Front Page  »  

Mayor Tom O’Malley under fire for anti-Muslim post

October 10, 2015

By CCN STAFF

As the international debate over religious intolerance rages, comments shared by Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley on Facebook have led to criticism and outrage from supporters and opponents.

On Sept. 24, O’Malley posted a link to a conspiracy blog that claims that Muslims are overtaking the White House. The poster goes on to erroneously report that President Barack Obama ordered five nuclear carriers from the Middle East in early 2014, endangering the lives of U.S. service men serving overseas.

Facebook Tom O'Malley

Shortly after O’Malley shared the post on his personal Facebook page, several readers voiced their concerns.

“Citizens should be scared spitless,” wrote Mary Lee Harris.

Lee Darling utilized the comment as a reason to vote for Donald Trump for president.

“That is why we need President Trump to rebuild our armed forces,” Darling wrote.

Nevertheless, most of the commentators, including former Atascadero City Council candidate Len Colamarino, chastised the mayor for promoting a conspiracy blog.

“It is a disgrace and embarrassment for our community to have a mayor who peddles this kind of scurrilous claptrap,” Colamarino wrote.

Others questioned the mayor’s perceived support of religious prejudice.

“Are you serious Tom O’Malley?” Michael Lanter wrote. “Anti-Muslim bigotry from our elected mayor? What do you hope to gain from this?”

O’Malley’s decision to share the controversial post has also raised concerns about the freedom of speech rights of elected officials. On one side, proponents contend O’Malley has the right to share posts and his opinions on social media without facing scrutiny.

Others, such as former Atascadero mayor Mike Brennler said the public has a right to discuss the views public officials promote on social media.


Loading...
Subjects:             
Related:


39 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Welcome to Atascadero…


0

I feel that the terror that followers of islam have perpetrated on the United States and other countries around the world have justly earned the perceptions people have developed about their religion. Having an opinion is not a crime, not yet anyway.


0

Muslims do not have a monopoly on inflicting terror on the world. I guess you forgot about the Oklahoma City bombing? How about the crusades? Radical Christians of the world have provided plenty of fodder to earn a negative perception as well.


0

Muslims do not have a monopoly on inflicting terror on the world. I guess you forgot about the Oklahoma City bombing? How about the crusades?

————-

Funny. Your own factual support cuts against your conclusion. The Oklahoma city bombing was 20 years ago and one isolated incident by one crazy person and the Christian crusades were 1000 years ago. If that’s all you have, didn’t you just prove Muslims do pretty much have the monopoly on terrorism?


0

I dislike ad hominum attacks, but am compelled to level one. If you don’t know history, don’t quote it as if you do. The tired mantra about the crusades is rot. The crusades were the response of Christian’s disgust at the atrocities of the Muslims on infidels in the name of their religion. Islam was created in the seventh century and imposed violent Sharia on countries in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia for five hundred years before Western Europe finally took up arms against it.


For over a 1,000 years Islam has been wreaking terror on the world. Learn your history.


0

Maybe Super Dave can organize a pro Muslim rally at Mission Plaza during Gay week rather than name calling or labeling an individual for his political differences.


0

At least he didn’t post a cartoon of Mohammed on his page. Allah Akbar! (Please don’t kill me Muslims, I mean no disrespect).


0

While anyone still using facebook deserves what they get, why is it that calling someone a muslim is seen as such a derogatory thing? Will the people (if they really exist) who get upset when someone says anything with the word “muslim” in it ever really look inward and ask why they react the way they do?


“I think he might be a muslim!” vs. “I think he might be a Christian!” vs. “I think he might be heterosexual!” vs. “I think he might be a democrat!”


Seriously, why do some “labels” offend and others don’t even register? Or are we all so judgmental now that we can know another’s “intent” and inner thoughts?


0

To the general public, it is not a derogatory thing. But to the intended audience of fundamental Christians being a Muslim is equivalent to being the spawn of Satan. What is shocking here is not that someone is called a Muslim, but the intended implications and the demonstrated ignorance.


0

Mike, Mike, Mike,

Seems you dislike Christ-ians…as much as Muslims do!


0

The picture was real, but from 2012, and the 5 carriers were docked together but they weren’t first line carriers and they weren’t pulled from the middle east.


So O’Malley, when you’re feeling your right wing, country bumpkin, tea party run with it, I’m about to embarrass myself coming on, at least fact check it on snopes.com before you swallow a big load.


0

What bothers me about this incident is that the Tribune used this to write an entire editorial and blow it up to a major politically incorrect violation.


Everyone should check their personal facebook pages to make sure they pass the Tribune left wing politically correct test. First, it’s the elected officials, then it’s the teachers and professors, then it’s the business owners, etc.


The Tribune has appointed itself as judge and jury. Notice that no Muslims in the county were ever contacted to see if they thought the article was offensive; it’s the perceived affront to Muslims by the hapless editor of the Tribune and her staff.


0

“write an entire editorial and blow it up to a major politically incorrect violation.”

How else can you steer a population to vote for the approved candidates when the time comes.


“The Tribune has appointed itself as judge and jury.” and campaign consultants, after all John Peshong is not consulting active political campaigns, but his opposite T Foulks ? Just go look who the Trib endorsed in 2012 and now for 2016.

Then pile on the support from one of the largest utilities in the world, who needs Adam Hill’s vote to relicense Diablo, Just ask Tom Jones, a PG&E director of government relations.


Corruption is easy without transparency. For example Adam Hill uses a private email server, almost like Hillary.


It is embarrassing to be a district 3 Democrat.


0

I believe Peshong said last week that he is consulting an active campaign, Supervisor Debbie Arnold. Don’t know that it matters, though. Both of those guys are a waste of newsprint.


0

The mayor has demonstrated what an idiot he is on many occasions but this one will really bite him in the ass because of the political correct factor. Most of the citizens of A Town probably agree with old Tom on this one but the ones that don’t will make quite a fuss about it.


0

How could anyone possibly be anti-Muslim? Why, just look around the world at all the, uh, um, never mind.


0
1 2 3