campaign promises, including a pledge to rename the 10th month of the year "Barack-tober."

---
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Top Ten Barack Obama Campaign Promises presented by Senator Barack Obama
http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20080124.phtml

#5: "I'll rename the tenth month of the year 'Barack-tober'"

‘Obsession’ Interviewee Calls Film ‘Vile Piece of Propaganda’

funkfresh01 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:05:13 EDT

Dr. Khaleel Mohammed: ‘Film demonizes an entire community. I have allowed myself to be used.'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/27/08) â€" The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said that a participant in an anti-Muslim film that is being distributed to 28 million homes in presidential election swing states CALLED the production a “vile piece of propaganda” in a statement sent to www.obsessionwithhate.com/

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/27/08) â€" The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said that a participant in an anti-Muslim film that is being distributed to 28 million homes in presidential election swing states has issued a statement calling the production a “vile piece of propaganda.”

GOP DIRTY TRICKS IN THE SWING STATES

funkfresh01 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:20:05 EDT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/sep/22/uselections2008.republicans
Republican operatives are using an anti-Muslim film and push polling to raise fears of terrorism and smear Barack Obama
Richard Silverstein, Guardian, 9/22/08

We are now entering the closing weeks of what promises to be yet another close and contentious presidential election contest. As each side seeks to maximise its advantages and minimise its weaknesses, the Republican party has chosen the lowest of low roads, engaging in two sleazy political marketing campaigns over the past week.

First, DVDs of an anti-Muslim documentary film are being distributed to 28 million voters in swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado and Wisconsin. Second, Republican telemarketers have begun push polling aimed at scaring Jewish voters in swing states from voting for Barack Obama…

The mass distribution of Obsession is an obvious Republican scare-tactic, right out of the Rovian playbook. Party operatives believe that scaring Americans into believing there's a jihadist under every bed will play to Republican strengths and Democratic weaknesses on national security. They swiftboated John Kerry in 2004. Now they're jihadising Barack Obama.

ANTI-ISLAM FILM TARGETS "SWING STATE" VOTERS

funkfresh01 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:15:54 EDT

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43940
Ali Gharib, Inter Press Service, 9/19/08

WASHINGTON, Sep 19 (IPS) - Millions of voters in U.S. states crucial to this fall's presidential election received DVD copies of a controversial documentary film as advertising inserts in their morning newspapers over the past week, with more expected to be sent out over the upcoming weekend.

The 2006 film, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West", which has been accused by critics of encouraging Islamophobia, was reportedly delivered, or slated for delivery this weekend, into tens of millions of households in states such as Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri and other "swing states" that don't vote consistently for either party and usually decide elections.

Republicans and their candidate, Sen. John McCain, have made the battling the threat posed by radical Islamists a central platform of their campaign, while presenting their Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, as being weak on the issue. Obama has also fought off persistent "smear" campaigns, particularly among Jewish voters, that he is a closet Muslim.

Thanks

Democrat in Clay City, IN — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:39:50 EDT

First off, thank you, fellow Democrats for all the love you have shown toward me in choosing not to follow party lines. It's rude people like you that make me consider leaving the Democratic party, and going Independant. I beleive John S. McCain can control this country, and that is why I want him to become President. NOT, Barack Hussein Obama.

‘OBSESSION,’ THE RADICAL RIGHT’S WAR ON ISLAM

funkfresh01 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:26:54 EDT

By Ahmed Rehab

Word count: 830

[Ahmed Rehab is strategic communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at arehab@cair.com]

You have to wonder about a film that could muster no better an endorsement to adorn its poster than that of CNN’s resident right-wing extremist Glenn Beck. "Obsession is without exaggeration one of the most important films of our time," says Beck. (Who would accuse Glenn Beck of exaggerating?)

The film Beck is lauding, “Obsession: Islam’s Radical War against the West,” is a 2005 work of anti-Muslim propaganda that has recently been widely distributed via an unprecedented campaign.

HATE DVDS SPREAD ANTI-ISLAM MESSAGE IN FLORIDA

funkfresh01 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:34:35 EDT

Millions of propaganda DVDs distributed with Florida newspapers promote Islamophobia ahead of US elections.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=27925

The mass mailing of a controversial DVD "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" has sparked anger among many in South Florida.

The hour-long video began turning up in mailboxes last week as a direct mailing, and also as an advertising insert in dozens of newspapers, including The Miami Herald and the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The DVD is promoted by Clarion Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to "educating the public about national security threats."

PROPAGANDA FILM PLAYS TO MUSLIM STEREOTYPES

funkfresh01 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:17:55 EDT

Jeff VanDenBerg, News-Leader, 9/17/08

Like other newspapers across the country, this Sunday's News-Leader contained a glossy insert and DVD of the film "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."

Ordinarily, such a blatant piece of anti-Muslim propaganda wouldn't merit much attention, but this "advertisement" was sent to about 28 million newspaper subscribers in key electoral swing states. It was paid for by The Clarion Fund, an opaque nonprofit organization that doesn't list its directors or staff or sources of funding on its Web site.

MASS-MAILED DVD ON 'RADICAL ISLAM' UPSETS FLORIDA MUSLIMS

funkfresh01 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:12:30 EDT

Agence France Presse, 9/16/08

The mass mailing of a controversial DVD "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" has sparked anger among South Florida Muslims who say it maligns their faith and fuels hysteria ahead of the fast-approaching US presidential vote.

The hour-long video began turning up in mailboxes last week as a direct mailing, and also as an advertising insert in dozens of newspapers, including The Miami Herald and the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Promoted by Clarion Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to "educating the public about national security threats," it features scenes of young children reciting jihadi slogans, interspersed with footage of Nazi youths.

"OBSESSION" DVD RAISES CONCERNS OVER PROPAGANDA

funkfresh01 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:59:01 EDT

One Newspaper In North Carolina Refused To Circulate The DVD
CBS4, 9/17/08
http://cbs4.com/local/obsession.muslim.religion.2.818889.html

The documentary, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," a controversial DVD distributed nationally inside certain newspapers, is being alluded to as inflammatory by Muslim groups in South Florida, showing scenes encouraging children to become suicide bombers.

Altaf Ali was shocked when he opened his Sunday paper and found a copy of the DVD. He is the director of the Florida Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. "That's not what a newspaper is about," Ali said, "A newspaper should never be about promoting propaganda."

Barack Obama, Joe Biden 2008!

Barack Obama Fan — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:12:35 EDT

I haven't written in a while, but after the collapse of several of the largest financial keystones in the country I feel like it's important to get a few words out. The NY times and a few other news agencies have mentioned how Barack Obama is now changing his focus from previous topics over to the economy. I think that's great. There are enough Barack Obama supporters to understand where he's going and coming from to realize it's not just a publicity stunt. The thing that the NY Times and other organizations don't realize is that there is a huge fear in the back of many Americans minds as to what will happen now that banks and other huge companies are collapsing. It's NOT a publicity move. Obama didn't make this happen and he's not benefiting from giving his opinions about the situation. I for one would love to know how he will react to such a newsworthy even such as lehman going down the tubes. This is respectable. I hope the media don't twist it any more than they already have.

OBSESSION: A JIHAD-HAPPY DVD DELIVERED TO A NEWSPAPER NEAR YOU

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:51:04 EDT

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel blog, 9/16/08
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2008/09/obsession-a-dvd.html

The movie Obsession: Radical Islam's War With the West, whose trailer is below, was delivered with your Orlando Sentinel newspaper this AM. And, it is my understanding, the DVD was delivered to households receiving other newspapers around the country today as well. True?
Apparently, Parade Magazine isn't conservative enough for some folks. But hey, they paid to package it with our paper, so glad to be of service! Did the check clear?

Anyhoo, didya watch it? Check out the trailer if you have any questions about what it's about, and those who endorse it. Lots of Fox and Limbaugh plugs for it in that trailer. They're in lock step over its virtues. It's two-to-three years old, and the reason it's being shipped out to newspaper readers across America? Scaring the scareable before an election, apparently. Michael Moore's giving away his latest film on the Internet to do the same thing, but Obsession at least helps a paper's bottom line. More power to'em.

HATE MAIL, COURTESY OF YOUR DAILY NEWSPAPER

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:40:29 EDT

Wayne Garcia, Creative Loafing, 9/15/08
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/politicalwhore/2008/09/15/hate-mail-courtesy-of-your-daily-newspaper/

Readers of the St. Petersburg Times on Sunday found a little rancid bonus in their newspapers this weekend: a DVD called Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, which is a hate film ostensibly about Islamic terror. It’s really a thinly veiled attempt to influence the presidential election by flooding anti-Muslim sentiment ahead of the Obama-McCain balloting in November.

Nothing like infusing the voters’ minds with fresh images of terror, especially little children as jihadists, only 50 days away from the day we decide whether to put a man named Barack Hussein Obama into office

ONE NEWSPAPER REFUSES TO DISTRIBUTE 'ISLAM TERROR' DVD

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:34:58 EDT

Greg Mitchell, Editor & Publisher, 9/15/08
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=676&&ArticleID=25477&&name=n&&currPage=1

As explored here this past weekend, the Clarion Fund has paid dozens of newspapers across the country -- almost solely in "swing" election states -- and The New York Times to distribute the "Islam terror" DVD "Obsession" with their home delivery packages. Among the larger cities where this has taken place: Miami, Philadelphia, Denver and Pittsburgh.

An estimated 28 million copies have been distributed so far, also through the mails and other magazines. An article at the group's site, www.radicalislam.org, all but endorsed John McCain this past week, then was pulled down.

But at least one newspaper turned away the money and refused to distribute it, calling it "divisive."

It's the Greensboro News & Record in North Carolina.. The longtime editor, John Robinson, explained his reasoning in a column yesterday.

'RADICAL ISLAM' VIDEO ANGERS SOUTH FLORIDA MUSLIMS

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:20:48 EDT

A DVD about “radical Islam's war against the west,” included with the Sunday Miami Herald and dozens of other newspapers, has caused a stir among the region's Muslims.
Jaweed Kaleem, Miami Herald, 9/16/08
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/687954.html

A controversial DVD distributed to millions of Americans during the past week through direct mail and newspapers, including The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, has angered many Muslims in South Florida.

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the Westwas packaged as an advertising insert in 70 newspapers, including The Sun Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. The Clarion Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes ''national security through education,'' sent the hourlong preview of the documentary to 28 million households, many in election swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Readers of The St. Petersburg Times, The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and The News-Press of Fort Myers also received the DVDs.

The DVD includes montages of terrorist training camps and suicide bombers paired with narration by commentators such as Daniel Pipes, founder of the conservative Middle East Forum think tank. Many of the film's pundits are known for controversial views on Islam. In one part of the DVD, clips of Muslim children being recruited as suicide bombers are interspersed with images of Nazis.

“My cellphone has been ringing off the hook . . . We feel that it's going to incite more hate and bigotry against our community,” said Altaf Ali, Florida chapter director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The DVD does not do enough to differentiate between terrorists and mainstream Muslims, he said.

CONTROVERSIAL DVD ABOUT RADICAL ISLAM INCLUDED IN ORLANDO SENTINEL

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:12:21 EDT

http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=674&&ArticleID=25475&&name=n&&currPage=1
WFTV, 9/15/08

Just weeks before the election, there are questions about a controversial insert published in The Orlando Sentinel. The insert on radical Islam included a 60-minute DVD.

Over 300,000 copies of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West" went out to Orlando residents as an insert in Sunday's Sentinel. Twenty-eight million copies will go out in swing states nationwide by the end of the week.

The Clarion Fund paid millions of dollars to get the DVD out. It's a non-profit organization that claims to focus on national security. Eyewitness News asked the New York-based group and they would not say exactly how many millions they receive or who their donors are.

PRO-MCCAIN GROUP DUMPING 28 MILLION TERROR SCARE DVDS IN SWING STATES

funkfresh01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:35:23 EDT

Erik Ose, Huffington Post, 9/12/08

(UPDATE 9/13 - 70 newspapers in swing states have been paid to distribute Obsession this weekend and next, which means not all of the DVDs have been delivered yet. Check the list at the end of this post to see if your newspaper is one of them, and let them know how you feel about their participation in this shameless propaganda campaign.)

This week, 28 million copies of a right-wing, terror propaganda DVD are being mailed and bundled in newspaper deliveries to voters in swing states. The 60-minute DVDs, titled Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, are landing on doorsteps in a campaign coinciding with the 7th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Funding is coming from a New York-based group called the Clarion Fund, a shadowy outfit whose financial backers are unclear.