Hate mail, courtesy of your daily newspaper
September 15, 2008 at 5:06 pm by Wayne GarciaReaders 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.
I’ve already heard from one reader, Kathy Bonin in St. Petersburg, who said she’ll cancel her subscription over the DVD insert. The self-proclaimed good-old-fashioned-Kennedy-Tip-O’Neill Democrat and recent arrival from Massachusetts said she called the paper to complain and was told that since it was an ad, there was nothing the paper could do. (Not entirely true; the Times has advertising standards and has, in the past, refused advertising from political campaigns and the Church of Scientology.)
According to Editor & Publisher, the DVD was also be inserted in the Tampa Tribune. (Anyone out there get one this weekend? Can’t find one in our copy here.)
E&P says the New York Times distributed more than 100,000 of the discs — in selected areas:
A spokesperson there said the Times last Sunday inserted 145,000 DVDs in its papers delivered in the following markets: Denver, Miami/Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Detroit, Kansas City, St Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee/Madison. Note: These are all in swing states.
The documentary showcases scenes of Muslim children being encouraged to become suicide bombers, interspersed with shots of Nazi rallies. ‘The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today,” reads the sleeve of the DVD. ”But it’s a topic that neither the presidential candidates nor the media are discussing openly. It’s our responsibility to ensure we can all make an informed vote in November.”
In this clip from the video, Hitler is tied to the Arab national movement and, therefore, radical Islam:
And here’s a couple of little Arab girls who tell the cameraman that they hope Bush dies in flames and that he is a pig:
Bonus cut: Some interesting background about the folks behind the film, the Clarion Fund.
September 15th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I didn’t get one!
September 15th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
So the SP Times endorses Blair (see below); then it distributes this garbage. I hope this isn’t the beginning of a trend for “Florida’s best newspaper.”
September 16th, 2008 at 12:17 am
I have seen the film and see only the truth. The only hate is what is driving those who perpetrate those terrible acts. It is the perpetrators who tie it to Islam my shouting Allahu Akbar just before their acts of terror.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Just goes to show newspapers will take ad money from just about anybody. In effect, they’re becoming like radio stations. Keep an eye out for shlong-enhancement inserts soon! (Hehheh, insert!)
September 16th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I just read ‘The End of America’ by Naomi Wolf and this all fits perfectly into her framework.
/captcha offon
September 17th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
i got my own free copy in the mail today.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Don’t be fooled by this propaganda. The majority of Muslims worldwide are simply trying to take care of our families. I am an American-born convert who wants nothing more than to live in my country peacefully and not be judged by the way I dress or the way I pray.
Why do you think this DVD was released now, less than two months before the presidential election? Fear means more Republican votes, that’s why.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:20 am
I agree that it is propaganda, however, it is free speech. Let’s not follow the gov’t down the path of censorship. After all, censorship is becoming America’s favorite past-time. The US gov’t (and their corporate friends), already place protesters in fenced-in cages, ban books like “America Deceived” from Wikipedia, Amazon and Facebook, and shut down Ron Paul. Free Speech forever.
Last link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000083883
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
If you are not a white AMERICAN, then consider yourself the enemy. Just being white or just being born within these borders is not enough. Get both or get out!
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I got one in my mailbox, too, I recommend returning to sender.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Does such behavior surprise anyone who is attentive to electoral politics? Consider the things going on here in Florida, i.e., the two identity rule for electoral qualification rammed through the Republican controlled state legislature.