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August 07, 2004

Is It Live...

...or is it moronic?

A video aired Saturday that purportedly showed an American being decapitated in Iraq (search) was a hoax....

Benjamin 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.

Because nothing makes me want to vote for someone like their ability to mock and insult the memories of people of all nationalities who have been viciously beheaded by Islamic fundamentalists. Nothing says "choose me me me!" quite like a wanton display of boneheaded insensitivity and disrespect. Nothing says "I'm your man for city supervisor!" like faking one's own beheading, particularly when I'm hard pressed to find any significant link between political aspirations for city office and decapitation.

However, it does nicely say "Benjamin Vanderford needs to pull his head out of his ass and try growing up sometime."

He said he understood if relatives of those killed in Iraq thought his stunt was misguided, but he offered no apologies for the hoax.

"I see how it could be considered disrespectful. But I think people, if they look at it, will understand two other big issues it brings up," he said. "A small group of disgruntled people in Iraq or Saudi Arabia could just get more attention just by easily releasing something like I did on the Internet."

It brings up the issue that the terrorists could just fake the beheadings?

Well, yeah, Benji-boy, I suppose they could. Unfortunately, their goal is to kill Westerners, not to play cops and robbers with pointy fingers going bang bang bang.

Or are you suggesting that the terrorists are faking the beheadings? Tell that to Paul Johnson's head.

No, Benji, I'm afraid the only issue that this tape raises is whether or not you have a shred of human decency, let alone two brain cells to rub together.