Quotes of the day are intended to represent what is being said by people on both sides of the birther question. They do not necessarily represent the views of this web site.
world net daily: proof that, given typewriters and a mandate to produce shakespeare, monkeys will merely throw poop.
— J. Edward Tremlett
— Comment at ObamaConspiracy.org
[hr]
Some birthers imagine that there is a difference between being a “citizen by birth” or a “native citizen” on the one hand and a “natural born” citizen on the other. “Eccentric” is too kind a word for this notion, which is either daft or dishonest. All three terms are identical in meaning.
— James Taranto
— The Wall Street Journal
[hr]
Pretty much what we come to expect emerging from every meeting of the Tea Party loons and Arpaio, who encourages their lunacy. Like conspiracy fanatics everywhere, this intrepid band of of paranoiacs will not be satisfied with any finding that does not support their mistaken belief system. Still, it amuses.
— abogada987
— Comment left at radio station KTAR web site
[hr]
In distilled form, the explanations of both the right and the left have become mirror images of each other. They are stories of conspiracy, of America being hijacked by an evil cabal. Like all good conspiracy theories, both tales contain just enough truth to satisfy those predisposed to believe in them, without admitting any contradictions that might shake up those assumptions.
— Barack Obama
— The Audacity of Hope (2006)
[hr]
I have often said that not only does God have a sense of humor, it’s a vicious one.
— Tim Adams
[hr]
…most Web pages look superficially professional, whether they are produced by an extravagantly capitalized online subsidiary of a national magazine or by borderline psychotic high school kids in their parents’ basement.
— Arthur Goldwag
— Cults, Conspiracies & Secret Societies
[hr]
[Speaking of Gut feelings] If something feels right, it must be treated with the same respect given something that actually is right. If something is felt deeply, it must carry the same weight as something that is true. If there are two sides to every argument–or, more to the point, if there are people willing to take up two sides to every argument–they both must be right, or at least, equally valid.
— Charles P. Pierce
— Idiot America
[hr]
Today is not her lucky day.
— Chief District Judge Royce C. Lamberth
— Memorandum in Taitz v Astrue
[hr]
… a Gallup poll taken last year around the 40th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination found that three-fourths of Americans believed Oswald was part of a greater conspiracy. A similar Gallup poll in 2001 found that 81 percent of those polled believed there was a conspiracy to kill Kennedy.
— Eric Rosenberg
— Seattle Post-Intelligencer
[hr]
A charlatan is a crank with a book deal and a radio program and a suit in federal court.
— Charles P. Pierce
— Idiot America
[hr]
gentlemen in their zeal to get at particular persons, will go too far in this business
— Rep. Nathaniel Macon (NC)
— Debate on Naturalization Law (1796)
[hr]
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.
— Nelson Mandela
[hr]
One effect of the Internet is to obscure the distinction between mainstream and fringe sources. The validation that comes from seeing one’s beliefs echoed by others provides a sense of connection for otherwise isolated individuals. Excessive claims have sometimes been made for “virtual community,” but surely one effect of the Internet is to confirm and embolden those whose beliefs normally receive scant social reinforcement.
— Michael Barkun
— A Culture of Conspiracy