A Thousand Cuts
Ever hear of Ling Chi? I came across some photos (caution: very disturbing and probably not work safe) of the gruesome practice in some Georges Bataille book a few years back.
WaPo this morning:
Obama aides sharply disputed the initial stories suggesting that he was a Muslim, and in Iowa, the campaign keeps a letter at its offices, signed by five members of the local clergy, vouching for the candidate’s Christian faith. Aware that his religious belief remains an issue, Obama has denied a separate charge: that he does not hold his hand to his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. This rumor stemmed from a photo that was taken while the national anthem was being played.
Also this:
Another e-mail, on a site called Snopes.com that tracks Internet rumors, starts, “Be careful, be very careful.” It notes that “Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim,” and that “since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when you are seeking political office in the United States, Obama joined the United Church of Christ to help purge any notion that he is still a Muslim.”
Obama seems to be taking it in stride and tries to convert the attacks to his advantage. Can he survive this crap, though? Comparatively lesser stuff did John Kerry in.
I don’t know if he can survive it! It doesn’t seem to take much to plant a seed that sticks in the American consciousness long after the facts show otherwise (i.e. the 47% of American adults who somehow still believed Iraq was directly involved in planning and executing the Sept. 11th attacks when polled in February 2005).
Isn’t it pitiful/amazing, though, that we’re at the point where simply calling someone out as a “Muslim” might actually prove to be a substantive act of sabotage?
Forget Obama bin Baraq Abdul for a second, let’s talk lingchi. What’s going on with the condemned’s breast in photo three? It’s been gouged? And could perhaps massive amounts of opium account for the beatific smile?
Nonetheless, I hope Abdobama ibn Barack doesn’t end up running this race legless, like the poor condemned in photo 6 (thankfully, the final).