KentNewsNet.com

In response to Ted Hamilton's 9/5/08 column: Potential voters, who may not be keeping up with all of the election issues, surely would be swayed by the carefully manipulated tid bits of information presented in this column.

First and foremost, the columnist is painting the picture that such protests only occurred at the RNC, when in fact, there were similar protests in Denver, put on by anarchists and other radical organizations to disrupt the DNC (perhaps you should have searched CNN.com a little more thoroughly).

Second, the columnist is downplaying the complexity of such radical organizations by implying that all radicals are violent and out to destroy property and cause harm. And to try to imply that such radical thinkers are even on the same political spectrum of the liberals that support Barack Obama is just false. And while there were isolated incidents of violence at the RNC, there are still radical organizations that teach nonviolent means of achieving social change. But we won't mention that to the readers. Gee, I wonder why?

Going back to the point that anarchists and other radicals alike were also protesting throughout the course of the DNC, wearing shirts that said "defend denver" and forming blockades to the convention site, clearly shows that radical individuals are not only not outrightly saying that they support Obama, they are downright displaying that they do not support Obama. In fact, it is absurd to insinuate that, and even more despicable to try and leave your with the impression that radicals are cozying up to Obama and that he is accepting their support. So when in doubt of the point you are trying to make, always through in a reference to Communist Russia to really scare your readers. Furthermore, I think it's safe to say that any mainstream candidate (no matter how much he preaches to be different and innovative) would not publicly accept "the company" of any anarchist or radical individual, so to plant that idea in the head of people who are basing their voting decision on the tid bits of information they hear throughout the course of the election clearly are not making an educated decision to elect the next president of the United States. Although, I am sure it would please this columnist if people were making uneducated decisions as long as Barack Obama does not win this election.

Although I could never see myself resorting to spraying someone with a bleach mixture, I do consider myself to believe in a different political philosophy other than what is presented in the traditional American political sphere. Though I can not speak for the majority, I think it is an obvious statement to say that radical political thinkers (myself included) and the protesters present at the RNC and the DNC, desire real political and social change and that is something that Barack Obama does not offer to me or others that desire similar change, so I don't see radical political followers proudly casting their ballots for Obama in November as much as this column would like to make everyone believe.

"Although I could never see myself resorting to spraying someone with a bleach mixture, I do consider myself to believe in a different political philosophy other than what is presented in the traditional American political sphere. Though I can not speak for the majority, I think it is an obvious statement to say that radical political thinkers (myself included) and the protesters present at the RNC and the DNC, desire real political and social change and that is something that Barack Obama does not offer to me or others that desire similar change, so I don't see radical political followers proudly casting their ballots for Obama in November as much as this column would like to make everyone believe."

Well put.

"Though these "anarchists" may not have stated outright they support Obama, the presidential candidate has other terrorists and vandals who do openly support him. William Ayers, one of the leaders of the Weatherman group that set off bombs in the United States during the '70s, is rumored to have connections with Obama. Maoist thinker and supporter (those unfamiliar with the term just have to remember Russia under Stalin's control) Mike Klonsky whose blog was on Obama's Web site before the media began to run stories on Klonsky. After he was discovered, the Obama camp airbrushed his blog off the site, making it disappear faster than a dissenter in the USSR. Lastly, who can forget the Trinity United Church of Christ - a dead horse that was beaten for so long?"

Why is it that Mr. Hamilton felt it neccesary to demostrate his ability to regurgitate propaganda without inducement? The fact that William Ayers is "rumored to have connections with Obama" is irrelevant.

Has Obama himself put forth through his rhetoric anything even resembling the radical changes and ideas that are associated with anarchism or The Weather Underground? Obama's policies are that of every other mainstream liberal, and they have not one single thing to do with any of the various forms of anarchism.

The media have payed excessive attention to these "issues" of image, so I cannot understand why you felt the need to take the time to echo rumors about superficialities that one could hear simply by tuning in to Fox News Channel for half an hour.

Who cares about who some of his supporters are? Why don't we talk about his policies, and the few but at least some what significant differences between his policies and the ones the Republicans are proposing?



The fallacious argument presented in this column can be expressed in simplified form as follows:

Violent anarchists protested at the RNC. Anarchism is of course bad/evil. Therefore, since some violent anarchists protested at the RNC, and anarchism is evil, anarchists probably support Obama and he cannot be trusted.

The fact that anarchists protested the other faction of the Big Business parties' convention you decide to leave out.

You then concede that while these anarchists didn't overtly express support for Obama, known undesirables like william Ayers are "rumored to have connections to Obama," and thus we have more proof that Obama is not to be trusted.

This is all gossip that belongs in the entertainment magazines that detail celebrities lives. Instead of mirroring the mainstream press and analyzing rhetoric and rumor, student newspapers should be excersizing their freedom to ask the questions that the mainstream press won't.

Some that would be worth discussing are;

What do Iraqi's think about the occupation. Should we care what they think? (Polls show a majority in Iraq want the occupation to end immediately.)

Why does the spectrum of debate over how to deal with Iran range from we must confront and "defeat evil" to we must "keep all options on the table", in spite of the fact that public opinion polls show that Americans are strongly against going to war with Iran?

Should the United States be subject to international law?

This article is written in the style of supermarket tabloids. Pure shit.

Obama doesn't keep anarchists as company, and shame on you for insinuating it.

One chuck of information -> turn it sideways -> make a few assumptions -> print assumptions as fact and POOF! Uninformed people take it as truth.

Have some integrity.

Dislike Obama? Fine. Go after his issues. Go after real things. This fringe assumption bullshit is tiring, cowardly and reeks of desperation.

Oh, yeah...once a ditto-head, always a ditto-head, eh? I wonder how many drug-heads actually do support the likes of Rush Limbaugh? Hm...

You got a problem with the likes of Bill Ayers being assimilated back into our society after he did his time...take it up with the Court System or the administrative-policy-wonks running the State of Illinois' Public University System. After all, it was some omni-potent Board of Trustees that probably hired him, eh?

Hey, buttercup! Did I hear right...did you finally stopped beating your wife?

More than 100 "anarchists" were arrested in Denver at the DNC. They don't like anyone.
Here is the story -
http://cbs4denver.com/local/arrests.clash.protest.2.803008.html
Written by my former employer, the associated press, a worldwide news gathering organization.