Is Obama a Racist?  In Obama's Own Words

     Being curious by nature, and having a general attitude of  giving
a person the benefit of the doubt, I recently finished Obama's first book, 
"Dreams from My Father:  A Story of Race and Inheritance." 
More specifically, the edition of the book was published by Three Rivers
Press, New York, New York, Copyright 1995, 2004, paperback edition, 
ISBN 978-1-4000-8277-3 (Original edition ISBN 1-4000-8277-3). 

     In 1995, Barack Obama was 34 years old. 

     I'm sure that Obama supporters love the book. 

     However, some of his statements in the book disturbed me by
what seems to me to be racially negative comments and
stereotypes.  Some of the statements were also negative about
American children and American tourists. 

     It occurred to me that if such statements had been made
about Jews, Obama would be accused of being an anti-semite. 

     Also, if Obama were white and had made such negative
comments about blacks, then he would be accused of being a
racist. 

     Should a black man be exempt from being accused of being a
racist simply because he is black?  

     For all those persons who have neither the time nor the
inclination to read the over 450 pages of his book, I have copied
selected portions which disturbed me from the point of view of
racial and American negativity. 

[ PRELIMINARY NOTE:  I have CAPITALIZED WORDS that I want to
emphasize.  These words were NOT capitalized by Obama ]. 

Page 47: 
Telling some of the things he learned from his mother, Obama
states: 

"She had always encouraged my rapid acculturation in Indonesia:
It had made me relatively self-sufficient, undemanding on a tight
budget, and EXTREMELY WELL MANNERED WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER
AMERICAN CHILDREN.  She had taught me to DISDAIN THE BLEND OF
IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE THAT TOO OFTEN CHARACTERIZED AMERICANS
ABROAD."   


Page 211: 
After Obama and his white girl friend (that he loved, whom he
had been seeing for almost a year, and whose parents he had met
and described as very nice and very gracious, on page 210) had
seen a play by a black playwright; they discussed the play, and
Obama states: 

"After the play was over, my friend started talking about WHY
BLACK PEOPLE WERE SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME.  I said it was a matter
of remembering--NOBODY ASKS WHY JEWS REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST, I
think I said--and she said that's different, and I said it
wasn't, and she said that anger was just a dead end.  WE HAD A
BIG FIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE THEATER.  When we got back to
the car she started crying.  She couldn't be black, she said.
She would if she could, but she couldn't.  She could only be
herself, and wasn't that enough." 


Page 220: 
In describing personal attributes he desired, Obama states: 

"Yes, I'd seen weakness in other men--Gramps and his
disappointments, Lolo and his compromise.  But these men had
become object lessons for me, men I might love but never emulate,
WHITE MEN AND BROWN MEN WHOSE FATES DIDN'T SPEAK TO MY OWN.  IT
WAS INTO MY FATHER'S IMAGE, THE BLACK MAN, SON OF AFRICA, THAT
I'D PACKED ALL THE ATTRIBUTES I SOUGHT IN MYSELF, THE ATTRIBUTES
OF MARTIN AND MALCOLM, DUBOIS AND MANDELA."


Page 301: 
On his way to Kenya, Obama is thinking about his conversation
with a young British passenger seated beside him on the plane.
The British passenger is a student of geology who is on his way
to a mine in South Africa, and Obama states: 

"How much could I blame him for wanting to better his lot?  MAYBE
I WAS JUST ANGRY BECAUSE OF HIS EASY FAMILIARITY WITH ME, his
assumption that I, as an American, even a black American, might
naturally share in his dim view of Africa; an assumption that in
his world at least marked a progress of sorts, but that for me
only underscored MY OWN UNEASY STATUS:  A WESTERNER NOT ENTIRELY
AT HOME IN THE WEST, AN AFRICAN ON HIS WAY TO A LAND FULL OF
STRANGERS."


Bottom of page 301 to top of page 302: 
After travelling in Europe for more than a week, Obama states: 

"I began to suspect that my European stop was just one more means
of delay, one more attempt to avoid coming to terms with the Old
Man.  Stripped of language, stripped of work and routine--
stripped even of the RACIAL OBSESSIONS TO WHICH I'D BECOME SO
ACCUSTOMED AND WHICH I HAD TAKEN (PERVERSELY) AS A SIGN OF MY OWN
MATURATION--I HAD BEEN FORCED TO LOOK INSIDE MYSELF AND HAD FOUND
ONLY A GREAT EMPTINESS THERE.  WOULD THIS TRIP TO KENYA FINALLY
FILL THAT EMPTINESS?  The folks back in Chicago thought so." 


Page 311: 
Obama, visiting Kenya for the first time, enjoying how he fit in
so comfortably in a black society, Obama states: 

"HERE THE WORLD WAS BLACK, AND SO YOU WERE JUST YOU; YOU COULD
DISCOVER ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WERE UNIQUE TO YOUR LIFE WITHOUT
LIVING A LIE OR COMMITTING BETRAYAL. 
How tempting, I thought, to fly away with this moment intact.  TO
HAVE THIS FEELING OF EASE WRAPPED UP AS NEATLY AS THE YOUNG MAN
WAS NOW WRAPPING AUMA'S NECKLACE, AND TAKE IT BACK WITH ME TO
AMERICA TO SLIP ON WHENEVER MY SPIRITS FLAGGED.  But of course,
that wasn't possible.  We finished our sodas.  Money changed
hands.  We left the marketplace.  The moment slipped away.  "


Page 312: 
In reflecting on his dislike of tourists in Kenya from Europe,
Asia, and America,  Obama states: 

"I took the opportunity to study the tourists as Auma and I sat
down for lunch in the outdoor cafe of the New Stanley Hotel.
THEY WERE EVERYWHERE--GERMANS, JAPANESE, BRITISH, AMERICANS--
TAKING PICTURES, HAILING TAXIS, FENDING OFF STREET PEDDLERS, MANY
OF THEM DRESSED IN SAFARI SUITS LIKE EXTRAS ON A MOVIE SET.  IN
HAWAII, WHEN WE WERE STILL KIDS, MY FRIENDS AND I LAUGHED AT
TOURISTS LIKE THESE, WITH THEIR SUNBURNS AND THEIR PALE SKINNY
LEGS, BASKING IN THE GLOW OF OUR OBVIOUS SUPERIORITY.  HERE IN
AFRICA, THOUGH, THE TOURISTS DIDN'T SEEM SO FUNNY.  I FELT THEM
AS AN ENCROACHMENT, SOMEHOW; I FOUND THEIR INNOCENCE VAGUELY
INSULTING.  IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IN THEIR UTTER LACK OF SELF-
CONSCIOUSNESS, THEY WERE EXPRESSING A FREEDOM THAT NEITHER AUMA
NOR I COULD EVER EXPERIENCE, A BEDROCK CONFIDENCE IN THEIR OWN
PAROCHIALISM, A CONFIDENCE RESERVED FOR THOSE BORN INTO IMPERIAL
CULTURES." 

Obama's Own Words: For Nonsupporters: Part III

For all those persons who had neither the time nor the
inclination to read over 480 pages of Barack Obama's first book,
here are some quotations taken from that book, "Dreams from My
Father:  A Story of Race and Inheritance", by Barack Obama,
published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, Copyright
1995, 2004, paperback edition, ISBN 978-1-4000-8277-3 (Original
edition ISBN 1-4000-8277-3).  For your information, in 1995,
Barack Obama was 34 years old. 

This "Part III" covers Chapters 15 to Epilogue of the book. 

[PRELIMINARY NOTE:  I have CAPITALIZED WORDS that I want to
emphasize.  These words were NOT capitalized by Obama]. 

Page 301: 
On his way to Kenya, Obama is thinking about his conversation
with a young British passenger seated beside him on the plane.
The British passenger is a student of geology who is on his way
to a mine in South Africa, and Obama states: 

"How much could I blame him for wanting to better his lot?  MAYBE
I WAS JUST ANGRY BECAUSE OF HIS EASY FAMILIARITY WITH ME, his
assumption that I, as an American, even a black American, might
naturally share in his dim view of Africa; an assumption that in
his world at least marked a progress of sorts, but that for me
only underscored MY OWN UNEASY STATUS:  A WESTERNER NOT ENTIRELY
AT HOME IN THE WEST, AN AFRICAN ON HIS WAY TO A LAND FULL OF
STRANGERS."

Bottom of page 301 to top of page 302: 
After travelled in Europe for more than a week, Obama states: 

"I began to suspect that my European stop was just one more means
of delay, one more attempt to avoid coming to terms with the Old
Man.  Stripped of language, stripped of work and routine--
stripped even of the RACIAL OBSESSIONS TO WHICH I'D BECOME SO
ACCUSTOMED AND WHICH I HAD TAKEN (PERVERSELY) AS A SIGN OF MY OWN
MATURATION--I HAD BEEN FORCED TO LOOK INSIDE MYSELF AND HAND
FOUND ONLY A GREAT EMPTINESS THERE.  WOULD THIS TRIP TO KENYA
FINALLY FILL THAT EMPTINESS?  The folks back in Chicago thought
so." 

Page 311: 
Obama, visiting Kenya for the first time, enjoying how he fit in
so comfortably in a black society, Obama states: 

"HERE THE WORLD WAS BLACK, AND SO YOU WERE JUST YOU; YOU COULD
DISCOVER ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WERE UNIQUE TO YOUR LIFE WITHOUT
LIVING A LIE OR COMMITTING BETRAYAL. 
How tempting, I thought, to fly away with this moment intact.  TO
HAVE THIS FEELING OF EASE WRAPPED UP AS NEATLY AS THE YOUNG MAN
WAS NOW WRAPPING AUMA'S NECKLACE, AND TAKE IT BACK WITH ME TO
AMERICA TO SLIP ON WHENEVER MY SPIRITS FLAGGED.  But of course,
that wasn't possible.  We finished our sodas.  Money changed
hands.  We left the marketplace.  The moment slipped away.  "

Page 312: 
In reflecting on his dislike of tourists in Kenya from Europe,
Asia, and America,  Obama states: 

"I took the opportunity to study the tourists as Auma and I sat
down for lunch in the outdoor cafe of the New Stanley Hotel.
THEY WERE EVERYWHERE--GERMANS, JAPANESE, BRITISH, AMERICANS--
TAKING PICTURES, HAILING TAXIS, FENDING OFF STREET PEDDLERS, MANY
OF THEM DRESSED IN SAFARI SUITS LIKE EXTRAS ON A MOVIE SET.  I
HAWAII, WHEN WE WERE STILL KIDS, MY FRIENDS AND I LAUGHED AT
TOURISTS LIKE THESE, WITH THEIR SUNBURNS AND THEIR PALE SKINNY
LEGS, BASKING IN THE GLOW OF OUR OBVIOUS SUPERIORITY.  HERE IN
AFRICA, THOUGH, THE TOURISTS DIDN'T SEEM SO FUNNY.  I FELT THEM
AS AN ENCROACHMENT, SOMEHOW; I FOUND THEIR INNOCENCE VAGUELY
INSULTING.  IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IN THEIR UTTER LACK OF SELF-
CONSCIOUSNESS, THEY WERE EXPRESSING A FREEDOM THAT NEITHER AUMA
NOR I COULD EVER EXPERIENCE, A BEDROCK CONFIDENCE IN THEIR OWN
PARCHIALISM, A CONFIDENCE RESERVED FOR THOSE BORN INTO IMPERIAL
CULTURES." 

From the bottom of Page 316 to the top of Page 317: 
Discussing some aspects of his life back in America with his
relatives at dinner,  Obama states: 

"After the introductions were over, Jane pushed me toward a small
table set with bowls of goat curry, fried fish, collards, and
rice.  As we ate, people asked me about everyone back in Hawaii,
and I tried to describe my life in Chicago and my work as an
organizer.  They nodded politely but seemed a bit puzzled, SO I
MENTIONED THAT I'D BE STUDYING LAW AT HARVARD IN THE FALL."

Page 422: 
Obama recounts a narrative from his grandmother begun on page 406
about his father Barack senior and his grandfather, Barack
senior's father, named Onyango.  About his grandmother's
narrative, Obama states: 

"What happened in America, I cannot say.  I know that after less
than two years WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM BARACK SAYING THAT HE
HAD MET THIS AMERICAN GIRL, ANN, AND THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO MARRY
HER.  Now, Barry, you have heard that your grandfather
disapproved of this marriage.  This is true, but it is not for
the reasons you say.  YOU SEE, ONYANGO DID NOT BELIEVE YOUR
FATHER WAS BEHAVING RESPONSIBLY.  HE WROTE BACK TO BARACK,
SAYING, "HOW CAN YOU MARRY THIS WHITE WOMAN WHEN YOU HAVE
RESPONSIBILITIES AT HOME?  WILL THIS WOMAN RETURN WITH YOU AND
LIVE AS A LUO WOMAN?  WILL SHE ACCEPT THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE A
WIFE AND CHILDREN?  I HAVE NOT HEARD OF WHITE PEOPLE
UNDERSTANDING SUCH THINGS." ."

Page 438: 
About his return to Chicago after his graduation from Harvard Law
School in about 1991, Obama states: 

"Upon my return to Chicago, I would find the signs of decay
accelerated throughout the South Side--the neighborhoods
shabbier, the children edgier and less restrained, more middle-
class families heading out to the suburbs, the jails bursting
with glowering youth, MY BROTHERS WITHOUT PROSPECTS.  All too
RARELY DO I HEAR PEOPLE ASKING just what it is that we've done to
make so many children's hearts so hard, or WHAT COLLECTIVELY WE
MIGHT DO TO RIGHT THEIR MORAL COMPASS--what values we must live
by.  INSTEAD I SEE US DOING WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE--PRETENDING
THAT THESE CHILDREN ARE SOMEHOW NOT OUR OWN." 

Page 441: 
Describing his wedding to Michelle Robinson and one of the
guests, his half-brother Roy, Obama states: 

"THE PERSON WHO MADE ME PROUDEST OF ALL THOUGH, WAS ROY.
Actually, now we call him Abongo, his Luo name, for two years ago
HE DECIDED TO REASSERT HIS AFRICAN HERITAGE.  HE CONVERTED TO
ISLAM, and has sworn off pork and tobacco and alcohol.  He still
works at his accounting firm but TALKS ABOUT MOVING BACK TO KENYA
ONCE HE HAS ENOUGH MONEY."

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In Obama's Own Words:  for Nonsupporters:  Part II

For all those persons who had neither the time nor the
inclination to read over 480 pages of Barack Obama's first book,
here are some quotations taken from that book, "Dreams from My
Father:  A Story of Race and Inheritance", by Barack Obama,
published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, Copyright
1995, 2004, paperback edition, ISBN 978-1-4000-8277-3 (Original
edition ISBN 1-4000-8277-3).  For your information, in 1995,
Barack Obama was 34 years old. 

This "Part II" covers Chapters 9-14 of the book. 

[PRELIMINARY NOTE:  I have CAPITALIZED WORDS that I want to
emphasize.  These words were NOT capitalized by Obama]. 

Page 193: 
Relating to tensions in the black community between color
consciousness between blacks, such as good hair, bad hair; thick
lips or thin; if you're light, you're alright, if you're black,
get back, Obama states: 

"Later, I would realize that the position of most black students
in predominantly white colleges was already too tenuous, OUR
IDENTITIES TOO SCRAMBLED, to admit to ourselves that our black
pride remained incomplete.  And to admit our doubt and confusion
to whites, to open up our psyches to general examination by those
who had caused so much of the damage in the first place, seemed
ludicrous, itself AN EXPRESSION OF SELF-HATRED--for there seemed
no reason to expect that whites would look at our private
struggles as a mirror into their own souls, rather than yet MORE
EVIDENCE OF BLACK PATHOLOGY." 

Page 199: 
In writing about his discussions with a Black Muslim named Rafiq,
Obama states: 

"In a sense, then, RAFIQ WAS RIGHT when he insisted that, DEEP
DOWN, ALL BLACKS WERE POTENTIAL NATIONALISTS.  The anger was
there, bottled up and often turned inward.  And as I though about
Ruby and her blue eyes, the teenagers calling each other 'n i g g e r'
and worse, I wondered whether, for now at least Rafiq wasn't also
right in preferring that the anger be redirected; WHETHER A BLACK
POLITICS THAT SUPPRESSED RAGE TOWARD WHITES GENERALLY, or one
that failed to elevate race loyalty above all else, WAS A
POLITICS INADEQUATE TO THE TASK." 

Page 211: 
After Barack and his white girl friend, that he loved, whom he
had been seeing for almost a year, had seen a play by a black
playwright, they discussed the play, and Obama states: 

"After the play was over, my friend started talking about WHY
BLACK PEOPLE WERE SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME.  I said it was a matter
of remembering--NOBODY ASKS WHY JEWS REMEMBER THE HOLOCAUST, I
think I said--and she said that's different, and I said it
wasn't, and she said that anger was just a dead end.  WE HAD A
BIG FIGHT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE THEATER.  When we got back to
the car she started crying.  She couldn't be black, she said.
She would if she could, but she couldn't.  She could only be
herself, and wasn't that enough." 

Page 220: 
In describing personal attributes he desired, Obama states: 

"Yes, I'd seen weakness in other men--Gramps and his
disappointments, Lolo and his compromise.  But these men had
become object lessons for me, men I might love but never emulate,
WHITE MEN AND BROWN MEN WHOSE FATES DIDN'T SPEAK TO MY OWN.  IT
WAS INTO MY FATHER'S IMAGE, THE BLACK MAN, SON OF AFRICA, THAT
I'D PACKED ALL THE ATTRIBUTES I SOUGHT IN MYSELF, THE ATTRIBUTES
OF MARTIN AND MALCOLM, DUBOIS AND MANDELA."

Page 265: 
Relating to the death of his father, Obama's brother Roy told him
about some details about the father's burial that happened in
Kenya, since Obama had not attended the funeral, Obama states the
words of his brother Roy: 
"The government wanted a Christian burial.  THE FAMILY WANTED A
MUSLIM BURIAL." 

Page 282: 
After having having discussions with Rev. Wright, Obama states
about Rev. Wright: 

"He had grown up in Philadelphia, the son of a Baptist minister.
He had resisted his father's vocation at first, joining the
Marines out of college, DABBLING WITH liquor, ISLAM, AND BLACK
NATIONALISM in the sixties. 

Page 284
Having left a meeting with Rev. Wright, Obama was reading a
brochure that he had picked up in the reception area, and
referring to the brochure, Obama states: 

"It contained a set of guiding principles--a "BLACK VALUE
SYSTEM"--that the congregation had adopted in 1979.  At the top
of the list was a commitment to God, "who will give us the
strength to give up prayerful passivism and BECOME BLACK
CHRISTIAN ACTIVISTS, soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity
of all humankind."  Then a commitment to the black community and
black family , education, the work ethic, discipline, and self-
respect." 

[and later on ths same page]

"There was one particular passage in Trinity's brochure that
stood out, though, a commandment more self-conscious in its tone,
requiring greater elaboration.  "A DISAVOWAL OF THE PURSUIT OF
MIDDLECLASSNESS," the heading read.  "While it is permissible to
chase "'middleincomeness' with all our might," the text stated,
those blessed with the talent or good fortune to achieve success
in the American mainstream must AVOID THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
ENTRAPMENT OF BLACK 'MIDDLECLASSNESS' that hypnotizes the
successful brother or sister into believing they are better than
the rest and TEACHES THEM TO THINK IN TERMS OF 'WE' AND 'THEY'
INSTEAD OF 'US'!" "

Bottom of page 286 to top of page 287: 
In thinking about faith as discussed by Reverend Philips and
Reverend Wright, Obama states: 

"And I would shrug and play the question off, unable to confess
that I COULD NO LONGER DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FAITH AND MERE FOLLY,
between faith and simple endurance; that while I believed in the
sincerity I heard in their voices, I REMAINED A RELUCTANT
SCEPTIC, DOUBTFUL OF MY OWN MOTIVES, WARY OF EXPEDIENT
CONVERSION, having too many quarrels with God to accept a
salvation too easily won." 

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In Obama's Own Words, for Nonsupporters: Part I

For all those persons who have neither the time nor the
inclination to read over 480 pages of Barack Obama's first book,
here are some quotations taken from that book, "Dreams from My
Father:  A Story of Race and Inheritance", by Barack Obama,
published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, Copyright
1995, 2004, paperback edition, ISBN 978-1-4000-8277-3 (Original
edition ISBN 1-4000-8277-3).  It is noted that in 1995, Barack
Obama was 34 years old. 

This "Part I" covers Chapters 1-8 of the book. 

[PRELIMINARY NOTE:  I have CAPITALIZED WORDS what I want to
emphasize.  These words were NOT capitalized by Obama]. 

Page 24: 
About his grandfather, Gramps, his mother's father, in discussing
how Gramps would deal with his customers as a furniture salesman,
Obama, states: 

"I would hear in him the breezy, chatty style that he must have
decided would help him with his customers.  He would whip out
pictures of the family and offer his life story to the nearest
stranger; he would pump the hand of the mailman or make off-color
jokes to our waitresses at restaurants.  Such antics USED TO MAKE
ME CRINGE, but people more forgiving than a grandson appreciated
his curiosity; so that while he never gained much influence, he
made himself a wide circle of friends." 

Bottom Page 25 to top of Page 26: 
About stories his grandparents told Obama about his absent father
who had returned to Kenya, Obama states:  

"The stories gave voice to a spirit that would grip the nation
for that fleeting period between Kennedy's election and the
passage of the Voting Rights Act:  the seeming triumph of
universalism over parochialism and narrowmindedness, a bright new
world where differences of race or culture would instruct and
amuse and perhaps even ennoble.  A USEFUL FICTION, ONE THAT
HAUNTS ME NO LESS THAN IT HAUNTED MY FAMILY, evoking as it does
some lost Eden that extends beyond mere childhood."  

Page 47: 
Telling some of the things he learned from his mother, Obama
states: 

"She had always encouraged my rapid acculturation in Indonesia:
It had made me relatively self-sufficient, undemanding on a tight
budget, and EXTREMELY WELL MANNERED WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER
AMERICAN CHILDREN.  She had taught me to DISDAIN THE BLEND OF
IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE THAT TOO OFTEN CHARACTERIZED AMERICANS
ABROAD."   

Page 50: 
In describing some aspects of his mother, Obama states: 

"In a land where fatalism remained a necessary tool for enduring
hardship, where ultimate truths were kept separate from day-to-
day realities, she was a lonely witness for SECULAR HUMANISM, a
soldier for New Deal, Peace Corps, position-paper liberalism."  

Page 122: 
In describing some of the ways he spent time when living in New
York City, Obama states: 

"Political discussions, the kind that at Occidental had once
seemed so intense and purposeful, came to take on the flavor of
the SOCIALIST CONFERENCES I SOMETIMES ATTENDED at Cooper Union or
the African cultural fairs that took place in Harlem and Brooklyn
during the summers--a few of the many diversions New York had to
offer, like going to a foreign film or ice-skating at Rockefeller
Center."  

Page 133: 
In 1983, after deciding to become a community organizer, Obama
states: 

"When classmates in college asked me just what a community
organizer did, I couldn't answer them directly.  Instead, I'd
pronounce on the need for CHANGE.  Change in the White House,
where REAGAN and his minions were carrying on their DIRTY DEEDS.
Change in the CONGRESS, COMPLIANT AND CURRUPT.  Change in the
MOOD OF THE COUNTRY, MANIC AND SELF-ABSORBED.  Change won't come
from the top, I would say.  Change will come from a mobilized
grass roots.  That's what I'll do, I'll ORGANIZE BLACK FOLKS.  AT
THE GRASS ROOTS. FOR CHANGE." 

Page 139: 
After some short-term jobs in Chicago, Obama was unemployed, and
he states: 

"In six months I was broke, unemployed, eating soup from a can.
IN SEARCH OF SOME INSPIRATION, I went to hear Kwame Toure,
formerly Stokely Carmichael of SNCC and BLACK POWER FAME, speak
at Columbia." 


Page 154: 
Describing some aspects of his education in Indonesia, Obama
states: 

"In Indonesia, I had SPENT TWO YEARS AT A MUSLIM SCHOOL, two
years at a Catholic School.  In the Muslim School, the teacher
wrote to tell my mother that I made faces during KORANIC STUDIES.

My mother wasn't overly concerned.  'Be respectful,' she said." 

Page 163, first paragraph:
At the age of about 22, thinking and imagining about different
men that he knew who had differing opinions, Obama states: 

"Each image carried its own lesson, each was subject to differing
interpretations.  For there were many churches, many faiths.
There were times, perhaps, when those faiths seemed to converge--
the crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the Freedom Riders at
the lunch counter.  But such moments were partial, fragmentary.
With ours eyes closed, we uttered the same words, BUT IN OUR
HEARTS WE EACH PRAYED TO OUR OWN MASTERS; we each remained locked
in our own memories; WE ALL CLUNG TO OUR OWN FOOLISH MAGIC." 

Page 163, last paragraph:   
In comparing his feelings to the feelings of others about
religion, Obama states: 

"I realized then, standing in an emply McDonald's parking lot in
the South Side of Chicago, that I WAS A HERETIC. OR WORSE--FOR
EVEN A HERETIC MUST BELIEVE IN SOMETHING, if nothing more than
the truth of his own doubt." 

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Obama Gets Burned After Playing with Fire, the Fiery Rev. Wright:
Instances of Obama Burns
 
MAIN POINTS

     a.  Rev. Wright is well known as being outspoken and making
fiery comments that many regard as negative.
     b.  Obama has maintained loyalty to Rev. Wright for 20 years
in spite of many of Rev. Wright's outspoken negative comments
about the United States, about white people, and about some
Blacks who are successful in American society.  
     c.  Rev. Wright has known Obama for 20 years.
     d.  Some of Rev. Wright's recent remarks have been overtly
negative about Obama, and these remarks have burned Obama
PERSONALLY -- third degree burns.  
     e.  Some of Rev. Wright's recent remarks have been veiled
negative reflections on Obama, and these remarks have
also burned Obama PERSONALLY -- first degree burns.  
     f.  It took Rev. Wright to get negatively PERSONAL about
Obama, and burn Obama PERSONALLY, for Obama to disassociate
himself from the fiery Rev. Wright.  


DISCUSSION

     Obama has known Rev. Wright for 20 years, and he has excused
his fiery comments many times, because Rev. Wright is from an
older generation.  In Obama's March 18, 2008 speech in
Philadelphia, Obama stated, "I could no more disavow Rev. Wright
than I could disavow the Black community".  

     Over 20 years, it has been made very clear that Rev. Wright
is not shy about expressing his own views, in a fiery manner, no
matter how controversial. They are fiery and controversial about
the United States, about white people, about Louis Farrakhan, and
about some Blacks who are successful in American society.  

     But wait!  There's more.  Rev. Wright has known Obama for 20
years too.  Only within the last week, Rev. Wright has made some
controversial remarks about Obama PERSONALLY, and NOW Obama
disavows Rev. Wright.  [Aside:  Does Obama also disavow the Black
community, which he seemed to intertwine with Rev. Wright so
tightly?  ]

     What are some of the controversial remarks by Rev. Wright
that burned Obama PERSONALLY?  What are those "Obama Burns"?

     For overt statements about Obama, let's call them third
degree burns. In addition, what should we call recent remarks of
Rev. Wright that may be regarded as veiled negative opinions he
has about Obama?  Let's call them first degree burns.  

     Third Degree Obama Burn No. 1:  

     In a recent televised interview with Bill Moyers, Rev.
Wright stated that Obama is a POLITICIAN, and as such, Obama says
what a politician has to say, to get elected.  Obama, the
politician, follows polls and public opinion, and these factors
contribute to what he says to win an election.  Rev. Wright states
no high toned nobility about what Obama is about.  Rev. Wright does not
anoint Obama with special characteristics that single out Obama's virtues.  
All he says is that Obama is a politician and acts accordingly.  With Rev.
Wright's knowing Obama for 20 years, that is certainly a third
degree Obama Burn.  

     Third Degree Obama Burn No. 2:  

     Rev. Wright said that if Obama is elected president, he (Wright)
will "come after him" because he will be an establishment person.
Rev. Wright, of course, has negative opinions about establishment
persons in general, and about some successful Blacks in American
society in particular.  As evidence of these negative opinions,
recall Rev. Wright's disparaging remarks about Condoleezza Rice
and Tiger Woods in one of the YouTube.Com videos that has been
talked about and viewed many times. This certainly is another
third degree Obama Burn.

     First Degree Obama Burn No. 1:  

     With reference to Rev. Wright's patriotism, Wright
emphasized that he had been in the U. S. Marines and the U. S.
Navy.  He contrasted his patriotic military service with Vice
President Cheney who has never been in the military.  With
respect to Obama, recall that Obama has never been in the
military.  In this respect, Obama is in the same negative boat as
Cheney.  The negative contrast between Rev. Wright and V. P.
Cheney and the implicit similarity between Obama and Cheney is
certainly a first degree Obama Burn.  

     First Degree Obama Burn No. 2:  

     Rev. Wright recently commented very favorably about his
mother and father who raised him.  He certainly has shown loyalty
to, and praise for, the loved ones who raised him.  In contrast,
recall Obama's March 18 speech in which he stated, "my white
grandmother ... a woman who on more than one occasion has uttered
racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe".  This contrast
between Rev. Wright and Obama with respect to the people who
loved them and raised them is certainly another first drgree
Obama Burn.    

     As stated above, it took Rev. Wright to get negatively
PERSONAL about Obama, and burn Obama PERSONALLY, for Obama to
disassociate himself from the fiery Rev. Wright.

     Finally, burns often take a long time to heal
and leave scars.   

Obama as a Flip-Flopper:  When He Was an Illinois State Senator
from Chicago, Obama Supported Suspension of State Sales Tax on Gas

In 2000, as an Illinois state senator from Chicago, Obama
SUPPORTED suspension of state sales tax on gas in Illinois.  He was
very happy to help his Chicago constituents and to tell the media
about it.  See article below. 

Now, in 2008, Obama is AGAINST tax relief for gasoline for all
Americans.  Mr. Obama, what's wrong with the rest of us?  Most of
us don't come from your district or Illinois.  Don't you like us? 
Now, even your constituents in Illinois will suffer. 

Also, in 2008, have you called for investigations of oil companies as you highly praised
in 2000?  If not, why not? 

Here is the article: 

Obama Says General Assembly Suspends Sales Tax on Gas
Chicago Citizen.  Chicago, Ill.:Jul 6, 2000.  Vol. 35,  Iss. 13,
p. 2
Abstract (Summary)

"Our action will bring much needed relief to area residents who
have already been hit hard by the highest fuel prices in the
entire nation," Senator [Barack Obama] said. "Furthermore, gas
retailers must post on each pump a statement that indicates that
the state tax has been suspended and that this temporary
elimination of the tax should be reflected in the price per
gallon of gas."

Full Text (248  words)
Copyright Chicago Weekend Jul 6, 2000

Obama Says General Assembly Suspends Sales Tax on Gas

Senator Barack Obama (D-Chicago) announced recently that the
General Assembly has suspended the state's five percent tax on
gas. The suspension is in response to rapid increase in fuel
prices that have heavily impacted the Chicago-land areas. Obama
said consumers should see a seven to 10 drop in prices beginning
this weekend.

"Our action will bring much needed relief to area residents who
have already been hit hard by the highest fuel prices in the
entire nation," Senator Obama said. "Furthermore, gas retailers
must post on each pump a statement that indicates that the state
tax has been suspended and that this temporary elimination of the
tax should be reflected in the price per gallon of gas."

Obama praised lawmakers at the State and Federal levels who have
launched investigations into possible price gouging by oil
companies. But he also called for an increased emphasis on fuel
conservation.

"These calls for investigations into the oil industry come on the
heals of several months of sleep price increases, but what also
needs to be addressed is the conservation of a resource that is
quickly becoming a non renewable resource. Our nation is one of
the largest consumers of gas in the world. We need to learn how
to conserve our resources and depend more on alternative forms of
transit. I would encourage more people to take advantage of
buses, trains, car pooling etc. to help lower fuel demand," Obama
added.

Indexing (document details)
Subjects:      Energy industry,  Finance,  Government,  Industry,
State government,  Taxation
Locations:     Illinois
People:   Obama, Barak
Document types:     News
Publication title:  Chicago Citizen. Chicago, Ill.: Jul 6, 2000.
Vol. 35, Iss.  13;  pg. 2
Source type:   Newspaper
ProQuest document ID:    493066261
Text Word Count     248
Document URL: 
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=493066261&Fmt=3&clientId=68282&RQT=309&VName=PQD

If this link doesn't work for you, because you don't have an appropriate
account, ask your local library if they have access to ProQuest,
the Ethnic NewsWatch database. 

I think a significant problem that Obama has, which will come to
light, is a personal characteristic of his seeking to to avoid
difficult choices and take an EASIER way out of a situation.

Here are just five examples. 

(1).  As a child and young man, he was called Barry, not Barack.
That was EASIER for him and for the people who knew him. 

(2).  In 1988, at the age of 27, he became a Christian to enable
a career in politics and to enable a relationship with Michelle
Robinson, who later became his wife and the mother of his
children.  It would be a lot EASIER to be Christian for politics
and for dating.  To read a fact-based, fictional satire called
"When Barack and Michelle First Met", go to this link:
When Barack and Michelle First Met

(3). At the Harvard Law School, from 1988-1991, he was known as a facilitator of compromise between
opposing  advocates.  He promoted his personal attitude of taking
an EASIER way out.  In my view, it may be hard to compromise
sometimes, but it is a lot EASIER to have opponents compromise
than to have one side successfully advocate and win the
opposition over to its side.  A related article, "BARACK OBAMA: A MEDIATOR OR A LEADER?" can be read at:
BARACK OBAMA: A MEDIATOR OR A LEADER?

(4). In the often-mentioned October 2, 2002 speech in which Obama
spoke out against the U. S. going to war in Iraq, Obama, an
Illinois state senator, stated,        
     "What's tempting is to take the path of least resistance and
keep quiet on the issue, knowing that maybe in two or three or
six months, at least the fighting will be over and you can see
how it plays itself out." 
Here is a link to this speech:
Obama's Iraq War Speech

In my opinion, the temptation to "take the path of least
resistance" is a  temptation to take an EASIER way out, which
apparently he had yielded to before the speech and after the speech. 

(5).  In 2003, rather than Obama making a difficult choice among
(a) confronting and challenging Rev. Wright about his hate
America rhetoric or (b) leaving Rev. Wright's church, Obama took
an EASIER way -- doing nothing. 

Finally, in my opinion, Obama's personal characteristic of
seeking to take an EASIER way out of making difficult choices
will be a big negative with respect to his electability.  To me,
this is not a characteristic of a good leader. 

  Barack Obama has little reason to be "bitter" about his job.
He's a U. S. senator, and he makes a very good salary, along with
a substantial number of valuable fringe benefits. 

     He has little to be "bitter" about, in his campaign for
president.  In various polls, he's ahead of the other contenders.
His campaign has lots more money to spend than the other
contenders.  He's favored by much of the major media. 

     If he is "bitter" about something, I wish he would let the
public know. 

     Now, for a personal note.  I'm over 50, and during my life,
like most people, I've had ups and downs.  There have been times
that I have been "bitter".  Yet, I can't recall that my faith was
made stronger or weaker because I was "bitter".  It just hasn't
worked that way with me. 

     If Barack Obama thinks that feeling "bitter" is what drives
people to cling to faith, I wonder what drives Barack Obama to
his faith? 

     To read a short, fact-based, FICTIONAL, skit titled
"When Barack and Michelle First Met", 
that considers why Obama may have adopted Christianity,
click on the following link:
When Barack and Michelle First Met

Did Barack Obama Become a Christian to Enable a Career in
Politics?: Putting Pieces of the Puzzle Together

[This page is an introduction to a short, factually-based skit,
titled
"When Barack and Michelle First Met",
that is a CLICK away, at the bottom of the page.]

Why might Barack Obama, when he was a mature 27 year old, Ivy
League college graduate, who had majored in Political Science ...


who was born in America and had an American,
Christian mother and a Kenyan, Muslim father

who had an Indonesian, Muslim stepfather after his
mother divorced his father and remarried

who had moved to Indonesia, a highly predominately
Muslim country, with his mother and stepfather at the
impressionable young age of approximately 6 years old

who had written about his interest in becoming
President of the United States as far back as elementary school
in Indonesia, in a private school

who was educated in that Muslim country, during a
significant part of his formative years, ages 9 and 10, in an
Indonesian, state-run elementary school
.....in which the student body was predominately Muslim
.....in which the teachers were predominantly Muslim
.....in which the religion of Islam was part of the curriculum,
including Koranic studies
.....in which homework assignments most likely included studies
relating to Islam, and
.....in which homework assignments most likely included studying
the Koran

who returned to America at the age of approximately
10 to spend the rest of his childhood, formal education, and
reaching maturity, in America, up to 27 years of age

who traveled to Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, when in
college

who was a graduate of Columbia University with a
major in Political Science

who began to work as a summer associate at a
Chicago law firm with Michelle Robinson, a Christian woman, as
his mentor, who later became his wife and the mother of his
children, and

who was a first year law student at Harvard Law School

Why might the 27 year old, highly educated, and politically
ambitious Barack Obama have decided to become a Christian?

A suggested answer to this question is that it was to enable a
career in politics, and for other life goals. This theme is
developed in the following short, fact-based, fictional skit,
"When Barack and Michelle First Met" at the following link:
When Barack and Michelle First Met