Posted on 06/28/2008 10:36:43 AM PDT by kristinn
The Washington Post published an article today in the Style section about researcher Danielle Allen's efforts to track down who is behind allegations that presumed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Hussein Obama (Illinois) is a Muslim. Allen is an Obama supporter who works for the Institute for Advanced Study.
The article was written by Matthew Mosk. A curious choice for The Post considering Mosk's involvement in the nefarious MD4Bush scandal in which Mosk claimed to have been given access to a Free Republic poster's account to expose a Maryland GOP government appointee who was alleged to have commented on rumors that a Maryland Democratic mayor was an adulterer.
Mosk displayed the same talent for exposing Freepers' identities in today's article that he did in the MD4Bush scandal. However, the only person he exposed then was the Republican. The person (or persons) behind the MD4Bush screen name was not reported by Mosk.
The article Mosk wrote today purports to be about efforts to track down where the 'Obama is a Muslim' allegations began. However, it is actually a warning shot across the bow to opponents of Obama that they will be tracked down and exposed for speaking ill of the Obamessiah.
Mosk even makes sure to let Obamaniacs know who is behind Free Republic and where he can be found:
Of the file folders that are spread in neat rows across Allen's desk, only one is bulging. It holds printouts of the reams of conversations about Obama's religion appearing on Free Republic. Since its start in 1996 by Jim Robinson of Fresno, Calif....
The effort by The Post to protect Obama from rumors is in stark contrast to how they promoted potentially candidacy-damaging rumors eight-years ago.
When George W. Bush ran for president in 1999, The Washington Post led the way in rumor-mongering about whether he used cocaine in his youth. Bush refused to deny cocaine use saying that denying rumors just leads to having to deny more and more rumors. No one ever came forward with allegatons that they had first-hand knowledge of Bush using cocaine, but that didn't stop The Post and the mainstream media as painting Bush as a cokehead. No reporter ever asked Bill Clinton about cocaine use, even though several people known to Clinton claimed to have first-hand knowledge of Clinton using the drug while in public office.
While Mosk ignores The Post's own rumor-mongering, he leaves the impression of Free Republic as the rumor mill of the right. A fair reporter would have noted that Freepers exposed the fraudulent Texas Air National Guard documents that CBS News used in its attempt to derail President Bush's reelection bid in 2004. Buckhead, the Freeper who called foul on the documents, was tracked down by the Los Angeles Times even though he did not post his name on Free Republic.
Mosk's article closes with Allen complaining that the Internet has become as influential as unions and political action committees (PACs) in elections. Unstated is that the political activities of unions and PACs are heavily regulated by the federal government.
Allen seriously misunderstands the right to anonymous political speech--equating political speech with the right of a citizen to face his accuser when charged with a crime by the government:
..."This kind of misinformation campaign short-circuits judgment. It also aggressively disregards the fundamental principle of free societies that one be able to debate one's accusers."
While Mosk and The Post are furiously protecting Obama from the Obama is a Muslim allegation, they steadfstly refuse to report on Obama's well-documented connection to the terrorist supporter and Osama bin Laden sympathizer, Jodie Evans, co-founder of the anti-American group Code Pink.
The Post article claims that the Internet's danger to politics is the ability to spread rumors anonymously. The real danger is the left's willingness to use the Internet to track down and destroy its perceived enemies. Allen and Mosk's teamwork exposing Freepers is one more example of that.
Hmmm...does that mean the BHO monster is going to tea bag his foes?
Now, thats just WRONG!
Oh, how I do hope they're thinking about stalking me... But, if they're smart they won't even think bout going there...
the infowarrior
“This is what they do. This is how they operate. Remember it well, everyone.”
This is the “taking names” part of the famous phrase. Every political org does that. Long ago on FR I proposed doing just that, plus taping police radio calls during demonstrations (this was when a Freeper got assaulted by thugs during a demo).
Take pictures of the opposition, including the cars and buses they came in. It may not be important at the time, but if it gets to lawyers and courts, these records are valuable. Not to post on the internet, but they can prove who was at a location, and when.
The police and FBI take lots of crowd shots, for filing away.
Oh, I don't think she's a "genius." IF she were, she wouldn't be a liberal. LOL!
Ms. Allen is obviously ignorant of our Constitution too. Since the "genius" trolls FR, maybe she'll read this. She needs to understand that WE HAVE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH!
Deal with it, "genius," and for pete's sake, get over yourself!
“Pretty crazy that theyve researched each person based on various postings. “
If you have an enemy, you need to learn all you can about them. Dan Rather’s research team spent much more effort finding out who outed him on Free Republic than they did researching the origins of the faked memos.
If there is a group that sees us as a threat, an enemy, then they will research us, all of us, to look for weaknesses.
In my case, if the Governor found out I was posting here, sometimes while on the job, she’d fire me and I’d lose my house. That’s an exploitable weakness, other posters will have similar issues.
The Dean of Humanities at the U of Chicago...an obsessed internet stalker...
Anna was Maya’s mother?
Battle Hymn of the Republicans
(to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic)
Mine Eyes have seen the bungling of that stumbling moron Bush;
He has blathered all the drivel that the neo-cons can push;
He has lost sight of all reason ‘cause his head is up his tush;
The Doofus marches on. He goes on and on.
Written by a Ch. Rogers a blogger on the barackobama.com website. We can do our homework too.
To me this is an encouragement to be ever stronger and to NEVER back down to the leftie Marxist punks who think they
OWN the airwaves, cyberspace and print media!
We should continue to contend for the truth and to he** with
them!
....or is that just me?
What ?!?!?
No one even heard of the POS Obama in 96. Wasn't he still a white man back then ? Presstitutes like the ones promoting this seditious socialist are responsible for rumors and disinformation ......we only discuss what we read.
But then who reads this losers bird cage liner anyway......:o)
Stay safe !
Guess theyre calling OSAMA Obamas own brother a liar....
http://www.anobamanation.net/2008/06/obamas-brother-confirms-barack-grew-up.html
That just goes to show ya' that OSAMA Hussien Obama is more than willing to throw his own family under the bus in his quest for power. And I thought the Clinton's were the most power-mad scum of the earth.
So think about this. According to her it starts with someone writing an article, that then gets posted on Free Republic and the FReepers talk and talk and sometimes even agree with those articles. Yup. That's what we do, lady. We are a group of like-minded conservatives who come here to learn about the conservative slant on things. And when we agree on things, we talk, post, and communicate it all around.
In any case, we're less of a school of fish than your University of Chicago and Princeton colleagues who all voted for, let's see... Eugene McCarthy, McGovern, Carter, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Clinton, Gore, and Kerry. All the same mackerels swimming together since Woodstock.
Post of the day!
We would not have to alter personnas - we could just have 3 or 4. Would be rather fun. One time I post as X and I am mighty mean old codger who was a former marine. The next time I am Y, a nice Christian lady that never says a bad word - new to politics - and just astounded at what she learns.
Then I am Z - a politician in the Washington area leaking info to FR and other sites to be used as propaganda against Obama.
And to really confuse them, I post as T - a democrat underground fly-in poster creating havoc on the site, ranting and raving about the untruths posted on this site. Maybe I will forward those to her at her workplace.
They are waking up the sleeping tigers around here.
Pstt.....be careful of the personal details - they are watching you know.
What you described is what I’d call changing personna.
I’d have to work at it big-time as my posting style and personality are so transparently and consistently atypical.
But first, we’d need JimRob’s permission/sanction/encouragement to do so for our own protection and that of FR.
Part of me wonders if some of us who’ve been overly transparent about personal details should ask if we can have the draconion step taken of pulling all our posts of the last 4-5 years or so when we’ve been so brazenly candid and transparent in too many key respects.
I’d hate to afflict the data-base so dreadfully but it might be the only safe and wise thing to do. Though aren’t there net backup sites that we couldn’t have that done with???
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