In keeping with my friend, "Man with a Muckrake" blog site, I thought that I would also keep up with the "FREEDOM" theme. I think that it is very unfortunate, or very telling, that prominent conservatives have been silent thus far exposing that it is serving their purpose quite well even if it was not by design. Below is a very disturbing story. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In Wheat Ridge, Colorado, a billboard recently erected compares President Barack Obama to a terrorist and questions his U.S. citizenship.
The billboard shows two cartoonish images of Obama wearing a Muslim turban and reads "PRESIDENT or JIHAD?"
It also says "BIRTH CERTIFICATE - PROVE IT!" alluding to the conspiracy theory which claims Barack Obama was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii, which would disqualify him for the office of President.
The words "WAKE UP AMERICA! REMEMBER FT. HOOD!" appears on the bottom of the billboard.
The sign belongs to a car dealership owned by Phil Wolf. "Since Fort Hood, I've had it," said Mr. Wolf, "You can't suggest things. You can't profile. You gotta call a spade a spade." "Everything I have read about Mr. Obama points right to the fact that he is a Muslim. And that is the agenda of what Muslim is all about. It's about anti-American, it's about anti-Christianity," Wolf said.
The Anti-Defamation League condemned the sign, as did AM760 radio host David Sirota, who discussed the sign and interviewed Wolf on his program Friday morning. "It's out of control," Sirota said. "This conservative hatred of Barack Obama is out of control, and this brings together all those strands of it: the racism, the anti-Muslim fervor. It's one thing to criticize the president on health care, or Wall Street reform, or immigration. But this is outrageous. And I think it's a fair question to ask why these questions about religion and ancestry are being directed so viciously at the first African-American President of the United States."
While the ADL issued a statement calling the billboard an exploitation of the Ft. Hood shootings that is "divisive and offensive, and perpetuates hateful and harmful stereotypes about Muslims."
"That could suggest that conservative leaders are afraid to confront the extreme fringe of their base," Sirota said. "Or it suggests they actually condone this message. Either way, it's disturbing."
Sirota is an unabashed liberal, but not all self-identified conservatives who drove past the sign Friday disagree with him.
"I'm not concerned with that at all," said Linda Alexander, of Golden, in regard to the dispute over President Osama’s American citizenship. "He was elected; he's the president -- that's it, as far as I'm concerned. Some people just can't accept that, obviously."
But Keith Walters, another passing driver, saw nothing wrong with the billboard. "I can't honestly say he's a Jihadist, but there's a lot of things that are questionable," Walters said. "The whole birth certificate controversy. From what I've read, there's no proof Obama isn't a Muslim. And I don't believe there's any racism in the billboard. I think that should be a question asked to any president who -- they have some questionable backgrounds."
Supporters of the birth certificate theory, known as 'Birthers,' believe the Certification of Live Birth produced by the state of Hawaii is a forgery.
The man behind the sign is either an idiot, crazy or a racist (maybe all three). We won the election and now these sore losers will continue to spew their hate with lies. They remind me of the Birthers losers, who even “Fake News” Bill O’Reilly has smacked down like the true flies they are.
ReplyDeleteHello Preston,
ReplyDeleteYou have stated the sumation very well.
Thank you
Preston gave three categories under which the fellow who put up the sign might fall under.
ReplyDeleteI would say I think he is a whole bunch of each.
That may be the case, but I whole heartedly support Freedom of Speech and I would be very confused and upset and outraged if he were made to take it down....
This does not mean I tolerate racist asshole ignorant motherfuckers like the gentleman who posted the sign...
I just respect his rights.