...then there are a lot of happy people in the world today.
In a country as diverse as the USA, one might think that 40+ years of civil rights might teach people a valuable history lesson about the perils and dangers of racism, prejudice, and generalizations.
And then 9/11 happened, and it gave hate groups and other ignorant people a new race to focus their hatred on - Arabs.
Of course, many of these hate group members cannot tell the difference between someone from Mexico and someone from Saudi Arabia. In fact, the only reason they can differentiate between Spanish and Aramaic is because they went to a Mexican restaurant after seeing "The Passion of the Christ."
And I know you're thinking, "Well, that's only in places like Alabama and Mississippi, and maybe in some rural areas."
The scary part is that it's everywhere. 50 States that are supposed to be "united".
Tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has documented violence against Arabs and Muslims, and they have arranged it by State. They also have many ideas and programs to help fight hate and promote tolerance. Check out the link here: Tolerance.org.
Visit the Tolerance site, the Southern Poverty Law Center site, and the Montgomery Peace Project* site to get information on how you can get involved to promote Peace and Tolerance.
*(Montgomery Peace Project is not affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center or Tolerance.org).
More info:
Tolerance.org
Southern Poverty Law Center
Montgomery Peace Project
7.28.2004
7.18.2004
Forwarding Deception
The internet has truly changed the way we communicate and find information.
Email is a great way to stay in touch, but many people are using it to spread falsehoods and lies - some unknowingly.
In recent weeks, I received two email forwards. Most people forward emails they like or agree with, rather than find out if it is true first. It is amazing what information you can find with a simple GOOGLE search.
Email #1: "Fwd: The Real SOCIAL SECURITY"
This extremely partisan email consists of half-truths and outright lies blaming Democrats for anything and everything wrong with Social Security, and people more concerned with an agenda than truth forward this without checking the facts.
Luckily, using the power of the internet, I stumbled across a web site, who seems to be non-partisan by the way, who investigated the claims of this email - FactCheck.org.
While Democrats were blamed for taxing Social Security benefits, FactCheck.org shows a photo of the President signing the tax bill into law. The year? 1983. The President? Ronald Reagan.
Click here to read the FactCheck.org article. It shows the original email along with the truth.
Email #2: "Fwd: Beware - Heinz Kerry"
This email makes outrageous claims that Senator John Kerry's wife, Teresa, has been donating money to fringe political groups and organizations through the Tides Foundation.
It begins with her life's history - where she grew up, went to school, who she married, etc. It then attempts to paint her character as moving to the "far left" and how she would be a dangerous first lady.
One thing the email does not do is give any references as to where the "information" was attained. In no way does it back up it's many claims.
Maxwell King, President of Heinz Endowments, clears up the falsehoods in the email, and gives the background to where the rumor started.
The "story" (if you can call it that) originated in an opinion column by the Capital Research Center, a conservative organization based in Washington, D.C. In the "story", the argument is made that the money from the Heinz Endowments can be used for anything the Tides Foundation wants to use it for.
There are many problems with this argument - a main one being that there is a legally binding contract. Because of this contract, every cent from the Heinz Endowments must go to specific projects in Pennsylvania. It cannot be "redirected" into anything else.
There are other problems with that argument, and King explains them in detail.
Click here to read the email and the facts at this Urban Legends Reference Page.
more info:
FactCheck.org
Urban Legends Reference Pages at Snopes.com
Urban Legends
Tides Foundation
Email is a great way to stay in touch, but many people are using it to spread falsehoods and lies - some unknowingly.
In recent weeks, I received two email forwards. Most people forward emails they like or agree with, rather than find out if it is true first. It is amazing what information you can find with a simple GOOGLE search.
Email #1: "Fwd: The Real SOCIAL SECURITY"
This extremely partisan email consists of half-truths and outright lies blaming Democrats for anything and everything wrong with Social Security, and people more concerned with an agenda than truth forward this without checking the facts.
Luckily, using the power of the internet, I stumbled across a web site, who seems to be non-partisan by the way, who investigated the claims of this email - FactCheck.org.
While Democrats were blamed for taxing Social Security benefits, FactCheck.org shows a photo of the President signing the tax bill into law. The year? 1983. The President? Ronald Reagan.
Click here to read the FactCheck.org article. It shows the original email along with the truth.
Email #2: "Fwd: Beware - Heinz Kerry"
This email makes outrageous claims that Senator John Kerry's wife, Teresa, has been donating money to fringe political groups and organizations through the Tides Foundation.
It begins with her life's history - where she grew up, went to school, who she married, etc. It then attempts to paint her character as moving to the "far left" and how she would be a dangerous first lady.
One thing the email does not do is give any references as to where the "information" was attained. In no way does it back up it's many claims.
Maxwell King, President of Heinz Endowments, clears up the falsehoods in the email, and gives the background to where the rumor started.
The "story" (if you can call it that) originated in an opinion column by the Capital Research Center, a conservative organization based in Washington, D.C. In the "story", the argument is made that the money from the Heinz Endowments can be used for anything the Tides Foundation wants to use it for.
There are many problems with this argument - a main one being that there is a legally binding contract. Because of this contract, every cent from the Heinz Endowments must go to specific projects in Pennsylvania. It cannot be "redirected" into anything else.
There are other problems with that argument, and King explains them in detail.
Click here to read the email and the facts at this Urban Legends Reference Page.
more info:
FactCheck.org
Urban Legends Reference Pages at Snopes.com
Urban Legends
Tides Foundation
Lucky for O'Reilly....
Lucky for Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, The O'Reilly Factor is pre-recorded.
Live television doesn't always give you enough time to edit your own spin for the "no spin zone."
David Cole was asked to appear on The Factor recently, and this was the first time he agreed to come on the show (and his last).
He wrote about his experience for The Nation, and apparently, Mr. O doesn't like to be called out for his own spin.
Click here to read the article.
Live television doesn't always give you enough time to edit your own spin for the "no spin zone."
David Cole was asked to appear on The Factor recently, and this was the first time he agreed to come on the show (and his last).
He wrote about his experience for The Nation, and apparently, Mr. O doesn't like to be called out for his own spin.
Click here to read the article.
7.02.2004
The Search for Truth in Corporate Media
My new article, "The Search for Truth in Corporate Media", appears in the July issue of the Capital City Free Press.
"Did Saddam Hussein have ties to Al Qaeda? The answer to this question depends on which news channel you're watching, or which newspaper you're reading, or what web site you're on. In today's level of mass confusion, the 'truth' is hidden in rhetoric - in the difference between 'collaborative relationship' and 'long-established ties'.".......
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Click here for the Capital City Free Press.
"Did Saddam Hussein have ties to Al Qaeda? The answer to this question depends on which news channel you're watching, or which newspaper you're reading, or what web site you're on. In today's level of mass confusion, the 'truth' is hidden in rhetoric - in the difference between 'collaborative relationship' and 'long-established ties'.".......
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Click here for the Capital City Free Press.
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