A Clarification
by John Weckerle
Photo that was attached to the e-mail message
New Mexico Central doesn’t typically get too wrapped up in national affairs; however, once in a while we find a need to address a situation. In this case, we find that an e-mail response sent by your editor was tampered with, and now is out there on the Internet with his name still on it. Accordingly, this article clarifies the situation.
This morning, I received an e-mail message from a Valley resident with the picture shown here and the following text:
Let’s take the bugger down through the Internet… Seems the majority of
the press are worshiping at his feet….Someone could put this on facebook..
If each person sends this to a minimum of twenty people on their address list, in three days, all people inThe United States of America would have the message. I believe this is one proposal that really should be passed around.THIS WILL CURDLE YOUR BLOOD AND CURL YOUR HAIR
The name of the book Obama is reading is called:
“The Post-American World,” and it was written by a fellow Muslim.
“Post” America means the world After America! Please forward this picture to everyone you know, conservative or liberal. We must expose Obama’s radical ideas and his intent to bring down our beloved America!
Your editor is known to have a bit of a pet peeve where inaccuracy and misleading information in widely circulated e-mails is concerned. I replied:
Two things, here…First, Obama’s a Christian, not a Muslim. We might all remember the furor surrounding racially charged statements made by his former pastor in Illinois. Second, the book “The Post American World” is a book on global economics by CNN international correspondent Fareed Zakaria. Zakaria was born to Muslim parents in India, but is now a U.S. citizen. He received his BA from Yale and his Ph.D from Harvard. While many will categorize him as a liberal, he is considered difficult to pin down politically, having supported Ronald Reagan in the 80s and initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In a famous Newsweek essay, “Why They Hate Us,” Zakaria pointed to stagnation and dysfunctions in the Arab world, rather than to American foreign policy, as the root of Islamic extremism. He currently hosts “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN.
As far as his being a Muslim (if he is; I’m not sure), that’s his constitutional right. He’s certainly not an extremist, and we can use all the moderate Muslims in the Islamic faith that we can get.
To which I got the following unsigned response:
If you think Obama’s are Christians you are in deep denial……..They ARE best pals with Bill Ayers, Rev Wright and Louis Farrakahn who are Islamic extremist who believe all white people and JEWS need EXTERMINATED…You certainly have a right to your beliefs…..but anyone who is hell bent on turning America into a 3rd world country like Obama and his Chicago political mafia gang is not my cup of tea. He canceled the WH Christian prayer day.but attended Muslim prayer day as did his wife……now tell me??? He thumbed his nose at 70% of the American people when he passed this nightmare of a healthcare bill…..now you tell me whose side he’s on????
Up to this point, there seemed little do be concerned about; this sort of reply is bound to come from time to time, and people are entitled to their opinions, poorly written or otherwise. I dropped an e-mail back asking who the person was, and got this reply:
A very concerned American patriot citizen, who sees our country heading for destruction under Obama.
Now, at this point, I would have been inclined to let the matter drop – but between the time I asked the question and the time I got the response, I noted with alarm that the person who had “replied all” had also altered the first sentence of my original response to read “Two things, here…First, Baa’s a Christian, not a Muslim.”
Baa? Let me be very clear: Whatever agreements or disagreements I may have with the President or anyone else, it is not my practice to resort to name calling or derisive nicknames. There is now an e-mail circulating the Internet which quotes me as doing just that. Having noted this, I decided that it would only be fitting to publish a clarification: I have never referred to Mr. Obama as “Baa,” in an e-mail or otherwise. I did a search on the e-mail address of the sender (executivefoodjobs@aol.com), and found a single reference at this site. The site links the address with a Darla Shafer, owner of executivefoodjobs.com, located in Katy, Texas. Her contact information is located at the site linked above. I checked the original message, and found that one of the recipients was listed as Darlene Shafer, with the same address. If you find yourself reading an e-mail message with my name on it referring to the President as “Baa,” please be advised that this is not my work, and that the “Baa” reference was placed therein by somebody using Ms. Shafer’s e-mail address.
3 Responses “A Clarification”
“Baa?” What is Baa supposed to mean? I’ve seen many references to the President and people’s pet names for him, but this is a new one for me.
I happen to agree with you on this. This is nothing new, except for you personally being lectured to or at. The “Truthers,” the “Birthers” and all manner of other creepy-crawlies on both sides of the fence and astraddle the fence do this every day, day-in and day-out.
They have done it to me and others in the area and “they” don’t always come from the right … there is plenty of left left in the left.
“Baa, humbug!” Whoops, that’s reserved for Christmas and those who love “A Christmas Carol.”
While you may derive some satisfaction from having posted your clarification, don’t expect anyone, left or right, to agree with what you have said. What you have tried to refute is likely branded on the brain of the person or persons making or repeating such statements.
Well said. People are loath to let go of some perceptions, and I doubt anybody who’s already made up their minds one way or another will be too concerned with the facts. I just didn’t particularly care for having somebody essentially putting words – even one – in my mouth.
As far as I’ve been able to tell, the most common association of “Baa” with Mr. Obama is some sort of vague sheep reference. Bit of a stretch, in my opinion, but then again not all satirists are of equal talent.
I wish people would practice critical thinking and fact checking. John, your reply to this type of disconcerting blather is pretty much what I would have replied to the sender. Chuck, some of us “lefties” are pretty darn centrist (and entirely realistic) people. I get fed up with fringes on both sides of the aisle!