Need help debunking the "Kerry middle finger" smear

[Tummler]

I know people hate these kind of threads, but here goes...

A gullible friend of mine forwarded the NewsMax smear about Kerry and Sampley at the Vietnam Memorial to a whole bunch of people, and I'd like to respond promptly.

I know DUers have debunked this one, but I don't recall the specifics, and I don't have search. Something about Fox, CNN, etc. news cameras being there, but not capturing the imaginary incident?

I've searched snopes, google, and the Kerry site, and I've found nothing specific except for some info on Sampley's rather checkered background.

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks!

[seabeyond]

1. ask him significance of finger

cmpared to the raping of iraqi children. implore you freeper to get beyond stupidity

[NYCGirl]

2. Here it is...

http://mediamatters.org/items/200406030001

[Tummler]

3. Thanks, that's perfect!

You rock!!!!

[I thought so.]

17. Media Matters

This will be the horse with money. Looks good to me.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

4. better yet

ask you friend for proof it is true?
does anyone confirm the story outside of NewsMax?
has NewsMax ever reported something that was false?

[Tummler]

7. You know that NewsMax is a farce, I know that NewsMax is a farce

and every DUer knows that NewsMax is a farce.

Unfortunately, most people in this country are not aware that NewsMax is a right-wing extremist mag. I doubt my gullible friend (who voted for Bill Clinton, incidentally) is aware of it, and I doubt all the people on his e-mail distribution list are aware. Likewise, most people don't have the basic critical thinking skills to read a story like this and determine that it's baseless hogwash.

Anyway, I fired off a short and sweet rebuttal to my friend and his e-mail list. I hope some freeper heads explode over this one!

Thanks again for DUers' help!

[SheepyMcSheepster]

15. cool, i am glad you replied to everyone on the list! nt.

[DinahMoeHum]

5. Moral of the story - if it comes from NewsMax, be very skeptical.

:evilfrown:

[Canuckistanian]

8. That's right. Treat it with the same respect as a Drudge article

Wait for another, more independant source first.

[MrBenchley]

6. My response on other forums has been

Good for Kerry. What that scumbag Sampley really deserves is for someone to knock him down and piss on him.

[DoktorGreg]

9. You have to ask yourself....

Do you really want friends that can rationalize rape, torture and murder? I would say sanctioning your "friend" by denying him/her your friendship is probably the best thing you can do at this point. They wont get better from their illness until they are made to pay a cost for their poor personal choices.

At some point, being a republican, reading newsmax and accepting it as truth, basically buying the republican party line becomes anti-social behaviour. Really what we are talking about here is this; After the holocaust in Germany it became anti-social (and illegal) to be a member of the Nazi party. If we dont change course soon in this country, we will be looking at the same sort of circumstance.

[Tummler]

10. My friend is not a freeper

He's starting to develop some freeperish tendencies, true, but he was once a proud Clinton supporter. A (presumed freeper) friend of his, whom I've never met, asked my friend to forward the Sampley smear "as a favor." I included the freeper in my reply.

At any rate, I'm certainly not going to walk away from a longstanding friendship over a single forwarded e-mail.

As I posted above, most people (not DUers, and not freepers) are not politically aware enough to realize that NewsMax, Drudge, etc. are biased and compromised "sources." They need to be educated, and walking away isn't the answer.

[DoktorGreg]

16. I trust you to make your choices...

But here is an example of what I am talking about.

http://www.andrewsullivan.com/main_article.php?artnum=20040605

Here is a mainstream conservative doing whatever he can to not admit the failures of conservatism. Furthermore he attempts to blame the whole freaking mess on Clinton, while not admitting his own culpability in this catastrophe.

Until republicans (and the ignorant) begin to admit their own blame is the atrocities that have occurred, I don't think meaningful change can occur.

[ET Awful]

11. Most right-wingers respect John McCain . . .

Just remind them of what McCain has to say about Sampley:

Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, called the man, Ted Sampley, "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."

[Tummler]

12. I included that in my response!

Great quote. I also replied with this background on McCain and Sampley:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/clips/news_2004_0214f.html

Freepers hate McCain due to the BFEE's demonization of McCain ... but freepers are a lost cause anyway. To moderate Republicans and independents, McCain should indeed be a persuasive ally on veterans' issues.

[TexasSissy]

13. Anyone w/half a brain knows this didn't happen.

So no explanation is really necessary.

Anyone w/half a brain knows that (1) Kerry is not inclined to emotional outbursts (quite the opposite, in fact); (2) Kerry has been in politics all his adult life, and therefore, he has learned how to control his behavior; (3) Kerry would never, under any circumsances, make the faux pas of flipping someone off in front of children....even assuming he was tempted to do so, which is a big assumption. It is totally out of character for him, and he's just to experienced a politician to do that. He wouldn't do it in public, to begin with, then when you add children to the mix, anyone can see how ridiculous the claim is.

[Tummler]

14. UPDATE: the presumed freeper responded to my reply!

As I wrote above, my friend forwarded the NewsMax story to his e-mail distribution list (including me) at the behest of a friend of his, whom I presumed to be a freeper.

I responded back with the McCain quote, a couple of links about Sampley, and noted the complete lack of corroboration despite the presence of the major cable news networks and their cameras.

Though it pained me to do so, I avoided the opportunity to add any "off topic" comments about Bush or any sarcastic remarks.

The freeper responded, simply and politely:

"Thanks for the clarification."

I'm still in shock!