Was Obama born to Muslim Martians with plans to seize Temecula?

This week's provocative New Yorker magazine cover featuring Barack and Michelle Obama as armed and Muslim calls attention to a variety of myths floating around the country these days, mainly online, but also openly voiced.

To check on what you hear, the website snopes.com is valuable. It tracks and debunks urban legends of the e-mail variety. It could be the first place you go when that unexpected message pings into your inbox from another e-mail chain.

You can also search Snopes for more myths or alleged truths about others such as Sens. John McCain (he did tell a story once about a fellow POW in Hanoi who got beaten for sewing a U.S. flag on his prison shirt) or John Kerry (his photo does hang in a Vietnamese Peace Museum for being a war protester).

According to the site, here are the top myths about Barack Obama:

• He is a "radical Muslim" who will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• He was sworn into office on the Koran.
• Obama's church has a "nonnegotiable commitment to Africa" that is covertly Muslim and excludes non-blacks.
• Obama has been endorsed for president of the U.S. by the Ku Klux Klan.
• Obama's presidential campaign is being funded by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez.

For the rest of the mythical Obama list, check out our colleague James Oliphant's intriguing story over at the Swamp.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Credit: Associated Press

Comments

[VJ Machiavelli]

It seems to me the more you post all these myths the more play you give them and the people who spread them.

[Thad]

VJ Machiavelli: that's certainly a risk, but so is just ignoring absurd rumors as beneath a candidate's notice. Look where it got John Kerry. This nonsense HAS to be confronted and debunked.

However, I would absolutely agree on the subject of the New Yorker cover. The people who think Obama is a secret militant Muslim don't read the New Yorker and wouldn't have known about the cover at all if there hadn't been a media tempest surrounding it.

[James McDouglas]

The cover was racist.

Would they dare show Lieberman in skull cap and curly sideburns holding an Israeli passport? On a national journal's cover?

No. They wouldn't.

That's the racist double standard practiced here in America by our media.

And here they are... continuing to shrug it off like it's nothing.

Racists.

White racists.

They've shown themselves for what they are by their inability to see what they did wrong... as all racists do.

[yay]

yay a comment

[pedeen]

Probably Kansas is temecula or whatever? when doeas these nonse stop?

[Dennis B]

Obama's family is Muslim. That's a fact. Obama himself has lied about so many parts of his personal history that whether he's Muslim or not, how are we to know? If a white person had a church and pastor like his, that person would never have gotten a single vote. This whole package is so messed up and tainted, and he has so many ugly connections with negative people, Rezko, Wright, that terrorist friend of his, his own radical Islamist brother, his pushing the Islamist agenda in Kenya.... why is he even a candidate? I just don't get it.

[SA Madej]

I complete agree with VJ Machiavelli. Obviously, everyone knows these are rumors by now. Let's move on and stop recycling them through the press.

[George Jetson]

Lawyer Obama does not know the difference between 'is' and 'was', we all know he has been attending christian church for 20 years. But what he keeps covering up is how before that he WAS a muslim.

[Julio A. Cartaya]

Tsk, tsk... If you are going to quote almost verbatim James Oliphant's article, a link to that article seems unnecessary, and a credit seems required.

(The credit is there as is the link.)

[Earl Evleth]

Humor is hard to do and satire is harder, since
it involves ridicule. When either fails it does
so with a flop.

It took a long time for Hilter to become funny,
as in "Springtime for Hitler". Icons are hard
to make funny. Has anybody done a humorous
bit on Thomas Jefferson?

[Agorist]

"Play" aside, "internet chain mail" in general is stupid, insidious, ruminant behavior, and a computer security issue that vastly increases risks for Trojan/worm infection and identity theft. The only responsible advice to give regarding it is to delete it immediately, tell the person who sent it to never do it again, and blacklist that person if he or she does not comply.

[Agorist]

"Play" aside, "internet chain mail" in general is stupid, valueless, ruminant behavior, and a computer security issue that increases risk for Trojan/worm infection and identity theft. The only responsible advice to give regarding any examples of it is to delete immediately and instruct the sender to never do it again. If the sender fails to comply, blacklist them.

[ABB]

Why do so called "journalists" continue to print and therefore reinforce these lies? Where is the bulleted list of the myths regarding John McCain?

[funny]

This tittle is funny - and sad. And some folks will believe it, and there really is nothing that can be done about that for now. Until the first black president is sworn in, and the world does not end. And the president responds with an objective eye treating the needs of the greatest with equal attention. The he doesn't consider that he is "showing the people" anything, but that he is 'serving the people'. Until THAT president actually fulfills his committments to the people and overhauls the health care system, pulls he troops from Iraq, put more emphasis on benefits for vet, assesses the VA system, lifts minimum wage, etc. They will be confronted with their belief system. Groomed internalized fear .... they are not bad people. Unfortunately they have been used .... cool photo of Chavez.

[Palmo]

Putting a question mark at the end of a libelous statement doesn't make it any less false. This "article" doesnt do anything but use the same shock appeal that all the rumors play upon to get people to view the page. you should be ashamed.

[Smith]

Nonesence and there are actully people taht will beleive this. Those who beleive in such BS are victim of the current administration

[Eric ROth]

Exposing absurd claims to rational criticism is both a moral and historical obligation of the press.

Likewise, the curious support of so many Obama fans and fanatics for widespread censorship - from Obama's middle name to the New Yorker cover - raises questions about a free press during any Obama presidency. Let's be clear: the first amendment protects political speech, even political speech that might offend our favored candidate. Further, many dictators - like Sudan's ruler about to be indicated for genocide - like to hide behind bogus "dignity arguments" and demand "respect" from the press.

Let's keep the American tradition of a free, critical press alive - and resist the latest efforts to censor speech. Okay?

[Jim]

provacotive? How about racist cover!

the simple fact that the LA time cant come out and state that it was racist unequivocally is absurd. Using the guise of trying to point out al the attacks he has faces is absurd.

When has Michelle's hair been attacked? When was Obama accused of burning the flag?

Why would the magainze have to release a statement saying the cartoon "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are."

get some spine LA TIMES and call it what it was, racist. Futher, where are the extreme fantastical images of McCain? They don't exist.....

[Eric ROth]

Exposing absurd claims to rational criticism is both a moral and historical obligation of the press.

Likewise, the curious support of so many Obama fans and fanatics for widespread censorship - from Obama's middle name to the New Yorker cover - raises questions about a free press during any Obama presidency. Let's be clear: the first amendment protects political speech, even political speech that might offend our favored candidate. Further, many dictators - like Sudan's ruler about to be indicated for genocide - like to hide behind bogus "dignity arguments" and demand "respect" from the press.

Let's keep the American tradition of a free, critical press alive - and resist the latest efforts to censor speech. Okay?

[Kathy]

The presidential race isn't American Idol. Actually take the time to check out Obama's voting record in the senate. Take the time to check out his actual tax plan and then if you still want to vote for him by all means do so.

[dave]

can you afford to be owned?

we're by now probably all used to customized ads. the catchy catchwords linked to any of your clicks will bring along the - sometimes more, and sometimes less - matching, or somehow related, ads on your screen. this is how google has been working for a while, and making money, you believe. but it's interesting to see, how simultaneously, advertising's using a whole variety of propaganda techniques, for instance, this simple reverse strategy, here's how it works: say, on a l.a. times blog site, there's that ad for macy's, e.g. featuring an obama-lookalike depiction in leisurely pose, and the caption, 'PRESEASONSALE,' (no, not: -sellout) highlighting in color, the word 'SEASON.' right underneath that, 'ROLL OVER to pick up the hottest trends for fall.' if you see what's going on here, you might start to blink an eye. like, what's macy's trying to sell here in addition to macy's, and why? is this a package of ads, and what's macy's got to do with this, what's whoever got to do with this? and, what's an obama-lookalike got to do with this? and what's this got to do with you? here's the simple math: it's all about selling things to you (especially things you don't really like, don't need, can't afford, have no practical use for - and if they were free, you might think they're essentially worthless to you, and might think life, and YOU, are worth a lot more than anything that can be owned, and all the things you can imagine to OWN) ...and what could be more practical, than the total cooperation (/corporation), of everyone who might be interested in getting one thing or another - to you/from you, than bundling it all together? and if this seems to be about your money, money is only the facade. who needs money, if they can make it at a mouseclick, and add as many zeros as they might wish? it's the debt that drives the system, and as you identify with the debt, that's YOU. proudly owned. and then you'll see them everywhere - ADS that stare you in the eye telling you to pay attention - time for some serious vision correction... or telling you that it's the epitome of luxury to identify with a machine or system so sophisticated that even its s[/c]ensors get to be s[/c]ensored... and then, someone will tell you - if you insist on not telling yourself, since you feel it could make you SAD - that you're only kidding, dream on... roll over already - NOW?

[Archie]

I live in Ohio. My next door neighbors really believe the tainted, bizarre, and sometimes hilariously wrong rumors and myths about Mr. Obama. These rumors run rampant rural and suburban Ohio and Indiana...

[Joe]

TO: SA Madej - It's statements like yours that are the cause for these types of articles in the first place.

Quoted directly from Obama's website:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/christian
"Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim, and is a committed Christian"

[Earl]

Why do so many people claim racism is a bad thing? Frankly I am tired of politicall correctness. Racism is alive and well. I see it in kindergarten all the way to senior citizens even as I write. Black people want equality but go out of their way to be different than the rest of the populace. Blacks overwhelmingly voted for Obama even though SUPPOSEDLY he and Hillary had similar pollitical views. If that is the case then the black vote would have been split between the two. Could that be black racism...

[Waltercito]

The outrageously disingenuous, defensive drivel being spouted by various "journalist" talking-heads about this issue on cable TV is disgusting. Presumably, the educated and socially sophisticated "New Yorker" market "gets" the satire...the problem is, that image is likely being screen-printed onto cheap T-shirts right now for distribution to the uninformed 30% or so of the nation that believes Obama is a Muslim, etc. Admittedly, the cartoon is an attempt at parody, but it should have appeared as a small illustration deeply imbedded within the article, rather than as cover art. This depiction could not have done more damage to Obama's presidential chances if it have been an element of a conscious conspiracy.