Last night, Paul at Wizbang
reported on a video apparently showing an American being beheaded.
The person on the video said:
"I am from San Francisco, California," the young man in the video said, dressed in a plain beige T-shirt and seated on a chair. "We need to leave this country right now. If we don't, everyone is gonna be killed in this way," he said.
"I have been offered for exchange for prisoners here in Iraq," the terrified-looking American said, rocking back and forth in his chair, his hands tied behind his back.
"We need to leave this country alone. We need to stop this occupation". The video then showed a hand with a large knife slicing through the neck of a limp body.
Paul smelled something rotten and
he was right.
The man from San Francisco, said he videotaped the staged beheading at his friend’s house using fake blood.
On the tape, Benjamin Vanderford, 22, sat on a chair in a dark room, his hands behind his back, trembling and rocking back and forth.
Interestingly enough, there is Benjamin Vanderford from San Francisco
running for office (District 5 supervisor seat, running as Independent).
A little research later and yes, they are
the same person.
bq. Vanderford, 22, said he began distributing the video on the Internet months ago in hopes of drawing attention to his one-time campaign for city supervisor. When his political aspirations waned, he thought the video would serve as social commentary.
So, his political hopes dashed, he decided to engage in some recreational deception instead.
The video was titled "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Slaughters an American." Zarqawi is an Al Qaeda-linked militant whose group, Tawhid and Jihad, has claimed responsibility for numerous deadly attacks across Iraq, including the beheading of U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg.
Vanderford's video also showed images of disfigured and injured people in Iraq. A recording of the Quran, Islam's holy book, played in the background.
Sipping soda in his kitchen, a shirtless Vanderford said he spliced images he took from a Hamas Web site showing mutilated bodies. He later edited the 55 second video to downgrade the quality so it would look similar to beheading tapes distributed since the war in Iraq began.
Vanderford offered no apologies for his stunt.
"That was another experiment that was part of this to see how quickly that system will spread news," Vanderford said.
What a way to get your point across. Benjamin gets my nomination for Idiot of the Day. Maybe even the year.
I'm sure the families of those who were really beheaded by terrorists appreciate having to relive their nightmares over again when Benjamin's stunt made the news. And I'm sure the Muslims in his community equally appreciate Benajmin's big lie.
James Joyner has more.
Update: I'm at a loss in trying to figure out how Ben's stunt would garner sympathy for the anti-war movement. He was only furthering the anger towards the "insurgents" and "militants" in Iraq. Perhaps he really had no goal except to feed his own ego.
Update the second: I have to agree with Laurence in the comments that this speaks volumes about the media's willingness to soak this stuff up.
Comments
It is quite bizarre, to say the least
Posted by: James Joyner | August 7, 2004 09:15 AM
Of course, now that he's cried wolf, should some enterprising San Franciscans actually cut off his head, nobody will believe him.
Posted by: Laurence Simon | August 7, 2004 09:35 AM
I suspect his line of "reasoning" was:
I'm a cool guy from SF. If people see a cool guy from SF getting killed, they'll think "Bad!"
While they're thinking "Bad!", they'll also have seen pictures of dead Arabs (it goes without saying that they were killed by American Zionist pig fascists) and link it with other beheading videos.
Therefore, they will conclude that the war in Iraq is evil because some other cool guys in SF might die.
And since my political campaign sucks, what do I have to lose?
Posted by: Hatcher | August 7, 2004 09:41 AM
In a way, he's demonstrating how quickly the media devour this garbage as well as how easy it is for a few slimewads with a knife and a Koran can manipulate the global media into becoming their PR firm.
Posted by: Laurence Simon | August 7, 2004 09:44 AM
The medium is the message, and the message is "Hey, look at me!"
Posted by: Brian J. | August 7, 2004 09:45 AM
My first thought is that beauty may be skin deep, but stupid goes straight to the bone.
If you live in a political echo chamber long enough, like Benjamin Vanderford has, you begin to have thoughts hat most would find alien. He needed - but will not - start to listen to those he considers the other side.
Posted by: Jerry | August 7, 2004 10:11 AM
Way OT - Michelle since i know you are a fellow devotee of The Big L, you sh know that this weekends NY Times has a rather large article about it, and the cult following it has gathered. Of course, there is the unfortunate and obligatory slam the GOP para or two, but otherwise, entertaining.
Posted by: hen | August 7, 2004 10:29 AM
Didn't they do an episode of The Dead Zone about this? Maybe he likes The Dead Zone.
Posted by: Jim Treacher | August 7, 2004 10:35 AM
Hmm... 22, male, from Frisco. Add failed political run.
"Jackass" ... The Bay Area Moonbat Spinoff Show.
Posted by: Darleen | August 7, 2004 10:36 AM
I think I'm going to vote for his opponent.
Posted by: David Ross | August 7, 2004 11:02 AM
Is there no depth of low that the lefties won't stoop too?
Posted by: Faith | August 7, 2004 11:32 AM
No wait, BUSH lied.
Posted by: Faith | August 7, 2004 11:33 AM
You're right Lawrence, they believe it because they want to believe it.
Posted by: Dave in Texas | August 7, 2004 11:59 AM
What a moron. It's an insult to those and their families who have really been murdered in this heinous way.
I'd imagine it must have been a giveaway when he was available for comment on his own beheading.
Posted by: twoghosts | August 7, 2004 12:14 PM
The media falls for this sort of crap for a simple reason. Once upon a time reporting was a trade. It was the avenue for bright working class kids to escape the mines, farms and factories.
Somehow that changed, it quit being the trade of reporting and became the Profession of Journalism. Instead of bright working class kids it's now the home of upper middle class kids too dumb to bring into the family business.
Here is a simple test. Take the thing you know best, whether your job, your hobby, even your religion. Watch and read the news for stories about that one thing. I'll bet dollars to fishing worms that those stories will be riddled with inacuracies and ommissions, if not outright lies.
I'm told that a good spell of crying is beneficial as a catharsis, go to any J-school in the country, follow the kids to their hangout and sit down and talk with them for an hour or so. You'll weep.
Posted by: Peter | August 7, 2004 12:22 PM
Wow, I think
Bushsomeone must be doing something to the water because betweenReynold's shirt or Bush's "Flip Flop" the level of inanity is enormous these days.
Posted by: h0mi | August 7, 2004 01:22 PM
Apropos Laurence's comment concerning "the media," there was one very important exception: CNN did NOT run with the story, choosing instead to wait for verification(!)
Posted by: Anon | August 7, 2004 04:10 PM
To contact Benjamin Vanderford to tell him what you think of his little stunt click here . To see the video that is causing the uproar click here.
Posted by: Wild Bill | August 7, 2004 07:25 PM
I didn't read any of the previous posts. I want this SOB ripped. And I wan Oliver to to it. C'mon, Chubby. If you can't kick him you are dead from the neck up.
Posted by: TC-LeatherPenguin | August 7, 2004 09:43 PM
Laurence? I'll get on a plane and go VOTE for that idgit, if you'll join me. (I actually own n apartment on Golden Gate Ave. so we wouldn't be Totally merced out ...why not? The town is obviously a casino without craps.
Posted by: TC-LeatherPenguin | August 8, 2004 02:13 AM
waay past hoopy....
Posted by: TC-LeatherPenguin | August 8, 2004 03:10 AM
Posted by: Pixy Misa | August 8, 2004 11:01 AM
Politician or performance artist? Answer: better at one than another. (Bonus question: is it good to be a successful performance artist? Bonus answer: No.)
But it is important to note, especially following recent comments on this very website, just how vital it is for all independents to denounce this guy, since he's running as one of you! Come on, all you independents, where's the outrage!? Where's the demand that his party membership be taken away? Where's the much needed distancing that other independent candidates will need to display, rather than get sucked down with this idiot? Where's the...
Oh yeah, never mind.
Posted by: jon | August 8, 2004 03:30 PM
M, please post this on TCP Iraq ...
Posted by: Alan | August 8, 2004 03:34 PM
Do I smell a little jelously?
No i smell a lot.
Looks like the people in here are sad they didn't get their 15 worldwide news minutes.
http://videohoax.ctyme.com
(our side of the story)
Robbie
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