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The internet is a breeding ground for hucksters, constantly seeking to enlist new recruits to indoctrinate with their respective viewpoints.
Often times there is a no-holds-barred, truth-be-damned approach to make one's ideology more palatable and profound by creating anecdotes, mingled with truth and falsehoods which lure the unsuspecting.
While this type of chicanery is to be expected from the left, who assume the “push our agenda on America no matter what it takes posture,” it is very disquieting when the same sort of tactics are employed to advance conservative views.
The latest anti-government health care takeover email “forward” circulating around the web begins with the introduction:
More proof that Obama and most members of Congress have no respect for the Constitution or the well being of the people of this country. They are totally power hungry demigods who think they have the right to harm you [&] I in order to make themselves more comfortable. Every person who votes for any such legislation should be impeached for violation of their oath of office and put on trial for illegal abuse of power. Since that is not gonna [sic] happen, lets vote the bums out!
To shore up the point, the email then culminates with the text of the '28th Amendment' to the United States Constitution, which reads:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives and Congress shall make no law that applies to the 
Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."
So that, as they say, is that. “Oh, there's just one more thing,” as the rumpled raincoat wearing, disarmingly polite T.V. homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk right) used to utter before solving the baffling crime he appeared to bumble over for the entire episode, there is NO 28th Amendment.
Discovering this fact was NOT a matter of possessing Sherlock Holmesian powers of deduction, like Columbo. It simply took a bit of research.
In deference to the person or persons who first concoted this email hoax, Examiner believes it is wrong to present one’s views in such a manner as, most significantly, the truth always matters very much. Without it, there is no substance to one’s argument.
Discovering the email was a hoax was not much of a trick, but unearthing the actual origins of this circulation is another matter.
As far as Examiner could discover, it appears the impetus might have come from a blog called “McCain's Corner” (no discernable connection to Senator John McCain) which presented the 28th Amendment idea as a proposal in November of 2009.
The most irritating thing about the situation is that it intermingles enough truth so as to make it quite 
plausible, thus the average and even above average intelligent individual accepts it at face value, not thinking twice about the validity of the claims made therein.
Is the government health care plan a bad idea for many reasons? Absolutely!
Are elected officials hypocritical in that they will NOT buy into the same health coverage they intend to force on the weary American hoi polloi? Absolutely! The defeat of the Heller Amendment to H.R. 3200 settled that issue some time ago.
Did Barack Obama clearly dodge an audience member’s question during an ABC interview with Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer (as the email in question indicates) about what he would do if he and his family had to participate in government run health care and the plan didn’t cover necessary testing? Absolutely! The video below show this without equivocation.
But at the end of the day, the conservative, anti-big government movement takes a blow, glancing though it may be, because someone thought it would have more earth shattering impact to embellish the truth by introducing this fallacious amendment to the mix, when the truth itself was more than sufficient.
Another caveat emptor...
Until next time...
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*Special thanks to Jeffrey and Toni for bringing this to Examiner's attention*
Comments
Anyone who hasn't seen the original email may request a copy at the hotmail address above.
Keith A. Wimer
Examiner.com
You are right Keith. There is no need to embellish the facts. The left-wing members of the government and media's actions are horrific enough as to NOT need ANY embellishment to look glaringly arcane and hopelessly out of step with what's best for the majority of Americans.
Thanks for pointing that out.
"Exploring Uranus"? Ooh, a space traveler. Neat! Good piece though Mr. Wimer. I get these sorts a emails a lot and I just kind of figure, wow, that's bad and don't think much else about them. That snopes link looks pretty good. They reliable you think?
James,
To the extent I can verify the items I've explored on snopes, they seem reliable. I wouldn't take a bullet in their defense, but I personally have yet to catch them on anything. As with any source of information, including THIS column, my hearty advice would be to question everything and check it out as thoroughly as possible yourself. I do my utmost to research every topic I endeavor to write about though I will add.
E.U. the space traveler. Now that IS funny right there!!
Keith A. Wimer
Examiner.com
If you don't have integrity and credibility, then you have LESS than squat. I've argued this point with the conspiracy people.... truthers, chemtrailers, birthers, etc.
They are NOTORIOUS for putting out BAD information that they call EVIDENCE. Once they put out a couple examples of this, they're history in my book. Dealing with chemtrail enthusiasts is the toughest for me, having studied both aviation and meteorology. 2/3rds of their "evidence" is bogus.
My point is this....If I'm trying to get you to invest $100K in a plan or project and I point out 10 reasons you should do so...and you discover that just ONE of those reasons is bogus, manufactured BS, are you going to invest? Hell no. My cred is out the window. Anti-big government would do well to maintain the high road. As ALWAYS, there will be idiots who put balogny out there, but we should do all we can to condemn them.
To CwB:
It would be nice if the world were al soo black and white, but sometimes you just gotta get in there and sift through the BS, then make your own intelligent decisions. Using your logice, then everything that Obama says is bogus and should be disregarded. On the other hand, maybe you're on to something there...
You want to talk about hucksters and charlatans? Check out Glenn Beck sometime. His sponsors now sell overpriced "survival seeds" and gold sold at 35% above market value.
Do you think anyone dumb enough to buy seeds from Glenn Beck is going to have the snap to actually turn them in to food in a crisis?
Irrelevant drivel Ms. TJ. The hostility you harbor is exemplified by the lack of direct commentary on the topic, substituted by your desire to undermine my views at all cost. Sad that a "Christian" would behave so. I still say "bless you" and "fare thee well" though.
Keith A. Wimer
Examiner.com
To TJ:
It's funny how you mental-defective liberals all pull out the same ploy...you have no legitimate argument to rebutt the holes punched in your idiotic viewpoints, so you use misdirection ie: impuning Glen Beck's sponsor. C'mon, it that the best you got?
Pitiful.
Also TJ, since I am not bound by the "Christian" behavior code, I shant bless you, but instead respectfully invite you to ESAD.
I would say I was right on topic......
"Often times there is a no-holds-barred, truth-be-damned approach to make one's ideology more palatable and profound by creating anecdotes, mingled with truth and falsehoods which lure the unsuspecting."
If that doesn't describe Glenn Beck's show I don't know what does, but
I shant hold your insult against you. You know not what you do.
I know exactly what I do. "YOU'RE AN IDIOT"
The Constitution has been Amended 27 times the first 10 are the Bill of Rights........NUFF SAID !!!!!!!!
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