A couple years ago, President Bush thought it would be a good idea to turn over control of one or more vital seaports in the continental United States to an Arab-owned conglomerate. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth
Gary Sillett is a Princeton resident and a pressman at The Ottawa Herald.
Gary Sillett ought to be ashamed of himself. Barack Obama has never been a Muslim and has been a Christian for 20+ years. He has attended the United Church of Christ for that entire time and his family has attended this church. Barack has also mentioned that he has a practicing and continuing relationship with Jesus Christ. Would a Muslim say this? This article is part of a Fox News and Insight Magazine smear campaign that was spoken about on . Furthermore, this article has racist connotations to it, as well as, bigotry and prejudicial on a Christian man who wants the very best for this country. I also view this editorial as a means to try and scare people through lies, racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Mr. Sillett's rant is utterly disgraceful and totally false. I encourage every citizen to condemn this article to the fullest extent. I encourage all of you readers to visit www.snopes.com and on the search line type in Barack Obama and call the publisher of the Ottawa Herald and tell Mr. Sillett how false he is and how there is no shred of evidence to confirm his claims. May God bless us by having Barack Obama as our next President!
sgt287
01:27 AM 02/03/2008
*.*.0.100
Sillett on Obama
I am so very thankful that as an American we have the right and freedom of speech. I read the reply of young...to Mr. Sillett's commentary and decided to post my own reply. I have yet to decide who I will vote for. However, to say that Mr. Sillett should be ashamed of himself is a self righteous statement. Mr. Sillett is allowed and has every right to speak his mind. I am glad that Mr. Silletts opinion letter was printed. And there are many reasons that Obama should not be even considered a candidate. That is yet one more reason it is great to be an American. We are all allowed to have our own opinion. But for the previous comment posted, YOU have very strong beliefs and that is fine, however, you seem to be extremely narrow minded, and perhaps you should reconsider some of your comments. As for other candidates, they all have something that in my opinion make them shady candidates. But who am I to judge? If you are a true Christian, you do not judge. So then, you take a step back, evaluate which would be best suited to run our country. It is time for those who decide to post a comment or make such strong accusations to "grow up" and be it as it may, post your comments, but do it in a mature, responsible way. Leave your attitude and judgement out of it. Because if you are truly a good Christian, you would not throw out the evil and name calling, judging, negative that was posted. I wish all the candidates well. I'm not a big political follower, however, I am doing my part to educate myself so that when I do make my mark on the ballot, I will be at peace that I made the best decision in my mind. I also believe that politics are better left in the comfort of your own home. It's the same as religion. Some things are better left unsaid. Discuss it among those who have similar values and beliefs. Simply said.
youngitized
01:55 PM 02/03/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Sillett on Obama
Sir with all due respect, Mr. Sillett is trying to scare people and is lying throughout his editorial. Sir it is sinful to lie about someone when you know darn, good, and well that what is said is not true. In my mind my statements on Mr. Sillett's article are right on because he is not factually accurate. I would encourage you to visit the snopes website at www.snopes.com that I provided in my rebuttal to Mr. Sillett. Sir, I mention that Mr. Sillett made the choice to smear Senator Obama and it seems to me that you want me to sit idly by and let the smear campaign continue of which I will not do. As far as your comments on me being judgmental: totally laughable. As far as calling me narrow minded, I think when you read the Mr. Sillett article and take it as fact without questioning it, I think that is narrow minded! Sir I would also like to wish you a nice day and I sincerely hope that you have a good week.
duff_ks
09:09 PM 02/04/2008
*.*.0.100
Sillett on Obama
I can only hope Mr. Sillett just snuck the article in after the paper was put to bed, and when the editors weren't looking. Anybody who proofread that should be fired.
I think there's a reason why pressmen aren't supposed to know how to type.
SiriusA
01:18 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
sad commentary on what people will believe
Mr. Sillett's many assertions about Barak Obama -- that he's a muslim, that he won't pledge alliegence, etc., etc. -- are just vicious disinformation. Is it really enough to just write that "other" websites counter the lies? This is an embarassment in journalism standards. And just what does Mr. Sillett mean by "Don t betray your heritage"? What heritage exactly? This just sounds racist and backwards. It's exactly because of this kind of backwards commentary that we need a breath of fresh air in politics. The sad reality is that an Obama presidency would probably do more to improve Mr. Sillett's life than any of the other's candidates.
bartink
05:37 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Pathetic
With words urging us to be mindful of our heritage, this man spreads lies that are easy to disprove with a few minutes on google. With lies, he suggests that Obama is a wolf in sheeps clothing. With arrogance, he suggests that voting for a mainstream candidate would be like spitting on the graves of the victims of 9-11. What nonsense.
We believe that the system is broken. We believe that there is a better way than dividing our country into red states and blue states. We believe that Americans have more in common than not. We believe in a United States of America. We are going to take this country back from the likes of this infantile man and those who think like him.
Yes we can.
nomnomnom
05:38 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Freedom of the Press
The great thing about Freedom of the Press: mow the whole world knows that Gary Sillett is a moron.
Thanks for representing this community and paper Gary. Thanks.
Now go back to your cave.
Matt
05:49 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Obama was against the war
All of the claims here are pattently false. I want to address on in particular.
You suggest that electing Obama would dishonour American soldiers. On the contrary, Obama takes the lives of American soldiers fighting in the Iraq war very seriously. He does not agree with using the military to fight "dumb" wars, he has stood up against going to war from the very beginning, and has continued to do so. He is the only candidate to do so.
Obama is also on the Veterans Affairs Senate Committee.
Obama Passed An Amendment, Which Became Law, Preventing The VA From Conducting A Review Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Cases Aimed At Reducing Benefits. In 2005, Obama was an original cosponsor of an amendment that became law preventing the VA from conducting a review of cases, without first providing Congress with a complete report regarding the implementation of such review. In November 2005, the VA announced that it was abandoning its planned review. "Obama had several generations of veterans in mind, he suggested, when he joined fellow Democrats Richard Durbin (Ill.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Daniel Akaka (Hawai'i) Sept. 22 on a successful amendment to block the Department of Veterans Affairs from reviewing case files of 72,000 veterans rated 100-percent disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder…VA officials believe some PTSD claims have been decided for veterans without proper documentation. They announced their massive review only after the VA inspector general studied 2,100 randomly selected cases of PTSD disability awards and found that 25 percent lacked documents to verify that a traumatic, service-connected incident occurred…But the Senate's amendment would bar the VA from conducting its case review until it justifies the program to Congress." [SA 1864 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote, 9/22/05; Became Public Law No: 109-114; Military Update, 10/3/05]
Matt
05:50 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Obama helps homeless veterans
Obama Passed Legislation, Which Became Law, Improving And Increasing Services For Homeless Veterans.
In 2006, Congress passed a Veterans Affairs Committee bill which included several provisions originating in Obama's SAVE Act (S. 1180) and Homes for Heroes Act (S. 3475). "The legislation...includes a number of proposals from legislation Senator Obama had previously introduced (S.1180, the SAVE Act and S.3475 the Homes for Heroes Act) to expand and improve services for homeless veterans. The bill permanently authorizes and increases funding to $130 million per year for a competitive grant program to provide homeless services to veterans. It greatly increases a successful program to provide rental vouchers to homeless veterans. The legislation extends programs to providing treatment for veterans with mental illnesses and other special needs. And it permanently extends VA's ability to transfer property it owns to homeless shelters." [S. 3421/P.L. 109-461; S. 1180, 109th Congress; S. 3475, 109th Congress; Obama Press Release, 6/26/06]
Matt
05:51 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Obama Supports VA benefits
Obama Passed An Amendment, Which Became Law, Preventing The VA From Conducting A Review Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Cases Aimed At Reducing Benefits. In 2005, Obama was an original cosponsor of an amendment that became law preventing the VA from conducting a review of cases, without first providing Congress with a complete report regarding the implementation of such review. In November 2005, the VA announced that it was abandoning its planned review. "Obama had several generations of veterans in mind, he suggested, when he joined fellow Democrats Richard Durbin (Ill.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Daniel Akaka (Hawai'i) Sept. 22 on a successful amendment to block the Department of Veterans Affairs from reviewing case files of 72,000 veterans rated 100-percent disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder…VA officials believe some PTSD claims have been decided for veterans without proper documentation. They announced their massive review only after the VA inspector general studied 2,100 randomly selected cases of PTSD disability awards and found that 25 percent lacked documents to verify that a traumatic, service-connected incident occurred…But the Senate's amendment would bar the VA from conducting its case review until it justifies the program to Congress." [SA 1864 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote, 9/22/05; Became Public Law No: 109-114; Military Update, 10/3/05]
Matt
05:52 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
More veteran support
Obama Passed Legislation Extending Tax Credits For Military Families By Allowing Service Members Deployed In War Zones To Apply Non-Taxable Combat Pay To The EITC. In 2006, Congress passed legislation based on a proposal sponsored by Obama, Kerry, and Pryor that extended tax credits for military families by allowing service members deployed to war zones to apply their non-taxable combat pay toward the Earned Income Tax Credit. The amendment was introduced during debate on the Senate’s 2006 tax reconciliation bill, ruled out of order, but later included in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act, which passed both chambers and became law on December 22, 2005. [H.R. 4440, Became P.L. 109-135, 12/22/05; SA 2616, 109th Congress]
Obama Passed An Amendment, Which Became Law, To Require The VA To Conduct A Campaign To Inform Disabled Vets Of Disparities In Compensation And Explaining Their Rights To Seek Review. In 2005, Obama was an original cosponsor on an amendment requiring the VA to conduct a campaign to inform veterans in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Ohio and New Jersey about their right to seek a review of their past claims. Specifically, the legislation required the VA to send letters to all veterans currently receiving disability who live in six states with a past history of below-average disability compensation, informing them of the past disparity, and explaining how to request a review of past claims and ratings and how to submit new claims. The VA was also required to inform all other veterans whose past claims may have been properly denied of this disparity by other means such as broadcast of print advertising. States whose average annual disability compensation payment was less than $7,300 qualified as below average. In 2003, Illinois veterans received an average of $6,802. The amendment became law on November 30, 2005. [S. Amdt. 1865, Passed by Voice Vote, 9/22/05, to H.R.2528, Signed by the President and Became Public Law No: 109-114 on 11/30/05]
Matt
05:54 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
For more information on what Obama has done for us
Neither this "editorial" nor the comments below have changed my opinion of Kansas one bit...
Amanda_Hugginkiss
08:49 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
"Don't betray your heritage for Obama's change"
Gary Sillett's drivel has to be one of the most disingenuous and hateful things I have ever read in my life.
"Weapons-grade" stupid doesn't even begin to describe this diatribe. There is so much inaccurate information, in fact, I don't have the time or inclination to refute this "article" point for point.
As stated earlier by other replies, just go to snopes.com and get the truth for yourself.
I certainly hope most residents of Kansas don't share this moran's mindset and fall for these untruths and scare tactics.
Jhawk20
09:07 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Hate speach is not free
The Ottawas Herald is under no obligation to print demonstrably false statements. This editorial is full of demonstrably false statements. Not unpopular opinions but things that can be and have been proven false.
The swift boat tactics of the last election were disgraceful and a black mark on our democracy. Not so much because there are crazy, hateful people like the author of this piece but because of the irresponsibility of our media to do their job. This isn't fair and balanced. Lies are not fair nor balanced, presenting them as an "opinion" or the other side is intellectually and morally dishonest. The Ottawa Herald should be embarrassed more than the author of this hate piece.
jpcarr
09:07 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Wow!
Mr. Sillett's ignorance and your paper's lack of editorial oversight are astounding.
PSP
09:56 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
McCain doesn't wear a flag pin, either...
... so I guess he's a "Muslim fundamentalist" as well?
wakkawakka
10:49 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
I'm disappointed that your vote counts as much as mine
Mr. Sillett, you are an insult to informed Americans across this great nation. While people tirelessly research candidates trying to find something to believe in, you propagate a two-bit chain letter full of lies and distortions.
The real disappointment isn't with your article, it's with the readers that will read this op-ed and think you are doing your job as a journalist. In your article, you say that Obama won't recite the pledge, but here's a link to him leading the pledge on the senate floor. click here
You should be ashamed of yourself for writing this ariticle, you have gained national attention as a backwoods political hack. In the future, research what you read before printing it in ANY paper. My fear is you knew these were lies and distoritions and printed them anyway. How is that American, and how does that reflect on our heritage?
PSP
11:59 AM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: I'm disappointed that your vote counts as much as mine
Oooh, I just got a great idea: since this newspaper apparently believes that anything called "opinion" doesn't require any tedious "fact checking", then I've got all kinds of marvelous and fantastical opinions I'd LOVE to print in your paper.
So, um, can I write an editorial, too?
TominChicago
12:34 PM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Gary Sillett is a moron
Well, I guess we now know the answer to that proverbial question. Apparently, Gary Sillett is what is wrong with Kansas.
wakkawakka
12:45 PM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Re: I'm disappointed that your vote counts as much as mine
PSP has a great idea.
I'm thinking of an "opinion" article right now. I want to write a piece for your paper that claims that Gary Sillett worships satan, is a closeted homosexual, and wants to exterminate all people of color in the United States. Since I read it in an email someone I don't know sent me, it must be entirely accurate.
lol. Gary Sillett = laughing stock.
Did he have to forward that email to 20 friends after reading it to avoid 10 years of bad luck?
spicecakes
12:54 PM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Who lifted the rock
that Gary crawled out from under? I am astounded by Gary's lack of research into Senator Obama's record, his life, his religion ... but people usually make up their minds based on their belief systems and experiences. Do we have Mr Sillett's parents to blame for his small minded, racist, antisemitic, intolerant beliefs? I would take a wild guess that 99% of Americans are originally from somewhere else - just because our families may have been here for a hundred years or so means NO-THING!!! If Gary is such a great Christian he ought to re-read his Bible and learn about patience, tolerance of others, and loving his neighbors. I suggest Canada or Mexico for Gary's move after Senator Obama becomes President Obama.
cdog
02:15 PM 02/07/2008
*.*.0.100
Don’t betray your heritage for Obama’s ‘change’
It's nice that the Ottowa Herald employees people with mental disabilities but they really shouldn't let someone with such severe issues such as Gary Sillet write stories and them publish them.
rachel
12:07 AM 02/10/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Freedom of the Press
I agree. Moron. But, who allowed it to be printed?
Kat
02:58 PM 02/24/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Re: Sillett on Obama
an opinion is just that, an opinion. garys view of obama is based on facts. everyone is so quick to say "go to snopes.com and see for yourself" well i did, and did not see anything to get excited about. they really did not disprove much. he had muslim parents, he went to muslim schools and catholic schools among others. just because he joined a christian church at the same time he was getting started with politics and leadership does not erase his background. in fact it seems like a little bit of good timing on his part. "better get looking like a christian so i can get more into the politics i am looking for." of course thats not a quote, so no need for anyone to go running off looking for a way to disprove it. no matter what the forum, there will always be at least 2 sides to every story and several more opinions on each of those sides. It is up to the individual to take from it what they will and either feel moved or outraged or any other number of feelings. that is what this is all about. being able to have opinions and state them. garys opinion is based on facts. there are photos of obama not hand over heart, he himself in iowa stated he will no longer be wearing the flag pin for his own reasons. the facts on snopes.com that they only say to be false because they could not get records back far enough to find supporting evidence. and of course no idiot running for president would ever claim to have ever been muslim of any kind. that would kind of kill his hopes. alot of what snopes said was the same thing that original email said so i dont know why they bothered with some of it. the facts of family background and schooling are stated as true. and others want to point out that he has been with the christian church for 20 years. what about the 20 some years before that?either way garys letter was an opinion based on information anyone can find on the internet and has not be proven as false. his viewpoint stemming from that is therefore valid. of course after 911 who in the world would want a muslim as the leader of our nation? that is what the letter was about and there are facts behind it. the way people want to see those facts is up to them. different sources are available for everything as they have always been. right on back to "the world is flat" fact that was held to be true for so long. it is wonderful to be somewhere that people can be open about thoughts and opinions, but how much longer will that be able to be true? if every opinion gets so much attention and the stater is called names and ridiculed how many others are going to have the balls to state their own opinions? no matter what you think of gary sillett, he got your attention and made you change your plans for a while to write about him. i would feel safe saying that was his plan.
Kat
03:14 PM 02/24/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Re: Re: I'm disappointed that your vote counts as much as mine
boy wakkawakka, you seem so wise and adult in the way you word your little notes. and your name is so intelectual as well. once again i say, go to snopes and see the facts that are not disproved and then form an opinion. use your tiny brain for something other than trying your best to be insulting. gary found facts supporting his view and put forth his opinion of them. grow up and figure out that you do not know all there is to know. everyone has something to learn, you seem to be lacking in tolerance.
Kat
03:21 PM 02/24/2008
*.*.0.100
Re: Obama was against the war
what is considered a "dumb" war? which war would be a good one? war sucks matt, but it is a part of life. what kind of country would be worth living in that did not stand up for itself and do its best to protect its shores and all of its citizens? i am proud to have had family members sent overseas and have been one of the lucky ones to see them come back. we would not have a nation to call our own if we did not defend it.
