“Barack Obama is a Muslim.”

Or so I was told in a Facebook discussion recently. This was in a discussion between a group of presumably Christian folks, several of whom agreed that Obama was not a Christian.

What does it say about people that they are willing to call a man a liar about something a personal as his religion? Without any evidence, in fact with all evidence to the contrary? It’s not like Obama has not been a public figure. It’s not like he hasn’t regularly talked to people about his faith.

Of course, from this same discussion, one poster dared me to find one video of Obama saying the Pledge of Allegience. “You can’t do it!” she crowed.

I found a youtube video of Obama leading the Pledge in about five seconds.

It’s very disturbing. My friends on the right are not just losing touch with reality. They’re rejecting it. And I can’t quite puzzle out why. Are their lives really so miserable they have to take up this crusade against the real world?

But the beat goes on. The birthers. The death panels. FEMA concentration camps. Global Warming Denial. There was even a poll that found Republicans think Obama was elected because ACORN rigged the election.

The Anti-Defamation League recently put out a report called “Rage Grows in America: Anti-Government Conspiracies.” It’s not a fun read, but it underscores some of the irrational anger I’ve been seeing out there.

“What characterizes this anti-government hostility is a shared belief that Obama and his administration actually pose a threat to the future of the United States. Some accuse Obama of plotting to bring socialism to the United States, while others claim he will bring about Nazism or fascism. All believe that Obama and his administration will trample on individual freedoms and civil liberties, due to some sinister agenda, and they see his economic and social policies as manifestations of this agenda. In particular anti-government activists used the issue of health care reform as a rallying point, accusing Obama and his administration of dark designs ranging from “socialized medicine” to “death panels,” even when the Obama administration had not come out with a specific health care reform plan. Some even compared the Obama administration’s intentions to Nazi eugenics programs.

“Some of these assertions are motivated by prejudice, but more common is an intense strain of anti-government distrust and anger, colored by a streak of paranoia and belief in conspiracies. These sentiments are present both in mainstream and “grass-roots” movements as well as in extreme anti-government movements such as a resurgent militia movement. Ultimately, this anti-government anger, if it continues to grow in intensity and scope, may result in an increase in anti-government extremists and the potential for a rise of violent anti-government acts.”