I’ve got several news stories I want to cover so I’m doing a roundup.

Remember the crap movie Obsession? Democracy Now interviewed Isabel Macdonald about Obsession and Islamophobia. Macdonald co-wrote Smearcasting. From the site:
“Smearcasting documents the public writings and appearances of Islamophobic activists and pundits who intentionally and regularly spread fear, bigotry and misinformation in the media. Offering a fresh look at Islamophobia and its perpetrators in today’s media, it also provides four snapshots, or case studies, describing how Islamophobes manipulate media in order to paint Muslims with a broad, hateful brush.”

If only this report could be mailed to the 28 million people the movie was sent to.

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It’s a series of indictments!
Sen. Ted Stevens found guilty in corruption case
“Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted of seven corruption charges Monday in a trial that threatened to end the 40-year career of Alaska’s political patriarch in disgrace. The verdict, coming barely a week before Election Day, increased Stevens’ difficulty in winning what already was a difficult race against Democratic challenger Mark Begich. Democrats hope to seize the once reliably Republican seat as part of their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Stevens, 84, was convicted of all the felony charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating last week.”

(snip)

“Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel him on a two-thirds vote.”

A person can be a felon and still be a senator. Yet in some states felons aren’t allowed to vote. Oh our crazy democracy!

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Speaking of crazy-the woman “attacked” by an Obama supporter admits the whole thing was a hoax.

From the Post Gazette:
McCain volunteer admits to hoax
“Almost from the start, Pittsburgh police were skeptical about a young woman’s claim that she had been mugged and a “B” carved into her cheek by an attacker who was provoked by the sight of a John McCain bumper sticker on her car.

Yesterday, their doubts were confirmed when 20-year-old Ashley Todd, a McCain volunteer from College Station, Texas, admitted that she made the whole thing up.”

She carved the “B” into her cheek backwards. That’s why they call it self-abuse? Wow, I’d laugh if the whole story wasn’t so pathetic.

But is Todd really a volunteer? Turns out she was an employee of the College Republican National Committee.

From Buzzflash:
Ashley Todd, PA Racist Hoax “Victim,” Was Paid Organizer for College Republican National Committee, Not a Volunteer
“The attack of a 20-year-old college student was seized upon by the Drudge Report as a “mutilation,” and other conservative Web sites as fodder against the surging Obama campaign. Ashley Todd filed a report with the Pittsburgh Police Department alleging a 6′4′’ black man robbed her, then carved up her cheek and sexually assaulted her because he saw that she was a McCain supporter. It turns out the story was made up, and that Todd’s black eye and the backwards B scratched into her cheek were most likely self-inflicted.

Something was missed in the reporting of the story, however. Though Todd was an employee of the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) — as confirmed today to BuzzFlash by a representative there named Ethan Eioln — nearly every report demoted her to the role of volunteer. In fact, she was hired by the CRNC and promised a contract wage of $3,600 from August until Election Day. After she was charged by police for filing a false report, her employment with the CRNC was terminated.”

That last link from Buzzflash takes you to the College Republican National Committee’s blog post about Todd.
CRNC Statement on Ashley Todd
“When Ms. Todd initially contacted us claiming to have been attacked our first reaction was obviously to be concerned for her safety. We are as upset as anyone to learn of her deceit, Ashley must take full responsibility for her actions.

We have terminated her effective today.”

One would think the media would stop calling her a volunteer when she was clearly an employee.

Posted by Vixen in News