And they can’t spell either

August 29, 2005

Even for Fox News, there are times when the network’s exploits stop being funny and start being scary.

In what Fox News officials concede was a mistake, John Loftus, a former U.S. prosecutor, gave out the address Aug. 7, saying it was the home of a Middle Eastern man, Iyad K. Hilal, who was the leader of a terrorist group with ties to those responsible for the July 7 bombings in London.

Hilal, whom Loftus identified by name during the broadcast, moved out of the house about three years ago. But the consequences were immediate for the Voricks.

Yes, Randy and Ronnell Vorick, the current occupants of the house, have done nothing wrong and have no connections to terrorism. Despite this, the family has suddenly become targets for harassment and vandalism, all because Fox News gave out their home address on the air and said it belonged to a known terrorist.

For the last 2 1/2 weeks, the lives of the couple and their three children have been plunged into an unsettling routine of drivers shouting profanities, stopping to photograph their house and — most recently — spray-painting a slogan on their property.

But to fully appreciate the mentality of those who vandalized the Voricks’ home, consider that spray-painted slogan in more detail. The vandals intended to paint the word “terrorist,” but as Think Progress reported, the Fox News fan who defaced the house spelled the word “terrist.”

That’s right, we’re talking about conservatives who can watch Fox News for wrong information and then spell “terrorist” incorrectly while vandalizing an innocent family’s house.

The mind reels.

CB wrote, “That’s right, we’re talking about conservatives who can watch Fox News for wrong information and then spell “terrorist” incorrectly while vandalizing an innocent family’s house.”

Easy there, CB. Let’s not give these thugs the perfectly honorable label of “conservative.” It burns my stomach lining to no end that the GOP has stolen the name “conservative” and has dragged it through the shit so much that nobody (including those on TV and in government who style themselves as conservatives) even knows what it means anymore.

Apart from that quibble, what you said. All this is a object demonstration that we are closer to the Germany of 1933 than the America of 1776.

  • I don’t know the law in this area, but couldn’t the Voricks sue FNC over this? They should at least help cover some of the repair costs — they have the money to help.

  • Isn’t “terrist” the way Bushites are supposed to say/spell that word?

    I wondered how long it would take Bushism to be reflected in language shift, following the peculiarities of the leader. Sort of like Spanish adopting the castellano lisp because King Alfonso X had one (I think that’s an urban myth, btw). Or, not a myth, all the French court suddenly having enemas because “The Sun King” had a medical need for them.

  • Mr. Fribble,

    I find myself lately tending to avoid phrases like “right-wing extremists” or “relgious whackos” or “arch conservative” or “racial bigots”, which I used to do out of deference for real “conservatives”. Instead, I just use “GOP”. They made their bed and seem to enjoy sleeping with their bedfellows… so be it.

  • I would be trying to sue FOX ( bullshit new’s channel ) for a large sum of money.
    Bush has so many people who follow him blindly and the rethugs love it.
    The dumning down of America.

  • Mr. Flibble,

    Yes, it infuriates the “real conservatives.” I
    have a friend, a real conservative, who has
    as much loathing for the Bushites as I,
    a “real progressive,” have. In fact, it’s
    astonishing how much we agree on about
    the tragic direction this nation has taken.
    Since Reagan. The right wing menace.

  • Sympathize with the Voricks, but note that this situation would not be any better if Hilal still lived in that house. He hasn’t been convicted of anything.

  • According to CNN on Friday night, Faux terminated Loftus’ contract as a commentator for them. Methinks they saved themselves a whopper of a lawsuit with that move.

  • He ought to be, Darrell, he ought to be. And as Biff points out, even if he had the right address.

    Might as well start calling the Democrats the party of law and order.

  • It reminds me of when we were being picketed for showing The Last Temptation of Christ. The picketers’, who had about 6 months lead time, signs “Say No To Temtation”

  • Fox News can’t get anything right. A few minutes ago the “ticker” at the bottom of the screen was saying there was “serious flooding in Kenner, east of New Orleans.”

    Kenner is WEST of New Orleans. You’d think someone could have looked at a map or something.

  • If these right-wingers are so stupid, how did they outmanuever you liberals into running the country? They cheat and lie? If you’re so smart and enlightened compared to these morons, let’s see you figure out how to win a bloody election.

  • They cheat and lie?

    Yes. Next.

    If you’re so smart and enlightened compared to these morons, let’s see you figure out how to win a bloody election.

    How long has the GOP been “winning elections?” Yeah, you’ve had some success recently, but be careful with your logic.

  • Whenever I hear someone preface their conversation with the phrase “you liberals” I immediately shut them out as it seems that they’re only parroting Limbaugh or Hannity talking points. In all the the discussions that I have with people that are Republicans I could never bring myself to start the conversation out with something like you conservatives or you right-wingers.

    It seems to me that we have an agent-provocateur in our midst.

  • Define “liberal,” Nate, so we can understand
    the terms of this debate. If you start out with
    “socialist,” or “communist,” or “atheist”
    or “unpatriotic” or “America haters” or
    “girlie men” or “pacifist” or anything along
    those lines, just go away and find a nice
    “liberal” site to troll. But if you have something
    thoughtful, or something sensible, or original,
    or something that doesn’t catapult the
    propaganda, we’re all ears.

  • Liberal = Decidedly Left of the Established Political Center

    I’m new here, but after reading the comments here I can count on one hand the number of times a person has gone against liberal orthodoxy. Hence, the rather blunt “you liberals” tag.

    To the extent that I am an agent-provocateur, I plead guilty. I like this site because when I push people push back, and I figure that’s how you and I might learn something. If I’m not to your taste, ignore me, and I’ll probably move on before too long.

    And one last thing- I’m receptive to the evil genius line of charactarization, but when it vacilates between that and the notion that conservatives are incredibly stupid, I become vexed. Even if it is some kind of nefarious cabal that is running the masses of idiots, can’t Dems marshall their own cabal and masses of smarties? Just because they are lying and cheating is no excuse for failure.

  • This incident demonstrates the power of the media. These idiots that blindly act on the words broadcast by Fox are most likely voting Republican.
    Until someone else (and who else have we, but the Dems?) breaks the stranglehold on the media that the reicht-wing owns, we won’t start winning elections.

  • Nate,

    Even if it is some kind of nefarious cabal that is running the masses of idiots, can’t Dems marshall their own cabal and masses of smarties? Just because they are lying and cheating is no excuse for failure.

    Perhaps Dems believe that the ends don’t justify the means. That our values are transcedent and our aims are not to be furthered via lying and cheating.

  • I realize that we are on yesterday’s thread but I want to take exception to the idea that liberals are left of center.

    It has long been the strategy of conservative think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the Libertarian think tank The Cato Institute to push the political center to the right. What was the center in politics 30 years ago is now considered the left by some groups. Thus we get the type of rhetoric where unions = communists = liberals = treasonous America haters.

    I consider myself as one who is trying to hang onto what I consider middle ground. I hate what America is becoming, not what it has always been during my lifetime.

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