Barack Obama is crazy popular in Kenya. His face is on t-shirts, posters, busses, and more. He's a national celebrity and hero there. So, it turns out some Christian missionaries asked Jerome Corsi, author of the discredited poop in book form, "The Obama Nation," to come to Kenya in order to battle Islam.
Huh?!?
Obama is not now, nor has ever been, Muslim, a fact that all but the most terminally self-hypnotized Obama haters admit. So just what these missionaries were thinking remains a mystery. But it is true that Corsi, as other right-wing haters and cons before him, repeats the lie that Obama is Muslim in his book.
At any rate, Jerome Corsi found himself ejected from the country by Kenyan officials. Reason? Lack of a work permit.
For some reason, I find that wildly funny.
12 comments:
Do you have a link or something for further reading on this?
Here ya go, Chris:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27062352/
Wow. What a way to encourage rejection of the Faith.
So let me get this straight, somebody 'round here is praising the anti-First Amendment behavior of the wonderful, God-blessed nation of Kenya? I realize they are not obligated in any way to respect our principles, but I think y'all Lefties missed an opportunity to be on the side of the angels in this deal. You could still stick your rhetorical knives in Corsi's ample frame, while decrying the book burning mentality on display in Mother Africa.
//bb
Bob,
First, Kenya doesn't to my knowledge use the American Constitution as its guiding government document. Theirs may be just as good... but I don't (nor, I suspect, do you) know enough about Kenya to say what their governing documents say. You come off a touch xenophobic there...
Second, even if they did, no "anti-First Amendment behavior" occurred here. A non-Kenyan showed up and attempted to make a living in Kenya... without a permit. Oops. Sounds real, real American to me, as does what happened to him for trying it.
Third, you wrote a rhetorical phrase which really does make no sense whatever: "the book burning mentality on display in Mother Africa." Uh, no one burned a book. Or even damaged one. Do you know of some book burning going on in "Mother Africa" you're not telling us about?
Jon:
A little comprehensive reading of my second sentence (I know I have been guilty of missing stuff like this) shows that I don't know about Kenya and states flat out that they are "not obligated... to respect our principles,..."
You (and the Kenyans) are hanging on a technicality (lack of work permit) that I believe is a straw dog to conceal their true agenda.
The Kenyans are demonstrably pro-Obama throughout the country and the government was looking for an excuse to deny Corsi a shot at making a buck trashing their hero. Their country, their call...but that is my [xenophobic ?] opinion
You don't have to burn anything to have a "book burning" mentality. I believe that they were engaging in preventive medicine against what they perceive as Corsi's poisonous speech.
If you look at what was done and take a literal interpretation, then, of course, you are absolutely correct.
I am in the dangerous territory of motive judgment. I only have second hand knowledge of Kenya. Kenyans I know (a few) do not have tremendous respect for the government there.
The smartest people in the paleontological room say that the forbears of us homo sapiens rose up in Africa, therefore the "Mother Africa" reference (with just a twist of wry).
//bb
Actually, a rejection for lack of work permit was eminently appropriate, in order to avoid a dangerous conflaguration of Christianity being preached with politics. In countries without our history of "freedom" of religion, that's a dangerous road indeed, and they try to limit prostelytism, as distinct from evangelism. This is especially true and important if politics are brought into the mix. The M's already present in the country screwed up; not the Kenyan government.
Oh- and lacking a work permit is, I believe, a regular reason why the conservatives and Religious Right delight in kicking out 10s of 1000s from the U.S. How can we say it's okay for the goose that used to lay golden eggs, but not good for the gander? How can we affirm a work permit is needed in the U.S., and turn around and cry "fowl" if it's not done in Kenya?
The whole story (Obama's religion)reminds me a little of the media discussion following accusations that Tom Cruise was gay (http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hilden/20051206.html)
What does it say that Obama has to vehemently deny he is not a muslim - it all seems so, well ... racist. Sure, more scorn should be poured on Corsi et al, but I'm not sure anyone I've read comes free from blame. Obama is not a muslim, but the statment that he is is not just a statement capable of falsification (i.e, 'no he's not') but has prejudices lurking behind it (i.e, 'not a fit leader of America' etc). In only answering the first question liberals do a disservice to democracy.
Richard,
If I am hearing you right, I concur. That is, if you mean that this attack on Obama has two false messages in it, of which I am only dealing with the first, you are dead on. The two messages being:
1. Obama is a Muslim.
2. A Muslim could never be a good American President.
Unfortunately, to articulate the wrongness of both these points every time I address the first point gets fairly laborous, and (needless to say) confuses those already disposed to (perhaps intentionally) confuse and conflate them.
Nonetheless, it is true that someone being a Muslim (though Barack Obama is not now nor has ever been a Muslim) is no more an indicator of her or his fitness for the Presidency than is... can I say this?...
Someone being an Evangelical Christian!!
I hope that helps clarify things.
Yes, the importance of pointing out that Obama isn't a Muslim is purely political- he can't be elected if he is, or is thought to be. The importance of pointing out that a Muslim shouldn't be denied from being in office is more of a matter of the Kingdom justice of Jesus Christ.
Jon,
You hear me right.
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