Intentionally Stupid
I guess there really is no way to misunderestimate the gullibility of the American electorate, which I guess would also explain our current Congress and White House. Reading a Washington Post article on a Pew poll regarding, among other issues, the President's religion confirms both propositions.
The number of Americans who believe -- wrongly -- that President Obama is a Muslim has increased significantly since his inauguration and now account for nearly 20 percent of the nation's population. ...
The president's religion, like his place of birth, has been the subject of Internet-spread rumors and falsehoods since before he began his presidential campaign, and the poll indicates that those rumors have gained currency since Obama took office. The number of people who now correctly identify Obama as a Christian has dropped to 34 percent, down from nearly half when he took office. [Emphasis added]
While it's refreshing to see that the Washington Post has explicitly stated that the President is not a Muslim, it is a bit disappointing that the paper blames the Internet for the distribution of the lies surrounding Mr. Obama's religion and birthplace. Yes, the Internet has been a major source of a lot of this garbage, but other sources have been in overdrive as well, as the poll implies:
Among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 percent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fueled by misinformation. [Emphasis added]
I would submit that such venues as talk radio and conservative talking heads on the television have played a role as well. I would also suggest that the "misinformation" might actually be intentionally delivered lies, fed to the speaker by those who resent having a Scary Black Man in the White House, or even a Scary Liberal in that sacred space.
What is most appalling about the whole issue, however, is that any elected official's religion is so very important that a poll was designed to check it out. Nowhere in the Constitution is there a requirement that the President or any other elected official must be a Christian in good standing or even have any religion at all. Yet the people at Pew thought the issue worth exploring and the people at WaPo felt compelled to report on it.
What a shame.
The number of Americans who believe -- wrongly -- that President Obama is a Muslim has increased significantly since his inauguration and now account for nearly 20 percent of the nation's population. ...
The president's religion, like his place of birth, has been the subject of Internet-spread rumors and falsehoods since before he began his presidential campaign, and the poll indicates that those rumors have gained currency since Obama took office. The number of people who now correctly identify Obama as a Christian has dropped to 34 percent, down from nearly half when he took office. [Emphasis added]
While it's refreshing to see that the Washington Post has explicitly stated that the President is not a Muslim, it is a bit disappointing that the paper blames the Internet for the distribution of the lies surrounding Mr. Obama's religion and birthplace. Yes, the Internet has been a major source of a lot of this garbage, but other sources have been in overdrive as well, as the poll implies:
Among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 percent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fueled by misinformation. [Emphasis added]
I would submit that such venues as talk radio and conservative talking heads on the television have played a role as well. I would also suggest that the "misinformation" might actually be intentionally delivered lies, fed to the speaker by those who resent having a Scary Black Man in the White House, or even a Scary Liberal in that sacred space.
What is most appalling about the whole issue, however, is that any elected official's religion is so very important that a poll was designed to check it out. Nowhere in the Constitution is there a requirement that the President or any other elected official must be a Christian in good standing or even have any religion at all. Yet the people at Pew thought the issue worth exploring and the people at WaPo felt compelled to report on it.
What a shame.
Labels: Religion, Separation of Church and State
posted by Diane at 3:41 AM
1 Comments:
I'm thinking they think that Rush and Beck are considered as part of the media
Post a Comment
<< Home