I did my DU duty and debunked a RW email, and copied all the jerks who forwarded it.

I'm sure you've all gotten the stupid 'Columbo' email by now. I'll post the debunking below. My aunt, who is a Dem, forwards them to me, knowing that I'll debunk them. Of course, I BCCed the entire distribution list and got an interesting response from a delusional freeptard. Exchange went like this:

Freeper:

Please do not send me unsolicited email. I am very well informed and refuse to argue/debate with people like you.

Me:

If you're well-informed, you wouldn't be spreading lies via email.

Freeper:

Get a life!

Me:

Get used to saying 'President Obama'. :-)

---------------------------------
Aunt S.,


Once again, you've received a hoax email, and a little googling finds that every single one of these points has been debunked or is part of a right-wing smear campaign.

Why can't the sender provide the same records for John McCain-and why isn't anyone asking for them? How about Sarah Palin's illustrious college career of 5 colleges in four years? She hasn't released her transcripts either. Why aren't they asking for McCain's medical records? The guy has had serious cancer four times. We didn't ask for Bush's either, so it's pretty obvious that the original sender of this email is one of those 'low information voters' who gets his/her news from Fox, believes Obama is a Muslim, and is a closet (or overt) racist. In other words, take these supposed facts about Obama with a huge grain of salt.

By the way, Peter Falk (Columbo) is a Democrat who just gave $1,000 to Obama in August. I wonder if he knows that his character is being used to perpetrate right-wing lies?

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=Los+Angeles+++++++&st=CA&last=Falk&first=Peter

A.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1. Occidental College records -- Not released

Link:
2. Columbia College records -- Not released
3. Columbia Thesis paper -- 'not available'
4. Harvard College records -- Not released


Obama graduated #1 from Harvard Law School and was elected to be President of the Harvard Law Review… Where are McCain’s transcripts from Annapolis? I’ve yet to see the college transcripts, papers, and records of McCain and Palin. I’m sure Palin’s would be especially enlightening. Why aren't you asking for McCain's or Palin's? Too scared to find out that they were failures as students?

5. Selective Service Registration -- Not released

Thoroughly debunked-believe it or not, from a right-wing website:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obama-did-obama-actually-register-for-selective-service/2/

Excerpt:

After contacting the Selective Service System for an answer several times since late June, Pajamas Media obtained official confirmation from the Selective Service System via email that Barack Obama did indeed register for the Selective Service as required by law, and is eligible to run for the presidency.

Mr. Owens,
Barack Hussein Obama registered at a post office in Hawaii. The effective registration date was September 4, 1980.
His registration number is 61-1125539-1.
Daniel Amon
Public Affairs Specialist


6. Medical records -- Not released

Obama medical records were released:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/29/obamas-medical-records-re_n_104094.html

McCain is 25 years older, has had four bouts with cancer, and the extent of his disclosure has been to give a pool of reporters a couple hours with 1,173 pages of medical records, and then wrapping it all up again.


7. Illinois State Senate schedule -- 'not available'

Anyone who knows how to use google and has half a brain KNOWS that all the state Senate records are PUBLIC, but they just have to put in a little effort to go through the years of documents. Obama's voting record in the State Senate:

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/obamas-voting-record-in-the-illinois-state-senate/


8. Law practice client list -- Not released

With the exception of corporate law firms, most law firms DO NOT release client lists due to privacy issues. No Lawyer or firm would release or publicize a client list - nor would a psychologist or doctor. This is almost as ridiculous as baptism record. What does this have to do with eligibility for President anyway?

9. Certified Copy of original Birth certificate -- Not released

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp

The campaign released a copy of the birth certificate, and the nonpartisan FactCheck.org got their fingers on the real thing and confirmed that it was real. Other enterprising bloggers contacted the Hawaii Department of Health, who maintain birth certificates, and confirmed that it was not a forgery. I don’t know what it will take to convince people that Obama was born in the US - it’s not like he’s going to pass around the original copy of his birth certificate. Even if he were born on Mars, both of his parents were US Citizens, and as their child so would he - no matter where he was born. McCain has not released his birth certificate and he, unlike Obama, was not born in the United States. In fact, the Washington Post reports that “there is no record of McCain’s birth in the Panama Canal Zone Health Department’s bound birth registers, which are publicly available at the National Archives in College Park”. Interesting. Where was McCain born?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html


10. Embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth -- Not released

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html

BTW McCain wasn't baptized:


11. Harvard Law Review articles published -- None

How about Sarah Palin's thesis? Bush's transcripts or published papers from Harvard Business School? McCain's scholarly writings? How does this even remotely qualify a person to be President? Obama was President of the Harvard Law Review and was #1 in his class. John McCain graduated 894th out of 899:

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/John_McCain_I_graduated_fifth_from_the_bottom_of_my_class

He crashed FIVE planes, and if it weren't for his daddy and grand-daddy being admirals, a student with his low ranking would have NEVER been able to qualify to fly fighter jets in the Navy. Can you say nepotism?

Students on the law review usually don’t publish their own articles, they edit the Review and publish articles of others. There was a single unsigned note, later attributed to him, on the issue of abortion.

12. University of Chicago scholarly articles -- None
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/K/Kantor,%20Jodi.


13. Your Record of baptism-- Not released or 'not available'

McCain was never baptised.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9361.html

14. Your Illinois State Senate records--'not available'

The Journal of the Illinois Legislature (votes, bill sponsors, etc.) is available in the Library of Congress, and probably a dozen libraries across Illinois as well. McCain hasn't released his papers, and no one has asked him.

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/obamas-voting-record-in-the-illinois-state-senate/


The rest of the Columbo email:
Oh hey .. . Listen! I know you are busy! Is this too much for you now? I mean tell you what. I will come back tomorrow. Give you some time to get these things together, you know? I mean, I know you are busy, so I will just let myself out. I will be back tomorrow. And the day after. .Who wants to know these things ask Senator Obama? Columbo answered:
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE


My message:
There you go, Obama haters. Read it and weep.

their client list, they're not allowed to without prior consent.

It is a violation of their oath. The attorney/client privilege is as strong - and has been protected by the courts as often - as patient/doctor protections.

These people are just dumb, desperate and delusional.

There were hundreds of people on the distribution list. I can't believe people are so lazy that they can't use google.

It wasn't the one you got, but one that had been debunked back inApril! I always "reply to all" as well! I wasn't nasty because the sender was my SIL and I'm not about to start a family fued over politics. I simply added the snopes link and said "These stories have been debunked since April.

It DOES feel good when you do that though, huh?

I am usually way too nice but I'm fed up with all these stupid emails.

I'll leave it to them to provide the proof.

"reply all" is that it tends to discourage people from sending you any more crap emails like that. Or at least that's been my experience.

I have gotten a few nastygrams back in the past.

About a year or so ago I got into a rather nasty email exchange with a cousin of mine over that very thing. And then, more recently, after the same cousin sent me some other right-wing crap I sent her the Fourteen Signs of Fascism. It may have made her think a little, because she doesn't send me any more of that stuff.

And, I was able to visit her several months ago and we simply didn't discuss anything political.

But they shouldn't be spreading around lies!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-born_citizen#US_presidential_candidates_born_outside_the_US

Scroll to:
Cases in other courts relating specifically to the "natural born citizen" clause


In August 2008, Philip J. Berg filed suit for documented proof that Barack Obama is qualified to obtain office of President if elected.<17> On October 21, 2008 Berg filed a Motion Requesting an Expedited Ruling on Plaintiff’s Motion for an Order deeming Plaintiff’s Request for Admissions served upon Defendants, Obama and DNC, on September 15, 2008 Admitted. Berg stated that he filed Requests for Admissions on September 15, 2008 with a response by way of answer or objection had to be served within thirty <30> days. No response to the Requests for Admissions was served by way of response or objection. Prior to Berg filing the motion, Obama's legal team, the DNC and the Federal Elections Commission had filed a motion to dismiss and motion to stay discovery. The case was thrown out on October 24, 2008, on the grounds that the plaintiff's claims were "ridiculous" and "patently false", and that he did not have standing.<18>

I will pass it around.

I hit 'reply all' (about 30 addresses) and did essentially what you did.
Oh gee. Cuz is HIGHLY offended.
Knickers ALL twisted up.
Gross breach of etiquette on my part to 'intrude' on all his friends.
:rofl:
Tough noogies, cuz.
Deal with it.
:-)

:-)

If he didn't want to get all pissed off, he shouldn't have forwarded the email in the first place.