GOP: Fear and Hate '08 !

I think I liked this S better when it was called TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Sequels always suck, tho'...

First. Both John McCain and Sarah Palin called this crack-pot personally thereby placing themselves in the middle of what could have been an explosive situation.

Second,and most important, the tone of their campaign has green lighted the horrible behavior we've seen at their rallies and from the extreme Republicans and this nut.

Thay are responsible.

We all know what the reaction would be - a never-ending storm the likes that are unparalled, if this sad, (un-)pitiable person had perpetuated this hoax; yet from a somewhat Obama-supporting stance....

I know, I know...EIOKIYAR

If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.

No. FOX will forever be linked with race-baiting.

Feeling good about those appearances there Juan?

John Moody is half right. This probably did doom McCain's campaign, but not because it is now associated with race baiting (as if it weren't so associated before). It dooms the campaign because this is now a huge embarrassment and outrage for Pennsylvanians. Never mind the national press, I understand they're going wall to wall with this story in the Pennsylvania press. This almost cripples the McCain campaign in that state. More, I think this pretty much puts an end to the McCain-friendly sub rosa race baiting. Because this was a race baiting hoax, the pro-McCain folks are going to have to tread very, very carefully over these last two weeks.

If she'd done this in the South as late as the 1950s there would have been a lynching as a result.

Can we doubt that more racial violence would have resulted, somewhere, if she'd been successful with her hoax?

No, she clearly was playing with fire and deserves a felony conviction.

Did Mr. Benen's friend feel sorry for Mayella Ewell?

Todd is a terrorist. She tried to terrorize by reporting violence (that she had faked), for political ends. Things could have gotten very ugly, due to her provocation.

She was sent to Pittsburgh from the national headquarters of the College Republicans in New York, where she had worked previously.

Why can't she remember why she did this?

Todd's belief that she could help McCain by mutilating herself and then claiming her injuries were the result of a racial attack by an Obama supporter is a depressing commentary on a subculture of America.

Will John Moody pursue this line of thinking and actually ask John McCain if this will sink his campaign? Where are the MSM on this story? This is not a trivial story. If Obama's "palling around with a terrorist" is significant, then Todd's representation as a McCain supporter within the last 24 hours sure seems to be significant. Where are McCain's "black" supporters on this story? He has a very prominant surrogate, who is black, whose opinion I would love to hear on this. Can you say pretzel?

McCain taking the brunt would be unfair, assuming he comes out with a statement soon to at least acknowledge the farce that his campaign so readily embraced.

I would like to take the time to point out Ashley the Plumber's stupidity. She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent for her stupidity alone. Crime pays, but if you can't do it right you've got to be held accountable.

I also hope she has a backwards B scar on her face for a long time!

They are playing this story to the hilt as though she was a poor gal gone astray...

It could be that the woman in question is a bit confused and perhaps it will be found that the cheese slid off her sandwich a while ago.

But no matter--

The issue you broached is just as significant.
The notion that a white woman was violently victimized by a:
'"N"- loving person'
was jumped on and exploited to the hilt with great zeal and fervor by both the McCain campaign and by FOX.

She told the police that she doesn't remember carving the 'B' into her own face but understands that she must have done it.

She wasn't trying to help the McCain campaign (though her fellow college Republicans leapt on it like starving dogs on a juicy pork chop). She has serious mental issues and needs help.

"and the Todd fiasco is likely to do some lasting harm to his credibility and judgment"

How is that possible? Drudge already has zero credibility and zero judgment. How does he go down from there?

I don't blame McCain for Todd's hoax just like I wouldn't have blamed Obama had the story been true. But therein lies the problem. Because a host of McCain supporters (and maybe even his campaign) leapt at the opportunity to use this blame Obama. Even if it were true, that would have been disgusting. That it was all a fraud just makes it much easier for people to distinguish their disgusting behavior. And that's not one sad individual. That right there is a movement and that is McCain's problem. If his campaign did promote this to the press, they should be toast.

Its a pretty deep level of craven depravity to stage this sort of hoax, one I'm not prepared to assign to Todd just yet. But you're still in the neighborhood of that depravity if you're one of the vultures who tried to score political points off this. I can believe that Todd is mentally unstable. Is the Republican noise machine and McCain campaign prepared to use that as their excuse, though? Are they ALL prepared to admit to being as mentally unstable as Ms. Todd seems to have been? No, they all knew what they were doing and what they were doing was nauseating.

Well Steve, I appreciate in principle your original genteelness, and that is something our side can be proud of as the more common attitude - but I'm glad you've shown more edge this time. I think all those guys (McCain and the right-leaning media complex) are finished for awhile anyway, it looks so bad.

Hey, look at the comments posted at that John Moody comment, the derisory ones are terrific:

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/10/23/jmoody_1023/

McCain said himself in the third debate that he personally rebukes everything of this nature, so I'm waiting with bated breath for him to address this.

"She wasn't trying to help the McCain campaign (though her fellow college Republicans leapt on it like starving dogs on a juicy pork chop). She has serious mental issues and needs help."

I think that she was trying to help McCain, simply by virtue of the way things were framed. However, you are 100% - she is in need of some medical help. I feel really sorry for someone with issues like that, and basically am going to go with WWJD (and I'm not religious at all).

Other neil, I doubt seriously this girl "didn't know what she was doing" considering her background. However, anyone dumb enough to forget mirror problems ... maybe. Heh, typical dumbya supporter, probably campaigned hard for him in Texas.

This is a sad little person and, contrary to your theme, many right leaning blogs spotted this as a hoax right from the start, including Michelle Malkin.

Someone who felt compelled to lie to the nation and apparently carve her own skin in order to "help" the McCain campaign probably needs some help.

I'll admit to being an armchair psychoanalist here, but I think any blame for deliberate action should be directed toward McCain and Drudge.

What Ms. Todd did is eerily close to what someone I knew in college once did, although not for political reasons. Long story short, she faked an attack to gain the sympathy of an ex-boyfriend, and even went so far as to give herself a black eye and split lip. As the truth came out, we also discovered she had a history of emotional problems.

I can see how someone working heavily in a presidential campaign can feel tremendous amounts of emotional stress, especially when that campaign appears to be falling apart. If this woman has had a similar history, that could explain her actions better than simply an attempt to deceive the public.

Mike - you think liberals will give any credit to Malkin for calling this a hoax from the start? No way, they want annihilation pure and simple.

Are you kidding or what? McCain has prsented Obama as often as possible as the "scary sinister negro terrorist" who wants to take away your money and give it to black people. Todd is fairly typical as an example of what comes from such inference.
Believe it or not for most of the people I know Obama being black or white is not even an issue of any importance what-so-ever any more than McCain's being white, but Todd had to make her attacker Black because it was more acceptable to McCain supporters.

McCain will be forever remembered as completely dishonorable, lacking all integrity and willing to say or do anything to be president. Country first my ass...it's always been McCain first and I would love to hear of any of his supporters ever volunteering or helping anyone but themselves...it would be a rare incident indeed. Get a good look at the minority of self serving closed minded bigoted citizens known as McCain supporters.

John McCain hid in plain site having convinced so many in the press that he was such a good old boy and now the real McCain is exposed and most reasonable people cannot believe their eyes. The only way to not know is to not want to know. Yes...he's that bad and if he could have found a way to get political gain out of Todd's story she would join Joe the plummer.

The McCain campaign is indeed responsible for this hoax, since it was they who promoted the insanity, refused to tamp down the insanity, and hoped to profit from it.

My great-great-great grandfather, a founder of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania in the 1850s, is spinning so rapidly in his grave - that the white supremacist enemies that that Quaker Abolitionist opposed with all his being, would have taken over the party he fought for all his life - that his casket must be halfway to China by now.

What are some of the "many" other rightie blogs that called this a hoax from the start?

In other news, McCain's Pennsylvania spokesperson was out shilling the story long before the facts were established, and, as others have noted, McCain and Palin couldn't wait to hop on the phone to the "victim." Lovely people.

This reminds me of Nevil Shute's 'Lonely Road' where he describes a professor at an English college who tries to influence the election. In that book the perpetrator 'accidentally' jumped out of a window so he could prevent getting in the news because of being arrested for his misdeeds. I agree, this woman does probably need treatment, but no pity.

Oh, dear. This from Ms. Todd's cached MySpace page:

"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her cloths [sic] off, but its [sic] better if you do."

Female
23 years old
College Station, Texas
United States

Words fail.

The name "Tawana Brawley" comes to mind.....

Mike - you think liberals will give any credit to Malkin for calling this a hoax from the start? -Crusader

Why wouldn't we?

That makes her 1 for 1,273.

See, I gave her credit for being right this time. You let me know when she makes a habit of it.

Slightly off thread: If Todd has mental/emotional problems, is this covered by her medical insurance plan? Does she have one? Will this be considered a pre-existing condition should she have to apply for insurance in the future? This, once again, is not isolated to just the issue of whether she perpetrated a hoax or not. All issues are related to each other. We do not live in a bubble of isolation.
I am committed to Oneness through Justice and Transformation
peace,
st john

Crusader: I've seen several leftwing blogs crediting Malkin for not jumping into the fray on this story. They didn't seem reluctant to do so either.

Mike - you think liberals will give any credit to Malkin for calling this a hoax from the start? No way, they want annihilation pure and simple.

After that whole, too-idiotic-for-words "Dunkin Donuts supports terrorism because Rachael Ray wore a gray paisley scarf" nonsense, the most credit I'm inclined to extend to Malkin is of the "stopped clock being right twice a day" kind.

I do blame the McCain campaign for this for sure. First it's Rove/Atwater 101, second, they fostered this culture in the past few weeks. It's the landscape they created with their idiotic techniques of distraction and dominating the news cycle. They probably hoped by building this up as quickly and loudly as possible they wouldn't have to adress the issues and it just might have been part of their strategy to win pensylvania.

----

So, will Obama sit down to talks with preconditions with the Iranian Mullahs?

How long would it take to ramp up a massive WPA like infrastructure plan? Krugman says not very long, any truth to this?

How to tell if something is a hoax:

If it involves a

a) black man

victimizing

b) a white woman

it is most likely a hoax.

Still waiting for Mike K and Crusader, who are totally not the same person, to provide a few examples of those "many" other winger blogs who called Todd a liar from the start.

Fellas?

Hello?

This reminded me of 19 years ago yesterday, when Charles Stuart murdered his wife in Boston, and... told the cops a Black man had done it. At least Ashley Todd didn't kill herself when the story unravelled.

I pity her. If you are 20 something and volunteering for McCain, there is already a pretty high probability that you are emotionally broken. Add stupidity (mirrors reverse things?) and it is a pretty uphill battle through life...

These were the kinds of incidents that got blacks lynched back in the 40s and 50s -- false physical and sexual abuse charges by racist white girls.

Maybe Murtha isn't far off in his assessment of western Pennsylvania.

What happened to the GOP's call for "Country First!"

contrary to your theme, many right leaning blogs spotted this as a hoax right from the start,

But sadly, the McCain campaign was not one of them and pushed this lie without the facts. Now there's a theme for you, McCain pushing fact-free memes. Not surprised. I guess they can't help themselves, the lies come so naturally.

What she did was an individual action, probably by someone with severe mental issues.

Pundits and campaigns tried to use this to their advantage, however, and that's where the outrage ought to be directed. No doubt in my mind that right wingnuts were hoping that this story panned out, as well as the dirty "tricksters" associated with the McCain campaign.

This is ugliness at its worst because it preys upon stereotypes and feeds on prejudice.

Palin and McCain both called this woman??!! Wow. Just wow.

On second thought, maybe that douchebag Fox exec is right... maybe this will spell the end for McCain.

Isn't today Friday?

Todd is a sad and probably disturbed individual. She did something to get attention for herself as a victim. Because she is a McCain supporter, naturally, she's going to make up something that gains her sympathy and the attention she craves from the "team" she plays on.

It could just have easily been the same from a disturbed person on the Obama side.

It's like Susan Smith, and sadly, she used the same racial stererotype.

What is reprehensible, though, is how the McCain camp jumped to conclusions and exploited this poor sad messed up girl.

you think liberals will give any credit to Malkin for calling this a hoax from the start?

Only so far as to point out that any time Malkin is the voice of reason on a subject people should be very scared.

Long story short, she faked an attack to gain the sympathy of an ex-boyfriend, and even went so far as to give herself a black eye and split lip. As the truth came out, we also discovered she had a history of emotional problems.

This has me imagining this dialogue between, say, Pat Buchanan & Rachel Maddow, with respect the Ashley Todd Hoax:

RM: "You can't be waving a gun around Smokey, man... He was a conscientious objector, & he's got emotional problems".

PB: "You mean, besides pacifism?"

RM: "Walter, come on, man..."

PB: "Dude, I mean, are we, or are we not, on to the next round of the round robin?"

... Also, what the odds that Patty Patty Buch-Buch has "shown it" to Rach? ('I know you don't like my kind in the bedroom, but you should still give it a whirl', he whispers, off-camera.)

She might have got better results if she had claimed she was attacked by a group of men wearing al Qaeda badges and armed with box cutters.

C'mon, this woman has problems, and the McCain campaign and right wing echo chamber deserves to be blasted, but no one has asked whether she really did all that violence to herself.

Sure it's possible but it's even more likely someone (like her ex-boyfriend?) did it to her and she then told the story that a scary black man did it.

Violence again women, particularly women who are self-destructive, is all too common. I'd be interested to see the forensic report. She may have carved the B herself, but what about the rest of the damage?

Tawana Brawley...you guys are SO predictable.

It reminds me of the old saying parents used to tell us about if everyone else was jumping off a bridge, are you going to do it too? Just because Tawana Brawley faked an attack, does that give tacit approval for anyone with an agenda to do the same?

Conservatives always blame someone else or put up a smokescreen for when they do something wrong. Sarah Palin claims that "Troopergate" really wasn't a big deal and that she didn't abuse her power when in fact she did. She's now claiming gender bias in the media because of her $150,000 not-from-Wal-Mart wardrobe, in spite of the fact that the woman has NO CLUE what her duties as Vice-President consist of. Michelle Bachman blames Chris Matthews for her insane rant. Now we're getting the "Tawana Brawley" excuse, as if that should let Todd off the hook.

I've always wondered--and I hope someone here can help me with this--why the party of pro-God, pro-America, pro-Family Values--are always inclined to blame their misdeeds on everything but themselves. If it's not the "liberal media" then it's porn or even the devil. They talk about taking personal responsibility, but seldom do.

Is Todd a sick young woman? I don't think so. I think she knew exactly what racial and sexual buttons to push when she made up this tale, and the sad thing is, wonder if an innocent black man ended up being injured or killed over her lie because some lynch mob was out for revenge. It's not like this country hasn't done anything like THAT before.

The TV station in Pittsburgh is saying that the McCain campaign was pushing the story.

All day long as this story unfolded I was heartsick. Imagine how you'd feel if this happened in your own backyard? In a city that you love and that you're proud of, a city that you recently moved back to and have a lot of hope for its future as a widely unrecognized gem?

I was deeply concerned that this was the exact kind of incident that could have serious unintended(?) consequences-- stoking racial tensions that exist in MOST cities on some level or another.

I know the racism of western PA has been put in the national spotlight. I'm not denying that it DOES exist, but when it comes to younger generations (under 40) I see more interracial families here than I've seen in any other city that I've lived in. I've lived in a lot of other cities-- DC, Boston, Chicago, San Fransisco-- and Pittsburgh actually has less racial division than I've seen anywhere else.

As a Pittsburgher I am deeply OUTRAGED that she did tried to do this to us. I've been thinking a lot about what I would say to her if I could sit down with her. I would ask her if she understood the ugly, divisive history that she tapped into and ask her how she would have felt if her "attack" had driven other people to commit acts of violence against innocent people?

I'm extremely appreciative of the Pittsburgh police for their speed and proficiency at getting to the truth of the story. Imagine if the investigation had lingered for days? a week? What if they hadn't uncovered the hoax until after the election? What might have transpired in that time? The mind reels.

So it's very hard to have too much pity for her considering what she tried to do-- it literally turns my stomach and makes my eyes burn. I just hope that she can learn from what she did, that she understands that in her attempt to fake a hate crime that she committed a hate crime against Pittsburgh itself.

I suppose the McCain campaign can't be held responsible for crazy Ms. Todd's actions. But they can be held responsible for their own:

“McCain Communications Director Gave Reporters Incendiary Version Of “Carved B” Story Before Facts Were Known
By Greg Sargent - October 24, 2008, 5:12PM

John McCain’s Pennsylvania communications director told reporters in the state an incendiary version of the hoax story about the attack on a McCain volunteer well before the facts of the case were known or established — and even told reporters outright that the “B” carved into the victim’s cheek stood for “Barack,” according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

John Verrilli, the news director for KDKA in Pittsburgh, told TPM Election Central that McCain’s Pennsylvania campaign communications director gave one of his reporters a detailed version of the attack that included a claim that the alleged attacker said, “You’re with the McCain campaign? I’m going to teach you a lesson.”

Verrilli also told TPM that the McCain spokesperson had claimed that the “B” stood for Barack. According to Verrilli, the spokesperson also told KDKA that Sarah Palin had called the victim of the alleged attack, who has since admitted the story was a hoax.

The KDKA reporter had called McCain’s campaign office for details after seeing the story — sans details — teased on Drudge.

The McCain spokesperson’s claims — which came in the midst of extraordinary and heated conversations late yesterday between the McCain campaign, local TV stations, and the Obama camp, as the early version of the story rocketed around the political world — is significant because it reveals a McCain official pushing a version of the story that was far more explosive than the available or confirmed facts permitted at the time.

The claims to KDKA from the McCain campaign were included in an early story that ran late yesterday on KDKA’s Web site. The paragraphs containing these assertions were quickly removed from the story after the Obama campaign privately complained that KDKA was letting the McCain campaign spin a racially-charged version of the story before the facts had been established, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

A source familiar with what happened yesterday confirmed that the unnamed spokesperson was communications director Peter Feldman. Feldman was also quoted yesterday making virtually identical assertions on the Web site of another local TV station, WPXI. But those quotes, which we also preserved here, are also no longer available on WPXI’s site, for reasons that are unclear.

This is problematic because the McCain campaign doesn’t want to have been perceived as pushing an incendiary story that not only turned out to be a hoax but which police officials said today risked blowing up into a “national incident” and has local police preparing to file charges against the hoaxster.

There’s no evidence that anyone from McCain national headquarters put out a version of events like this.

After the story appeared on KDKA’s site and this and other pieces in the local press started flying around the political world, an Obama spokesperson in the state angrily insisted to KDKA that it was irresponsible for the station to air the McCain spokesperson’s incendiary version of events before the facts were fully known, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

After that, KDKA went back to McCain’s Pennsylvania spokesperson, Feldman, and asked if he stood by the story as he’d earlier told it, but he started backing off the story, a source familiar with the talks says. That prompted KDKA to remove the grafs.

Feldman couldn’t immediately be reached, and a McCain HQ spokesperson declined to comment.”

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/mccain_aide_gave_reporters_inc.php

She may have carved the B herself, but what about the rest of the damage? -MichMan

Make-up. Still make-up, just like earlier when this question was already repeatedly asked.

The story was obviously leaked. But who leaked it?

If someone can prove that the story was leaked by the McCain campaign, well, it's lights out in Sedona and Wasilla.

The way the Palin-McCain campaign has pandered to the basest fears of all Americans, especially working-class and poorly-educated Americans, set the tone for Ashley Todd's pathetic hoax.

With but a few exceptions, right-wing reporters and bloggers gobbled up Ashley's story because it fit their preconceived notions of race. Period. They dove into this mess like hungry wolves diving into a warm moose shot from an airplane by Sarah Palin.

Right-wing lug nuts, why must you be such nattering nabobs of negativism? When will you accept the fact that no one is persecuting you?

I live in Texas; this state is full of racists and morons. So I’m used to hearing it around here, but I had no idea there were so many ignorant bigots living out there in the Real America.

Also, having read a sample Ashley Todd’s blogs, I'm horrified that a college student is guilty of such faulty grammar, punctuation and spelling. The insanity defense will not suffice on this one, child.

Grandpa Mike K: This is a sad little person and, contrary to your theme, many right leaning blogs spotted this as a hoax right from the start, including Michelle Malkin.

Uh, no they didn't. Let's take a look at conservetard Blogotania and see what the reactions were. Let's see, what paragons of right-wing veracity and objectivity ran with this story to try and score political points only to have it explode in their pimply faces?

First up: none other than the inimitably thick-headed Ace of Spades!!!! Yes, the man who brought you the false story of Obama's illegal overseas donations also pushed the story of a big Black Obama supporter beating up a defenseless young virgin only trying to give her ideological purity to John McCain.

Will he ever be right? About anything? The better question is: will you?!?

Others total dupes who hysterically pushed the hoax:

Blogs of War
Instapundit
RedState
Hot Air
Little Freep Goofballs (in the fever swamp that is their brilliant comments section)
Gateway Pundit
The Anchoress

-- and at least a couple dozen minor wingnut bloggerinos that I could find in a cursory Google search.

In other words: all the usual suspects that comprise the oxygen-starved wingnutosphere pushed this story, minus Michelle Malkin, who has finally earned her Stopped Clock Award.

The truly fascinating thing is that you seem to be intellectually if not genetically incapable of ever providing supporting evidence for your assertions while trolling here.

I know, I know: you're a thousand years old and you've been reading books since baby Gutenberg was stamping them out one at a time. And I'm just an ignorant lefty. It's a good thing that concepts like validity and soundness and supporting evidence haven't caught on or we lefties might get the upper hand.

She may have carved the B herself, but what about the rest of the damage? -MichMan

Make-up. Still make-up, just like earlier when this question was already repeatedly asked. Posted by: doubtful

I've yet to read that the bruises and such weren't real. She could have been beaten up by her boy friend.

Two things:
1 - Will McCain be confronted with this story on Meet The Press this Sunday? He is scheduled.
2 - What kind of care is available to Ashley Todd for mental/emotional condition and physical injury, whether self-inflicted or by another? Does she have health insurance? If not, why not?

peace,
st john

I hear you about the healthcare/mental health access question, St. John. Something similar occurred to me earlier. I pity her on that score, I suppose, but I still utterly deplore what she did.

I mostly agree except for the "I don't know" re:pity. And also this graph:

"But this wasn't just some spur of the moment accident or the result of a random bad decision -- Todd deliberately perpetrated an elaborate hoax, exploited racial fears, and lied wildly in the hopes of helping change the outcome of a presidential election."

The fact is that though it may have been elaborate in execution (I was more impressed by the shiner than the backwards B) it wasn't an elaborate hoax in conception.

It is an easy leap to go from: I wanna do something stupid to help McCain to: And I will pin it on a black man.

I am not one to claim that America is racist but we are tribal and it does not take much thought (in fact less is best) to bring "the other" into your pinheaded nightmare scenario.

You guys have pretty much summed it all up. America is a racist nation. Pinning crimes on black males is easy and it's sickening.

This black male was imaginary and this young lady's story could gotten someone into trouble.

Jeff II, a nurse said, and you can get the impression yourself: the "black eye" looked too much like simple dark makeup put on. There wasn't the swollen, semi-shut look of a real black eye in proportion to that dark a spot. Hey, don't you remember ever seeing a black eye?

Here's a good hit by Kos against the McCain campaign's exploitation of this story:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/24/174033/12/463/641282

>"spotted this as a hoax right from the start"

Do ya reckon the fact that the "B" was carved backwards (like looking in a mirror) might be a tiny clue?

ROFL.

Susan Smith "American murderer", as she's known on Wiki, initially blamed a black man for stealing her children. She was and still is a total loon.

Speaking of rightwing hysterics, if you're over at Gateway*pundit* please flag this asshole. Twice, over there I've been threatened with violence for merely supporting Obama (Yes, I've reported it and have also reported the perp who threatened me to his IP). GP uses Blogger so the flag procedure is quite easy.

The Internet and I thank you immensely.

"Pity" isn't the first reaction that comes to mind.

How about "medication"?

You guys have pretty much summed it all up. America is a racist nation. Pinning crimes on black males is easy and it's sickening.

Actually I think this story and the reaction of the police prove that things are actually getting better. The police were openly skeptical about Todd's claims from the very beginning. They deserve big time props for clearing it up so quickly. Yes there were racists who believed this story as soon as they heard it because it fit neatly into their racist, liberal-hating worldview, however, a lot of people didn't fall for it.

We haven't had a blame-a-black-man hoax like this in while and, frankly, initially I was afraid that it would have worked pretty well in Pittsburgh. But it didn't. There were no lynch mobs roving the streets. No reports of any kind of vigilante justice as news of the story spread.

So while this country still has very complex racial identity problems, the Todd story actually gives me hope that we are moving in the right direction.

shortstop said:
Oh, dear. This from Ms. Todd's cached MySpace page:

"Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her cloths [sic] off, but its [sic] better if you do."

Female
23 years old
College Station, Texas
United States

Words fail.

Those are titles of Panic! at the Disco songs, not some moral treatise. Just an FYI.

Those are titles of Panic! at the Disco songs, not some moral treatise. Just an FYI.

Um, what I was laughing at was the supreme irony of someone plastering this on her MS page and then becoming the nation's most famous liar.