Team Cut and Paste

My man Mike Donila is calling out Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine's gubernatorial campaign for some pretty shoddy plagiarism.

At issue is the same July 3 email blast that Amy Morton, Peach Pundit and SWGA Politics called out for apparent inaccuracies the day Team Oxendine sent it out.

You can read the "written by Team Oxendine" message here, on his campaign Web site. But Mike's right, it's clearly taken from other Internet sources, though a few words have been changed. All you have to do is google a line or two from Commissioner Oxendine's message:

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors. These were tortured before they died. Twelve signers had their homes ransacked and burned. Two signers lost sons serving in the Revolutionary Army. Yet another signer had two sons captured. Finally, nine of the 56 signers fought and subsequently died from wounds or hardships received during the Revolutionary War. Indeed, as the last line of the Declaration states, the entire contingent pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

As Mike put it, "You can find that thing, that nearly exact wording, anywhere on the Internet."

When Oxendine's campaign sent this thing out, I didn't really expect it to be an original work. It looks exactly like what it is: A lazy bit of unsourced history taken from the Internet. Not exactly a heartfelt message of patriotism.

But if you're going to specifically write "written by Team Oxendine" on top of something, shouldn't it be? I've emailed the campaign requesting comment. Perhaps they will reply with this.


Chances are also good that Team Oxendine did not paint that picture.

UPDATE: The Oxendine campaign has declined to comment.