Reasoning Ability, Character or Both?

By: Kathy Gerber
Published On: 9/21/2006 6:29:08 AM

A friend of mine blames our current situation in this country on poor critical thinking skills. On Monday the News Advance carried an LTE that demonstrated that. Here it is:
A dirty campaign

The spin against Sen. George Allen is a set up. The Jim Webb campaign cleverly selected a very visible, foreign-looking campaign worker with an odd hair style (or wearing a hat alternately) to stalk Mr. Allen during his public appearances. This is persistent, but subtle harassment. A set up. The campaign worker was not there to observe, but to gather any slip-up that could be twisted against Mr. Allen.

Mr. Webb has done the unforgivable. He originated a rumor that Mr. AllenGÇÖs casual use of the term GÇ£macacaGÇ¥ is a racial slur against African-Americans and, therefore, Mr. Allen is a racist. What a cheap, underhanded way to get black votes. Black voters should be insulted that Mr. Webb and the liberal media are disrespecting their intelligence in this way; Mr. Webb should apologize. But Democrats never apologize for their dirty tricks and hate speech.

GÇ£MacacaGÇ¥ is a casual term used in humor or endearment, such as monkeying aroundGÇ¥ or GÇ£acting like a monkeyGÇ¥ similar to GÇ£kidding around.GÇ¥ Apologize to all goats and goat lovers, regardless of country of origin or color of hide or skin. No wonder Mr. Allen was confused by the reaction. He should not apologize for a set-up, a stalking. Racism was in the mind of the spinners for Mr. Webb, not in Mr. Allen.

Joyce L. Pedigo

This morning the online version of RTD carries a piece of similar quality, but this time it is a news article by a reporter, Jeff Shapiro.

First Mr. Shapiro embraces the macaca trapdoor tactic as he spells "Feld" in a way that is as close to "Fuck" as one can possibly get: "Fulk."  Typo, Mr. Shapiro?  Yeah, right.

Then he rounds up a Virginian tangled in Mitch Abramoff's web of influence to say this:

"Appeals to bigotry fail in Virginia, because Virginians look to a person's integrity and character," said Cantor. "Jim Webb is failing this test for integrity."

Tell that to Sidarth, Mr. Cantor.  You should be ashamed of yourself.  As should you Mr. Shapiro.  Ms. Pedigo is not being paid to distort the truth.  Both of you are.

The blogs that you charge with antisemitism include a number of Jewish writers.  And ALL of us, regardless of our ethnicity or faith, have a long history of working against bigotry.

You are prostituting yourselves by seeking to perpetuate it.

Comments



For the record...Lowell Fulk (Lowell - 9/21/2006 6:39:27 AM)
ran for Delegate in the 26h District last year.  Unfortunately, he lost.  He has nothing whatsoever to do with Raising Kaine; obviously, Schapiro made a big mistake here.

Also, for the record, the only thing I've written about the debate incident was a piece on Allen's ANGER, certainly not about his Jewish heritage.  I am Jewish, and I obviously have nothing against anyone who is Jewish.  I condemn anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, and bigotry in all forms.  I have no idea what Dick Wadhams is talking about, but then again, that's nothing new.  Does this guy ever make any sense at all?

By the way, Dick, what's up with the despicable, heinous, hateful Swift Boat ad that was posted on your "A-Team" bloggers' blog?  Do you disown it or take responsibility for it?  How about your paid and unpaid (we think) bloggers?



I'm so disgusted (Doug Garnett-Deakin - 9/21/2006 6:57:06 AM)
I didn't know if you would mention NLS. Ben was right to put it up as an alert, but I'm actually feeling like I'm going to throw up this morning. I cannot believe someone (it is not the Allen campaign) would make a video that uses images, graphic ones, showing people about to die on 9/11 in the WTC as it burned. And this to make a point about the debate on the Iraq war that had nothing to do with 9/11.

I had to stop it at 1:49 and don't even know what to do with myself. It is flora mcdonald, I think, who produced the video and the length of her family's shame casts a shadow across this great country. I am so absolutely disgusted none of the other weirdness of this race seems to come close to this.



I agree. Utterly appalling. (Lowell - 9/21/2006 7:07:06 AM)
What's the Allen campaign going to do about it, except to fling more outrageous charges that Jews (myself included) working for Jim Webb are, of all things, anti-Semitic!!!  These people have no shame.


To Mr. Lowell Fulk (Kathy Gerber - 9/21/2006 7:17:45 AM)
I sincerely apologize. 


How did Jeff Schapiro get that wrong? (Lowell - 9/21/2006 7:19:28 AM)
Wow, that's amazing.


I watched the entire wretched 'ad'... (Loudoun County Dem - 9/21/2006 9:39:48 AM)
...this is so over the top it will not work on anyone who hasn't imbibed gallons of their kool aid. I'm supposed to not vote for Webb because they have a picture of Dennis Kucinich and Cindy Sheehan together? When two thirds of Americans agree with Webb about Iraq? This ad is just going to piss more people off about Allen (especially military families).


Eric Cantor is a tool (Mark - 9/21/2006 7:21:26 AM)
He was a tool of Tom DeLay the moment he stepped into congress.

Worthless piece of bluster and spin.



Eric Cantor is a tool... (Lowell - 9/21/2006 7:36:05 AM)
no matter what religion he is.


I celebrate Sen Allen's new found Jewish heritage (Jeff B - 9/21/2006 7:46:02 AM)
we have a very proud and deep history. I may disagree with Sen Allen's politics however we are bonded in the Jewish brotherhood. Perhapse now Sen Allen can come to understand first hand how painful it is when groups like the CofCC spew racial and ethnic hatred.

Its very important that we call for Senator Allen to condemn hate groups like the CofCC now that he too is a target of their racial and ethnic hate speech. Sen Allen must realize that hate speech is now directed at him as a decendent of Jews.



Joyce come join us (Gordie - 9/21/2006 9:54:17 AM)
Joyce as you wrote a letter to the Nelson County Times praising Goode's leadership, even after he SOLD his vote in Congress for $90,000, I can still understand your loyalty. BUT, I have s suggestion for you, Get out of that entreme right field and try playing in Center field. You may just learn something about the Candidates you back.


Why? (Reen - 9/21/2006 10:13:24 AM)
Why is Joyce writing to Nelson when she's all the way down in Bedford??


RE: Pedigo's LTE (JPTERP - 9/21/2006 1:48:17 PM)
The rebuttal's to Pedigo's LTE were hilarious.  Well worth reading.

http://newsadvance.c...

I don't know what to make of Schapiro's article.  He's generally a pretty even-handed journalist.  It's quite possible that he was pressured into writing the article by an editor.  As many know, the RTD editorial board and at least one of the people on its board have an almost pathological hatred of Democrats. 



LTE/News and Advance (martha - 9/21/2006 1:59:30 PM)
Beau Wright is 18 and a senior at E.C. Glass and John Lawrence is the LDC Chair and member of the present Sorensen class.( 2 of the letter writers)

Lynchburg Voter's League tonight hosts Viola Baskerville at Court St. Baptist. She and others will be discussing the marshall/Newman Amendment.

Webb's in 'the burg' tomorrow for lunch at Clayton's noon  $25.00 per ticket!

Please attend!



Go.. (Kathy Gerber - 9/21/2006 4:31:15 PM)
Lynchburg rocks!  I'll be down there tomorrow night (I hope) but not for Webb.  You'll have to tell us about the event, Martha!

 



Thank You for Post (Gordie - 9/21/2006 4:36:54 PM)
Went to News-Advance and read articles. Thanks.