Local Classified Ad Yanked After Calling for Obama Assassination

I kind of agree that inflammatory talk shows -- just about all of them right wing, as far as I can tell -- plus the insinuations and obvious bias of Fox News are partly responsible for the hatred of Obama and his party that show up so often on news boards that reflect public opinion. I say "partly responsible" because they are partly a reflection of public sentiment, not just a cause. But it's all been very instructive. It's led me to the belief that there are many people in this country who enjoy being enraged and spiteful and are willing to shut down their logic except in the service of these emotions. I wouldn't have believe it ten years ago.

Yes, it was a terrible thing to say. Yes, I'm upset that it got published in a public newspaper, but seriously, and unfortunately, it was a MISTAKE. If you have ever worked in publishing you should know that it is faced-paced, everything is not always proofed, it has to get printed in another facility and has to be submitted by a certain time. Yes, I think the employees there should have recognized the connection, but it wouldn't be the first publishing mistake in history. (If you ever read the Times Observer, you would be astonished at the amount of grammatical errors.) Yes, it is a very small town with a majority of a conservatists, but that doesn't mean that there was a secret agenda or a fake oversight to express the views of the company. It was a mistake. I also don't believe that the person who made the call expected that it would come this far. They are a victim of ignorant beliefs and poor education. I do believe that it was an extremely stupid thing to say and the person should be punished, but that's where it ends. This has gotten way too far out of control because the parties are looking to blame each other for what they disagree on. Please worry about other matters that affect our country every day, even in your own backyard. Instead of sounding off on your political opinions, which is only creating more hate and divide, do more acting to change what you think is wrong (in a legal and constructive way). We are all in this together.

Of course.....Its' all Bushs' fault!!

Gee Dolly Dolly.........I wonder why?

One has to wonder if the newspaper's political leanings had anything to do with that classified ad that was published. The Warren Times Observer is owned by a West Virginia company that has a STRONG conservative bias.

I think we have two possible scenarios here: 1) the advertising staff at that paper is so stupid for "not making the historical connection," or 2) the paper DID know there was a connection, but chose to print it anyway because it fell in line with its way of thinking.

I simply don't buy the excuse of not knowing the historical connection of that message. So if the other scenario is true, the staff members involved should be arrested and charged with abetting a crime, and the paper fined HEAVILY.

Several people on blogs have forwarded this story to the Secret Service, but I susppect they already knew about it. All idiotic thetoric aside, any threat on a President's life, no matter what party he or she belongs to, must be dealt with. Anyone who thinks it is not has not respect for themselves. The hate expressed on some of these posts is destructive and plain disgusting. Take your hate over to the NewRepublic -they love it over there.

"This is so hateful.....i don't know why people wanted to rejoice for one's dead. Though he is our president, he has a family who loves him. Stop the hatred. accept the fact your president is balck the same way we accept white presidents in the past."

So, if I don't like Obama or his policies, then I'm a racist because he's black?

I didn't like Bush -- he was white. Does that make me a racist?

If I was black and didn't like Bush would that make me a racist?

You people that shout RACISM about EVERYTHING connected with this president are getting very boring and are wearing most of us out with the racism thing. So much so, that we are starting to turn a deaf ear to it. You are doing real racism an injustice.

"Either way they made themselves look like racist punks who are more interested in trashing Obama than doing actually journalism.'

I think the classified ad is abhorent -- that said, I don't see racism? Can you explain how this is RACISM? Hatred, yes. Are you just one of those that shouts RACISM at anything critical of Obama?

Stacey,

No, I don't "know it".

I don't lump people into "camps" and assign the entire group a lockstep mindset.
So, I don't see the "left" acting as you say. I wouldn't agree with someone if they has used the "right" in this context either.

Another thing to point out -- the film you mention came out in 2006... that was six years into Bush's eight year term. If a film like this were to be made after Obama has been in office that long, my guess is it would get as much fanfare or strong reaction as the Bush film got -- like as in, hardly anyone even noticed it (i didn't see it, so I won't speak to the idea of whether that was due to subject matter or actual AUDIENCE approval... film fests are sometimes very subjective and so very, very auteur, artsy...).

"Regardless of race, political party, ideology or whether we agree with a president -- calling for an assassination is a shame on America's collective honor."

I don't disagree. I was pointing out the hypocrisy. Which is breathtaking. Believe me, if a film was made about Obama like the one that was made about Bush, the left would go absolutely insane and not bother discussing the nuance of it being a fictionalized account. They would openly threaten the director with physical harm, and you know it. That was my point.

Stacey...

You are putting a movie -- which by nature is a work of fiction (do any of us... right or left wingers or centrists... think Jack Bauer on TV or James Bond in a film are real?) -- into the same context as an ad suggesting the killing of the president.

I don't remember any overt calls for assassinating George Bush, which doesn't mean they didn't happen -- but I have heard and read online more than one or two serious calls to harm Barack Obama. His race is obviously a catalyst -- you can't be blind to that fact, history has plenty of precedence for this.

Regardless of race, political party, ideology or whether we agree with a president -- calling for an assassination is a shame on America's collective honor.

"How soon we forget that director Gabriel Range's "Death of a President" depicting the assassination of President George W Bush won the Prize of the International Critics at the Toronto film festival."

Yup, back in 2006. And did you hear any outrage from the left about that movie? Nope. Not a peep.

So either the people at this paper are complete morons or just didn't care. Either way they made themselves look like racist punks who are more interested in trashing Obama than doing actually journalism. The person who let this ad run should be fired immediately and this paper should be forced to shut down. What a disgrace these people are.

Oh, come on, Jhw, you can't pretend no one ever made threats against Bush (and plenty of other previous presidents) just because no one has the time or energy to research and find quotes to prove that point. No one ran an ad threatening Bush, more than likely, but who needs an ad when there were plenty of people wishing him ill directly in public appearances and such?

Notice how quickly people jump from this lame, stupid ad to "the rage of the right" and link it up to Limbaugh, Cheney, etc. Any excuse to trash those guys and act as if they represent all Republicans, right? There was plenty of rage from the left during the Bush administration, but of course, JHW and Ryan will explain to me that the difference is that rage was completely justified. Baloney.

No one should make even such a lame threat against Obama as this creepy person with the personal ad did. But no one should make threats against any president or other public official. Obama is not the first public official to be threatened, nor will he be the last. And that is unspeakably sad.

Apparently, the Obama-haters are starting to get violent. Some of these folks are going to have to go to jail before they learn they have gone too far.

It's going to be a very, very long 8 years for these folks.

This is so hateful.....i don't know why people wanted to rejoice for one's dead. Though he is our president, he has a family who loves him. Stop the hatred. accept the fact your president is balck the same way we accept white presidents in the past.

===I have no respect for Cheney or his ilk===

And I have no respect for Obama and his ilk.

=== I guarantee there are plenty more loving 'Christians' out there who think and wish for the same thing. They all think (and preach) that Obama is the antichrist. They are so hateful, racist and hypocritical it's unbelievable. Oh, did I mention ignorant? ===

You guarantee, huh? Scare quotes even. And don't even realize you are what you claim to hate.

I've personally heard several comments in several states.. saying pretty much the same thing.. in the open, not quietly and in public..

There is no doubt that the ad is inappropriate.

However...I do remember that the far left openly called for the assassination of Bush & Cheney when they were in the White House.

And now that the shoe is on the other foot Obama supporters don't like it.

It seems a little bit hypocrtical...No?