Right in the beginning of Nedra Pickler’s “Conservatives say Obama lacks patriotism” article for the AP, she states that “Sen. Barack Obama's refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin” throws his patriotism into question. From what I thought I knew about Miss Pickler, I assumed that she was a true unbiased reporter. What makes this article hard to swollow is that she never brought up the conservatives that are wearing the American flag lapel pin, say they are patriotic, and have had serious run-ins with the law. Let’s take a look back:The information about the conservatives and their lapel pins I got from John Cole's Balloon Juice. This is a major issue if we want to have our news organizations be responsable. Most news outlets (TV, Newspaper, etc.) get their news from the Associated Press (AP) or Reuters. When these organizations feel they can make up stories and distort the facts, who can we trust. Now Mark Halperin from Time magazine is jumping on the boat.
Rick Renzi (R-AZ), recently indicted on multiple counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, extortion and insurance fraud, always wore his pin.
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) displayed his lapel pin even after having his house raided by the Feds after a two-year investigation.
No one can deny that Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) doesn’t make a statement with this lapel pin. Sadly, the Duke’s fashion choices are now limited as he is incarcerated for up to ten years after pleading guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Come 2016, the Duke will no doubt be modeling his patriotism in the form of a dashing lapel pin once again.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who is known for wearing his lapel pin, is currently serving a prison term for conspiracy to defraud the United States and for a charge of falsifying financial disclosure forms. Very Patriotic!
Former Governor Bob Taft (R-OH) is dressed to impress with this lapel pin. Taft plead no contest to multiple misdemeanors.
Larry Craig wears his patriotic lapel pin during his mug shot for a widely discussed bathroom incident.
So, were any of these people mentioned when Pickler decided to write the smear article concerning the lack of patriotism that the conservatives said about Obama? I find the implication that someone who has dedicated his or her life to serving America lacks patriotism utterly unpalatable. But reading Nedra Pickler of the AP's Sunday smear piece against Senator Barack Obama, it appears that some in the media do not share this opinion. When reputable news outlet, such as the Associated Press, has to rely on right wing propaganda (or any propaganda) to sell articles, makes me sick. I feel myself to be very patriotic, but I don’t wear an American flag lapel pin. Is Pickler and the AP the new McCarthyism?
No doubt that as the campaign season heats up we will hear ever more despicable attacks from conservatives desperate to retain their grip on power. I do not feel that it is the media's place to trumpet these substance-less attacks, and I hope that in the future we can expect reporting that focuses on the candidate's positions rather than trying to call into question how much they love the country they tirelessly serve.
Thank you for your time,
Paul Kopulos
Things McCain can do when running against Obama that Clinton has been unable to do well or at all:The race is getting ugly and when they pick a candidate (either Obama or Clinton), it will get a lot uglier. We need to tell the media that what they are doing will not be tolerated. To write a letter and send it to the newspapers near you click here.
- Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama’s unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism.
- Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama.
Here is Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow talking about this issue.
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