Trust Me Im A Lawyer Shirt
It continues to escape me how anyone can miss the Obama Brown Shirt mentality. If this guy gets elected president, I'm going to tell all my journalism colleagues that they brought it on themselves when they get the same treatment Pensacola News Journal columnist Reginald T. Dogan got when he visited an Obama office and found out that any dissent from the "party line" made him, in his own words, "persona non grata."
And I need to note, the Obama Brown Shirt mentality is color-blind; Mr. Dogan is black.
Read it for yourself in his column entitled, "Obama campaign should not avoid elephant in the room."
Here's part of his column - it gets even better the further you read, so be sure to hyperlink to the entire column linked above:
"I'm persona non grata at the Barack Obama headquarters in Pensacola.
"I ruffled some feathers Monday after I popped in at the campaign office on DeVilliers Street. I was accused of asking "uncomfortable questions" by the campaign's communications director in the district office in Tallahassee.
"I wanted to talk about a Newsweek magazine article that referred to a national poll showing that white Democrats may not be admitting that they won't vote for a black candidate because they fear appearing racist.
"The AP-Yahoo poll suggested that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race easily could be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004.
"But before I could ask my first question, an Obama field manager told me I needed approval from the Tallahassee office to talk to anyone. Then, another field manager told me I could talk to volunteers but not paid staff.
"I talked with two volunteers, who seemed eager to answer my questions, before the first field manager called her boss in Tallahassee.
"My interviews were interrupted when the manager handed me a telephone with Kevin Cates, the communications director, on the line telling me that I needed permission from him before talking to staff or volunteers.
"Later, I learned he also called the News Journal with the same message.
"I've got to tell you I find it disconcerting and heavy-handed that a campaign that prides itself on openness, honesty and fair treatment would hamper free speech and open dialogue."
Well, it gets even better. The Obama Brown Shirt mentality now includes signing up prosecutors who support his campaign to make public statements that they will file charges against anyone they consider to be "lying" about Barack.
And what constitutes some of the lies?
Well, saying his tax plan will result in problems for the middle class. Or that his promises about social welfare can't be accomplished. Or anything else these prosecutors consider to be "a lie."
And that could be anything at all.
I used to think of Barack Obama as just a pathological liar who was entirely too shallow to be president.
But now I see that what we are really talking about is the far-left wing of politics imposing their own brand of authoritarian thought policing on the nation. And their ability to sign up county and city prosecutors in MO to actually carry out these prosecutions tells me that Barack Obama is the most serious threat to constitutional rights since - well, since the GOP caved in to the Paulson crisis and took judicial review of the treasury secretary's actions out of the bailout bill hammered out this weekend.
It's true - we really can loose our freedoms. And the juxtaposition of these two events shows it is coming from both the right, and the left, wing of the political spectrum.
OK, here is the story on Barack Obama and the ends his authoritarian Brown Shirts will go to to stop anyone from criticizing "The One."
Last thought: You remember the talk about how there are 18 letters in Obama's full name, which is 3 sixes . . . nah, it couldn't be. That's just crazy religious nut talk . . . right?
Here's the article from WorldNetDaily:
Backlash to Obama officials squelching political speech
Law enforcement threats, intimidation likened to 'police-state tactics,' by Missouri governor
Posted: September 27, 20087:25 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily - Used with permission
Following legal threats by Missouri state law-enforcement officials supporting Barack Obama against presidential campaign ads that appeared to be false or misleading, Gov. Matt Blunt today likened the intimidation to "police state tactics."
"St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch, St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer, and Obama and the leader of his Missouri campaign Senator Claire McCaskill have attached the stench of police state tactics to the Obama-Biden campaign," said Blunt in a statement released today. "What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment."
The statement came after the law enforcement officials pledged to form a "truth squad" to halt ads that, among other things, claimed Obama was not a Christian or that he was not planning to cut taxes on Americans other than the wealthy.
"If they're not going to tell the truth, somebody's got to step up and say, 'That's not the truth. This is the truth,'" McCullogh told KMOV-TV in St. Louis.
The effort appeared to be part of a move by the Obama campaign to block advertisements to which it objects. The campaign also sent "threatening" letters to several news agencies in Pennsylvania and Ohio demanding they stop airing ads exposing Obama's gun stance, according to the National Rifle Association.
"This abuse of the law for intimidation insults the most sacred principles and ideals of Jefferson," said Blunt.
"I can think of nothing more offensive to Jefferson's thinking than using the power of the state to deprive Americans of their civil rights. The only conceivable purpose of Messrs. McCulloch, Obama and the others is to frighten people away from expressing themselves, to chill free and open debate, to suppress support and donations to conservative organizations targeted by this anti-civil rights, to strangle criticism of Mr. Obama, to suppress ads about his support of higher taxes, and to choke out criticism on television, radio, the Internet, blogs, e-mail and daily conversation about the election."
Blunt concluded: "Barack Obama needs to grow up. Leftist blogs and others in the press constantly say false things about me and my family. Usually, we ignore false and scurrilous accusations because the purveyors have no credibility. When necessary, we refute them.
Enlisting Missouri law enforcement to intimidate people and kill free debate is reminiscent of the Sedition Acts – not a free society."
The NRA's Political Victory Fund also condemned the effort as censorship.
"Barack Obama and his campaign are terrified of the truth," said Chris W. Cox, chairman of organization.
"Sen. Obama's statements and support for restricting access to firearms, raising taxes on guns and ammunition and voting against the use of firearms for self-defense in the home are a matter of public record. NRA-PVF will make sure that everyone knows of Obama's abysmal record on guns and hunting."
The Obama campaign declined to respond to a WND request for comment.
The NRA said Obama sent "cease and desist letters" to news outlets in the two states, "denouncing the ads and demanding their removal from the airwaves."
"Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in our nation's history. That's the truth," said Cox. "NRA-PVF has the facts on our side. No amount of running from or lying about his record and then intimidating news outlets in the hope of deceiving American gun owners and hunters is going to work. Those strong arm tactics may work in Chicago, but not in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and not as long as NRA-PVF has anything to say about it."
The warnings were from Obama lawyer Robert Bauer, who told station managers that in order to stay in the Federal Communication commission's good graces, they should not air the ads.
Josh Marquis, an Oregon prosecutor who serves as a spokesman for the NDAA, said the comments from Missouri don't sound like the McCulloch he knows.
"I'm really surprised. I know Bob," Marquis told WND.
The KMOV report said the Obama campaign asked members of Missouri's law enforcement to target anyone who "lies" or issues misleading television ads. Formation of the Obama "Truth Squad" was the result, the report said.
McCulloch declined to return a call from WND seeking comment.
The KMOV report said the campaign was being conducted by McCulloch and another prosecutor, Jennifer Joyce, along with a number of sheriffs throughout the state.
"They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. They also say they plan to respond immediately to any ads and statements that violate Missouri's ethics laws," the report said.
"We want to keep this campaign focused on issues," Joyce told the station. "We don't want people to get distracted. Missourians don't want to be distracted by the divisive character attacks."
The campaign was assembled to "set the record straight," they said.
Officials with the Missouri Sheriff's Association declined to talk about any sheriffs who might be involved in the campaign.
At the blog Gateway Pundit, the reaction was immediate.
"St. Louis and Missouri Democrat sheriffs and top prosecutors are planning to go after anyone who makes false statements against Obama during his campaign. This is so one-sided I can't even [begin] to describe how wrong this agenda is," writes blogger Jim Hoft.
Hoft said Joyce and McCulloch "are threatening to bring libel charges against those who speak out falsely against Barack Obama."
Missouri blogger Doctor Bulldog commented: "Don't think they will stop with just the local radio and television stations. Oh, no. We bloggers are NEXT on the chopping block! It doesn't matter if it is the truth. It only matters if Obama deems it a lie (i.e. – something that can cause damage to his bid to be president). Basically, NO ONE is free to criticize Obama here in Missouri!!!"
In the St. Louis Examiner, a commentary said, "Look, politicians are all about lies. It may be annoying (I find it entertaining), but that's for their opponents and good-government groups to counter – not law enforcement. ... Even if the officeholders joining the 'truth squad' are nominally stepping out of their official roles in order to put on their (political) party hats and play politics, it's inappropriate. They wield too much power to use it to wag their fingers at people who say un-nice things about political hopefuls. Prosecutors and sheriffs are, after all, normally thought of as people with the clout to put their targets behind bars."
Marquis told WND politicians keep their right to have a political opinion and express it, but the DA's organization strives hard not to be partisan.
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A Great Photo Makes You Approachable and Memorable
But keep in mind, the idea behind networking sites is to encourage people to have conversations, to form bonds, and to create memorable impressions. Using a great photograph is the easiest way to present yourself in a friendly, approachable, and memorable manner. It’s the fastest way to make a good impression and to encourage interaction.
In fact, I was fascinated when I read the following on a Yahoo! Personals website.
A profile with one personal photo receives five times as many replies as a profile without a personal photo. A profile with three photos receives seven times as many replies as a profile without a personal photo.
So, the lesson is to be aware that WITHOUT a photo some folks will form a negative impression. Most likely they will form the impression you have something to hide and will choose not to not interact with you based solely on this. Is that right? I don’t know, but it certainly happens. What is important for you to know, is that NOT having a photo at all will likely raise a red flag in the minds of many viewers.
So how do you choose a photo that best represents brand "you"? How exactly do you put your best face forward?
Use a Natural, Smiling Headshot
First, for your primary profile image, use a high-quality headshot. To be clear, that's a photograph of your head and shoulders. Keep in mind that profile photos are usually very small and your readers mostly want to see your face, so that’s what the majority of the photo should be—your face.
I've know I’ve mentioned this before, but smiling and eye contact are both very important--even for pictures. In fact, researchers found that both men and women find people who smile and look straight at them more attractive and more likable.
So, be sure to smile energetically (think of something you are particularly proud of to makes your eyes sparkle!). Forget the brooding, serious look. Look directly at the camera. Forget the sunglasses. Forget the artistic half-the-head-cut-off shot. Forget the cartoon avatar. If you really like those looks, then leave those for secondary or tertiary images.
Use an Uncluttered Background
Next, choose a photo that has an uncluttered background. Pure black and pure white work great because the focus will be on your face instead of the background. In a pinch, I sometimes take a quick snap of my clients in front of a dark evergreen tree just outside my office door. By using a short depth of field, it makes the background slightly blurry, which makes it a great spur of the moment plain dark uncluttered background.
You definitely don't want to use a photo that includes someone else--even if the other person is mostly cut out from the picture. Don't include other things either. Turns out men, in particular, tend to like to include things like cars or their new mid-life crisis Harley. Again, the photo should be your head and shoulders against a plain background with a big smile looking directly at the camera.
Wear Appropriate Clothing
Next choose appropriate clothing. First this means you're actually WEARING clothing! Men, no bare chests, and ladies, no swim suits. In fact, long sleeves tend to work better than short sleeves because bare skin tens to distract from the main focal point--the face.
You'll want to choose clothing that is appropriate to your profession. For example, a shirt and jacket is likely to be overkill for a person who works in higher education, but, could be appropriate for a lawyer or doctor. For students, think business casual. In general, collared shirts tend to frame the face nicely and are often a good option for both men and women.
Choose solids and dark or neutral colors (black or navy blue work well). Don't wear crazy patterns or bright colors. In some of my photos I am wearing a black shirt, whereas in others, I am wearing a dark red shirt (I was hoping people would think passionate when they saw the picture.) However, in most cases, simple, unobtrusive, and understated clothing works best because it allows the expression on your face to remain the focal point.
So, there you have it, some quick and dirty tips to help you make a great impression with your social media profile picture. To be approachable and memorable, choose a head and shoulders shot against a plain background. Be sure are smiling and looking at the camera, and finally, wear appropriate clothes. This is The Public Speaker, Lisa B. Marshall. Passionate about communication, your success is my business.
