READER COMMENTS ON

"Hannity Falsifies Footage of Tea Bagger Rally"

(49 Responses so far...)





COMMENT #1 [Permalink]

... Lora said on 11/11/2009 @ 5:48 pm PT...





I enjoyed that! Can there be any thinking human being out there who still believes that Fox "news" is for real?

COMMENT #2 [Permalink]

... mick said on 11/11/2009 @ 5:52 pm PT...





Lora ,it depends on what "thinking" "is".

COMMENT #3 [Permalink]

... Floridiot said on 11/11/2009 @ 6:21 pm PT...





Sean had "earlier" on that clip so he could say it was "earlier" this year I suppose, lol

COMMENT #4 [Permalink]

... Soul Rebel said on 11/11/2009 @ 6:21 pm PT...





Citing "being a real douchebag" as his primary reason, Lou Dobbs quits CNN.

COMMENT #5 [Permalink]

... confused said on 11/11/2009 @ 10:36 pm PT...





Brad why do you use misinformed...just use the word LIED...no one was lol misinformed, they were lied to as per the word used regularly misinformation...huh ??.. Dont use spin, just get the the core meaning of it

COMMENT #6 [Permalink]

... Dustin said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:13 am PT...





Wait... you think this was WORSE than Rather's error? It wasn't even that different of a clip. A bunch of people on the mall, just a couple of months before. You act like it's been proven that Hannity personally intended to deceive people... where do you get that? What would the deception have been? Both show a vague mass of people in the Capitol with a bunch of signs... both shots are oblique and do not reveal the number of protestors... they focus on the signs carried. So I don't see how this screwup changed the narrative Hannity was trying to talk about. This was a typical screw up... the kind most media make all the time. I am very surprised if this is somehow unusual for Fox... it's such a minor error. But the reaction on this blog seems to indicate it is a major story. Man bites dog. Rather passed an obvious forgery. He defended it long after it was proven. Unlike Hannity, who had tons of footage of the actual protest he was discussing, Rather based his entire story on the forgeries. It's not a matter of opinion: objectively speaking, Rather's error was more egregious. I wish you would not refer to TEA party protests ass 'Tea Bagger Rally'. I know that is meant to be ugly and offensive, but why go out of your way to do that? The people there have a name for it, why not use it? Why are far leftists in lockstep in using that term? It's very unfortunate. I think we can all work together for Change and Hope, if we try to not demean eachother.

COMMENT #7 [Permalink]

... FreedomOfInformationAct said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:50 am PT...





Learn to speak teabag (Flash) http://www.sfgate.com/cg...09/11/11/fioreteabag.DTL

COMMENT #8 [Permalink]

... Soul Rebel said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:07 am PT...





Because, Dustin, they suck balls. (The previous comment is in no way intended to either offend the gay community, or to make any connection between the actual physical act of ballsucking and the Tea Baggers. The balls they suck are figuratively, and are attached to Rupert Murdoch, Glenn Beck, Michelle Bachmann, and the like.)

COMMENT #9 [Permalink]

... Jon in Iowa said on 11/12/2009 @ 3:19 am PT...





Dustin, you forget that they named themselves tea-baggers when they were protesting by sending tea bags to Obama. "We're gonna tea bag the president!" was the message, essentially. They just didn't consider how likely it was that the vulgar image would stick to them, rather than him. That aside, I agree with your first point. As funny as it is, there's no reason to believe Hannity or anybody deliberately tried to dope the footage. If they're using a typical video-editing program (Avid or Final Cut), it would be as easy as someone opening the wrong index, seeing thumbnails of a rally and not thinking twice about it. Yes, it's fun to assume sinister motives, and someone should have caught the mistake the same way Jon Stewart did, but this sort of accident could easily happen.

COMMENT #10 [Permalink]

... Linda Hilton said on 11/12/2009 @ 6:06 am PT...





But wait, wasn't the footage of the 9/12 crap proven to be actual footage of the promise keepers? So they used fake footage that was faked before? What losers. I wish we had some real media on the tv.

COMMENT #11 [Permalink]

... Shortbus said on 11/12/2009 @ 7:02 am PT...





@Dustin: I like calling them Tea Baggers, sure beats Conservatives or what ever that splinter group of the GOP wants to be called.

But wait, are they even GOP anymore? After chasing the GOP elected candidate out of the race in the 23rd in New York,I'd of been livid if I were the GOP party chair.

But wait, Mr Steele embraced... oh well, I'm waffling I'm sticking with Tea Baggers Kudos again To Jon and his writing staff for having the balls and air time to point out the shit from all sides,and the humor

COMMENT #12 [Permalink]

... David Lasagna said on 11/12/2009 @ 7:50 am PT...





Dustin--comment #6

You wrote-- I wish you would not refer to TEA party protests ass 'Tea Bagger Rally'.

It's just such an hilarious typo--refer to Tea party protests ass--like the whole group of them has one big ol' collective Tea Partyin' Ass which you're politely pointing out to us "lefties" even as you call for more civility. Sorry but you just can't leave a comedic gift that big up on the t-ball and not expect some clown like me to come along and give it a whack.

COMMENT #13 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 10:18 am PT...





Dustin said: Wait... you think this was WORSE than Rather's error? Absolutely. Hannity's "error" was not, could not have been inadvertent. Whether it was his fault, or one of his producers is unknown, since he failed to either take personal responsibility or hold anybody else accountable (ya know, those things "Conservatives" used to act like they believed in). Rather's "error", if, in fact, it was an error, was not done knowingly, and to this day, the substance of his report has never been disproven, or even disputed by those involved (such as the Bush White House). It wasn't even that different of a clip. A bunch of people on the mall, just a couple of months before. I realize that was the rally a few months before --- the one at which a Fox "News" producer was caught on video tape stage-managing the crowd itself --- however, the event had taken place that afternoon. So, contrary to "Jon in Iowa's" assertion above, it would be rather difficult to take the fresh tape brought in for "today's" report, and then "inadvertently" reach back into the archives for an entirely different bunch of footage to use. GIven that all reasonably legitimate estimates for the crowd size were 5,000 (with a max of 10,000), that footage would look pretty puny on the mall. When you want to assert that crowd was more like 50k, as Bachmann did, you'd have to insert doctored footage to keep *her* from looking like an idiot (no easy feat, I realize!) You act like it's been proven that Hannity personally intended to deceive people... where do you get that? Actually, you act like it's been proven that Rather personally intended to deceive anybody, when there is no evidence, zero, of that being the case. That said, I can't conceive of an explanation for which Hannity's deception could have been "inadvertent", but I assume you'll be calling for an investigation, as you wingnuts did with Rather? (And for the network to fire him, even before that investigation, as you did with Rather?) I am very surprised if this is somehow unusual for Fox... Well, on that point, I can't disagree with you.

COMMENT #14 [Permalink]

... StupidSteve said on 11/12/2009 @ 10:56 am PT...





Why all this partianship? That's what the politicos in DC thrive on, dividing our nation to bring it down. And bad news for all of you, if you are depending on ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, or Fox for all your news. The age of jouralism is dead at the major newspapers and networks, their marching orders come from the top, the George Sorous' and Rupert Murdochs' of the world. I heard about the 9/12 protest on Youtube, wasn't on the networks, protrayed as a small gathering in the few articles i did stumble across. The story is whatever 'they' want the story to be and I hope America sees the problem before it's too late. Fact is, the nation is $11 Trillion in debt and you simpletons are arguing about a 3 second video clip that only a few million people saw. Wake up!!! I would love to hear the American left's position on this, because the American right is mobilizing. And I'm no wingnut, Bush didn't do us any favors with a $400 Billion deficit, but given the choice, I'd rather be a Teabagger than a Teabaggee.

COMMENT #15 [Permalink]

... Floridiot said on 11/12/2009 @ 11:45 am PT...





Where were you Steve when Bush and the Rubelicans were deficit spending us into oblivion...huh? Why all the concern all of a sudden? I call Bullshit

COMMENT #16 [Permalink]

... StupidSteve said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:35 pm PT...





Like I said, I'm no wingnut, I say bring the troops home, we can't afford these wars to nowhere. The country is in serious trouble, and projections from this healthcare bill, the two wars we are in, the bank and auto bailouts have us at an 80% debtload in the very near future. That's 80 cents from every dollar the federal government takes in from American taxpayers going to China and India, as interest payments. And you're right, bullshit on me for not seeing the facts sooner than I did, but they are there and I see them now. I hope a whole lot of other people seem them too, before it's too late.

COMMENT #17 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:49 pm PT...





Dustin comment #16: FOX "news" history of doctoring videos and photos: http://mediamatters.org/research/200911110019 Once is an accident...there's a DOCUMENTED HISTORY of SERIAL DOCTORING on FOX "news"!!! Hannity thought he was "cute" by saying to Stewart: "Thanks for watching!" What he really meant was: "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE STOP POINTING OUT OUR DOCTORED VIDEOS!!!!!!!"

COMMENT #18 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:53 pm PT...





StupidSteve - Calling out a "news" organization as being propaganda for the Republican Party is not "partisanship", it's citizenship. Where the other networks fail, and they do all the time, we call them out. None of them, however, comes anywhere close to the purposefully misleading partisan propaganda of Fox "News", and they need to be called out dutifully on that. Period. Falsifying video footage for a news event is a HUGE no-no that would have earned ANY other organization doing it the endless wrath from the very (completely disinformed) tea baggers you seem to be standing with, despite their illegitimate protests against a fantasy world created by the very folks who doctored footage and called it news.

COMMENT #19 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:55 pm PT...





StupidSteve: you say you'd rather be a teabagger and you're against the wars and teabaggers are mobilizing. Right? What are they mobilizing against? Health Care!!! Not the Wars!!! Why aren't they protesting the wars? What good is their mobilizing? That's like saying: "They're good at mobilizing". Big f*cking deal!!! Would I get a KUDO's for mobilizing for white supremacists? Would you say: "Wow! Look at how good they are at mobilizing!!!"

COMMENT #20 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/12/2009 @ 12:57 pm PT...





Compare this incident to MSNBC's version of "truth": You had both David Shuster and Rachel Maddow insist that Rush Limbuagh spoke approvingly of slavery and of James Earl Ray. Those quotes turned out be 100% bogus. Hannity actually apologized for what he did. Shuster could only manage to say, "We can't verify the quote", and Maddow could only mumble "Mea culpa". Heck, even Rick Sanchez over at CNN apologized for the bogus quotes. Anderson Cooper, to his credit, said from the start he thought the quotes were fake. Fake news network? That's MSNBC.

COMMENT #21 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:00 pm PT...





One thing you're right about, is America needs to mobilize...but for the right things. I also don't go for this: whenever any rightwing media lies are pointed out, people suddenly come out and say: "let's all stop this partisan nonsense!" Never when something on the left is pointed out, like the Rather thing...where were the people saying: "Oh! Let's stop this partisan bickering!" I always notice that. And technically, if you want to get into it, Rather was right: BUSH WAS AWOL!!!!!!!! If you'd like a followup on that, let me know. Look up Mary Mapes on Democracy NOW! from a few years ago.

COMMENT #22 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:02 pm PT...





Damail: please provide any doctored footage from MSNBC. Like the doctored Hannity footage.

COMMENT #23 [Permalink]

... StupidSteve said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:16 pm PT...





$11 Trillion in debt, growing by $3.8 Billion everyday. Let's argue about Fox and MSNBC. Good plan America. And Brad, I agree, call the news media out, left or right. And thanks for having an outpost for us to share ideas and thoughts, glad I stumbled upon it. I just wish we could get past this left/right thing, because right now the country is in trouble. In the spirit of compromise the (R)s and (D)s in Washington have just decided to have it all, with no thought of balancing cost to revenue. The taxpayers have been stuck with a huge burden that we may never get out of.

COMMENT #24 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:20 pm PT...





Damail desperately asserted: You had both David Shuster and Rachel Maddow insist that Rush Limbuagh spoke approvingly of slavery and of James Earl Ray. Those quotes turned out be 100% bogus. No, you had Shuster and Maddow *report* he had said that, as it had been taken from his WikiPedia page. When they realized that was incorrect --- which they didn't know in advance, as Hannity and/or his producer *did* know --- they apologized profusely. Do you need me to go fetch that "mumble[d] 'mea culpa'" you are lying to folks about here? If I do, will you be apologizing for having purposely misrepresented what they said? Just as Sean Hannity purposely misrepresented last week's rally? Hannity actually apologized for what he did. Barely. Nobody was held accountable, Hannity took no personal responsibility. Had it been anybody else but Fox, baggers like yourself would have been screaming bloody murder, demanding the offender be fired. Will you be doing that now for Hannity? (Obviously, rhetorical question, we know your lame answer.) Fake news network? That's MSNBC. Yup. And Obama has increased the deficit far beyond Bush and has shredded the Constitution. Sigh...

COMMENT #25 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:50 pm PT...





StupidSteve said: $11 Trillion in debt, growing by $3.8 Billion everyday. Let's argue about Fox and MSNBC. Good plan America. Um, SSteve, how do you think we got into that debt? When Bush came into office, there was a budget surplus. Because Fox failed to push their now-phony "Government is out of control!" line for 8 years of Bush, we were allowed to spend a trillion on the Iraq War, another trillion on Medicare Part D and on and on and on. The watchdogs failed. Most notably, Fox "News" since they *pretend* to give a damn about conservatism. The other failures just failed as usual. Fox *knowingly* deceived the country by hiding the very thing their viewers might have cared about, since they pretend to be "conservative". And Brad, I agree, call the news media out, left or right. And thanks for having an outpost for us to share ideas and thoughts, glad I stumbled upon it. Good. Me too. I just wish we could get past this left/right thing, because right now the country is in trouble. We have been passed that nonsense here at The BRAD BLOG (where one of our mottos has long been "It's not about left and right, it's about right and wrong), long ago. But it's not a partisan matter to, for example, call for the impeachment of Bush. We called for it not because he's a Republican or because he's on the right, but because he was a *criminal*. Same point is true when we call out the tea baggers and Fox "News". It ain't because they're Republicans, it's because they are liars and fantasists and propagandists damaging our country from top to bottom with their lies. In the spirit of compromise the (R)s and (D)s in Washington have just decided to have it all, with no thought of balancing cost to revenue. And, in the spirit of telling the truth, the Dems came to power promising PayGo and have kept that promise --- exception being TARP (proposed by Bush, accepted by Ds) and stimulus (no other actual choice to keep the economy from flatlining) --- and are doing it again on things like the Health Care Bill, which will actually *decrease* the deficit according to the CBO. No kudos for the Ds being responsible on the budget following 6 years of pretend conservative Rs being anything but?? The taxpayers have been stuck with a huge burden that we may never get out of. Yup. But whose to blame, and whose actually been busy for the last three years *trying* (sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding) to do something about it?

COMMENT #26 [Permalink]

... dallas said on 11/12/2009 @ 1:52 pm PT...





Years ago, soon after the founding of Fox "News," its chief, Roger Ailes was asked about its slanted "reporting." He didn't try to defend or deny it. He stated flat out, "We have an agenda." Why anyone should suddenly doubt that, or question it due to a slogan ("fair and balanced") so far from reality that it violates all Truth in Advertising laws on the books, is beyond me. Roger Ailes is a veteran of the Nixon Dirty Tricks Team. He is very good at his craft, and he does not do things "inadvertently," and nor do his star employees. To suggest otherwise is to demean his skill at pursuing his "agenda," unfair and unbalanced as it may be. His agenda is anything but benevolent, but he and his staff are not clumsy or careless. Their distortions are well-planned and quite deliberate.

COMMENT #27 [Permalink]

... StupidSteve said on 11/12/2009 @ 2:20 pm PT...





---and are doing it again on things like the Health Care Bill, which will actually *decrease* the deficit according to the CBO Yes, the CBO does peg this bill as 'deficit neutral', as long as Americans pay their $167 Billion in fines for not obtaining or providing health insurance. The CBO does not calculate how much is going to be spent prosecuting and jailing those who do not pay the fines. Also not factored in to the CBO report is how much the insurance companies are going to raise premiums to offset the inability to underwrite policies. Imagine if your auto insurance couldn't use driving records to rate policies, everyone pays the same, regardless of driving history...Now, are rates going to go up or down? And remember, the insurance company, by law, will only be able to charge one premium. Are they gonna charge everyone the good driver rate or is everyone going to be charged as if they have 7 DUIs and 6 at-fault collisions? Look at what your credit card has done to you in the last 6 months for your answer, because this bill gives big insurance a 3 year head start, banks only had 8 months.

COMMENT #28 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 2:47 pm PT...





SSteve - I'll be happy to join you in your criticism of the health care bill in that it's a gift to the private insurance industry. That said, short of a universal, single-payer system, which we should have, instead of the immoral system we have no, or the immoral system we'll be augmenting shortly if things stay on track, if ensuring health care for those who don't have it ends up increasing the deficit, or costs to the privately ensured, well, so be it. Due to places like Fox, we've been unable to have a legitimate debate on this most important issue. Informing tea baggers that there is to be a "government take-over of health care" when (unfortunately) there is to be no such thing, leaves us in a state that ensures only the worst possible result: the bill we're likely to get. To complain about the deficit, however, at this late date, and point to the health care bill, or other currently planned Dem initiatives is, in my opinion, arguing about letting the horse out the barn after hit's already left. Want to do something about the defecit? End both stupid wars now, and cut out of our ridiculously bloated defense budget (by far, the single highest expenditure), any amount by which our budget is at a deficit to balance it out. Sound reasonable?

COMMENT #29 [Permalink]

... StupidSteve said on 11/12/2009 @ 4:17 pm PT...





I'm for ending the wars too, like I said, it's a cost we can't afford. I thought the F-22 was a beautiful fighter, but agreed with its cancellation for budgetary reasons, hopefully the JSF is next, if it hasn't already been killed. And yes, the horse left the barn a long time ago, and we can fight about it til the cows come home, but that will do nothing towards bringing the horse back. Both sides can find fault in the other's spending, there's rampant waste in Washington, and plenty of blame to go around. We should consider imposing a tax on lobbyist dollars, charge them a 50% excise tax and make them move their business offshore, where they can't influence our politicians anymore. That's the crux of the problem, special interests have overshadowed public interest.

COMMENT #30 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/12/2009 @ 5:12 pm PT...





SSteve - Yup. How's about publicly funded elections? Get's the lobbyists/corporations *entirely* out of 'em. While we'd have to spend money on those elections, the savings we'd get from Congress members who no longer would have to vote to approve bullshit for their corporate benefactors would likely pay for itself in about ten minutes!

COMMENT #31 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/12/2009 @ 9:26 pm PT...





Shuster and Maddow did not "apologize profusely" about the bogus Rush quotes. The only one who actually apologized was Rick Sanchez. I already pointed out that "mea culpa" and "we can't verify the quotes" are not apologies. And why are they using wikipedia as a source? Heck, I will even give the Huffington Post some credit. When they were confronted with the bogus quotes, they acknowledged the point and deleted that portion of the article. "and demanding the offender be fired.." I have never demanded that anyone over at MSLSD be fired. If they want to continue to sully the reputation of their network, far be it from me to stop them. "...and Obama has increased the defict far beyond Bush..." He is on track to add 9$ trillion to the national debt. I'm not the one how is lying, or who is desperate.

COMMENT #32 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/13/2009 @ 1:54 am PT...





Damail - You'll forgive me, I'm sure, if I don't have he time (or even, particularly, the interest) at 2am tonight to go hunt down quotes for you. So let's go ahead and stipulate that Maddow's apology was not sufficient for you. Point is, did she purposely deceive her viewers, as Hannity did? Of course not. Has anyone ever done so on MSNBC? If so, please let me know, and I'll be happy to call for the same accountability I'm calling for against Hannity. If you're not familiar with the witch-hunts by your people, demanding the heads of Rather and others, for not doing anything even as close to egregious as Hannity's offenses (and many others on Fox), then your living in an alternate reality. That would not be a surprise, given what we know about you by now, I'm afraid. And you're actually suggesting that Obama has grown the government more than Bush did? Really? Yes, alternate reality, amigo. Enjoy yourself in it.

COMMENT #33 [Permalink]

... Soul Rebel said on 11/13/2009 @ 2:00 am PT...





I watched Maddow apologize. "Profuse" is all relative.

COMMENT #34 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/13/2009 @ 6:51 am PT...





I really think there's a big difference between KNOWINGLY DOCTORING VIDEO AND PHOTOS! CHRIST!!!

COMMENT #35 [Permalink]

... Big Dan said on 11/13/2009 @ 6:54 am PT...





The person(s) who doctored the video should come on and explain why and how they doctored the video and apologize, and explain why they doctor video and photos ALL THE F*CKING TIME!!!!!!!!!! Once again: Damail is comparing ONE thing to DOCUMENTED SERIAL DOCTORING HISTORICALLY OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME! Just like he took ONE Mike Malloy quote and said the left has as much hate as the right - DECADES of hate quotes from MANY rightwing pundits! You can't do that, Damail!!!

COMMENT #36 [Permalink]

... Jeannie Dean said on 11/13/2009 @ 9:35 am PT...





Dustin @ #6 ~ I'm amazed at how quickly you guys forget stuff. Jon from Iowa is absolutely correct: Teabaggers call THEMSELVES teabaggers. In fact, the first use of term "teabag" as a verb can be traced back Fox's hopelessly clueless "reporter" Griff Jenkins in the lead up to the April 15 Rallies:

VIDEO: http://www.videosift.com...-Tea-Bag-the-White-House ...there are even PROUD Teabaggers: http://washingtonindepen...r-that-must-not-be-named So can we please stop eviscerating Brad (and others - I've seen a million complaints on other threads about how the "left" won't stop using that denigrating name)for simply calling them the name they picked for themselves? So sorry if they (or you) don't like it after you've googled "teabagging" in the urban dictionary and found out it's means gonads dangling in your face. IMHO, the name sums up the tone of the movement PERFECTLY.

COMMENT #37 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/13/2009 @ 11:59 am PT...





"...just like he took ONE Mike malloy quote..." What are you smoking, goober? I posted a whole slew of hate-filled quotes from Mike Malloy. I also gave you the kill-Bush comment from Randi Rhodes. Other recent points I will address later. My break is over, and I have to get back to work.

COMMENT #38 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/13/2009 @ 9:29 pm PT...





"Has anyone on MSNBC ever deceived viewers...?" Yes. Keith Olbermann has told a bunch of lies on his show. Two examples come to mind: He claimed that Gov. Palin slashed the Special Olympics budget in Alaska, when she actually increased the budget 10%. Olbermann also blurted that Michelle Malkin was fired from "The O'Reilly Factor", when she quit over a dispute with Geraldo Rivera. Olbermann has also stated on "Countdown" he will work towards getting Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly kicked off the air. And just this week, two of MSNBC's daytimers used a montage of photos of Sarah Palin that included two photo-shopped pieces, including the fake photo of Palin wearing a bikini and holding a rifle. Newsbusters has the details and the video. How soon will they apologize? "You're actually suggesting that Obama has grown the government more than Bush did...?" Go back and read my quote, Friedman. I said he is on track to add another $9 trillion dollars to our debt. That means he will eventually (and very soon) outspend Bush. A $1.2 trillion deficit in the first year should make that crystal clear.

COMMENT #39 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/14/2009 @ 12:22 am PT...





Damail spewed: "Has anyone on MSNBC ever deceived viewers...?" Yes. Keith Olbermann has told a bunch of lies on his show. Two examples come to mind: He claimed that Gov. Palin slashed the Special Olympics budget in Alaska, when she actually increased the budget 10%. Olbermann also blurted that Michelle Malkin was fired from "The O'Reilly Factor", when she quit over a dispute with Geraldo Rivera. Since you didn't offer actual links to prove your case, your claims may be either true or false. But let's go ahead and presume they are true. Is there any evidence to suggest ANY of the points you've made above were done with the intent to deceive viewers? Any evidence? If so, I'll be happy to call for heads to roll (as I've done with Olbermann in the past, btw). Because I know, as in Hannity's case, that video from a different event two months ago doesn't edit itself into a video package of an event that happened "today". It can't be done accidentally. Whether Hannity knew about the deception is an open question. But he knows about it now, and has taken no action to hold anybody accountable to my knowledge. And you don't seem interested in calling on him to do so, for some reason. Now why would that be? Olbermann has also stated on "Countdown" he will work towards getting Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly kicked off the air. Good! Again, I'll have to take your word for it (since you didn't supply evidence to your allegation), but if he did that, I'm delighted to hear it! Fraudsters, such as Beck and O'Reilly, should not be allowed to continue to perpetrate their fraud. The consumer should have some sort of protection and a right to be given what they have purchased (in this case, a product that purports to be news). But, in any case, I'm not sure what your point above has anything to do with this discussion. And just this week, two of MSNBC's daytimers used a montage of photos of Sarah Palin that included two photo-shopped pieces, including the fake photo of Palin wearing a bikini and holding a rifle. Newsbusters has the details and the video. How soon will they apologize? Don't know, but I'd hope it's soon if one is merited! But, more to the point, did they do so knowingly? And did they represent the photos as legitimate? Happily, though you didn't offer an URL, you at least gave enough info to find this one easily enough (for the record, it's here.) It appears to be a from a satirical Letterman-type "Top 10" list, though it's hard to know for certain since there is no context offered in the accompanying text, and the Newsbusters clip itself doesn't offer the entire context for the segment as say, Media Matters, an actual media watchdog, routinely offers. Still, if they intended to deceive, they should a) apologize and/or b) be fired for attempting to pass off fakery as Hannity did. Why is that so difficult? "You're actually suggesting that Obama has grown the government more than Bush did...?" Go back and read my quote, Friedman. I said he is on track to add another $9 trillion dollars to our debt. That means he will eventually (and very soon) outspend Bush. A $1.2 trillion deficit in the first year should make that crystal clear. Oh, I see. So Dubya gets quite a pass there, considering he came into office with a budget surplus, so every dollar Bush spent at that point didn't "add to the defecit" by your tea bag style math. Ingenious! And does that $1.2 trillion deficit in Obama's first year include the $700 billion from Bush's TARP plan, btw? Does it include the stimulus needed to help keep the country avert a depression after 8 years of disastrous fiscal madness under Bush? Has he done anything that was optional, but unpaid for, like $800 billion, unpaid, for Medicare Part D or $1 trillion on an optional war or a $3 trillion in unpaid tax cuts to the wealthy? If so, let me know. And until then, please feel free to share the paper trail of your outrage over the last eight years for Bush's fiscal insanity, when I suspect you sat around and actually supported all of it without a peep. Feel free to demonstrate otherwise, boss. If you're able, I'll be happy to apologize.

COMMENT #40 [Permalink]

... Vispetti said on 11/14/2009 @ 6:10 am PT...





Greetings All! It's great to read all of the exchanges. I stumbled across this site while researching Rupert Murdoch's comments promoting global government. I'm still checking out some of the posts and comments. Very interesting. I'll be candid with all of you. I have been working with Ron Paul's efforts over the past three years to effect change in the country. I really never belonged to any political party and have voted all over the political spectrum from Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and many Independents. I voted for a Constitutionalist candidate during the past election when Ron Paul dropped out. Since many of us Ron Paul supporters set out to hold elected officials accountable to following the Constitution and bringing some stability back to the economy, we have been ridiculed by the likes of the mainstream media (conservative and liberal). At least this is what happened when Ron Paul first appeared on the scene in the 2008 Presidential Election. Fox News demonized him and all of his supporters, with names like "kooks", "fringe", "radicals" and some even went as far as to threaten many of us. At the time, Glenn Beck worked with a CNN sister company and was one of the main culprits in these attacks. He is infamous for calling Paul the "Mayor of Crazytown". He, unfortunately, is now the ring leader of what has been coined the 9-12 Project, which I find an appalling title as it exploits many 9-11 victims. So he has now co-opted Ron Paul's message after ridiculing him for being vocal. I just want all of you to know that all of the folks protesting at these Tea Party events are not Democrat haters or racists. Ron Paul's movement attracted people from all political perspectives and he opposes the false left/right bashing that goes on between the so-called "left" and "right" mainstream media networks. He has been very fair to point out the problems with Republicans and Democrats and is good friends with Dennis Kucinich. Unfortunately, the Tea Parties have been exploited by Fox News and the establishment Republicans. Many Ron Paul supporters attend these events to educate people on topics they won't learn about on mainstream media. They didn't just start talking about corruption on Obama's watch but were very vocal during the Bush administrations. This current wave of protestors are divided. Fox News, who laughed at the Ron Paul movement, has co-opted his message and mixed it with establishment Republican Party rhetoric. Please understand that people showing up at these Beck and Tea Party events are not followers of Beck. Some more conservative leaning Ron Paul supporters have, unfortunately, sipped a bit of the Glenn Beck Kool-Aid and have plum forgotten that this man was never on our side. NEVER! However, there are many Ron Paul supporters who don't trust Fox and Glenn Beck because they NEVER SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE SAME SOCIALISTIC/FASCIST POLICIES OF GEORGE BUSH. NOW FOX EXPECTS US TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE HAD A SUDDEN EPIPHANY TO THE CORRUPTION THAT TAKES PLACE IN WASHINGTON. I love this country and what has been taking place for the past decades is coming to a climax under the Obama administration. I don't hate Obama and being an African-American, I certainly don't despise Obama for being an African-American president. Both establishment Republicans and Democrats have always been controlled by many globalist think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and countless others. Their goal is to bring this country into a global government where our Constitution becomes null and void. It doesn't matter what political title you consider yourself today because we all must be concerned about the dropping of the dollar by foreign countries. Most of us don't have gold and we are going into receivership. When this economy totally fails, we'll basically be living in hell on earth in the United States. This coupled with the government's overreaching to hinder our freedom of speech, privacy and ability to protect ourselves when things really decay should be concerns for all of us. We can no longer be confined to these political and ideological titles because what is happening is as plain as day. We have a tyrannical government with a few good leaders. Democratic Presidents have leaned more towards Socialism and the Republican Presidents lean more towards Fascism. What ever you want to call the past and current administrations of both parties, it is clear that they all infringe upon our freedom of privacy and all of them have implemented policies to enslave us. The Patriot Act is nothing more than tyranny wrapped in a nice name. The Iraq War was and is illegal. What part of that doesn't Obama understand? Our troops need to come back home. All of the mainstream media networks are engaging in big time deception and are banking on citizens bashing each other for being "left" or "right". These are false fights being instigated to control us. Glenn Beck is a shill who is doing no more than bringing masses of angry conservatives back to the Republican Party for 2010 and 2012. He is assuring that all of those disgruntled Independents and Republicans come back to the Right side of the Left/Right pendulum. He is doing no more than exploiting an angry populace. Rush Limbaugh, although I believe he is telling some truth about the current administration, plays into the anger and of millions of viewers and gives them their daily fix of "Bash Liberals" propaganda. At the same time, the left media engages the right media in an all out fight to control their viewers.... PEOPLE, WE ARE BEING BAMBOOZLED BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA NETWORKS. ALL OF THEM ARE OWNED BY THE VERY SAME ELITE WHO ARE HELL BENT ON DOING AWAY WITH OUR CONSTITUTION (NOT SAYING IT'S PERFECT), FREEDOM, LIBERTY AND SOVEREIGNTY. THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TERM EFFORT OF SOME WHO ACCEPT THE PHILOSOPHY OF TOTAL GOVERNMENT CONTROL AND THE POLICE STATE. THESE FOLKS COME IN REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRATIC AND INDEPENDENT FLAVORS. PLEASE DON'T FALL INTO THEIR FALSE LEFT/RIGHT PARADIGMS TO CONTINUE DIVIDING US. WE CAN REMAIN IN OUR GROUPS BUT WE MUST KNOW WHO IN FACT IS THE TRUE ENEMY--IT ISN'T US! Peace to all.

COMMENT #41 [Permalink]

... Vispetti said on 11/14/2009 @ 6:36 am PT...





Letter From Grandpa (Prelude) John G. is 63 years old and owns a small business. He's a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year has all but evaporated. With the stock market crashing and new taxes coming his way, John assumes now that he will work to his dying day. John has a granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a flashy hybrid car, wears all the latest fashions, and loves to go out to nightclubs and restaurants. Ashley campaigned hard for Barack Obama. After the election she made sure her grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received a big I told-you-so earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that her party is taking over. Having lost both roommates, Ashley recently ran short of cash and cannot pay the rent (again) on her three-bedroom townhouse. Like she has done many times in the past, she e-mailed her grandfather asking for some financial help. Here is his reply: (Letter or propaganda) Sweetheart, I received your request for assistance. Ashley, you know I love you dearly and I'm sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own..."The Ashley Economic Empowerment Plan." Let me explain. Your grandmother and I are life-long, wage-earning tax payers. We have lived a comfortable life, as you know, but we have never had the fancier things like European vacations, luxury cars, etc. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But the plan has changed. Your president is raising our personal and business taxes significantly. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less for us, and we must cut back on many business and personal expenses. You know the wonderful receptionist who worked in my office for more than 23 years - the one who always gave you candy when you came over to visit? I had to let her go last week. I can't afford to pay her salary and all of the government mandated taxes that go with having employees. Your grandmother will now work 4 days a week to answer phones, take orders and handle the books. We will be closed on Fridays and will lose even more income. I'm also very sorry to report that your cousin Frank will no longer be working summers in the warehouse. I called him at school this morning. He already knows about it and he's upset because he will have to give up skydiving and his yearly trip to Greenland to survey the polar bears. That's just the business side of things. Some personal economic effects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you. You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc. But by your vote, you have chosen to help others - not at your expense - but at our expense. If you need money now sweetheart, I recommend you call 202-456-1111. That is the direct phone number for the White House. You yourself told me how foolish it is to vote Republican. You said Mr. Obama is going to be the 'People's President,' and is going to help every American live a better life. Based on everything you've told me, along with all the promises we heard during the campaign, I'm sure Mr. Obama will be happy to transfer some stimulus money into your bank account. Have him call me for the account number which I memorized years ago. Perhaps you can now understand what I've been saying all my life: Those who vote for a president should consider the impact on the nation as a whole, and not be just concerned with what they can get for themselves. What Obama supporters don't seem to realize is all of the money he is redistributing to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (the so-called 'less fortunate') comes from tax-paying families. Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Well, guess what, honey? Because we own a business, your grandmother and I are now considered to be 'the richest of the rich.' On paper it might look that way, but in the real world we are far from it. As you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money; less money for everything, including granddaughters. I'm sorry, Ashley, but the well has run dry. The free lunches are over. I have no money to give you now. So, congratulations on your choice for 'change.' For future reference, I encourage you to try and add up the total value of the gifts and cash you have received from us just since you went off to college, and compare it to what you expect to get from Mr. Obama over the next four (or eight) years.. I have not kept track of it, Ashley. It has all truly been the gift of our hearts. Remember, we love you dearly....but from now on you'll need to call the number mentioned above. Your 'savior' has the money we would have given to you. Just try and get it from him. Good luck, sweetheart. Love, Grandpa. (Response from a Ron Paul supporter Mike): I was actually enjoying reading this until I got to the part that implied things would be different if we had chosen the other branch of the tyranny party or the other wing of the bird of prey. Naivety reins supreme. (Response from Ron Paul Supporter Theresa): Mike, You hit it the target! Grandpa and Ashley both voted wrong. Grandpa doesn't know it but CFR member John McCain was going to implement the same policies as Obama because most of these policies were already discussed and planned by globalist think tanks long before these men thought about running for POTUS. Different cover, same policies... If professed loyal Republicans would just understand this, they would not be walking into yet another bear trap. I suppose Grandpa will vote for a Rick Perry/Sarah Palin type ticket and swear up and down that the country will do better and all will be fine. Then Ashly will be wondering, "Well what is the difference"? I wonder if Grandpa thought all was well under Bush and all the Republicans who voted for the biggest theft to ever take place in this country? How sad; Grandpa and Ashly are misguided like millions of U.S. citizens, even with the so-called "awakening". I will say this until I am blue in the face (purple since I'm black) people MUST get off of these party and ideological loyalty kicks. Think outside of the box! Get off of the left/right paradigm slave plantation. Think a little, research and listen to different points of view. Stop being confined to one train of thought. I know Grandpa is probably sitting in front of the tube gloating over the sudden epiphany of Fox News that WOW We're in Global Government. In fact, this is the kind of letter that some of the talk show hosts use as a part of the propaganda to persuade their viewers to support the Republican Party for better or worst. I'm sad for both Grandpa and Ashly for allowing themselves to be controlled by two opposing political parties who are on the same side. Mike "The trade of governing has always been monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of mankind" ... Thomas Paine

COMMENT #42 [Permalink]

... Vispetti said on 11/14/2009 @ 7:00 am PT...





Please google the following documentaries and watch them: -Endgame

-ObamaDeception

-Fall of the Republic This documentarian, Alex Jones, has been calling it straight during the Bush and Clinton administrations. He can be counted on as being fair now that he is reporting on Obama. He has put together a plethora of documentaries warning Americans about the current Police State, martial law, bank takeover and now the latest corruption. Right now he is going after the policies of the current administration but if you research his past comments, he has been just as rigid with Bush. I can't say that for the so-called conservative mainstream media. Please take a look at what he is discussing. He isn't being beat up by the conservative and left media for no reason. Go to: infowars.com infowars.com

COMMENT #43 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/16/2009 @ 10:19 am PT...





"Olbermann is working towards getting O'Reilly and Beck kicked off the air..." Your disgusting response:"Good!...I'm delighted to hear it...." With that hypocritical quote, you have once again demonstrated what I have been saying for years: The radical left does not believe in freedom of speech. They only believe in freedom of THEIR speech. Get this truth straight, now and for all time: Neither you or Keith Olbermann or anybody else from the radical left will kick Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, or anybody else off the air. We won't let that take place - no how, no way.

COMMENT #44 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/16/2009 @ 11:13 am PT...





Um, Damail, perhaps you're unfamiliar with the First Amendment you're trying to support here? You may wish to go read it. It has to do with the GOVERNMENT infringing upon free speech. Last I checked, Keith Olbermann wasn't the government. That said, I'm sure your track record of condemning your wingnut brethren for "working towards getting" Dan Rather "kicked off the air" is equally as virulent, right? Feel free to point us to your postings condemning that campaign as "disgusting" and "hypocritical", k? We'll be waiting. (And waiting.)

COMMENT #45 [Permalink]

... Vispetti said on 11/16/2009 @ 4:45 pm PT...





Damail, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and the other major mainstream media networks are the same. They are run by globalists who have set the course for this country decades ago. People like myself have been talking about this for a long time. Don't gloat over the O'Reillys and Hannitys of the world. They are doing very well financially while all the time disseminating government propanda. They are the controlled opposition to the left media networks but both represent the very same people who are working against our best interest. Fox, as well as the liberal media are pushing the same Green initiatives. The owner, Rupert Murdoch, is a member of the same CFR that dominates the Obama administration. Fox is a wolf in sheeps' clothing. At least the liberal media are honest about their love for socialism and heavy handed government control; Fox pretends to be patriotic while all the time following the same policies. Anyone seeking real change to save our Republic would turn off mainstream media and begin checking into the true alternative media who are breaking through the false left/right paradigm. Basically the so-called conservative and liberal media are in place to keep people confined to their left and right boxes. Anyone who thinks outside of that paradigm are considered weird and strange. Fox does not represent the true patriot community! That is exactly why we're all in the perdicament we are in today. When Bush was president, Fox failed to speak out against the unpatriotic and unconstitutional bills passed. They neither addressed the high crimes. The liberal media did condemn that administration but now they won't speak out against Obama's attack on our freedoms. He expanded the Bush's Patriot Act and wars. There is hypocrisy on both sides of the pendulum. This country is divided because of all of these media networks. There is way too many mixed messages and mostly outright deception. They are in position to create an illusion that we have a real fight amongst each other when the truth is that all of us in this blog should be standing fighting side by side against the central banks who rob and enslave us. I don't mean to be harsh but I want people to feel some conviction about how they worship these media personalities who have done nothing but engaged in left/right fights and failed to inform the viewers properly.

COMMENT #46 [Permalink]

... Damail said on 11/16/2009 @ 7:56 pm PT...





Another apology update: Not only has Sean Hannity apologized, but so has MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan. He apologized for using the fake Palin photos. And I give him credit for that.

COMMENT #47 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 11/16/2009 @ 10:19 pm PT...





Glad to hear it. Is there reason to believe it was done in order to deceive viewers, as was obviously the case with Hannity? If so, I hope that whoever did it gets fired, as with Hannity (where nobody will ever be held accountable because IOKIYAR).

COMMENT #48 [Permalink]

... A Brit said on 11/17/2009 @ 9:58 am PT...





"Sorry, videos are not currently available in your country." Unfortunately, your video provider sucks. Kind of makes it hard for us outside the States (and are interested in it) to understand what's going on.

COMMENT #49 [Permalink]

... Soul Rebel said on 11/17/2009 @ 9:13 pm PT...

