Response to anti-Obama Lou Pritchett propaganda
One of my email correspondents sent me this wonderful rebuttal to one of those dastardly hate mail items regarding Obama. He took the time to respond. I obtained his permission to share, although I'm withholding his home address, which he included in the original missive.
The next time someone you know forwards you crap like this - please be a Carl and take the time to respond. That one action may have an effect larger than you at first perceive.
The next time someone you know forwards you crap like this - please be a Carl and take the time to respond. That one action may have an effect larger than you at first perceive.
John,Me, I might have just said Lou Pritchard is obviously a coward, to be so scared by our President, for chrissakes. I'm glad Carl took the time to elucidate, rather than just ridicule.
Thanks for forwarding the below letter titled “Obama You Scare Me,” by Lou Pritchett, formerCEO[he was only a vice president - Ed.] of Proctor & Gamble.
I find it intriguing that he managed to include in one letter, virtually every anti-Obama cliché ever uttered. I respectfully submit my rebuttal below. My responses appear in blue type following each of his contentions.
Your old friend,
Carl
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
John, if he’s just NOW getting scared, methinks Mr. Pritchett must have slept through the entire Bush administration. It is Bush who ignored laws passed by Congress by attaching “signing statements” to laws that UNLAWFULLY claimed that he would not be bound the very laws he just signed. Bush even dismantled the 400-year-old tradition of habeas corpus. If the “decider” decided that an American citizen was an “enemy combatant,” that person was “disappeared” just like people in other dictatorial countries.
Robert Parry, who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek, and currently the editor of ConsortiumNews.com, has written “Neck Deep - - The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush.” Obviously, I can’t include his entire list of unconstitutional, extra-legal, unauthorized actions or all of the 900+ lies that Bush told to Congress and the American people - - all confirmed and verified - - but, John, please allow me to list just a few key milestones along the disastrous journey Robert Parry mentions in “Neck Deep.”
Saddam's ties to Al Queda: There never were any. The claim is a complete distortion of the truth.
Chem.. & Bio Weapons: We know Saddam had and used these prior to Gulf war I. Why? WE gave him the means to make them. The weapons inspectors and CIA reports all stated there was no evidence Saddam still possessed these weapons.
Saddam's Nuclear program: What existed was dismantled after Gulf War I. But that didn’t disqualify their previous existence brought forward from the past tense to the present tense from serving as a humdinger of a scare factor.
The War would be a cakewalk: Obviously it hasn't been, largely due to the totally stupid assumptions Bush & Rummy made that were based on total ignorance of the culture AND an equally deadly dismissal of our own generals’ advice.
Iraq as a model for Democracy: The shabbiest and most overused “reason for invading Iraq” since the WMD and Al Queda claims were proven to be bogus. The issue here is that there are many, many brutal dictatorship's in the world, John, and to think that we would send 100,000 troops to a foreign land to "liberate" a nation is just plain gullible.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
To claim that both Honolulu newspapers conspired to run birth announcements for Obama in anticipation that he was a one-man “sleeper cell” who would be “anointed” president some day defies logic. Besides, how many Hawaii officials does it take to prove its legitimacy? Even the respected factcheck.org has examined it!
To quote: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
“FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship. Claims that the document lacks a raised seal or a signature are false. We have posted high-resolution photographs of the document as "supporting documents" to this article. Our conclusion: Obama was born in the U.S.A. just as he has always said.”
Update, Nov. 1, 2008: The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health confirmed Oct. 31that Obama was born in Honolulu.
Not to mention, John, I bet ten bucks to a donut that previous GOP presidents have a few skeletons in their closets that should have caused Mr. Pritchett to proclaim the same “...I know nothing about [them either].”
For instance, I’m sure Mr. Pritchett didn’t realize that Ronald Reagan became a viable political entity with the help of the entertainment conglomerate, MCA. Reagan signed a waiver when he was President of the Screen Actors’ Guild that allowed MCA production division to negotiate with “talent agency” side of the company and the actors it represented as their agent ...a blatant conflict of interest.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
Mr. Pritchett must not have ever heard about scholarships. Like all the blacks and Hispanics who attend ivy league colleges must be the results of conspiracies. Did he have the same reservations about General Colin Powell? Or, Secretary of State Colin Powell? Probably not.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
Tell that to all the diplomat’s kids who grow up in other countries...and, who go on to become active in our State Department activities themselves.
Or, tell that to the hundreds of thousands of military brats who grew up in countries where their fathers were stationed.
Sheesh, the level of ethnocentrism and unbridled chauvinism of this guy is truly barf-inducing. Going overseas, according to him, must be enough to cancel out any right to call oneself an American. I can just hear him say, “GAWD NO! We sure don’t want to learn about other cultures ...so when we go to war, as we did in Iraq, we will be guaranteed to totally misconstrue their willingness to accept us with open arms.”
For heaven’s sake, John, I’m just a regular American citizen who has read only briefly about the Iraqi culture. And, EVEN I knew that Bush and Rumsfeld were wrong when they said the Iraqi people would accept us with open arms. These bozos lived on another planet and there are umpteen gazillion former generals who quit military service because of their vociferous disagreement with Bush & Co. They tried to tell BushCo that they were wrong-headed to think Iraqis would welcome us into their country.
No doubt, that naïve notion is the reason Bush & Rumsfeld didn’t think it was important to guard the warehouse with 400 tons of C-4 explosives (that are currently being used to blow up our soldiers) ...and, no doubt, that’s also the reason Bush & Rumsfeld thought it was a good idea to dismiss en masse the entire Iraqi army (against Pentagon advice) and send them home along WITH THEIR DAMN WEAPONS! Yeah, that was a good idea. So, I for one, am thankful that Obama DOES have a multicultural understanding of the world and its various countries ...especially those that are Islamic. We sure as hell can’t afford to have the level of incompetence and rampant ethnocentrism that has been in play during most of the Bush administration.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
Well, neither had John McCain, but the GOP wanted HIM to run the country. And, look at who they wanted to be VP!
Not to mention, if you look at the string of failing businesses George W. Bush left in his wake, how can you claim that HE ever met a payroll? A couple of W’s businesses had to be bailed out with gifts (not loans) from Daddy’s good friend, the head of the Saudi National Bank - - if THAT doesn’t make Mr. Pritchett scared, then his heart needs to be checked to see if it is still beating.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
For the record, neither did George W. Bush. He was in a rich boys’ National Guard Unit and nobody ever DID collect the $10,000,000 reward that was offered to produce paperwork that verified he was ever even THERE. (His records mysteriously had disappeared!)
Nobody in the unit to which he supposedly belonged even knew the guy! Never had met him. And if military service is a requirement for government service, then what about the FULLY 96% of the top-most echelon of the Bush administration who never served in the military? Rumsfeld? NOPE. Karl Rove? NOPE. Wolfowitz, Feith, Perle, etc.? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE and not a chance! What a bunch of BS, to claim military service is necessary when the entire previous administration was made up of rich kids who bought their deferments. ME??? I SERVED IN VIETNAM! And, as for Kerry’s service ...to hear the Republicans, tell it, you’d think that getting SHOT didn’t qualify Kerry for any more credit than if he had played pinball at the local pool hall; much less count as patriotism. Selective perception Mr. Pritchett? Hmmmmm???? I think so.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
What? This is such a blatant opinion that is based on no empirical evidence it doesn’t even warrant a comment. Who, pray tell, defines “class;” and, without specific examples of Obama blaming others, it’s a bit difficult to respond further.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
Being on a task force to improve education at the same time as the President of the University of Chicago doesn’t equate to “hanging with terrorists” unless you accuse the University President of the same thing. The supposed “terrorist” was an anti-Vietnam War Protestor - - just like I was after I came back convinced that war wasn’t winnable and was only about the oil under the Gulf of Tonkin. So, I must be a terrorist by Mr. Pritchett’s criteria. And, I STILL think it was a stupid, unnecessary war that was initiated with the help of lies. (None of our ships were actually attacked...it was a ruse ...a faked circumstance to panic congress into granting permission to wage war. Just like we were panicked into rushing into the Iraqi war.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
So, let’s see if I understand: Mr. Pritchett doesn’t think using 900 + lies to maneuver America into an unnecessary war isn’t something that we might want to acknowledge. It’s not like simply denying it is going to let us “slip that big elephant into the room” without anyone in other countries noticing. Sometimes admitting the obvious adds to one’s credibility, Mr. Pritchett! And world-wide polls demonstrate that such admissions have increased America’s credibility!
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
Mr. Pritchett must have a short memory because he’s obviously forgotten that it was National Socialism - - Hitler’s party - - that promoted the belief that government controlled by private industry is the best of all possible governments. Allowing the private sector to dominate is called ...mom, lessee, now. What did Mussolini call it? Oh, I know, he called that fascism. In fact, he used corporatism and fascism interchangeably.
You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
Yeah, and Mr. Pritchett claims that we’ll lose our “free choice of doctors.” I pay hundreds of dollars monthly for privately run health insurance. And, guess what?! I can’t choose any doctor I want. I’m TOLD what doctor to go to. But, my neighbor who is on Medicare? He gets to choose any doctor he wants, no restrictions.
So, this point is just scare-mongering. In fact, even after paying hundreds of dollars every month, my wife’s surgery and hospital stay was rejected and we now owe more than $120,000 in medical bills. And, THAT’S AFTER ACTUALLY HAVING PRIVATELY OPERATED HEALTH INSURANCE!
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
Pardon me, Mr. Pritchett, but T. Boone Pickens, who knows a lot about oil availability here in the US, said that you folks who claim that we can become energy independent by drilling the oil that is available in America are DELUSIONAL! That’s Pickens’ own word. Pickens said that we only have 5% of all available oil but we use 25% of the oil consumed. That’s why he said the “drill, baby, drill” folks are being dishonest when they imply it would make a difference to up our own domestic oil production.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
Pardon me again, Mr. Pritchett, but using that logic, you would probably call the “father of capitalism,” Adam Smith, himself, a socialist. Guess what! Even HE said capitalism needs regulations. Without regulations and oversight by the government, Smith says it would destroy itself.
Let’s face it: we already have seen what “self regulation” can do: it DID destroy the goose that laid the golden egg. Not the regulators. Not by a long shot. Even Alan Greenspan admits that he was wrong to assume that capitalists will regulate themselves. I ask you, Mr. Pritchett: Would YOU be the first little boy to STOP taking candy from the dish when there were no rules telling you to “be polite?” I doubt it. You would be just as greedy as the ding butts who were told that the bubble was dangerously close to bursting because of the lack of regulation and oversight for the laws that were actually on the books. Bush even fired one of his own SEC chairmen because he tried to fine a couple of Wall Street companies who were caught posting transactions after the markets closed. Even those who tried to regulate the laws on the books were fired for their trouble.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You have the audacity to say that BANKS are being intimidated? After two solid decades of bribing congress and helping to author bills designed to loosen regulations ...after Bush & Obama BOTH having given the banks a total of $14 Trillion in bailout money? Who’s intimidating whom?
SURPRISE FACT: today, August 2, 2009, only 3% of those funds have been invested in shoring up the credit market by being made available for loans - - the very purpose the funds were meant to accomplish. Mr. Pritchett, even little old HAYSEED KANSAS BOY Carl Williams could see that nothing good was going to come from variable rate mortgage loans; or balloon payment loans. If I could see that trouble was brewing, then why the hell didn’t the bankers see it? They didn’t want to stop taking money from the suckers because they knew that the FDIC and/or the government in general would see that they “were too big to fail” so they didn’t have to worry about the consequences of their greedy behavior.
So, I ask again, Mr. Pritchett, whom is intimidating whom? That argument just doesn’t fly, my friend. At least not with anyone with an ounce of common sense, it doesn’t.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
I don’t know if you noticed, but even a couple of former GOP Treasury Secretaries and Alan Greenspan, himself, are going along with the current attempts to shore up the hole in our ship of state that the bankers themselves blew in the bottom. Your comment is nothing more than propagandistic jingoism.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
Like the bankers who got us into this mess are intelligent. Please...
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.
It sounds like the kettle calling the pot black. Your attitude throughout this letter has been that of a two-bit know-it-all.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
Mr. Pritchett must not watch Fox News, my friend. If THAT is a free pass, then I guess Mr. Pritchett must think that Joseph Goebbels was the German version of Captain Kangaroo.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
If you think those “intellectual giants” actually are worthy of consideration, then I have some ocean front property here in Kansas I want to talk to you about, Mr. Pritchett.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
But, yet, you seem to want private industry to be in control of government. I think we’ve already seen what kind of fiasco can come from that formula. Let’s see ...fascist Germany, fascist Italy, American economic melt-down circa 2008...that’s what happens when private industry controls things and there are no regulations to stop them from looting the pockets of the rest of us.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
Mr. Pritchett, I think that given the encroaching power of the military industrial complex and its puppeteers, the international oil companies, not even Obama can stop the systematic destruction that’s happening to our constitution. Obama said the US should stop its military support and aid to Honduras because of the illegal coup. Did that take place? Nope. He said we’d be out of Iraq. Will that ever happen? Nope. Did Obama deliver the open government he promised when he was elected? I guess since his Justice Department lawyers were using the same arguments before the Supreme Court in regard to illegal torture and who authorized it, who participated, etc., I guess the answer again is, “Nope.” Obama doesn’t have the authority. It’s above his pay grade. So, yes, I agree: it may, indeed, be risky to write openly about our concerns.
Lou Pritchett
FormerCEO[he was only a vice president - Ed.]
Proctor & Gamble
According to Mr. Pritchett, this letter was sent to the NY Times but they never acknowledged it. Big surprise.
Even The New York Times can occasionally smell a pile of BS. That’s saying something since the NYT didn’t smell nary a whiff of BS when it served as THE official US stenographic service that transmitted to the American public the lies the Bush administration cranked out non-stop during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq.
Given their own role in perpetrating misinformation to the public, it must be especially irking to Mr. Pritchett that the NYT didn’t even acknowledge his letter, much less print it.
This rebuttal respectfully submitted by:
Carl
P.S. I welcome any comments and corrections of any facts I may have included above. Please include the web sites and sources for the facts that are offered in response.
posted by Real History Lisa at 8:48 PM - Permanent Link -
62 Comments:
Great job! But the point of the 'letter' was to give the know-nothings something to fixate on, sadly, any open-minded thinking person does not need to read this and the rest of them won't get past the second point, as it does not fit their preconceived notions.
Laura, I respectfully disagree, in that, while sure, there are many who close their ears and go "La La La I can't HEAR you" when you refute propaganda they are attached to, there are others who simply believe because they hear no rebuttal. Those of the ones it's worth trying to reach. Give them the other side. When you put the truth side by side with fiction, people will choose the truth.
I loved this so much! I wish, however, Lou Pritchett would have just said "President Obama, you scare me because you are black" and saved us all the irritation of this letter that's riddled with disinformation because we all know this wouldn't have anything to do with fear if our president were white. Sure there would be scare tactics from the right still but that is their "thing." I don't want to judge anyone but it's hard not to with a ridiculous letter like that. Carl's points are right on in my opinion. I can't wait to share this with my mom, she's going to love it!
I was getting ready to sit down and go point by point to reply to someone on facebook and then found this and posted it instead. Thank you
Thank you for your intelligent response! Personally, I thought Mr. Pritchett sounded like an uneducated fool with his poorly written letter.
Information. Factual information. We need to ask these happy writers for real examples, e.g. Europe. How bout BMW vs GM? Siemens vs. AT&T. Not the same situation. Writing a letter, anybody can do it, but leading a country in turbulent times, that is a work for men, not for whinners Mr. Pritchett.
Mr Pritchett's words say more about him than about anyone else.
Yes. Two words come to mind, the first one being "chicken."
This is excellent! Thank you so much for posting an intelligent response to gibberish.
Seriously, I'm SO SICK of the RACE card that is played just because someone doesn't agree, like, or is "scared" in this case by Obama. Its an absolutely unintellgent response. No matter his color, Obama is responsible for his "actions" and he has "consequences" (good or bad) as a result. He is subject to the judgements of the American people as the President. Race card is SO REDICULOUS! Give me a break!
Signed,
NOT A REPUBLICAN OR BUSH FAN
When I received Mr. Pritchett's letter, I sat down and fired off a point by point rebuttal. I wish I'd done some research and found this one first - it's much stronger than mine and chock full of great examples. Thanks, Carl!
Laura is right. None of the people who circulate this kind of nonsense are going to bother to read the facts. Real History Lisa, I did that. I sent it to someone who is circulating the letter who wrote back immediately that "....his points are correct."
(sigh)
Still, I'm grateful you've done the work so I didn't have to spend all week focusing on it. : )
"Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years. -Lou Pritchett"
Yeah, Lou. Just keep it up and I promise you this: you'll end up in the Left Wing Gulag that we're building at President Barack HUSSEIN Obama's orders at this very minute. Please, try to get a good night's sleep, Lou, and have a lovely day!
I will offer no further comment. Lou Pritchett's silly comments speak for themselves.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
Carl,
You appear to be a very angry man. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the sentiments in 'that' letter it would be more beneficial to use more polite responses and less crude language for a start.
Your responses did nothing for me to identify the truths better (as was the case with the 'letter' from Mr Pritchett) The majority of people deep down want to hear balanced comment and not aligned with any particular political party.
Anonymous has confused me. What "crude" language did Carl use to make his point? Was it "bucks to donuts" or "sheesh" or "heaven sakes"? Carl, you better clean up your language!
YOU SAID -------"You appear to be a very angry man." -----
Yes, my anonymous friend, I think it's safe to say that I am angry. As a Vietnam combat veteran who found out that after what I and my fellow soldiers went through, the US wasn’t in Vietnam to spread and protect democracy, but was there primarily to have access to the oil underneath the Gulf of Tonkin. So, yes, I became angry when I found out that we were once again entering into a war to acquire access to oil.
Yes, I am angry because BushCo told us repeatedly, “Nooooo, it’s not about oil,” they said. “It's about terror and spreading democracy and protecting America from WMDs.” But, Mr. Anonymous, as you know well by now, one by one, the lies were revealed as lies. I find it rather puzzling that YOU are not angry just as I am.
Today, we know the truth: Iraq IS about oil ...and always WAS about oil.
As proof, I respectfully wish submit the comments of Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, in his memoir.
"Everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." When he was interviewed by Bob Woodward, he was even more explicit. Said Greenspan, "If Saddam Hussein had been head of Iraq and there was no oil under those sands, our response to him would not have been as strong as it was in the first Gulf War."
YOU SAID ------“Whether or not you agree or disagree with the sentiments in 'that' letter it would be more beneficial to use more polite responses and less crude language for a start.” ------
Anonymous, I re-read my original post and all I could find was an occasional bit of contextually appropriate sarcasm, I can’t for the life of me, figure out what I said that would qualify as being more impolite than the outlandishly offensive, unsubstantiated comments Mr. Pritchett made in his original letter.
Let me see if I understand your point, Mr. Anonymous. You believe Lou Pritchett was being polite when he told President Obama that “unlike any of the other [presidents who have served America] you truly scare me.”
I beg your pardon, Mr. Anonymous, I’m not alone in thinking that Lou Pritchett’s letter was FAR MORE than just being a tad-bit impolite.
It’s obvious to virtually everyone who read it, that the Pritchett letter was deliberately designed to undermine America’s confidence and trust in the President of the United States of America ...during wartime.
Pritchett repeated the phrase, “You scare me...” over and over and over...a slick tactic that was perfected by a man by the name of Joseph Goebbels who said, “Repeat the message a thousand times and it becomes truth."
Many people who received and read his letter wouldn’t remember many of the accusations or dispersions against President Obama, but they will, indeed, remember the phrase, “You scare me...” Which was, of course, the entire purpose of the exercise: to plant the seeds of doubt with unsubstantiated, blatant hate-mongering.
With all due respect, Mr. Anonymous, I would politely challenge you to look over Mr. Pritchett’s letter and let me know exactly which of his comments you believe represent a beacon of polite political dialogue.
YOU SAID-------Your responses did nothing for me to identify the truths better (as was the case with the 'letter' from Mr. Pritchett) -------
I’ll be interested to hear exactly what bit of vitriol in the original Pritchett letter you would identify that “...identified the truths for you.”
YOU SAID------- The majority of people deep down want to hear balanced comment and not aligned with any particular political party. --------
Anonymous, your last comment indicates that you have accepted the Fox News definition of “fair and balanced” to be the Orwellian, double-think version of reality; i.e., “Facts = unfair.” And, “Bias = balanced.”
Anonymous, if you think that Mr. Pritchett’s blatantly slanderous attack on President Obama was “polite” ...and think my response was “impolite,” I would be fascinated to hear your definition of “polite.”
Carl
Here is a story: When I was young I saw a snake in the bushes. I ran like the Devil to get my dad. When he went to capture the snake, it was a coil of garden hose.
From then until today, I always check for the "garden hose." Unfortunately some of the critics of our team Obama, are still in the "Bushes", beating a piece of rubber to death.
Growing up and becoming intelligent is very hard for some kids.
Team: Keep throwing good sense at them. Ignorance is bless, stupidly is coma!
Uncle John
Thank you! I got the initial Lou Pritchett letter from my grandparents who thought it was wonderful... I have never been so upset at them. I love this country and I love that someone like Mr. Pritchett has the full right to say whatever is on his mind... but I find it sad that people like him are still so closed minded despite all the wonderful things this country has done for it's people. I'm not saying our country is perfect and therefore our president is not perfect... but he is a wonderful caring person who is working around the clock to make this country better for every person, young..old, rich..poor, white...black..etc.. Instead of closing eyes, Mr. Pritchett should open them and try to help. Thank you for your response. It gives me hope that people are helping.
Thank you for the reinforcement. I, like you, love America. And, like you, I want to believe that most people know the difference between the truth and the blatant lies that the fanatic right-wing-nuts have spread. Unfortunately, the right wing propaganda machine is so well funded that it can afford to put out an endless stream of lies about virtually ever subject under the sun.
The Pritchett letter was just one of those unfounded screeds and I couldn't sit back any longer and just assume people would recognize it was total BS. As you have noticed in your own email circles there are people who buy into those lies. For whatever reason, they believe the worst and assume that because some "big name" has supposedly put his name on a statement that it must be true.
Of course, Joseph Goebbels perfected the "big lie" propaganda technique - - which is exactly what the right-wing hate-mongers are using.
It is based on the fact that the average person just can't fathom that a high-profile person of supposedly high moral character who has a reputation to protect, would ever lie ...especially, project into the public dialogue a Big lie. That Obama was not born in the US; he is a socialist; he is wanting to kill your grandmother; etc. All those are versions of "the big lie." They are obviously preposterous and easily proved false, but because they were foisted into the public dialogue by such an upstanding person as the former CEO of Procter and Gamble, the average person simply accepts it as true. Or, if not totally true, at least the lie undermines his confidence in the truth when it is shown to him.
Our need to trust is an instinctive, built-in response that is virtually programmed into our subconscious. And, when a statement comes from a person whom we assume is a beacon of high moral character by virtue of his/her high profile, then our ability to comprehend we've been lied to is virtually neutralized. Our guard is down. Indeed, the very combination of 1) a trusted, high-profile person with respectable credentials; 2) telling us something that is so outrageous that it surely must be true, or he wouldn't say such a thing; IS A VERY DIFFICULT COMBINATION TO REBUT.
And, though I know that I'm usually doing the equivalent of charging windmills and will never change the minds of those who want to believe the lies, I hope that every once in a while I will have the good fortune to connect with someone like you who just needs to hear the truth. So, thanks for being among the folks who don't just lay down and say, "Oh, well, what can I do to fight this tidal wave of lies that the Right sends out continuously." Thanks for being willing to counter each and every one of those outrageous lies that are circulated under the guise of being said by some trusted, high-profile person "so it must be true."
A letter from Pat Boone is the most recent ugly, anti-Obama viral email I've received in this vein. It's obvious that Pat Boone didn't write it if for no other reason it has a sentence that ends in a preposition, for GAWDSAKES! No one of Pat Boone's level of experience would ever authorize a letter over his signature that would violate a rule we all learned in sixth grade English.
But, unfortunately, the average person is not sophisticated to recognize "red flags" of warning like that and assume that because "Pat Boone" wrote it, it must be true.
Thanks for your comment about being glad you ran across my response to the Pritchett letter. You made my day and reminded me that every once in a while, my efforts to debunk the Right-Wing Propaganda Machine's ubiquitous stream of lies actually pays off.
Carl
I live in Mexico but lately have been getting so many anti-Obama mails it is ridiculous!!! and people DO believe them. They do not even check if something is true or not. It is taken at face value.
To Indignada:
No my friend many Americans do not even check if something is true! Our dear President let a profound reality slip out when he used the word: "Stupidity."
Unfortunately, this nation is a mix of thinkers and human cattle, that are easily herded by the greedy ranchers: Republicans, Glen B. and Rush L..
Our human cattle only need beer, some food, a good pickup truck and a lover to be content. But, they stampede easily. Poor critters!
Uncle John
Thanks, Barb, I was trying to find that offensive language. Great job, Carl. I am amazed at the educated, but not so intelligent, folks who believe this drivel. So much hate wasting energy that could be used for good! The nation is in a horrible shape, and all some people want to do is blame someone who wasn't even in office when the problems were created. Strange rationale!
Thank you for you for your rebuttal to the Pritchett letter.
A friend e-mailed me the letter because she knows that my husband is a retired Procter and Gamble executive and wanted to know if we knew this man. The answer was yes. Mr. Pritchett left P.& G. some 20 years ago to become a motivational speaker and was apparently very successful.
I suspect Mr. Pritchett's business is not doing so well these days and that he needed some publicity using the P.&G. name. What a brilliant move knowing full well the ensuing controversy.
I am very doubtful that P.& G. would endorse such an ignorant letter. This is typical of right wing tactics. Since 9/ll the Republican mantra has been "keep the general public really scared" and "repeat, repeat and repeat lies" because repetition becomes truth in the feeble minded.
On socialism. If the Republicans are so against any form of socialism we should get rid of our police force, fire dept., libraries,schools, Medicare, the VA, social security, and indeed all govt. control. Silly me, I thought these organizations were for the public good!! Do Reps. want anarchy? Sounds like that to me.
I would not be proud to be a member of a party that loves and admires hate-mongers like Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin etal. Whether or not love and admired by the Republicans, the Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan and all the other hate groups in the U.S.A. support the Rep. party.
Now, that scares ME to death and it should scare Rep. party members.
Carl Williams here....
Unfortunately, since I can't remember my password at the moment, I am responding as "anonymous" just as you did.
In any event, thanks for the reinforcement re: my rebuttal to Mr. Pritchett's original, uninformed, fear-mongering, anti-Obama letter.
I certainly agree with you about the common good that is a result of cooperative, public-benefitting organizations such as fire departments, police departments, etc. If Mr. Pritchett and his minions are truly concerned about "socialism," per se, then shouldn't they be a bit more concerned about the 19-Trillion Dollar rip off of the US Treasury that just took place under our noses by the banking industry? Nomi Prins' book, "It takes a Pillage" estimates that the $19-trillion is a far more accurate number than the officially acknowledged bailout price tag of $700 Billion. And, please note: Nomi Prins is not some wild-eyed, left wing hothead, but is a former financial reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
I agree with Gore Vidal's assessment that in America, we have socialism for the rich and free market capitalism for the rest of us. It sure seems that way, doesn't it?!
Many years before the economic meltdown and subsequent banking industry bailout by the US Treasury, Dr. Lawrence Britt examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several in Latin America. He found 14 defining characteristics common to each which I will attach as a pdf. But, first, take note that #13 includes (in bold) exactly the symptom that we just experienced in the massive banking bailout that Prins describes in her book:
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
That seems to sum up the philosophy of the previous administration. Unfortunately, many of the same people who were responsible for the original breakdown of regulation, etc., are in this new administration and are carrying on the same policies. We'll see if Obama is truly an agent of change as he claimed, or merely the latest front-man for the oligarchy who is obliged to bow to the dictates of his major campaign contributors: the banking industry. I don't know about you, but I was very disappointed to find out that only a quarter of the $500 million he raised came from five and ten dollar donations from people like you and me. The vast majority came from the banking industry.
No wonder there isn't a big push for the restoration of financial regulations coming from the White House. I would say, "Wait and see what happens," but I'm afraid we don't have to wait. It's all too obvious that the corporate oligarchs are in charge of our government much as the corporations were in charge of Italy's government during Mussolini's tenure. He did, after all, consider "corporatism" synonymous with "fascism." Hmmmm...what else can I say, but that I hope Obama gets re-elected so he can let the populist aspect of his personality jump out of his current persona like Superman jumps out of a phone booth. And, let's hope he will reveal that, down deep, he really is a populist and not a corporatist.
I appreciate when a person takes the time to research something. I always do. The Repubs were surprised they lost the election. We had boots on the ground working hard every day while they were sitting on their butts sending emails full of lies. The Repubs do not research ANYTHING and their leaders, i.e. Rush, Newt, Palin, etc. know this. They are laughing at their Repub voters behind closed doors! I do too.
Once again the Repubs are sending hate emails and erroneous info. I love it. I appreciate someone taking the time to "clarify" the "wonderful life" under the Bush Administration. I also have a good laugh when they talk about "Reaganomics". Under Pres. Reagan he gave us a monthly tax increase only to take it back and then some when we take our income tax. The Repubs never knew the difference.
Just received the letter. Took the liberty of using Carl's response. Very well written. Thank you.
Mr. Pritchard was not a CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company, so we need to quit supporting this myth.
Pat
Thanks - I found out he was a vice president (and most corporations have many such people). I noted the correction above.
I believe there is a bigger picture here that transcends the details. That issue is the one of fear. Acting from fear is rarely sound and logical - it is a survival instinct with a higher pulse rate.
Fear comes from many places, in many ways, for many reasons. When we are attached to a particular way of life and that way is jeopardized fear is often the result. For some, that jeopardy is losing their home or car or boat or job, for others it is losing food, shelter, or warmth. Which Mr. Pritchett is experiencing is up to you to determine.
Dear Hoopologist,
You are certainly right that fear is the underlying motivation behind Pritchett's original letter.
However, I contend that waking up frightened that we will lose our "way of life" is not a natural phenomenon. That kind of fear must be manufactured and nurtured; and the flames fanned diligently. Edward Bernays, the "Father of Modern Public Relations," described what you perceive in his 1928 book, "Propaganda." Read the following Bernays quote and see if it doesn’t reflect what we now know took place prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003:
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country . . . we're dominated by the relatively small number of persons . . . it is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world."
Bernays understood how the “wires” were manipulated because he was a member of the Creel Commission...the group that was given the task to turn America’s mind around from being opposed to “foreign wars” to signing up to go fight. They did that by spreading rumors that the Germans were tossing babies in the air and catching them on their bayonets and raping young Belgium girls.
Remember the faux “Senate Hearing” that was allowed to take place in the actual Senate Hearing room where a young Kuwait woman testified that she witnessed Iraqi soldiers dumping 300 babies out of their incubators onto the cold concrete floor so they could take the incubators back to Baghdad? She also added that she was “gang raped” by the same Iraqi soldiers.
Of course, that was a total lie; a public relations “show” and none of it was true. Isn't it interesting how similar that story is to the one the Creel Commission used to motivate American farm boys to rush into the recruiting offices back in the early 20th Century. It was just dusted it off and re-used.
Americans are suckers for “baby mutilation” stories. Thanks to the Institute for Public Integrity & Fund for Independence in Journalism, we know that our government perpetrated 935 specific lies to build support for the invasion. Those of us who pointed out the facts that proved many of Bush & Company's claims were lies were called un-American, traitors and worse.
Which brings to mind what Hermann Goering said during his trial at Nuremburg when he was asked how people can be convinced to support a war they may not want.
He said, “Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” (quote verified at snopes.com)
Hoop, you can think that fear is a naturally occurring phenomenon that drives Americans to support entering an endless string of wars, but, I prefer to see the reality of deliberate manipulation of public consciousness via the compliant, corporate-owned media. CIA Director William Colby testified before the Church Committee that 400+ CIA agents were working undercover across America, posing as JOURNALISTS!
So, if you can begin to recognize how “fright” is manufactured, then you may actually have taken a step toward understanding the real motivation behind Mr. Pritchett’s letter.
WOW...Americans seem to feel the need to be "left and right" or "right and wrong". This scares and sadness me. I don't agree with either Lou or Carl. Here is what I think.
People have to stop the "blame game"..how does it help? Bush's fault--OBama's fault...please tell me a plan in any of this blaming?
Are we going to be so polarized by the media who offers "perspectives" 24/7? Or are we going to look up our own stats and information and make our own informed decisions?
What is wrong when people don't take responsibility for their own actions and again...blame everyone else.
AND what is wrong with citizens that give up on the values that founded this wonderful country? Patriots? Why can't people have opposing thoughts and STILL be patriots? Doesn't make sense.
It also doesn't make sense that one persons' beliefs supercedes someone else. Have we gone back to kindegarten so we can hurl "words"? Think about it...
We all need to work together to save our country or like Carl and many others and feel the mometum is to far along? Not me. People fought and died for "us" and our way of living. I will not hide in a cave and give up, give in and wait and see what happens...not me. I want my kids to grow up in a free country that allows us all to disagree, agree, believe in guns, don't believe in guns and so much more. I remember that McCain said one statement that I held on to (and not much else) he said "STAND UP" and it touched me to my very soul. SO, whatever you believe STAND UP but please stop attacking one another. We are Americans and as such we have always taken pride in our country...does anyone really want a socialist or communist lifestyle? Not me...let me STAND UP now and be heard...LEFT _ RIGHT _MIDDLE...who cares...STAND UP FOR THE PRINCIPLES OF Democray and Capitalism and again, STOP THE HATRED...oh...one more thing..to me OBama is 50% black and 50% white...really...look at his parents and try to tell me I am wrong on this!!!
Obama scares me too. He's pushing (not leading) us down a road of his choosing with little or no regard for what many citizens want. And what they mostly want it seems to me is to slow down and make sure big and irreversible mistakes are not being made. I personally feel like the country is being hustled into "Hurry up or this opportunity will pass you by and you'll lose out!" I wouldn't buy a car that way. Most of us wouldn't. It hints at a hidden agenda being followed, and that makes me suspicious. It doesn't make me a racist, it doesn't make me stupid, and it doesn't make me a nazi; just a little frightened about where we're going.
Pat, Obama is leading me where I wanted to go. I considered him a conservatively-tempered, pragmatic man who wants to actually solve problems. I read the Washington Post especially Ezra Klein, the Atlantic Monthly, especially Andrew Sullivan and other sources and I am not scared at all. I see real efforts to solve real problems. We had a decider who solved nothing while creating or perpetuating them and I saw McCain as more of the same. It's a lot of change to some, but we NEED a lot of change just now. Don't be scared.
Did any one notice that the US does not have the highest standard of living in the world... not by a long shot. According the the Human Development Index, the US has the 13th highest standard of living. Of the 12 countries ahead of us, 11 are from - you guessed it - Europe or commonwealth countries.
A Chilling Letter concerning the Corporate Interests that seek to control the government of the U.S.A by buying the next President.
Inspired by Lou Pritchett corporate executive (read overpaid CEO) at Procter & Gamble and self admitted living legend.
An Open letter to Corporate Executives.
I have lived under your influence ever since I was first weened from mother's breast and forced to eat Gerber's baby food and whatever formula you deemed cheap enough to produce and profit from. Mr.CEO - you truly scare me!
You scare me because after years of exposure, I know nothing about you other than the corporate image you're willing to project. Your cutesy advertisements and false promises do nothing to assure me.
You scare me because I can't pronounce most of the ingredients in the food you sell.
You scare me because it seems that you are determined to stamp out any form of competition and make a mockery of the concept of free markets.
You scare me because there are so few choices in the marketplace and I am forced to buy your products to support your upscale lifestyles.
You scare me because the Mega-malls and McMansions you build deny me access to some of God's greatest gifts to mankind. The beaches, hilltops, forest and fields that I once walked through are now closed to me as you continue to put a blight upon the American landscape.
You scare me because the products you profit from are no longer American made.
You scare me because you have never run a company that cares for anything other than the creation of vast profits.
You scare me because you encourage Americans to engage in war so that you can profit from vast military expenditures.
You scare me because you align yourself with anyone or any interest that ensures you continue to meet the artificial goals you set to ensure your companies grow larger and larger at the expense of helping us to create a self-sustaining economic system.
You scare me because you will sell your products to anyone who has the cash and you refuse to denounce radical countries unless you are forced to through legal means like embargos. (Most of which you find a way to get around by changing the point of origin for the sale.)
You scare me because you constantly blame the government for your financial woes and use that as an excuse to take advantage of weaker nations and their citizens.
You scare me because you've set your goals on the world market and I can't think of any corporation that exists merely to serve the needs of American citizens.
market economic system.
You scare me because I'm hard pressed to think of any corporations that are owned solely by Americans, or that do not have foreign parties that invest in your companies.
You scare me because you have learned how to manipulate the market and artificially set your own prices.
You scare me because you encourage our citizenry to become complacent. Convenience has usurped conscience when Americans consume goods.
You scare me because you rarely act responsibly with our nations natural resources.
You scare me because you missed the point of the story "the goose that laid the golden egg".
You scare me because you have been extorting the public for generations, the latest example is the way you're packaging foodstuffs in our grocery stores.
You scare me because you force your employees to tow the corporate line and threaten their livelihoods anytime someone steps up to point out potential abuses.
You scare me because you will not openly listen or even consider opposing views from intelligent people if you "feel" there is a chance you might not profit from proposed changes in the way you do business.
You scare me because you believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient. (You are great and glorious too, eh, Lou)
You scare me because you control the media, so any complaints about how it is manipulated are insincere.
You scare me because you control the way consumers purchase products and will do or say anything to manipulate how our citizenry spends its hard earned dollars.
You scare me because many of those products you foist on the public are inferior.
You scare me because you've taken the term "built in obsolescence" to new heights in the last quarter century.
You scare me because you'd prefer to "settle out of court" when said products cause individuals harm rather than take responsibilty for your own mistakes.
You scare me because I have no voice when I disagree with the the way you do business. At least the government grants me the right to vote for my representatives. You just tell me that you're officers are too valuable to replace and continue doing business as usual.
You scare me because when something goes wrong (ie.BP) your solution is to find a scapegoat and take no responsibility for your own actions. I lived in Valdez, I've seen the way you operate!
But most of all...You Scare Me... because you think you're too big to fail and that undermines the entire concept of a free market economic system.
And to those of you who love bashing the U.S.--how many of you, besides our President--have lived in a foreign country? My father lived in Morocco for a time and when the plane landed back in America, the first thing he did was to kiss the tarmac. To those who bash America, I say, "Good bye and good luck!" Someone has sold you a bill of goods.
To those of you who enjoy bashing American corporations: it's too bad you can't see yourself the way others see you. What they see is nothng but pure jealousy. How many jobs have you had in your lifetime? How hard have you worked, if ever? Contrary to popular (read Obama) opinion, these people weren't GIVEN their positions--they got them the old-fashioned way, they EARNED them through hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. What you Obama-ites fail to see is that YOU, TOO can have the life of the CEO you're so jealous of but you're afraid of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. You want someone to GIVE you something you haven't EARNED. Quit belly-aching and do something about your situation. People are more likely to give you a HAND UP; people get tired quickly of giving a perpetual HAND-OUT.
Anonymous - if your child is stealing, should you kiss him, because you love him, and because he's still better than other kids who are engaged in killing others? No. You punish bad behavior. It should be the same with our country. Just because it's better than others doesn't mean it gets a free pass! We have to be good parents to our country, and people like you are abdicating that responsibility under the excuse that it's simply better than the others.
As for being jealous of CEOs, that's simply ridiculous. Most people don't want to work the hours and make the sacrifices in their lives that CEOs have to make. We get that. But at some point, the ratio is also ridiculous. Is one person's day worth a million more than another's? I don't think that's right. All people want is fairness, not levelness.
Thank you I will pass this on.
thank you! I just got the inane email with Lou Pritchett's absurd letter, to which they added "confirmed by snopes.com" - the only thing confirmed, of course, is that he actually sent them the letter, not that anything in it is true.
so, thank you for this. I will send it to every idiot listed on that email. I think their stupidity is more annoying than their politics.
LOU from Montana
Thank you! You saved me a lot of time. Where do people come up with this crap anyways? It is sad people would believe Rush (the pill popper), Glenn Beck (suspect in a rape and arrested for exposing himself) and Bill O Rilley (sexual harrasser). What is thier game? Please tell me?
I loved this....that letter that Mr. Pritchett wrote was so hateful and so biased and I was incredibly angry when I read it. People put blinders on and believe what they choose to believe without opening themselves up to other viewpoints, other facts, etc. This letter was great, thank you for writing it, it made me feel good to know that others out there think this letter is BS, too.
You people are scaring me as much as Obama. Lou Pritchett is correct and you may one day eat your words.
One question: IF Obama was born here why won't he produce a simple birth certificate? One little piece of paper to prove he was born here & yet he refuses. Once a liar.........
Obama's birth certificate is the same as anyone's birth certificate - see http://ohforgoodnesssake.com/?p=11587. The state changed their format a while ago and ANYONE requesting a birth certificate gets the same form.
Wherever you were born, if you request a copy of your birth certificate today, it might not look like the one you've had in your drawer for many years. Things change, especially when you move from a paper-based system to an electronically-based system, as Hawaii did.
My, how disappointed the "birthers" will be if they ever stop embracing their delusion long enough to discover that instead of being a "one-man sleeper cell" for the diabolical Communists or Muslim extremists, that President Obama is a member of the very same "fraternity" as any other person who pledged loyalty to what Winston Churchill called "the high cabal" in order to have permission to be placed on the ballot.
Though Obama promised to back off our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, that didn’t happen.
The President still condones torture; and has even ordered the assassination of a US citizen on foreign soil - - without a trial. Obama has our military crouched, ready to pounce on Bolivia from seven newly christened US military bases in Columbia. And, now the US military is positioning itself to "help stabilize" countries in Africa that happen to have oil. Gee, what a coinkydink!
Facts, Mr. Birther. Only facts will convince me that Obama isn’t every inch the Harvard insider we suspected - - but hoped he wasn't. He has proven he supports the oligarchy's iron grip on the obscenely anti-We-The-People policies that are in place on behalf of those same entities that General Smedley Butler identified in his book "War is a Racket" : Big Business, Wall Street and Banks.
I would ask Mr. Birther just how he thinks things are different today than in 1928 when Edward Bernays, the father of modern public relations (propaganda) said, "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country . . . we're dominated by the relatively small number of persons . . . it is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world."
How, pray tell, is today's America any different from that of the America of early Twentieth Century when Edward Bernays and his fellow Creel Commission members were given the task of turning around the opinion of the American public who were 98% against getting involved in a foreign war?
They did it by telling the American people that the Germans were tossing Belgian babies in the air and catching them on their bayonets. They also said the Germans were raping teenage girls and young women. BANG! Overnight, farm boys all over America were jumping down from their thrashing machines and rushing into the recruitment offices and signing up for WWI.
Jump ahead to the build-up for the First Gulf War and we see that very same lie being pulled off the shelf and given a new spin: the Kuwaiti Ambassador's daughter played the part of an innocent young woman who witnessed Iraqi soldiers dumping babies out of incubators and taking the incubators back to Baghdad, leaving the babies to die on the cold concrete floor. Oh, yeah, she also said she was gang raped by the evil Iraqi soldiers as well. BANG! America was outraged. The WWI-era ruse worked once again.
That proves that the vast majority of people are not much evolved beyond their brethren the lemmings.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were truly a free press without media owners worrying about jeopardizing a government contract for jet engines such as NBC parent, GE does; or acquisition approvals from the Justice Dept. or SEC. But, alas, they DO have to consider those issues. And, therefore, they choose to help Bush put out 935 lies in the two years following 9/11. (Source: Center for Public Integrity http://www.publicintegrity.org/ )
So, Mr. Birther, if all you are worried about is whether Barack Obama was born in the US, you really DO need to get out and about more ...and expand your horizons. If that's all you are worried about, you just haven’t been paying attention.
My, how disappointed the "birthers" will be when they discover that instead of being a "one-man sleeper cell" for ________, President Obama is a member of the very same "fraternity" as other presidents who pledged loyalty to what Winston Churchill called "the high cabal" in order to have permission to be placed on the ballot.
Though Obama promised to back off our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, that didn’t happen.
The President still condones torture; and has even ordered the assassination of a US citizen on foreign soil - - without a trial. Obama has our military ready pounce on Venezuela and Bolivia from seven newly christened US military bases in Columbia. And, now the US military is positioning itself to "help stabilize" countries in Africa that happen to have oil. Gee, what a coinkydink!
Only facts, Mr. Birther, will convince me that Obama isn’t every inch the Harvard insider we suspected - - but hoped he wasn't. He has proven he supports the oligarchy's iron grip on the obscenely anti-We-The-People policies that are in place on behalf of those same entities that General Smedley Butler identified in his book "War is a Racket" : Big Business, Wall Street and Banks.
I would ask Mr. Birther just how he thinks things are different today than in 1928 when Edward Bernays, the father of modern public relations (propaganda) said, "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country . . . we're dominated by the relatively small number of persons . . . it is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world."
How, pray tell, is today's America any different from that of the America of early Twentieth Century when Edward Bernays & the Creel Commission were given the task of changing the American public’s mind from being 98% against getting involved in a foreign war to enlisting by the thousands.
They did it by telling the American people that the Germans were tossing Belgian babies in the air and catching them on their bayonets. They also said the Germans were raping Belgian teenagers. BANG! Overnight, farm boys all over America were jumping down from their thrashing machines and rushing into the recruitment offices.
Jump ahead to 1990, and that very same lie was presented in a faux Senate Hearing via the trained acting of the Kuwaiti Ambassador's daughter who said she witnessed Iraqi soldiers dumping babies out of incubators and taking the incubators back to Baghdad, leaving the babies to die. Oh, she also said she was gang raped. America was outraged. The WWI-era, finely-honed lie worked once again ...proving that the vast majority of people haven’t evolved beyond their brethren the lemmings.
So, Mr. Birther, if all you are worried about is Obama’s birth certificate, you really DO need to get out and about more ...and refocus on factual reality. Obviously, you just haven’t been paying attention.
This is definitely just for people disinterested with facts. My friend reposted this from Snopes.com earlier today, and they got quite testy when I started pointing simple factual errors, such as his statement about the Obamas' "upscale lifestyle," when it's well known that when Obama traveled to the DNC in 2000 on his own dime to do some networking, he didn't even have enough money to rent a car.
But the best is that he opens his letter by saying he knows nothing about Obama, and then goes on with such personal and soul-penetrating critiques as "you lack humility and class" and "you falsely believe you are omniscient and omnipotent." That's pretty personal for a guy he doesn't know at all, don't you think?
By the way, though your point about the media is well taken, you don't even have to turn to Fox News to see criticism of Obama. Watch or read anything, including the supposed liberal lapdog MSNBC.
I've never seen a president catch it from both sides like Obama does. He gets criticized as too liberal and too conservative, too staunch and too weak, too extreme and too middling. He gets criticized everywhere he goes, which is why he has such a bad approval rating despite being the most legislatively accomplished president to this point since LBJ. And that WITH a hostile congress that filibusters everything he does, even if they once supported it.
The idea the media gives him a free pass is hysterically out of touch.
Really? You are actually happy with the rebuttal? While I certainly disagree with some of Mr. Pritchett's assertions, I can't say I am particularly convinced that the rebuttal was any more well thought out. Many of the answers were classic redirects of the kind used commonly today by Democrats. You know the ones:
"Well Bush did it too" and, "Well look who you were going to run for president". Those answers don't address the questions. The fact is, John McCain didn't win the White House. That's why Obama is the sacry one. Bush lost the White House, and when he was there, he was scary too. That doesn't answer the question of why Obama is scary.
Some of Pritchett's assertions are valid, and of those, the rebuttal was woefully poor at answering them with anything but the most inane and surface answers. Of Pritchett's fears expressed the only ones adeqeutely answered were the obvious ones like the birther stuff.
Sorry, but the continued assertion that, "Well Bush did it too", and, "Well bush was just as bad or worse", aren't going to keep on cutting it. Obama ran for office on the concept of change from what Bush was. Instead, all I hear is how Obama's ridiculous actions are either, "not as bad as Bush", or "No worse that what Bush did".
Until the Democrats come up with something that accepts a bit more of the accountability for Obama, I'm afraid I'm not buying what they are selling.
Look, when Bush was in office, he was criticised up one side and down the other. The fact is that it is rightfully so. Now Obama is president and he and his supporters need to understand that what Obama promised was a 180 degree change from Bush, (whom we all know was a dufus). The theme these days isn't about quantum change, it seems to be about not being as bad as Bush or, at least not being worse than Bush.
Is this degree of change acceptable to those who voted for Obama? Wow! If it is, he must truly have been a graet salesman to have sold that product, after which you found the product faulty, but you still stay brand loyal.
Seems like low expectations are the watchword of the day.
Anonymous, I find it a bit ironic that you accuse me of non-specific answers to each of Pritchett's points, and yet, you aren’t specific about why you disagree with any of my responses. Without knowing which points with which you take issue and why you think they are wrong, I don’t know how to respond. If you would care to tell me specifically why you disagree with my rebuttals to each of Pritchett’s points, we could have a meaningful dialogue. I look forward to hearing from you about why you think any of my criticisms of Pritchett’s list of points is specifically off-the-mark.
If you have a good argument, I will happily bow to your logic and acknowledge you have a valid point. On the other hand, if I find your logic to be flawed, at least I could explain to you why I think that’s the case.
I hope you accept my invitation to be specific because I DO believe feedback is the “breakfast of champions.”
Lou Pritchett:
Afer reading you brutal hateful, and unjust attact to president Obama. I wil like to say that it is people like you that scare me, but the truth is that after learning more about you and, to see the kind of low clas human being that you are. No, sir, you do not scare me. I pity you. You are a brutal racist whom hates avery one that is not white.
Your business employs brutal methos to experiment on inocent animals, and your fortune was made on the sufering of the people that labor for you.
Yes, I pity you. If you belive in the afer life, like you claim, then some day you will unswer to the All Mighty. Please think about this.
May good bless you.
Thanks to Carl for a great response. I have shared it with the person who passed Pritchett's fear-mongering propaganda along to me. Odds are, judging from his high-level corporate job description that Mr. Pritchett is about to lose his Bush-era tax exemptions. And I wonder how many jobs Proctor and Gamble sent overseas thereby displacing American workers from their jobs.
No wonder he doesn't like Obama's plan to put Americans back to work here, and his challenge to make corporations accountable for their responsibility to the American middle class. A dollar to a donut says Mr. Pritchett's propaganda letter is motivated by a hidden agenda, and it is not the Common Good of the nation.
I'm so sick and tired of libs aka "progressive spoiling of the american dream aka progressively dividing the american people" defaulting to the race card every time a negative comment is made about Obama. This is creating a shield for him and its not fair. Sorry that everyone in the country isn't as severely brain washed as people like chris matthews and ed shultz. but if you really want to get down to equality among races lets just stop talking about it all together. The people who make this issue the worst are the people who continue to throw the race flag because you are giving it such power. Race would be no issue if we didn't refer to it like we do today. Liberal views are dividing this country by race further and further by throwing salt on the wound and continuing to relate everything that happens involving a person of a minority as racist...it needs to stop now. oh and yeah your liberals stop trying to make your selfs look better its a lost cause
Typical liberal excuse making for Obama. Lou is right on every point. The fact that I disagree with Obama on virtually everything has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with the fact that I am a taxpayer and a business owner.
While agree 100% with Tom Degan's letter I must point out that he was in error when he said Rumsfeld had not served in the military.
He was on acitve duty in the Navy from 1954 to 1957 serving as a naval aviator and was an instructor pilot. He remained in the naval reserve after he got out of the active Navy until 1975.
Noel
Why all the need for the rebuttal? All good points but let's cut to the chase: The opposition believes Obama is a Muslim, they know he's black. Ergo: It's enough "evidence" for them.
As a former P&G advertising executive, I have serious doubts about the wisdom/veracity of Mr. Pritchett citing his association with the Company when the views he expresses are, obviously, his own, and have nothing to do with, nor are they ratified by, the organization.
Put it this way: If Mr. Pritchett were still working, his future would be in serious jeopardy, if he reported to me.
And if he were retired, his pension and benefit package would come before the Board for review.
Carl
Mr. Prichett scares me! Mr. Prichett, is but one of those, ,, he thinks, upper-class bigots that still can’t believe a black man received an Ivy League and became President of the United States. This tells you what Mr. Prichett thinks about blacks, and all those other well educated blacks that are successful CEO’s and running huge corporations who he has most probably done business with? It’s just not enough that Mr. Obama became President. Mr. Prichett doesn’t like anybody smarter than he is, an this is what scares him.
Bill
Bill
Let's be frank: "Culturally not American," a phrase unique to this president (despite the fact that his opponent was born in Panama) means that he's BLACK.
Logically, I have to stop taking Lou Pritchett's letter seriously when I read his second sentence: "You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you." See? Lou Pritchett has just admitted that at the time he wrote this letter, he still knew nothing about Barack Obama. Therefore everything he says about the man from this point on should be ignored, because Lou has just admitted that he is speaking from total ignorance on the subject he is talking about. Sorry if I'm just repeating a point that has already been made.
I am a Republican. I served as an infantryman in both Iraq and Afghanistan (guess that explains it right? :D). However, I agree with most of what you have said. Most, not all. I agree that Mr. Pritchett's letter was obviously ill-concieved and borderline 7th-gradish. For my part, as a Republican, I just wish people on my side would stop making ridiculous claims and simply state what they DO know, all while addressing our own shortcomings. I'm sure you guys can say the same for your camp. However, here is where I take issue with your rebuttals concerning Iraq, etc. It is illogical to argue Obama's correctness by stating Bush's equal incorrectness. Maybe he didn't like Bush either (would bet on it) but Bush isn't president anymore. By that logic, we would have to base our opinion of the current president on each and every predecessor he has had. To state that Obama is a certain way because Bush signed a bill and made it that way is just to say "yes, he is doing wrong, but only because your guy made it where he could do wrong". The fact is, i'm no fan of Bush. I hated it when I heard people say "Well, Bush isn't doing anything Clinton didn't do!"... That is horrible. Are we that jaded? Wrong is wrong. Now... as for Iraqis welcoming us with open arms..... Were you there? I know I know, it sounds like i'm saying the whole "you wouldn't know, you weren't there" thing. But honestly, when we invaded, we had people beg us to let them join in the push to Baghdad. Alot actually. Saddam's shia majority was not happy with him at all.. or with his favored minority. They couldn't stand him. Remember them with our troops exalting in the streets? Believe it or not, that lasted for quite a while. Then entered Al Qaeda.. Also, Bush did not dismiss the entire Iraqi army. We kept most and used them to help build the new Iraqi Army. They kept their weapons because they belonged to them (it was a goodwill gesture) and Iraqi and NATO law allows each household to have one AK-47 for protection. Also, on a personal note, I was there for a long long time, and we never killed, detained or captured an iraqi citizen. It was always a foreigner which pissed the Iraqis off even more; their country had become a playground to come fight Americans and they didn't like it. Of course the reasons for deploying were skewed, but to say that, with all certainty, all of iraq did not want us there, especially at first, is an incorrect statement. Anyways, sorry for the long winded stuff. I agree with much of what you said and still disagree with some others. Maybe some other time heh. Either way, don't assume that all of us on this side are completely naive, ignorant or not willing to learn and research. Do some dialectic or ask some questions, some of us will answer. Take care.
Thanks for the thoughtful, reasoned response, Corona2172.
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