Bin Laden Dead?

If you don't think the whole birther thing is "necessarily" racist, than I don't really have an issue because its not even worth my time trying to argue it with you.

no, I don't think the whole thing is; like, my Dad thinks he was not born in America, but also thinks the rule that you can't be U.S. President if you weren't born here is stupid and doesn't think he should be thrown out or anything, just maybe a result of reading some bad blogs or something

the idea is if you think this is a big deal and that he's not a legit president, that's stupid and probably a race issue since GWB probably wasn't a 'legit' president either. I'd be curious what would happen if it were somehow proven out that he wasn't born here and if you'd see it as a race issue then.

I'll give you ten guesses as to where the "he wasn't born in America" concept comes from, and the first nine don't count. Ready? Go.

(Here is a hint: It is because he is black and has a funny name. That should help you guess. OK, go.)

"just maybe a result of reading some bad blogs or something"
side effects may include

but what if they could prove that jews have horns, would it still be anti-semitic to say that? think about it.

I'd be curious what would happen if it were somehow proven out that he wasn't born here and if you'd see it as a race issue then.

there are not enough facepalm gifs in the world

is it anti-semitic if you can prove all jews are horny?

there are not enough facepalm gifs in the world

otm, I briefly entertained the though of GISing one, but, so not worth it

not enough SBs either

wait, can't you just respond to the question

Your use of commas bothers me too. Suggest ban punctuation.

"I think I'll stop noting that Bin Laden was a killer of Muslims. I feel like Giuliani lecturing Harlem on "black on black" crime. Muslim is a big word, and part of the problem with the last ten years has been the unwillingness to acknowledge that fact. What actually sticks with me is Bin Laden killed mass quantities of human beings with almost [no (sic)] regard for distinctions. It's not that he killed Muslims. It's that he didn't much care who he killed."

for what it's worth, bin laden thought a lot of muslims were as bad as the jews or whatever. and he DID, you know, target actual, um, targets. who was around when those targets were hit probably didn't concern him much, that's probably true.

Scarily enough, Ross Douthat mostly OTM: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/opinion/02douthat.html . Except these are all things he (and a lot of other people) should have realized no later than 9/13/2001, not a decade later.

wait, can't you just respond to the question

what, exactly, is your question?

my Dad thinks he was not born in America, but also thinks the rule that you can't be U.S. President if you weren't born here is stupid and doesn't think he should be thrown out or anything

So then why the hell does the question of where he was born even come up? Is there a particular reason to talk about that issue, outside of presidential eligibility?

Divorcing "Obama is not from America" from "Obama is not eligible to be president" removes the racism excuse and just makes that idea straight up racist!

if somehow the birthers were right, if the guy who first brought it up had some inside info or whatever, would you still think that the movement as a whole or the subsequent movement to impeach him was a racist thing?

also since I'm sure some of you are going to claim this let me point out that I DO NOT BELIEVE IN ANY OF THE BIRTHER THEORIES AT ALL

Sorry frogbs, you have to admit race, whether subconscious or not, has to play a role.

All Presidents are victims of urban myths and mistruths, but usually they're based on a much smaller and insignificant truth or rumor that is merely distorted or twisted to smear the candidate.

The birther movement was based on a claim made by a dude who filed a lawsuit based on evidence he himself fabricated in an interview he wanted to trick into falsely declaring Kenyan-born through the difficulties experienced due to using a translator.

Couple that with the fact that many in the Birther movement often were the same who said "I think Obama is a closet Muslim" simply because of his name and skin color, without subjecting the evidence to any real scrutiny, and there you go.

if somehow the birthers were right, if the guy who first brought it up had some inside info or whatever

I have inside info that frogsb is a rapist. Please start the investigation.

simply because of his name and skin color

I think it is mostly the Kenyan father that gets this ppl going.

*these

and the "school in Indonesia"

best song about OBL and the war on terror ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlBnJ0egT_4

I figure the birther thing emerged whole cloth out of the collective psyche of those with a oedipal need to delegitimize an authority figure--better that than admit the questionable legitimacy of authority per se.

Who is to say Obama was even born?

if somehow the birthers were right, if the guy who first brought it up had some inside info or whatever, would you still think that the movement as a whole or the subsequent movement to impeach him was a racist thing?

this chain of hypothetical events is just so dumb in so many ways, sorry if no one wants to waste their time persuading you

Did anyone ever see bin Laden and Obama in the same room? Funny that he hasn't really done the media thing much since Obama's been in the spotlight. They're both tall men, have we ever seen Osama without a beard?!?

omg i hear frogbs is a rapist.

So then why the hell does the question of where he was born even come up? Is there a particular reason to talk about that issue, outside of presidential eligibility?

b/c I asked him about it, at the time I really had no idea what it was all about
you can buy into a theory without having the same motives as the people who created it

Couple that with the fact that many in the Birther movement often were the same who said "I think Obama is a closet Muslim" simply because of his name and skin color, without subjecting the evidence to any real scrutiny, and there you go.

The Secret Muslim thing is pure racism, as these people believe that being a Muslim is a genetic trait, passed down from the father, and not a matter of faith or choice.

There's no reason to think there is any inside info or whatever, and all the reason in the world to think he is an eligible president - so maintaining scepticism is just stupid, which is even worse.

you can buy into a theory without having the same motives as the people who created it

― frogbs, Monday, 2 May 2011 18:43 (10 seconds ago) Bookmark

yes but you can't do it without sounding like a complete dickhead.

this chain of hypothetical events is just so dumb in so many ways, sorry if no one wants to waste their time persuading you

smh

this isn't really the thread for 'birtherism 101' ppl

you can buy into a theory without having the same motives as the people who created it

not that one, you can't

frogbs

Many a well-meaning policy, plus awful ones like apostasy, is based on Islam being passed down at birth

There's no reason to think there is any inside info or whatever, and all the reason in the world to think he is an eligible president - so maintaining scepticism is just stupid, which is even worse.

some people are more or less predisposed to believe these sorts of conspiracy theories especially if you're browsing the right sort of blogs all day

hey guys did you remember when bin laden died?

is your dad captainlorax

There's no reason to think there is any inside info or whatever, and all the reason in the world to think he is an eligible president - so maintaining scepticism is just stupid, which is even worse.

some people are more or less predisposed to believe these sorts of conspiracy theories especially if you're browsing the right sort of blogs all day

― frogbs, Monday, 2 May 2011 18:47 (33 seconds ago) Bookmark

5t0rmfr0nt blogs?

great news guys:

In wake of bin Laden death, sports once again plays important role

right now i'm just saying FROOOG BEE EEEEESSSS!!! in a colonel klink style

guys, enough

Sports venues host the purest expression of brain-dead nationalism

has someone posted 3-6 mafia 'bin laden' on this thread yet?

you can buy into a theory without having the same motives as the people who created it

not that one, you can't

― five gone cats from Boston (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Monday, May 2, 2011 5:45 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tbh I kind of think it is possible thru ignorance + right-wing media which have been rumored to exist in some pockets of American society

has someone posted 3-6 mafia 'bin laden' on this thread yet?

― geeks, dweebs, nerds & lames (D-40), Monday, 2 May 2011 18:51 (34 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yes!

Breaking news: Rush Limbaugh praises Obama without reservation.

^^^actually upset that isn't a rickroll.

not a single person I work with has even brought this up today. I do work with lots of people who are uncomfortable talking about politics, but still, it seems weird. So anticlimactic.

there's really not much to say