Here's what happened:
A friend of DaveScot's sent him an email claiming that the ACLU is about to go after the government because they don't like to see soldiers or marines praying while in uniform. DaveScot posted this email on Uncommon Descent, along with a request to pass it along to everyone you know. A number of people who read Uncommon Descent immediately informed him in the comments that the letter is, in fact, a several-year-old scam that has been thoroughly discredited by pretty much everyone who has bothered to check the facts. DaveScot responded to this by slightly altering the message, deleting the comments that pointed out the scam, and posting a brief comment responding.
The original message read:
If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That's because they're praying.Here's how it appears after DaveScot's editing. The changes are so minor that I'll highlight them in bold to make them easier to spot:
This incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the birthday of the corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms. "These are federal employees," says Lucius Traveler, a spokesman for the ACLU, "on federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately."
When asked about the ACLU's charges, Colonel Jack Fessender, speaking for the Commandant of the Corps said (cleaned up a bit), "Screw the ACLU. GOD Bless Our Warriors, Send the ACLU to France."
Please send this to people you know so everyone will know how stupid the ACLU is Getting in trying ! to remove GOD from everything and every place in America. May God Bless America, One Nation Under GOD!
If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That’s because they’re praying.Let's look at those changes. We'll set aside, for the moment, idiot boy's amazing arrogance in claiming to speak for everyone in uniform. (I know for a fact that he does not.) That aside, he removed the name of the ACLU spokesman, instead calling him "rumored," and substituted his own name for the name of the Marine spokesman. That's it. The attack against the ACLU is left fully intact.
This incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the Birthday of the Corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms. “These are federal employees,” says a rumored spokesman for the ACLU, “on federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately.”
When asked about the ACLU’s charges, former Marine Sergeant David Springer, speaking for all his brothers in uniform said (cleaned up a bit), “Screw the ACLU. GOD Bless Our Warriors, Send the ACLU to France.”
Please send this to people you know so everyone will know how stupid the ACLU is Getting in trying to remove GOD from everything and every place in America. May God Bless America, One Nation Under GOD!
What’s wrong with the picture? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
DaveScot made those changes after being told that the letter is a hoax, and that THE ACLU HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS. DaveScot provides his justification for this in the comments to the post:
To everyone who’s pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that’s hardly the point. The pictures of Marines praying are real. The fighting and dying to protect the interests of the United States is real. The request to pray for them is real. So I removed the fake names, noted the ACLU statement is rumor, and quoted a very real former Marine Sergeant’s sentiments instead. If anyone has a problem with that they can KMA. Google that.You gotta love it.
HOO RAH! Semper Fi!
Never mind that there's a difference betweeen the ACLU's statement being "a rumor" and being a well-documented fabrication. Never mind that he doesn't just quote his own sentiments, but also claims that his sentiments are those of everyone in uniform. Never mind that he actually labeled the ACLU spokesman and not the entire incident as a "rumor." Just look at the logic. It's a real picture of marines praying, so that means that it's OK to bash the ACLU. What a scumbag.
Still, the incident is worth noting for reasons beyond just the personal failings of DaveScot. It illustrates those quite well, while simultaneously illustrating a common creationist trait - being too much of a skeptic to accept any evidence for evolution, while simultaneously being credulous enough to accept anything, no matter how clearly false, that supports your own preconceptions.
6 comments:
What can you say about the intellectual attainments of someone who falls for so obvious an e-mail hoax? He should make snopes.com his home page in hopes of becoming more informed and less ignorant. Of course, we are talking about DaveScot, for whom ignorance isn't so much a flaw as it is an entire lifestyle.
I see a ton of these types of emails come through our spam filter. Occasionally a few slip through and if I catch them I can track them. Almost everytime the ones who fall for and forward these types of emails are the same ones that can't seem to remember their passswords, save a file, use the microwave, park their car, use their entry badges, use the phone, get their voice mail, and speak clearly.
DaveScot seems right at home.
Last comment on the post by monkey boy:
# Now that everyone is happy that this article isn’t a fabrication the comments are closed. :-)
Comment by DaveScot — May 23, 2006 @ 1:02 am
Delusional.
Right, the same ACLU that defended military Wiccans wanting a place to worship. They hate prayer soooo much!
"A rumored spokesman"? Is that like "a virginal prostitute"?
I suppose we can now say with certainty: ID makes you stupid.
Oh, and - contrary to DaveScot's claims - the picture is as fake as the rest of the gig.
- JS
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