Tuesday, October 21, 2008
DVD recipient gets the message
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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Recently, Dotti Bull discovered that fearmongering can be slickly produced, packaged and delivered through the U.S. Postal Service.
After receiving the unsolicited DVD "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" in the mail a few weeks ago, the Roanoke woman learned that some of her friends, co-workers and 28 million other Americans also had gotten it.
As recently as Monday, a news release in my electronic mailbox trumpeted that the DVD also has gone to more than "325,000 rabbis, priests and pastors in every Jewish and Christian congregation in America."
A spokesman for the group behind the DVD said it merely wants to inform the public about radical Islam. But come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why a 2-year-old DVD is being heavily distributed a few weeks before a pivotal presidential election in swing states, including Virginia.
"It's a topic that neither the presidential candidates, nor the media are discussing openly," reads the DVD jacket. "It's our responsibility to ensure we can all make an informed vote in November."
Gregory Ross, spokesman for the Clarion Fund group behind the DVD, said it was released for the seven-year anniversary of 9/11. Most of the DVDs were inserts in newspapers. Some DVDs hit mailboxes late because of slowdowns with bulk mailings, he added.
Perhaps, but could the organization also be trying influence the election in favor of Republican nominee John McCain, whom voters regard as tougher on terrorism? The Clarion Fund had a pro-McCain article on its Web site but removed it.
The video begins with a perfunctory disclaimer that "most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror." But distributors know that the DVD also will exploit the fears of voters who have a negative view of Islam and believe Democratic nominee Barack Obama is soft on terrorism or is a Muslim.
"It's all hate," says Bull, an Obama supporter, of the DVD. She believes the message it seeks to deliver is, "Be very afraid and hate these people."
The nonprofit Clarion Fund was established in 2006 by Canadian film producer Raphael Shore. According to Clarion's Web site, the group's purpose is to "educate Americans about issues of national security."
Ross noted that because the DVD was produced a few years ago, it doesn't mention the name of either presidential candidate or party.
"No matter who ends up in the White House Jan. 20, we just want America to take into account this is a pressing issue that needs to be taken into account," Ross said.
The hourlong DVD begins with Edmund Burke's famous quote about how all that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph in the world is for good people to do nothing.
From there, it launches into footage from Arab and Iranian television of people spewing anti-American hatred and shots of flag-burning.
The footage is interspersed by commentary from experts and others that underscores the message that radical Muslims hate America. It also contains a segment on Hitler and Nazi Germany.
No one is suggesting terrorism isn't a threat to America and the Western world. But using psychological extremism and propaganda isn't the way to educate the public about terrorism, if that's really the DVD's intent.
When I asked Ross about criticism that the DVD is nothing more than fearmongering, he asked, "Was Paul Revere fearmongering?
"Some people do not like to hear that there's a problem," he continued. "And they don't want to hear about it. We're basically a modern-day Paul Revere."
Bull, a teacher, said the DVD angers her, but the timing makes it even more suspect.
"Even if this is your deal, then why are you doing it 30 days before the election?" she asked. "If you mailed this to me last December, I'd be annoyed, but I wouldn't be suspicious."
