I almost spit out my cereal this morning in rage, after another letter to the editor prmoting the "Obama is a secret Muslim" smear was printed in the Columbus Dispatch. Seriously, how trashy are these people?
And if he says he's not affiliated with Muslims and is not a Muslim, why was his "day off" on the first day of Ramadan?
Since I'm only quoting the relevant part, the entire letter can be found here: http://dispatch.com/...
My reply, and how to respond, after the jump.
In reply, I responded:
"John McCain once was a registered child sex offender."
Would the Dispatch ever print a letter to the editor seriously advocating such lies? No, and they shouldn’t. But why is it alright for the paper to repeatedly publish assertions and innuendo that promote the lie that Barack Obama is or once was a Muslim (for example, see "Palin the better choice than even Obama by Carol Jewell of Columbus, 9/18/08)?
I feel like every time these smears are print, people like me are obligated to once again refute them. For the record: Barack Obama is a Christian. Obama is not a Muslim. Obama was never a Muslim. There is absolutely no evidence that he ever was a Muslim. If you think that he is, you are wrong. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying or mislead.
It is impossible to have a reasoned debate if one side cannot even base their opinions in rational fact. I have no problem with people playing politics, calling into question someone’s record, but attempting to completely lie about someone’s Christian beliefs in order to scare individuals is another example of classless gutter-politics.
Please respond. The opinion page is the most widely-read section of every paper and we can't allow these lies to continue.
If anyone else is interested in stopping these smears, you can write a letter yourself and email to letters@dispatch.com or fax it to 614-461-8793.
If you feel so inclined, you can even call Editorial Page Editor Glenn Sheller and inform him that you don't like to read baseless smears while drinking your morning coffee — 614-461-5072.