Right Wing email about Snopes....has this been debunked?

[Desperadoe]

I have tried to do a little searching here on DU but I really haven't found anything that relates to this specifically.

Here is an email that I received this afternoon from a RW relative... This thing just reeks of RW BS but I would appreciate any input that I could get before replying to it, since I do believe that 'David', who sent the original, is my relative's pastor.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Hey Guys,

I know a lot of you use and trust snopes.com to give the straight answer on things. I don't know how correct the following information is but it came to me from a reliable source. So, FYI,

David







________________________________

For the past few years www.snopes.com <http://www.snopes.com/> has positioned itself, or others have labeled it, as the 'tell all final word' on any comment, claim and email.

But for several years people tried to find out who exactly was behind snopes.com. Only recently did Wikipedia get to the bottom of it - kinda makes you wonder what they were hiding. Well, finally we know. It is run by a husband and wife team - that's right, no big office of investigators and researchers, no team of lawyers. It's just a mom-and-pop operation that began as a hobby.

David and Barbara Mikkelson in the San Fernando Valley of California started the website about 13 years ago - and they have no formal background or experience in investigative research. After a few years it gained popularity believing it to be unbiased and neutral, but over the past couple of years people started asking questions who was behind it and did they have a selfish motivation? The reason for the questions - or skepticisms - is a result of snopes.com claiming to have the bottom line facts to certain questions or issue when in fact they have been proven wrong. Also, there were criticisms the Mikkelsons were not really investigating and getting to the 'true' bottom of various issues. I can personally vouch for that complaint.

A few months ago, when my State Farm agent Bud Gregg in Mandeville hoisted a political sign referencing Barack Obama and made a big splash across the internet, 'supposedly' the Mikkelson's claim to have researched this issue before posting their findings on snopes.com. In their statement they claimed the corporate office of State Farm pressured Gregg into t aking down the sign, when in fact nothing of the sort 'ever' took place.

I personally contacted David Mikkelson (and he replied back to me) thinking he would want to get to the bottom of this and I gave him Bud Gre gg's contact phone numbers - and Bud was going to give him phone numbers to the big exec's at State Farm in Illinois who would have been willing to speak with him about it. He never called Bud. In fact, I learned from Bud Gregg no one from snopes.com ever contacted anyone with State Farm. Yet, snopes.com issued a statement as the 'final factual word' on the issue as if they did all their homework and got to the bottom of things - not!

Then it has been learned the Mikkelson's are Jewish - very Democratic (party) and extremely liberal. As we all now know from this presidential election, liberals have a purpose agenda to discredit anything that appears to be conservative. There has been much criticism lately over the internet with peo ple pointing out the Mikkelson's liberalism revealing itself in their website findings. Gee, what a shock?

So, I say this now to everyone who goes to www.snopes.com <http://www.snopes.com/> to get what they think to be the bottom line facts...'proceed with caution.' Take what it says at face value and nothing more. Use it only to lead you to their references where you can link to and read the sources for yourself. Plus, you can always google a subject and do the research yourself. It now seems apparent that's all the Mikkelson's do. After all, I can personally vouch from my own experience for their 'not' fully looking into things.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[Gato Moteado]

1. hopefully snopes will debunk this soon....

;)

[icnorth]

13. Here.

*Update:* An e-mail circulated in October 2008 falsely claimed that we contacted neither Bud Gregg nor State Farm about this subject. We did in
fact attempt to contact both Bud Gregg and State Farm; only the latter responded to us, and provided the information cited on our page.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/chicken.asp

[rcrush]

2. I wonder

Do the people that read these emails and believe them are they the same people that click on pop ups and respond to spam by giving out their personal info?

[baldguy]

3. Snopes can't be trusted because they're Jews?

Is that what this is saying?

[kenny blankenship]

11. Demon possessed Socialist Jews

Not the good kind that kill Arabs.

[bunkerbuster1]

14. Well, they're not the RIGHT KIND of Jews.

The Republican kind. (you know, that mighty 19% or so of the American Jewish population that doesn't believe in education.)

[amdezurik]

18. pretty much

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Snopes says this is false, too. Scroll to the bottom of the page:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/chicken.asp

[silverweb]

5. It was only a matter of time.

Frankly, I've been surprised that the RW hadn't tried a direct attack on Snopes and the Mikkelsons before this.

It's their modus operandi, after all, to attack the credibility and personal integrity of anyone who calls them out on their lies.

I'm sure Barbara and David will come out swinging.

[cynatnite]

9. I saw them on TV once and I thought they were fab! n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Can't trust the Mikkelsons -- they're Jewish

The writer got a good start at debunking himself.

[amdezurik]

7. refer them to snopes.com

right here in fact

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/chicken.asp

at the bottom they talk about this chain smear-mail

[BlooInBloo]

8. Physician, heal thyself! (or: who shaves the barber?)

:rofl:

[abelenkpe]

10. That's smart

by debunking snopes.com the right can write off information and stories as false as it does information and stories from the NYT, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC or wherever else they feel stories going against their message originate. It sure would make it easier to sell some of their more blatantly false statements.

[amdezurik]

12. Oh and the author of this BS?

well he seems to like to pretend to "live the Special Forces Lifestyle", but the first reply blows him out of the water LOL

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20352

[mrcheerful]

15. Snopes can't be trusted but get this

Wikipedia can be trusted, lol. Wtf, they crawling out of the sub sub sewers now?

[riverdeep]

16. They're in on it, they're all in on it...can't you see!?!

Only trust World Net Daily!!

What's that I hear behind the shed...

On a more serious note, no one website can be trusted with the complete story on anything. Everything has blind spots. The more info you get form various reputable sources, the more the blindspots can be filled in.

[amdezurik]

17. and just to drive a nail into the lie here

Sign did not
reflect views of
State Farm Ins.

I would like to respond to the article that appeared in the Teche News regarding the political sign displayed at the Bud Gregg insurance agency.
Mr. Gregg is an independent contractor to State Farm®, and his views do not reflect those of State Farm Insurance Companies. Management requested the sign be removed as soon as its presence became known. It was taken down on July 3. Mr. Gregg’s sign was not endorsed by, nor consistent with State Farm’s corporate practices. The company does not endorse candidates, nor take sides in political campaigns.
At State Farm® we take great pride in providing the best service possible to all of our customers, regardless of their political preferences, and take seriously our responsibility to do so. We appreciate your allowing us the opportunity to respond to this circumstance, and clarify our position. We would also appreciate you allowing your readers to know our side of the issue.
Please feel free to contact me if you should have any additional questions or concerns.

Molly Quirk-Kirby
Public Affairs Specialist
State Farm Insurance
Companies

http://www.techetoday.com/node/7462

[Desperadoe]

19. Thanks for all the help on this

Normally, I would just shit-can an email like this but not this time.

I have long suspected that this relative has been drinking way too much kool-aid and now I know where she gets it from.....her lovely pastor. I fully expect to be meeting this fine gentleman, in the not-too-distant future and we should have a very interesting conversation.

Thanks again. I can always count on DU.

[charlie]

20. BWAAH!

It took them years to find the Mikkelsons? And it wuz Wikipedia whut blew the lid off?

They're even lazier than they're dumb, couldn't find their own dicks with two hands and a roadmap. What a spectacular admission of stupidity.

[amdezurik]

24. it took them years to read the FAQ

LOL their names and general location was always right there

[donco6]

21. RWers got tired of people calling them on their shit.

So they have to smear the debunkers. Typical.

Actually, Snopes speaks for itself. It's not like they post their opinion - they just link to evidence that proves or disproves stuff.

[Jokerman]

22. What a crock of shit.

"several years people tried to find out who exactly was behind snopes.com"

Even a casual reader of snopes knows the names David and Barbara Mikkelson. Hell, they sign most of their posts.

[Sabriel]

23. I never thought I'd see the day: a meta-snopes n/t