Kenya has just passed a new Constitution.
http://townhall.com/columnists/KathrynLopez/2010/07/09/trouble_in_kenya
"Hello, my name is Joe Biden. I work for Barak Obama." With that, the vice president brought Obamacare to Nairobi last month. If not the policy exactly, then the strategy: confuse and obscure the issues, and demonize opponents.
Biden was in Kenya leading what sounded a lot like a rally for that nations new constitution, one that is going to be voted on in August. It's a fatally flawed document, inimical to the values of many Kenyans. The government lost a constitutional vote once before, and it is called out the big guns for this propoganda campaign, including claimed promises of an Obama visit if the populace knuckles under.
Many foreign observers have enthusiastically joined the government and the Kenyan mainstream media in insisting that a "yes" vote is essential. But it is far from an open-and-shut case.
First, Article 26 of the proposed consistution would overturn the prohibition on abortion, allowing it when "in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger or if permitted by any other written law." That is a fairly open window, one that has abortion opponents alarmed."
US financial and rhetorical support for the Kenyan constitution has some members of Congress calling for an investigation. In a letter to Department of State officials and others, Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, Darell Issa of California and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida reaised questions about US lobbying in Kenya -- specifically, the possibility that the Obama administration may have violated federal law in doing so.
Administrative officials have denied any impropriety. But, as the letter points out, our ambassodor to Kenya has been quoted as saying that the US has given Kenya $2 million for "civic education" on the constitution, and that we are committed to more.
"The US should not be interferring with this process, and we have serious questions about why the Obama administration is promoting a constitution which allows abortion on demand and waters down protections for religious freedom," Rebecca Marchinda of the New York based World Youth Alliance, which has an office in Nairobi, says.
And, as if the West's exporting of its abortion license to Kenya -- a nation known for growing, enthusiastic Catholic and other Christian presences -- were not alarming enough, the proposed constitution would also create a legal system within a legal system -- codifying the strengthening of sharia by making it apply to every Muslim Kenyan. As Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty points out, "People are subjected to these tribunals merely by virtue of what religious community they were born into, and they have no way of opting out."
Ray Walser of the Heritage Foundation gives the Obama Administration the benefit of the doubt. "I would suspect the administration is pushing the constitution package as a whole with the promise to reduce presidential power and to place constitutional safegaurds against corruption," That would take Vice President Biden at his word. But the Achilles heel of this administration is that it is not, in the subtle words of Waiser, "adverse measures that permit space for sharia-like legal customs -- for Muslims outreach/public-diplomacy purposes," or squeamish about rolling back Bush administration stritures against abortion, for that matter.
Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom, has a more direct and alarming warning: "The US is drifting unconsciously, haltingly, inconsistently toward a foreign policy that actively promotes the state coercion of Islamic strictures. It adopted such a policy in its financial and legal drafting support of the constitutions of Iraq and Afghanistan......It did so at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2009, when the US joined with Egypt, representing the Organization of the Islamic Conferences, to introduce a resolution calling for states to enforce their hate-speech laws. It explained its initiative, which shocked many NGOs, as seeking to "reach out to Muslim countries".
"Of course Kenya is its own sovereign, and will do what it wishes," Angela C. Wu, International Law Director at the Becket Fund, points out, "but like other countries, the US has both a moral responsibility and an interest in protecting human rights anywhere." And maybe even more so in Kenya, where opponents of the abortion-expanding, sharia-mandating bill have been threatened and killed for saying "no". Dissenting government officials have been arrested for their leadership in protest.
The Kenyan government has been "egregious" in pulling out all stops to propogandize for this constitution, says Terrence McKeegan, vice president and senior counsel for the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute.
Judy Kalinga, a lawyer in Kenya, sounding a lot like an American voter at a town hall or tea party, asserts, "We opponents of this constitution -- opponents of these provisions on abortion and sharia law -- want a constitution, we want reform, we need reform. But not this constitution." She and other Kenyans want to restart. But President Obama and the West say they know best.
Sound familiar?
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Just a couple of thought on this article. Depite Congressional protests the Obama administration spent millions of US Aid funds to support the "yes" vote in the referendum. Although the Administration denies this money being spent specifically for the "yes" vote, which I don't think is 100% legal, it constitutes US monetary interference in a sovereign nations voting process.
So has Obama promoting his fathers Marxist/Islamic vision for the nation of Kenya? IF so, has he broken any laws in the process?
And lastly, with the US sticking its nose in places like Kenya and Iraq and Afghanistan by throwing around US tax payers money, I find it understandable why the US is hated all around the world.
Originally posted by whodeyBut in his political career, which is a matter of highly scrutinized public record, Obama has never demonstrated any tendency towards being a Marxist or Islamist so why would you think he would start to promote such visions now?
His father was a Marxist and Muslim, you do know that don't you?
Sigh
Originally posted by FMFVery true. His mother and father were Marxist and his Reverend Wright for 20 years was a Black Liberation theologian mixing Marxism and the gospels yet there is no smoking gun proving that Obama is a Marxist.
But in his political career, which is a matter of highly scrutinized public record, Obama has never demonstrated any tendency towards being a Marxist or Islamist so why would you think he would start to promote such visions now?
Originally posted by whodeyMy mother and father were Thatcher supporting Tories.
Very true. His mother and father were Marxist and his Reverend Wright was a Black Liberation theologian mixing Marxism and the gospels yet there is no smoking gun proving that Obama is a Marxist.
Originally posted by whodeyDon't leave out his choice of friends:
Very true. His mother and father were Marxist and his Reverend Wright for 20 years was a Black Liberation theologian mixing Marxism and the gospels yet there is no smoking gun proving that Obama is a Marxist.
In his own words
Originally posted by whodeyIt's my understanding that Barack Sr:
His father was a Marxist and Muslim, you do know that don't you?
Sigh
1) Rejected religion for atheism
2) Abandoned Barack Jr. and his family
It would seem kind of odd in that light for Barack Jr. to push a Muslim agenda for Kenya to honor his father.
Originally posted by sh76What about the army of leftists he put around himself like the self avowed communist Van Jones?
It's my understanding that Barack Sr:
1) Rejected religion for atheism
2) Abandoned Barack Jr. and his family
It would seem kind of odd in that light for Barack Jr. to push a Muslim agenda for Kenya to honor his father.
Its been fun hearing everyone try to explain away Obama not being a Marxist, not that there is any thing wrong with that......well....sort of, but what about the allegations Obama violated the law by using Kenyian aid specifically to manipulate the Kenyian political system to their benefit?