Report: Ohio city believes Obama rumors

FINDLAY, Ohio, June 30 (UPI) -- Some residents of an Ohio city say they refuse to believe likely U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., isn't a Muslim.

The residents also said they believe Obama, is from Africa, possibly gay and a racist, The Washington Post reported Monday. The newspaper said its interviews with residents of Findlay, Ohio, considered a key swing area in November's presidential elections, revealed deeply held beliefs in untruths about Obama that have been widely disseminated on the Internet.

One retired U.S. Air Force veteran, 74-year-old Jim Peterman, told the newspaper his friends and relatives routinely discuss Obama's supposed Muslim faith, saying. "I'll admit that I probably don't follow all of the election news like maybe I should. I haven't read his books or studied up more than a little bit. But it's hard to ignore what you hear when everybody you know is saying it. These are good people, smart people, so can they really all be wrong?"

The Post describes Findlay as a Rust Belt town of 40,000 where false rumors about Obama have hardened into an alternative biography. To counter such rumors, his campaign has established a Web site meant to deal with them and have launched television ads emphasizing his Christian faith.