Forgive what will be a rather brief diary, but I just came across the following from the Charlotte Observer:
Mayor 'just curious' if Obama is antichrist
FORT MILL, S.C. -- Fort Mill Mayor Danny Funderburk says he was "just curious" when he forwarded a chain e-mail suggesting Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is the biblical antichrist. "I was just curious if there was any validity to it," Funderburk said in a telephone interview. "I was trying to get documentation if there was any scripture to back it up."
Sigh.
Fort Mill, S.C., is a suburb just to the south of Charlotte, but even on a day in which Charlotte's news cycle is under siege (with the Wachovia takeover and a crippling gas shortage), this has made headlines. That said, I thought it important that this not get swept under the rug in the torrent of other news tidbits.
Quite clearly this is a reminder of the continuing battle that we have on our hands over the next five weeks. The lies that continue to be perpetuated are staggering:
The e-mail, which has circulated in the last six months since Obama secured the Democratic nomination, claims the biblical book of Revelation says the antichrist will be in his 40s and of Muslim ancestry.
There is no such scripture. And Obama is not a Muslim. But that hasn’t stopped the e-mail.
This ugly excuse for a political figurehead did not exactly show remorse for his actions:
When asked if he believed Obama was the antichrist, Funderburk replied, "I’ve got absolutely no way of knowing that."
Truly unreal. We have five weeks, and we can expect only that the hate and ugliness will ratchet upwards in the coming weeks. Let's keep plugging away.