I WASN'T GOING TO POST about another email so soon, but this is very disturbing.
The pattern I identified in the last two emails—the attempt to foment religious prejudice, fear, and hatred among Americans—is being stepped up.
It looks a lot like the kind of propaganda that was aimed at Jews by the Hitler regime.
It's baseless, portrays the targeted group as dangerous and immoral, and uses all the standard tricks of the propaganda trade.
The regime may change, the country may change, but the tactics of hate mongers don't.
The latest example, which has just come across my desk, is especially vile.
It begins with a particularly deceiving accusation:
Looks pretty doesn't it? Pretty deceiving....
PLEASE, DON'T USE THESE STAMPS! NOT FOR VALENTINE'S,
NOT FOR ANY MAIL!!
USPS 44-Cent Stamp Celebrates Muslim holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha .
The implied accusation is that the stamp above is being foisted on you, the reader of the email, by the United States Government, as a Valentines Day stamp, when it is really a celebration of Islam.
Just the kind of thing you'd expect from a liberal president like Obama, right?
So first let's deal with the facts:
-
This stamp was not produced by the United States Government.
You see the web address? Zazzle.com?
That's a site which allows people to put their own designs on all kinds of items—including postage stamps.
You can put your own face on a postage stamp there, if you want.
They also sell stamps, and other items, already designed by artists. -
Zazzle.com is not the U.S Postal service, and this stamp is not a stamp you will find on sale at your local post office.
You have to purposely go to Zazzle.com to get it.
So the idea that the government is trying to trick you into using this stamp on Valentine's Day because there's a heart on it is just nonsense. -
There is, however, a commemorative stamp, issued by the U.S. Government, which does celebrate Muslim holidays.
It's part of a series of stamps celebrating the holidays of various religions followed by Americans, and looks like this:
It obviously has nothing to do with Valentine's Day.
It was not intended to trick anyone.
It was issued under George W. Bush, in 2001, and reissued four times since then, in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008—all under Bush's administration.
It was actively promoted by George W. Bush on the White House web site.
That stamp is also not going to be foisted on anyone, since it's only sold to people who ask for it, like all specialty stamps.
The email continues:
If there is only ONE thing you forward today... let it be this!
REMEMBER to adamantly & vocally BOYCOTT this stamp, when you are purchasing your stamps at the post office.
As I pointed out above, this makes no sense, since the only way you can get the stamp is to specifically ask for it.
So what is the propagandist up to with all these lies and misdirections?
The next line gives us a clue:
And I'll pick it up there next time...
