2009 in Review – Top Ten Stories
Nov 30 2009
“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.” – Pietro Aretino
Introduction
The end of the year gives everyone a chance to look back and see what we have experienced during the most recent trip around our star. In the grand scheme of things, human events over twelve months are microscopic when witnessed over the course of history. But they invoke passion and appear visceral to us while they are occurring. 2009 was a year of extreme passion, from the continuing wars abroad to the deepening divide at home; there was no shortage of memorable moments. These ten stories are ones that are better left forgotten, however.
In determining the top ten articles that we have tackled this year, we looked at comment rate, page views and most importantly, the durability of the issue. How many times we received the email in question and how long after the initial swarm of emails came in helped rank their saturation into the internet world. Not surprisingly, most of the stories centered on President Obama. Virtually all of the emails regarding the president that have been received and analyzed have been false, and this is a normal pattern in the electronic world. We saw some of the same rhetoric about President Bush and Clinton, and we don’t expect the onslaught to lighten anytime soon. It is inherently the nature of people to speak out in opposition rather than in support. But when that opposition is not exactly based on fact, we’re here to dispute it.
Without further ado, here are 2009′s top bilge articles, a month early because who has time to wait for the end of the year? The subject header links back to the original articles so you can see the full details.
#10 – Did the Pentagon Order Bibles to be Burned in Afghanistan?
A true event takes on a life of its own on the web, when the Pentagon ordered the destruction of a number of Bibles that were printed in languages native to Afghanistan and sent to a soldier by his church. The email came out just days after a damaging video was released by Al Jazeera showing a Chaplain urging soldiers to ‘hunt people for Jesus’ (a metaphor of course for souls). However, the events depicted in the email happened a year before it claimed, and was standard operating procedure. The email blamed President Obama, without mentioning the fact that this happened under President Bush’s tenure.
#9 – Military to Pledge Oath to President Obama?
This highly forwarded email cites a source that claims the Department of Defense is concerned about White House requests for military recruits and officers to make their pledge to President Obama, instead of the Constitution. However, the piece appeared in a blog entitled ‘Jumping in Pools‘, and was clearly stated as satire.
#8 – Tiger Woods Tribute to the Military
An excellent speech in deference to the military delivered by the notably a-political Tiger Woods at the inauguration of President Obama was twisted into an email that made it seem like he was against the president. Woods is the son of Colonel Earl Woods, who instilled a sense of pride and honor for the military in his son that carried through to his adult life, and that was more than apparent in his speech.
#7 – New Restrictions on Servicemen Speaking at Faith Based Events?
Presented as ‘Another freedom gone’, this story about a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret being denied the chance to speak at a fund raising event was spun as an attack on President Obama restricting military appearances at faith based events. While some comments pointed out that the restriction had rarely been enforced, there was no evidence that President Obama had anything to do with it, as the email reported.
# 6 – Fabricated Quotes About Obama and the Military
This one has had resurgence in recent weeks and we plan on featuring the email again soon, especially because the tone and introduction has changed enough that it can be classified as a new iteration of the original. The Obama quotes:
“Look, it’s an all volunteer force,” Obama complained. “Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and accepted the risks. Now they whine about bearing the costs of their choice? It doesn’t compute.” “I thought these were people who were proud to sacrifice for their country. I wasn’t asking for blood—just money. With the country facing the worst financial crisis in its history, I’d have thought that the patriotic thing to do would be to try to help reduce the nation’s deficit. I guess I underestimated the selfishness of some of my fellow Americans.”
are directly from a 28 March blog post from John Semmons, whose column Semi-News — A Satirical Look at Recent News appears in the Arizona Conservative, a web community of bloggers. The quotes in question were made up, of course, and the writing is nothing but satire.
#5 – President Obama and the Eid Stamp
Still going strong, this email first appeared after the September 3rd re-issue of the Eid stamp, which was an update with the 44 cent first class mail designation. Re-issue is definitely the right word, because this stamp has been in existence since it was first released in 2001. This was one of several viral emails attempting to link President Obama with the idea of him being submissive to the Muslim world.
#4 – VA Screening Vets to Remove Concealed Carry Permits
Another viral email about President Obama taking away your guns, this time focused on veterans and VA screening. The earliest web indexed article regarding the email is from May 17, 2009 and it was the TruthorFiction article that clearly carried a ‘Fiction’ verdict.
#3 – The Curious Case of Major Stefan Cook
One of our most highly commented on articles of the year was the issue of Major Stefan Cook’s refusal to deploy to Afghanistan on the basis of his belief that the president was not qualified to be in office due to his supposed Kenyan birth. With time, it became obvious by looking at Major Cook’s actions (his deliberate request that he be activated for deployment, his association with ‘birther’ lawyer Orly Taitz, etc.) that this was a matter of publicity and in league with the thoroughly debunked issue of President Obama’s citizenship.
#2 – $50 Tax Penalty for Gun Owners
A recycled email myth that originally made the rounds in 2000 has been reformatted for a new Congress and a new President. The email states that you must act urgently to stop a bill that would levy a $50 tax on your 2009 filing for any handgun that you own. Additionally, the bill would make you list all handguns and, just for good measure, make you provide a sample of your fingerprint identification. Although it has long since been discredited, the myth continues to swirl around the internet and has generated a good number of comments far past its posting date.
#1 – The CBO/TRICARE Email That Won’t Die
The bane of the MSC’s existence since the first version of the email came out at the end of last year, this email centered on Congressional Budget Office recommendations to the president that would significantly cut military health care and possibly spell the end of TRICARE for Life. Although repeated attempts by MOAA and other organizations to end the fears generated by the email have been made (we’ve reported on the email in four separate articles), the circulation has not stopped. It is still received an average of ten times per day here at MOAA headquarters despite the fact that the president never included the recommendations in the budget and no part of the health care reform discussion has considered the CBO’s recommendations.
Discussion
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From the article:
“…just days after a damaging video was released by Al Jazeera showing a Chaplain urging soldiers to ‘hunt people for Jesus’…”
Easy, now. That sounds like a judgment rather than a statement or observation.
People who have negative opinions of the United States can take virtually any American characteristic and turn it into something “damaging.” Does free speech allow offensive comments? Does freedom of religion allow contradictory religions? People in some parts of the world have even said the election of gay legislators and the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition are symbols of our debauchery. Think that might be “damaging”?
The fact that someone ELSE thinks that the American protection of human liberties is “bad” is hardly cause for us to agree with them. It certainly doesn’t mean we should restrict our freedoms.
The video you describe as “damaging” showed a US military chaplain legally and Constitutionally protecting the rights of free exercise of his congregants, even in an austere and hostile environment. (Notably, some mischaracterized the Chaplain’s sermon, though few came to his defense in that regard.)
The video wasn’t “damaging.” It was a display of the extent to which America will go to protect religious liberty. We should laud the display of such freedoms, not criticize fictional hypotheticals.
Instead of hand-wringing over potential offense, we should have stood up and told the Afghans that THIS is what religious freedom is: you can preach the tenets of your faith, even when others may disagree. We should not support Islam, Christianity, or any other faith system–we should support religious freedom.
Completely agree with you on your last part, JD, and as always your insight adds a good deal to the discussion. However, the video, right or wrong, was damaging to our efforts in the eyes of Muslim organizations as their reaction to it indicated at the time. It drives me crazy that, as you say, even Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions can outrage a good number of people in the world.
#3: “and in league with the thoroughly debunked issue of President Obama’s citizenship.” Whoever wrote this certainly hasn’t seen all the evidence. The issue is still open, in my mind. As a genealogist, I’ve found significant holes in Obama’s story. Whatever evidence has been presented in favor of Obama has been satisfactorily refuted. I would welcome the author to look deeper. Well written, intelligent articles have been written to support the “fringe” or “birther” allegations.
Reference #1:
The fact remains that the”CBO has made a recommendation to the president”, on page 175 of Budget Options, Volume 1: Health Care:
Introduce Minimum Out-or-Pocket Requirements Under TRICARE for Life.
The recommendation states that, if implemented, Option 96 would “reduce the federal spending devoted to TFL beneficiaries by about $14 billion through 2014 and by about $40 billion through 2019.”
That’s a lot of money to help pay for whatever Health Care bill is passed. When Congress does passes a Health Care Bill in any form, there will be a huge expense to pay for it. Since this “recommendation” has already been made by CBO, what influence will MOAA have to see that it is not implemented by the president and Congress?
It is a report that the president asked CBO to give him for recommendations regarding payment of health care. It is in print and it sitting on the desk of those in congress concerned about the cost of any Health Care Bill.
I urge you to take this as a serious threat to TFL in the future.
This just shows that you can lead and idiot to water but you can’t make him think.
Larry Cornwell is correct. While I have little doubt that Obama was born in Hawaii as he has said, the best way to thoroughly debunk claims regarding his citizenship is for him to show his birth certificate. He refuses to do so and has spent millions in legal fees fighting against showing it. The “certificate of live birth” that he has released is not the same thing as a birth certificate. All other presidents and presidential candidates have released theirs. Why not Obama?
MAH’s rant about the cost of health care reform uses the same lack of logic about “huge costs”. Are we saying that we are going to “add huge costs” to our national health care bill when we are already spending 16/17 % of our gross domestic product for healthcare – which is twice as much as any other country (and they take care of everyone). I believe that government spending may increase but will be offset by reduced health care spending in other areas. But more importantly, hopefully we will be able to get a handle on reducing overall costs.
Reference #3 JC
Re: “…the thoroughly debunked issue of President Obama’s citizenship.”
I was not aware that the issue had been thoroughly debunked. I would appreciate it if you would cite exactly how this was done. Maybe I haven’t been reading the correct publications. While I am not a “birther”, I am used to seeking credible evidence without having foregone conclusions. It certainly seems strange that the president has gone to great lengths in not providing information which would conclusively put the issue to rest.
Just a few resources supporting President Obama’s citizenship (I’ve read the opposing ones and while some are compellingly written, the facts don’t hold up to close examination):
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-27-obama-hawaii_N.htm
http://www.fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901871_pf.html
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jun/27/obamas-birth-certificate-part-ii/
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/oct/30/nation/chi-birth-certificate-30-oct30
http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html
Whether or not people choose to believe that the birth certificate, or long form certificate (which Hawaii does not release) are genuine, the fact remains that an extraordinary amount of research has gone into the issue by major news outlets and the result has been the same. Why has he spent millions protecting his information? I honestly don’t know. Perhaps it is because of the many lawsuits filed against him that have been thrown out of court repeatedly due to lack of evidence. But this definitely shows how the controversy has become embedded in our national discourse and why it is still such a hot button issue.
When will this silliness stop? It is hard to believe that supposedly intelligent people still insist on repeating this fallacy. I am a retired naval officer, with a son born in Japan and two born in Hawaii. My oldest’ birth certificate states foreign born citizen. My two youngest have the exact same certificate of live birth that is given to everyone born in Hawaii. Are these people saying that Hawaiians are not citizens and cannot be President, because their birth certificate is not exactly like the other states? Should my oldest son be denied the right to be President, because his mother served her country overseas?
Get a life people and get over it. President Obama won the election and is the best President we have add in more than 30 years.
Reference the “birther” business: Might as well give up. People will believe what they choose to belief, regardless of proof or lack thereof. I had an uncle (fortunately by marriage only) who went to his grave still arguing that the moon landings never took place but were staged by the government. It would not have mattered if you’d sent him to the moon himself (a thought that occurred to some of us more than once); he would not have changed his mind. Neither will the birthers.
Most of us with a military affiliation are on several mailing lists. Some of those lists feature folks who send on these and other “wingnut” emails. I usually just ask folks to stop, but another fellow I ran across actually takes the time to do the research and “reply all” with his findings on the veracity of the offending email.
It would probably be good if all retired officers, who should know better than to believe some of this junk, took the initiative and did the same.
Thanks to MOAA for being a good source of accurate information.
I strongly suspect that the invention of a time machine which would enable the “birthers” to actually observe Obama’s mother giving birth in Hawaii wouldn’t be sufficient for them. You would think that the folks on this site would know how well the investigations for TS clearances, etc. are handled. If the Special Agents from the Bush Administration’s Justice Department determined that he was born in Hawaii, and the Republican governor of Hawaii determined he was born in Hawaii, and if the McCain Campaign’s own investigators found nothing to the contrary, then it requires a remarkable amount of paranoid denial to say “I know the ‘real’ truth… don’t bother me with the evidence!”.
[Of course, Pres. Obama wasn't really born in Hawaii-- he was flown there by aliens who then went back in time to crash at Area 51, and it's all being covered up by the government and people in black helicopters as part of the One World Government's planned invasion to take away our guns and make us let a black person who's secretly a Muslim (well, Muslim and Methodist both start with 'M', right?) be president.]
The Flat Earth Society members’ children believed that the moon walks were faked by the government, and their children are now “birthers”: Verily, unto the third generation…
While I accept the answers you have given to the 10 articles, I must finally say that I have been concerned for the last year or so that the MOA management leans a little left of center. This is really sad as MOA, a Military organization, should be, at least, right down the center, if not a little on the conservative side. I realize that it is important to try to stay on the “friendly” side of the party in power but, in my opinion, you keep going a little too far.
Incidentally, when I retired, I was Chief of the Army’s Congressional Liaison Office to the House of Representatives.
I totally agree with MAH 02 Dec 2009 at 3:40 pm comment. I followed and commented on this matter for yearsand am surprised that MOAA stressed the RUMOR label. I did not consider it a rumor but a part of the process of formulating legislation and feel that it very possibly could have become legislation had there not been such strong reaction and contact with Congress and the Administration byMOAA members. I among many others including Bud Day and many in his group was a participant 10-12 years ago in the aggressive effort to receive promised health care that was being denied once a retired service member reached age 65.
I think it is a well known fact that many of CBO’s recommendations do result in legislation therefore I do not agree that this CBO proposal should pe placed in the rumor category. One of Virginia Senator Jim Webb’s office representatives wrote a strong letter several months ago indicating many of the comments by our MOAA members were ugly rummors. I disagreed strongly with him too.
Although I give no credence to the “Birther” movement and accept fully that President Obama was born in Hawaii, it is far to early to assert that he is the best President in the last 30 years.
He may in time live up to that standard but as of now, he has done very little to be ranked at all, let alone “best in the last 30 years”.
That being said, I hope he does earn that ranking!
to MAH and others that have commented in support of the comments, first, thank you for expressing your concern in a very concise, powerful manner.
As we know, President Obama never endorsed the option offered by the CBO and the CBO option is not included in any legislation pending before Congress.
There is simply no relationship between the CBO article and either the health care reform legislation or the FY2010 Defense Authorization Bill.
But that doesn’t mean the CBO won’t suggest it again next year or that we are out of the woods in the future. Is there a real threat that TRICARE and TFL will come under attack in the outyears? Definitely.
MOAA believes we’ll also see proposals to cut the force back, cap pay raises, curtail GI Bill benefits, and other mil pers spending across the board.
But those threats won’t come because of national health reform legislation. They will come because that’s been the historical trend when we have tremendous deficits and a war that’s growing more unpopular.
With all of the bailout and stimulus packages that have hugely increased budget deficits, we believe we’ll see much stronger pressures for cutbacks in all kinds of programs, but especially the defense budget, and that means people programs, too.
So to re-assure you, MOAA will never take its eyes off of changes to military health care benefits, and we certainly did not do so this year.
Also, @ William, please don’t consider the statements and articles of this blog in particular as representative of political leanings of MOAA. I started and continued the blog in response to a multitude of emails and phone calls coming in to our service center with the intended goal of adding a reality check on various rumors and hopefully reducing member consternation. Battle of the Bilge is a product of our Member Service Center and commentary/analysis is from my perspective and is done mostly during off-work hours. They do not involve or affect our legislative team or their activities. If you look at our association goals and mission, particularly in regards to legislative initiatives, I believe you’ll see that we are neutral when it comes to left/right ideology, with the goal of improving pay, benefits and standards of living among all military members. We do not officially take stances on non-legislative issues and don’t get involved in punditry as a general rule (which is why you rarely see MOAA senior leadership on cable network news or other media outlets). But we are always looking for feedback from members and this blog is one way of sparking discussion and gauging opinions.
Item 17, 02 Dec 2009 at 10.47 pm is an excellent explanation of the matter. the continued and extensive comments on this matter is a strong indication of how important the previously promised health care to military members if they made the military a career of at least 20 years. I know of no issue more critically important to military members and their families, particularly as they get older and commence experiencing more health problems. As many of us realize, for a number of years, retired members were kinda put out to pasture as far as health care from the military once reaching age 65 and were placed pretty much solely on Medicare. That was the case until TRICARE FOR LIFE was adopted 10-12 years ago. We met our commitment and it is very disturbing for the government to even discuss renigging on theirs. TFL is an excellent program and is expensive to the government but to renig on the previous commitment could be much more by damaged credibility and detrimental effects upon recruitment for our military. I think this is a very good and beneficial exercise.
The amazing resilience of these “myths” tie back to 0bama’s disdain for the CIC portion of his elected postition. When his staunchest supporters refer to West Point as “enemy territory” it gives a glimpse of the mindset of people of his politcal outlook. He spent three months coming up with a course of action in Afghanistan that should have taken three minutes. It’s just not that important to him. If 0bama and his adminsitration acted more in a way that showed interest and respect for the military these rumors wouldn’t have so much traction. It is reminiscent of Carter and Clinton only to a much worse degree of hubris.
This type of politicization within the MOAA is the primary reason that I have not renewed my membership. What purpose does this have in a Professional Military Officer publication? How are our interests served by Mr. Matthew LoFiego repeating for all of us what he thinks are the “Top 10 Rumors of 2009”? In one case, Mr. LoFiego’s comments and his reference of left leaning media or websites does not add to his credibility but instead fuels the fire. This kind of judgmental and opinion-based news is why this organization and the magazine seems so much like AARP. When I combine this with overwhelming preponderance of advertisements for elderly health-care devices/medications and assisted living, MOAA is not worth the read.
I note with interest that ALL your items explanations are “defensive” and pro-Dem/pro Obama. That’s OK because I am sure a majority of your audience comments are “anti”.
Is thoroughly debunked sort of like “settled agreed science??” I have heard and seen that comment many times but have YET to see any evidence from any source. This is suspicious in light of how easy it would be to present the evidence and end the issue.
Your FactCheck article has ended my doubts (though I was always inclined to believe O was born in Hawaii.)
Thanks for an excellent set of references.
Although only 25% of our military, active and veterans, voted for Barach Obama, and most of those who did are racial minorities, it is disappointing to read that some MOAA members are so bitter about his being elected President that MOAA is beiong accused of left bias by publishing the true facts about false emails trashing him. Anyone who claims not to be a “birther” and still says that there is insufficient proof that Obama was born in the State of Hawaii is not being honest. Besides MOAA’s great Bilge site, the truth about ugly rumors can be found at “Fact Check” and “Truth or Fiction.”
My thanks to MOAA for presenting the facts without political commentary and for providing a forum to debate contemporary issues. Just because MOAA debunks an issue related to President Obama does not make it pro-Democratic or left wing.
I am satisfied that the facts presented by MOAA show that these are indeed rumors. Our efforts might be better spent trying to address “real” issues that face our active duty and retired military.
I am sorry to have served with all these racists, glad I am retired now so I don’t have to associate with you people.
John, I hope that’s not the case. I try to keep the idea of opposition to President Obama as a political one, not a racial one. Besides those on the edge of the community, I certainly don’t think racism is a dominant part of the military. At least those ones that I work with at MOAA and the members I talk to on a regular basis, the question is conservative vs. liberal, not race.
Wishful thinking or not, there’s at least a part of the nation that has race on its mind when they have their tea parties to help support those poor insurance and banking executives. Some of them have lost their personal jets and have had to cut down on the number of islands they own, for God’s sake. Please help them.