Joseph Farah
Based on Alexa.com statistics (and its own claims), the far right web site WorldNetDaily (WND), edited by Joseph Farah, is far and away the largest Internet purveyor of disinformation about Barack Obama. With reckless disregard for the truth, WorldNetDaily spews article after article saying virtually anything to denigrate Barack Obama. What is so very dangerous about this web site is its persuasive facade as an independent news organization, and its wide citation by nObama ditto sites, magnifying its reach.
[After the initial release of this article, I learned that MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann named Farah the “Worst Person in the World” on his show, Countdown. Source: WorldNetDaily.]
Let’s start the ball rolling with just a couple of lies from WND.
Travel Ban to Pakistan
WND published two articles providing a “source” for the urban legend that there was a travel ban prohibiting Americans to travel to Pakistan in 1981 (and hence President Obama must have had a non-US passport). The articles and conclusive proof that they are a lie is the subject of my article Barack Obama traveled to Pakistan on an Indonesian passport (updated).
Monetary Sanctions
In a February 13, 2009 article headlined ‘Sanctions’ sought in eligibility case, WND once again spreads disinformation. The sworn declaration of the President’s attorney, filed in the Keyes v. Obama lawsuit, does raise the threat of seeking monetary damages, but the actual motion filed does not seek any damages; and in fact, it says specifically that it is NOT seeking damages therefore, the WND headline is a lie.
Respondent moving parties do not, with this motion, exercise their rights under Code of 28 Civil Procedure sections 1987.2, 2025.410, and 2025.420 to seek recompense for their reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs necessarily incurred in bringing this motion. However, Respondent moving may do so in the future if Petitioners continue to misuse the discovery process.
Footnote 3 to MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES, Page 7.
Here are some other “gems” from WorldNetDaily:
- Soy is making kids ‘gay’
- The Clinton Body Count
- Vince Foster’s death: An FBI cover-up?
- Judgment Day in Mystery Babylon
- The tragedy of Anglo-Saxon self-hatred
- NAU deniers: Ignorant or deceitful?
- Letter from a future prisoner
I invite commenters here to add their own WND horror stories. Please be factual though–Farah threatened to sue the Wikipedia. (Now the Wikipedia page on Joseph Farah is now “semi-locked” to prevent vandalism.) WorldNetDaily hypocritically criticizes the Wikipedia for censorship because the article on Barack Obama is similarly protected.
Sorry about the Picture Caption. This is the REAL Jameel Joseph Farah:
Jameel Joseph Farah (Jamie Farr)
ConWebWatch has published an extensive list of lies told by WorldNetDaily about President Obama.
WND says “A separate WND investigation into Obama’s birth certificate utilizing forgery experts also found the document to be authentic”
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73214
WND says opposite after their Obama hating readers complain:
WND says about the statement WND made “That statement is totally and obviously false.”
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=84065
What a nice hateful site, claiming to have a Christian perspective. That’s true, the right wing Christian’s most common trait is lying! (lying sack of $hit)
Yes richcares, it is amazing that Joseph Farah can say in back to back statements in the same article that (a) none of the best forgery experts his own organization checked with could find anything forged about the Obama certificate of live birth–and then, without missing a beat, still insist that (b) the issue “remains under serious question” (why?), and then say (c) even if it is authentic it “proves nothing” since (d) it “does not establish his birth in Hawaii”.
Except, of course, the certificate of live birth of Obama issued by the State of Hawaii does plainly state, and thereby prima facie legally establish, that he was born in Hawaii. It reads: “City, Town, or Location of Birth Honolulu”; “Island of Birth Oahu”; “County of Birth Honolulu”. (Is Farah aware that Honolulu and Oahu are in Hawaii?)
—START excerpt Farah WorldNetDaily 12/20/08—
WND did offer up to forgery experts the facsimile of a partial birth certificate posted on his website. None of them could report conclusively that the electronic image was authentic or that it was a forgery.
But, here’s the rub. Even if the image is authentic, which remains under serious question, it proves nothing. It is not a complete birth certificate. It doesn’t answer the key questions as to whether Obama was indeed born in Hawaii … it offers no help with establishing constitutional eligibility.
— END Farah WND excerpt——–
The title of the February 13, 2009 article reads as follows.
Line one:
‘Sanctions’ sought in eligibility case
Line two:
President’s attorneys file motion demanding birth, college records be withheld from public
It goes on to state that its suggested there should be “monetary sanctions” against against a lawyer whose clients have brought a complaint alleging Obama doesn’t qualify for the Oval Office. It also qualifies that these suggestions came in an exchange of e-mails and documents.
The email states in no uncertain terms:
“Please be advised, in particular, in the event we are forced to file a motion to quash, and we prevail in that motion, we will seek the full measure of monetary sanctions provided for in the Code of Civil Procedure.”
By filing the motion to quash, which he intends to win, he is seeking monetary sanctions as well. Therefore I see nothing misleading or any misinformation being disseminated in this instance. So far as the others, ehh, well headlines are headlines and stories are stories, which is why I find myself at your site on occasion.
I applaud you for your sensible approach to this issue, as most rhetoric tends to go off the edge, even though I may not always concur with your conclusions.
xpundx, I just can’t buy “By filing the motion to quash, which he intends to win, he is seeking monetary sanctions as well.” The email threatens “we will seek” (future tense). The head line said “sought” past tense. Until a motion for damages is made, no damages have been sought. No motion for damages has been made, therefore, the headline is a bald-faced lie.
My favorite is the wildly ungrammatical, Nigeria-Bank-Scammish, e-mail that WND reported that Obama sent to “cousin” Raila Odinga: “I will kindly wish that all our correspondence handled by Mr Mark Lippert.”
I find it difficult to reconcile the headline (“Keyes v. Bowen: WND: Presidential Attorneys Move to Quash Subpoena, Seek Monetary Sanctions.”) with the actual pleading that was filed:
“Respondent moving parties do not, with this motion, exercise their rights under Code of Civil Procedure sections 1987.2, 2025.410, and 2025.420 to seek recompense for their reasonable atorneys’ fees and costs necessarily incurred in bring this motion. However, Respondent moving may do so in the future if Petitioners continue to misuse the discovery process.”
“My favorite is the wildly ungrammatical, Nigeria-Bank-Scammish, e-mail that WND reported that Obama sent to “cousin” Raila Odinga: “I will kindly wish that all our correspondence handled by Mr Mark Lippert.”
I thought this was a joke so I went to WND and found it. Wow, what idiots they are! People actually believe their crap!
No matter what was said in an email, phone call or letter, the party cannot ask for sanctions unless it is explicitly requested in the Notice of Motion and supporting authorities that are actually filed. So it would be accurate to say, “prior to bringing the motion, the attorney threatened to seek sanctions” – but it is false to say that a motion was actually brought seeking the same.
I don’t know whether they believe or not, or if they even care.
And I thought News Max was bad…
I think Dr. Taitz is a close 2nd.
I think Orly has picked on the wrong person this time–Patrick. Look what she posted to her blog.
http://defendourfreedoms.us/2009/02/15/info-on-person-that-owns-the-blog-that-sent-hateful-mail-to-dr-ritz-and-denigrated-me-and-denigrated-the-whole-expose-obama-movement.aspx
Yes, a low blow. But Orly doesn’t have the reach or the influence that WorldNetDaily has.
Yeah, she’s attacked myself, Christina (who owns Yes to Democracy), and now GeorgetownJD.
She seems to have issues with being challenged. Not to mention her “free speech for me but not for thee” attitude.
Patrick,
So I take it you’ve seen this post by Orly?
http://defendourfreedoms.us/2009/02/16/thank-you-mr-cartinos.aspx
“Please, see that I published information, that is readily available to the public. It is public domain. We are doing the right thing. They claim to be a graduate student and a law professor, however the law professor doesn’t give his real name. He or she goes by JD . If he is a lawyer, he should provide his real name and his bar number, so that we can file a proper complaint with his state bar for harassment of a public official. Can somebody check, who these people are. Is Christina Cedena a rel person, is it her real name. If you recall Mohammed Atta and the rest of 9/11 terrorists claimed to be foreign exchange students in Florida, while in reality they trained night landings in Sarasota Fl. Can someone report these people to Fl FBI, police and Secret service, to check who they really are.”
Please explain to me why when Orly and her followers (encouraged by Orly) flood SCOTUS, Congress, etc., etc. with open letter, faxes, phone calls, etc. it is okay(their right) BUT when GeorgetownJD sends one email to Dr. Mike Ritze, it is called “harassment of a public official” and encourages her “followers” to report this to FBI, CIA, Secret Service. And to file a complaint against GeorgetownJD. Can someone please explain this to me?
Can you “publish” information that is readily available to a public domain? I have no idea.
http://defendourfreedoms.us/2009/02/16/more-info-on-people-that-are–harassing-law-makers-that-dare-to-stand-up-and-demand-bos-vital-records.aspx
More info on people that are harassing law makers, that dare to stand up and demand BO’s vital records
I think the word you want is “hypocriscy”
Yep. Saw that. Found it funny the “proof” that I’m a leftist is posts I made at Gen. Wesley Clark’s “WesPAC” board. *chuckle*
What sort of name is “Jameel”, anyway?
Legally she can post it, but if the intent is to harass and intimidate it is at least a violation of her Terms of Service agreement with GoDaddy.com.
I think the word(s) you want is “raving lunatic”.
I am totally inept at info technology, so if someone could do a screen capture of Orly’s post(s). If she or one of the other knuckle draggers tries to file a Bar complaint, such posts would be exonerating evidence. I doubt any Bar would take this woman seriously after seeing the online tantrums and wacked out craziness spewing from this dentist-slash-lawyer-slash-real estate agent. Res ipsa loquitur.
ROFL. I blew that one! 😳
I know that Joseph Farah was born in New Jersey of Lebanese-Syrian ancestry and that he had an Arabic name that he did not use. When I saw Jameel Joseph Farah in some searches on Farah, I jumped the wrong way. Jameel Joseph Farah is the birth name of comedian Jamie Farr.
Nitrous Queen doesn’t get it. That she encourages — no, she orders — her Orlybots to harass dissenters via email and phone calls just proves the whole point of my letter.
That site is a cesspool, and sinking lower every day. No self-respecting public official or court will ever be persuaded to investigate Obama once they understand what a loon this woman is.
Email me with the screens you want captured 🙂
Bald-faced, Doc?
Perhaps Unruh’s WND piece should have been titled ‘Sanctions to be sought in eligibility case.’
Here is Unruh quoting Obama/Occidental attorney Fredric D Woocher’s threat:
“Please be advised, in particular, that in the event we are forced to file a motion to quash and we prevail in that motion, we will seek the full measure of monetary sanctions provided for in the Code of Civil Procedures.”
That motion has of course already been filed and, given the record of court decisions in this matter, will most likely prevail. The Ides of March, Doc, are come, but not gone.
Hitandrun
GeorgetownJD,
I cannot imagine what grounds Orly would use to file a complaint against you. One email does not equate to “harassment of a elected official” in my opinion. LOL. This woman has sent open letters, faxes, emails, phone calls, etc., etc. herself and has encouraged her “followers” to do the same. Now, that in my opinion is “harassement of a elected official.”
The point of the title was to mislead. In my book any attempt to mislead (except for humor, magic shows, children of ambassadors, enemy combatants and Indians not taxed) is a lie.
The right to pester public officials is guaranteed by the Constitution.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/drinks-are-on-t.html
The article that started it all regarding the Wagyu beef being served at the cocktail party. I’ve yet to figure out how “hors d’oeuvres” translated to “main course” on the WND site story by Barara Simpson, “the babe in the bunker.” (What????) Further, the price has increased from the $150-200 a pound that Ms Simpson quoted to $400 as being quoted on other sites. Further, if these people actually knew the history that they love to quote, they would know that Marie Antoinette never uttered the dreaded “Let them eat cake.” It is believed that an unknown “great princess” said this when Marie Antoinette was only 10 years old.
Correction – Jean Jacque Rosseau wrote the book “Confessions” when Marie Antoinette was 10 years old and in this book he states that a great princess uttered the phrase let them eat cake. Mea Culpa.
The Conservatives are exercising their own brand of political correctness.
“In an October 10 post on his Politico blog, Ben Smith wrote of the emails Corsi purportedly obtained in Kenya:
After a bit of a lull, the viral emails and general nuttiness is cresting again, and my favorite “scoop” of the day is Jerome Corsi’s WorldNetDaily report on secret emails between Obama — personally — and a Kenyan political leader.
A small glitch: These emails, [pictured] above, appear not to have been written by a native English speaker, unless ‘I will kindly wish…’ is a phrase I’m just unfamiliar with. They have the unmistakable flavor of solicitations from dying African princes, who need only your bank account details to make you wealthy beyond measure.”
http://mediamatters.org/items/200810220014?f=s_search
Yes, but Jamie Farr, in his most well-known television role, was only pretending to be crazy.
And, I forgot to add, it is interesting that Mr. Farah feels constrained not to use his original Arabic name, but directs his misinformation at a person who does not.
I haven’t been able to find that original Arabic name yet. That it exists comes from a Wikipedia discussion of Farah. At this point, the existence of the name is plausible but not documented.
جوزيف فرح Is the Arabic name. Not sure what to do with that. Can you see this OK in your browser?
I can see it.
“spews article after article saying virtually anything denigrate Barack Obama. What is so very dangerous about this web site is its persuasive facade as an independent news organization” :
Is this really anything different that NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, etc. deciding what we do and do not hear on a daily basis and making up stories that we are to consider NEWS? It is amazing to hear some of the crap that any media outlet tries to pass for NEWS or facts in today’s world.
So this Farah person who CLAIMS to have been born in the US is actually an Arab using an assumed name as he attempts to bring down the President of the United States?
I think we need to see his birth certificate – the original vault copy, of course.
I mean he probably was born in the US and he probably has nothing to hide but he MIGHT be a Islamofascist mole infiltrating the US right in order to make them look ridiculous.
Farah has never agreed to show the public his birth certificate.
One has to wonder why.
You sick people really do hate truth in any form.
LIBERALS ARE TRUTH AVERSE!
Heavy,
I’m not a liberal.
Really?
“You sick people really do hate truth in any form.”
how nice, heavy has left the Birthers is now on our side, welcome heavy, we told you the truth will set you free, now you are no longer a sucker to those demading donations. good to be on the side of truth huh? Did you also give up the “Elvis is alive” group as well? Oh, and the bigfoot guys too.
I don’t know that liberals are any more truth averse than anyone else. Do you have a study that shows otherwise? [This liberal likes evidence.]
What I am averse to is the mindset that there is only one way to achieve a goal. What I hear constantly from the far right, (while I lean left for the most part, in many ways I tend to walk the center line – The Middle Way is the best), is that they do not want “big government.” Yet, constantly they are invoking the government to criminalize personal behavior. Talk about being adversed to the truth. Further, their total disregard for actual, physical evidence that contradicts their agenda is amazing to me. They will speak with such authority and conviction about a subject and yet base all of their belief on misquotes, misinformation and misunderstanding.
There is plenty of physical evidence. It is currently being withheld by your messiah. That is a temporary situation.
There are always limits on what we can know for sure. If the economic stimulus package causes one economist to say “too big” and one to say “not nearly enough” and someone say “flawed but the best we can get”, who can say for sure. If the experts can’t agree, how can a blogger have an informed opinion that comes down hard on one side or the other?
I think I’m pretty circumspect about the claims I make in the articles (and if I’m not tell me). This is because I understand that we’re all operating from a fairly small set of facts. Now I think the two Hawaiian Health Department officials coming out to say that Obama was duly registered in Hawaii was an extraordinary and unprecedented event. That any doubts of the Hawaiian birth remain after that seems to me beyond reason. The Indonesian laws we looked up completely closes the possibility that Obama was ever an Indonesian citizen.
That leaves only the dual citizenship a birth issue. Digging back through 2007 and early 2008 blog posts from Obama opponents, it is clear that they believed that Obama would be a natural born citizen if he were born in Hawaii, or even if he were born in Kenya if his mother were just a year older. Every body from the supreme court justices to the civics student khew that “natural born citizen ” means citizen at the time of birth. The “natural born = blood + soil” idea, an opinion nobody but a few anti-immigration activists held, appeared literally out of thin air, pushed by Donofrio’s well worded but ultimately one-sided and losing arguments. It caught on among some people who didn’t bother to dig into the background and learn the facts.
So that in a nutshell is the evidence that Obama is eligible to be President. It’s more evidence than has been presented for any of the first 43 presidents, one of whom was also the son of a Brit.
I get it, Doc and I agree. But what exactly did the Hawaiian officials say? Their statements are laced with ambiguity. Purposely? Who knows. But, given the serious nature of the accusation, they could have been much more precise.
Therein lies the doubt that fuels us “Birthers”. We need proof positive. Nothing else will suffice. There is much too much at stake to seetle for anything less.
Only THE ONE can provide that proof and he refuses. Therefore, he will be
forced to come clean.
If he has nothing to hide, he has nothing to fear. It’s very simple.
The Hawaiian official statement reads as if it were crafted very carefully so as not to violate state law, because by law they could not disclose any information from the certificate. “President Obama was born in Hawaii” is not something they could legally say. All they could do was say that a record was there and it was in accordance with the laws and regulations. There is nothing else I know of that they could have said. There are more satisfying things they could have said, but not without breaking the law.
And they could have said nothing at all. The fact that they said anything is what I consider extraordinary. If they had the smallest suspicion after examining their records, they could have said nothing, yet they chose to say something, and something most listeners (including my Senator) understood as confirming Obama’s Hawaiian birth.
My study of Hawaiian law leads me to the conclusion that there is no legal way Obama could have been registered in Hawaii in 1961 without being born there. This is why I reached that conclusion: http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2008/12/not_born_in_hawaii/
I don’t know precisely what’s going on, but something is definitely wrong with WorldNetDaily’s privacy policy.
If you visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com you will see a TRUSTe logo bottom right. When you click on it, the sites privacy policy is displayed. In that policy on the right side, part way down, is a TRUSTe “click to verify” icon. If you click on it, you will be taken to the TRUSTe web site where you will be informed “Not Verified: http://www.worldnetdaily.com IS NOT A VALID TRUSTe MEMBER WEB SITE.
I checked both WorldNetDaily.com and wnd.com. Neither of them is on TRUSTe’s list.