A klug tzu der Internet - The Jewish Standard

A reader uncritically passed on yet another rumor making the rounds of the Internet, and the absurdity of it makes me wonder whether to laugh or cry.

First, here it is – and then I will cut and past FactCheck’s response (obtained from said Internet; like so much in life, it is a blessing that can also be a curse).

“if this is true, and it appears to be so, then thank you to all for gave us this president.

“Subject: Did you know H.R. 1388 passed recently?

“Is the Land of the FREE and HOME of The BRAVE becoming An Islamic Nation?
Whether you are an Obama fan, or not, EVERYONE IN THE U. S. needs to
know….

“Something happened… H.R. 1388 was passed yesterday, behind our
backs. You may want to read about it. It wasn’t mentioned on the
news… just went by on the ticker tape at the bottom of the CNN screen

“Obama funds $20M in tax payer dollars to immigrate Hamas Refugees to
the USA . This is the news that didn’t make the headlines…
By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered the expenditure
of $20.3 million in “migration assistance” to the Palestinian refugees
and “conflict victims” in Gaza .

“The “presidential determination”, which allows hundreds of thousands
of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States ,
was signed on January 27 and appeared in the Federal Register on
February 4.

“Few on Capitol Hill, or in the media, took note that the order
provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to
individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support to the
Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of
January 2006.

“Let’s review…itemized list of some of Barack Obama’s most recent
actions since his inauguration:

“His first call to any head of state, as president, was to Mahmoud
Abbas, leader of Fatah party in the Palestinian territory.

“His first one-on-one television interview with any news organization
was with Al Arabia television.

“His first executive order was to fund/facilitate abortion(s) not just
here within the U. S. , but within the world, using U. S. tax payer
funds.

“He ordered Guantanamo Bay closed and all military trials of
detainees halted.

“He ordered overseas CIA interrogation centers closed.

“He withdrew all charges against the masterminds behind the USS Cole
and the “terror attack” on 9/11.

“Now we learn that he is allowing hundreds of thousands of
Palestinian refuges to move to, and live in…
the US at American taxpayer expense.

“These important, and insightful, issues are being “lost” in the
blinding bail-outs and “stimulation” packages.

“Doubtful? To verify this for yourself:
www.thefederalregister.com/d.p/2009-02-04-E9-2488

“PLEASE PASS THIS ON… AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW

“WE are losing this country faster than you know….”

Note that artful beginning: “if this is true and it appears to be so….”

Appears? Why circulate something that may not be true. It’s easy enough to check. Here is a portion of what’s posted at FactCheck.org:

“This latest rumor is a double-header. It recycles one false claim and alludes to another. We’ve debunked both before.

“No Secret

“To start, the claim that H.R. 1388 was passed ‘behind our backs’ is false, and the bill had nothing to do with Palestinian refugees in any case.

“H.R. 1388 actually expands AmeriCorps and other federal public service programs, more than tripling the total number of positions to 250,000. It got lots of publicity as it worked its way through Congress, including a widely reprinted Associated Press story on March 31 when the House cleared the final version for the president’s signature. The headline: “Congress Expands Ways for Americans to Help Others.”

“President Obama later signed the measure at a public ceremony that also got plenty of publicity. The idea that Congress was trying to slip something through unnoticed, or that the news media ignored it, is wrong.”

For the full text, which assesses each charge, go to http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/was_hr_1388_passed_behind_our_backs.html.

Folks, vet everything before you send it on. I can’t remember how many times I was sent that mishugena item about the United Kingdom eliminating the Holocaust from curricula that then morphed into charges of the same about the University of Kentucky – same initials, so it must be equally guilty, no? No. Neither charge is true, but I’ll bet a lot of people still think so. Oy. The Internet has a lot to answer for.

RKB

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