A former history teacher, Tom is a columnist who lives in Lovell, Maine. His column is published in Maine and New Hampshire newspapers and on numerous web sites.
Email: tomthemick@gmail.com
I wouldn’t have thought much about it until the mainstream media went into high dudgeon. It’s been interesting to watch feeding frenzy over what Donald Trump should have said when a questioner maintained President Obama was a Muslim. “He should have corrected the questioner!” they insisted. Trump said he has no obligation to defend Obama, and he’s right. Methinks the media protesteth too much. Chuck Todd continued to gnaw that bone when interviewing Trump on “Meet The Press” last Sunday morning. George Stephanopoulos worked it over on his program too.
When being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos back in 2008, Obama slipped, and said: “You’re absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith…” at which point Stephanopoulos interjected: “my Christian faith,” and Obama dutifully repeated as Stephanopoulos instructed: “…my Christian faith.”
In 2008, when the Hillary Clinton campaign was accused of circulating a picture of Obama wearing Muslim clothing, Obama objected, saying, “[People were] saddened when they see these kind of politics.” Obama had visited Kenya in 2006 and tried on some Muslim garb, but so what? Why get all excited when a picture emerged? Why would anyone be “saddened”? Why should the picture have been kept hidden? No reason, unless he was trying to hide something.
As for Obama’s Christian bona fides? Well, President Obama said he attended the Reverend Wright’s United Church of Christ in Chicago for twenty years. He said Wright performed his wedding and baptized his two children. Yet when videotape emerged of antisemitic, racist sermons Wright delivered in that church, including one in which he yelled: “No-no-no! Not God bless America — God damn America!” Obama claimed he was shocked and never heard of Wright saying any such thing. When challenged on this, Obama said, "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial,” and the Reverend Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with.”
Not particularly controversial? As a lifelong Christian, I can’t say I’ve ever known one who wouldn’t be shocked to hear sermons like that in any church. For him to excuse Wright that way would kindle doubt about just what kind of Christian Obama considers himself to be. The Reverend Wright’s outrageous exclamations sound more like they come from a radical imam in an Iranian mosque than from a pastor of a Christian church in America.
President Obama issues presidential proclamations for all Muslim holidays, including this one on Ramadan from 2011:
On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I want to extend our best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem. Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith…
There was, however, no Easter proclamation that year and Christians across the country objected. Since then Obama has issued Easter proclamations, but he had to be prodded. People notice this and it’s no wonder opinion polls reflect doubt about the veracity of what Obama claims his religion to be. They also remember statements like: “If you like your policy, you can keep your policy, period,” as well as others now too numerous to count. They’ve learned that lying comes easily to President Obama.
“Islam is a patrilineal religion: In Islam, the father passes his faith to the children, and when a Muslim man has children with a non-Muslim woman, Islam considers those children Muslim. Mr. Obama’s grandfather and father having been Muslims — the extent of their piety matters not at all — means that in Muslim eyes, Mr. Obama was born a Muslim.”
I’ve seen no record of Obama ever renouncing his Muslim faith. To do so would make him an apostate, an offense punishable by death according to Islamic law. I don't know if the president is Muslim or not, but it's not unreasonable for people to suspect he is. Donald Trump is absolutely correct. Obama has to defend himself when accusations like this come up. It’s not up to anyone else. It’s his job, but he sits back and lets the mainstream media do it instead.
14 comments:
Brian
said...
Yawn. More tired old speculation and spin about the possibilities of Obama being Muslim. The evidence is over-whelming that he is not, but so what? Most evidence given is spun wildly and taken out of context. Just use Factcheck , PolitaFact, or Snopes for details. No idea what you are talking about with Obama not “renouncing”. Because somebody might have checked ‘Muslim’ on the schoolboys form, he needs to ‘renounce’? He has lived as a catholic since his early 20’s. But again, who cares? Muslim, Christian, Scientologist, whatever. Shouldn’t we be judging people by their actions and not their labels?
Of course Trump did not speak out against the meathead. If he did he would lose a lot of the Anti-Muslim voters. If he really thinks he can ride to the Whitehouse on the backs of these xenophobes and bigots, let’s watch the show. I think he will find that the ranting and foaming crowds he sees do not represent the country, but are just a loud and rabid minority. I see by your comments about the media that you are aware that this group is not part of mainstream America, but is just a radical subset far from center. Personally, I think Trump know this too, and is just enjoying the boost his massive ego is getting from all the attention. Funny stuff. And why leave out the comments by Carson while on this topic? Sticky subject having Far Right Wackos talking openly about not following the Constitution, huh?
And what is the deal with the title of the column? "Carry your own water"? What? Are you trying to suggest that Obama is secretly trying get the media to fight his battles and defend more strongly against bigots? I only wish that the corporate media DID go all out against that clown and Trump. How is this any different than some other moron in the 60's, (or now) saying that "the country has a problem.....blacks."
Not at all different.
Are you saying that Obama himself should speak out against this particular cretin? Really? Everytime some bozo makes some ignorant, hate-filled statement about him then he should defend himself and not leave it to the media? He would have no time to do anything else.
This really is one of your goofiest columns. You never fail to amuse....thanks!
Trump is the Frankenstein monster of our own creation - a schoolyard bully we built ourselves when we bestowed credibility on reality-show personalities. It's fun to watch your three-year-old pretend to drive a car, but would you really give him the keys?
Frankly, Obama so frequently acts without any faith-based compass that I don't think he's anything -- Muslim or Christian. But anyone who argues and protests that "He is not Muslim!" misses the obvious fact that he sympathizes with his heritage -- as one would expect. My grandparents were Polish Catholics. My father was born in Pittsburgh, pretty much stopped going to church altogether, and married a Presbyterian Anglo. My name is Polish, but I was born in NJ and became a Mormon. Nonetheless, I resonate with being Polish, am proud of my heritage, and pretty much defend all things Polish. Why should anyone expect otherwise from Obama and his Muslim heritage? Is he Muslim? He says "no," and he's the only one who can answer the question. But what difference does it make -- Islam is clearly where his sympathies lie.
Having a couple of people point out that you wrote a boring column full of spin "hits a nerve"?
But then, what response did we expect from you? Answers? Rational defense? Of course not. What a schoolyard bully looks for is getting a reaction. If that is how low you set your sights for your columns, why not just throw in some N-words to go along with your low-brow thoughts?
Wonderfully put, Sami...I almost spit out my coffee in laughter! What possible comeback do all the meatheads have to that? We know our Tom won't touch it. When he gets burned he runs and works on his "book".
Oh, he's The President, therefore I'll just have to take him at his word. But then I have to ask, considering his, (and his roster of appointees)rhetoric vs. actions in the last 15 years, "What would he have done differently?" Granted, "labels", despite their self-determination, or "dictionary" definitions, are fungible. Hence the term (ie)RINO, or X hyphen rights/phobia. "That's a LIE!" Again, what would they do differently? Mindful, of course, that the term RINO reflects on BOTH sides of the GOP Bell Curve, just as "consistently" does. CaptDMO
Now where did I put that....OH, HERE it is! "Taqiyya", and "Muruna". I THINK that's the doctrine where it's OK for crazed and delusional(by MY judgement) to engage in ANY and ALL sort of falsification "for the cause". *sigh* If Americans only knew! Oddly, I never see those terms (amongst others) brought up by "certain" outlets.
http://pjmedia.com/blog/ben-carson-exposes-islamic-taqiyya-but-theres-even-more-you-should-know/ Comments: Hikaru Kitsune summed it up best for me.
Acknowledged, "grapefruits", their fortitude non-withstanding, or "fruit" labels, are artificially transplanted. Hence the term (ie)GAMBINO, or z to the x pollination u-turns/tinfoil.
"That's a FABRICATION!"
Once more, what would they do if their undergarments were exposed?
Keep the faith, of course, that the term GAMBINO shines light on FOUR sides of the non-mentioned Bell Curve, just as "medication" does.
I am living outside the US (in one of those nasty Islamic countries where all women are forced to wear a burka and be the fourth wife of an old man), and today I was at a hotel having lunch. On my Ipad I went to Tom's blog - I needed a good laugh. I certainly had one when I got a message that it was blocked because it contained "adult content". Bwahahahahahah!!!!!
It seems to me, personally and as far as news coverage that I have seen, that the main issue is not the accusation that our president is lying about his beliefs, but what the knucklehead said before that - that the United States has a problem because Muslims are living here. Unless Trump agrees with him, which I certainly do not rule out, then he is a spineless wimp with no integrity who is scared of alienating any possible racist voters. Either way the media and the public should get heavily on his case about it.
Posts
14 comments:
Yawn. More tired old speculation and spin about the possibilities of Obama being Muslim. The evidence is over-whelming that he is not, but so what? Most evidence given is spun wildly and taken out of context. Just use Factcheck , PolitaFact, or Snopes for details.
No idea what you are talking about with Obama not “renouncing”. Because somebody might have checked ‘Muslim’ on the schoolboys form, he needs to ‘renounce’? He has lived as a catholic since his early 20’s. But again, who cares?
Muslim, Christian, Scientologist, whatever. Shouldn’t we be judging people by their actions and not their labels?
Of course Trump did not speak out against the meathead. If he did he would lose a lot of the Anti-Muslim voters. If he really thinks he can ride to the Whitehouse on the backs of these xenophobes and bigots, let’s watch the show. I think he will find that the ranting and foaming crowds he sees do not represent the country, but are just a loud and rabid minority. I see by your comments about the media that you are aware that this group is not part of mainstream America, but is just a radical subset far from center. Personally, I think Trump know this too, and is just enjoying the boost his massive ego is getting from all the attention. Funny stuff.
And why leave out the comments by Carson while on this topic? Sticky subject having Far Right Wackos talking openly about not following the Constitution, huh?
And what is the deal with the title of the column? "Carry your own water"? What? Are you trying to suggest that Obama is secretly trying get the media to fight his battles and defend more strongly against bigots? I only wish that the corporate media DID go all out against that clown and Trump. How is this any different than some other moron in the 60's, (or now) saying that "the country has a problem.....blacks."
Not at all different.
Are you saying that Obama himself should speak out against this particular cretin? Really? Everytime some bozo makes some ignorant, hate-filled statement about him then he should defend himself and not leave it to the media? He would have no time to do anything else.
This really is one of your goofiest columns. You never fail to amuse....thanks!
Trump is the Frankenstein monster of our own creation - a schoolyard bully we built ourselves when we bestowed credibility on reality-show personalities. It's fun to watch your three-year-old pretend to drive a car, but would you really give him the keys?
Hmm. Looks like I struck a nerve here.
Frankly, Obama so frequently acts without any faith-based compass that I don't think he's anything -- Muslim or Christian. But anyone who argues and protests that "He is not Muslim!" misses the obvious fact that he sympathizes with his heritage -- as one would expect. My grandparents were Polish Catholics. My father was born in Pittsburgh, pretty much stopped going to church altogether, and married a Presbyterian Anglo. My name is Polish, but I was born in NJ and became a Mormon. Nonetheless, I resonate with being Polish, am proud of my heritage, and pretty much defend all things Polish. Why should anyone expect otherwise from Obama and his Muslim heritage? Is he Muslim? He says "no," and he's the only one who can answer the question. But what difference does it make -- Islam is clearly where his sympathies lie.
Having a couple of people point out that you wrote a boring column full of spin "hits a nerve"?
But then, what response did we expect from you? Answers? Rational defense? Of course not. What a schoolyard bully looks for is getting a reaction. If that is how low you set your sights for your columns, why not just throw in some N-words to go along with your low-brow thoughts?
Wonderfully put, Sami...I almost spit out my coffee in laughter! What possible comeback do all the meatheads have to that? We know our Tom won't touch it. When he gets burned he runs and works on his "book".
Oh, he's The President, therefore I'll just have to take him at his word.
But then I have to ask, considering his, (and his roster of appointees)rhetoric vs. actions in the last 15 years, "What would he have done differently?"
Granted, "labels", despite their self-determination, or "dictionary" definitions, are fungible. Hence the term (ie)RINO, or X hyphen rights/phobia.
"That's a LIE!"
Again, what would they do differently?
Mindful, of course, that the term RINO reflects on BOTH sides of the GOP Bell Curve, just as "consistently" does.
CaptDMO
Tom McLaughlin said...
"Hmm. Looks like I struck a nerve here."
Were you expecting anything else from chaffing perniciously open sores?
CaptDMO
CaptDMO said...
"Oh, he's The President, therefore I'll just have to take him at his word."
No. Take him at his actions. As Sami pointed out, what Muslim believes in abortion, gay marriage, and separation of church and state?
Now where did I put that....OH, HERE it is!
"Taqiyya", and "Muruna".
I THINK that's the doctrine where it's OK for crazed and delusional(by MY judgement) to engage in ANY and ALL sort of falsification "for the cause".
*sigh* If Americans only knew!
Oddly, I never see those terms (amongst others) brought up by "certain" outlets.
http://pjmedia.com/blog/ben-carson-exposes-islamic-taqiyya-but-theres-even-more-you-should-know/
Comments: Hikaru Kitsune summed it up best for me.
CaptDMO
Acknowledged, "grapefruits", their fortitude non-withstanding, or "fruit" labels, are artificially transplanted. Hence the term (ie)GAMBINO, or z to the x pollination u-turns/tinfoil.
"That's a FABRICATION!"
Once more, what would they do if their undergarments were exposed?
Keep the faith, of course, that the term GAMBINO shines light on FOUR sides of the non-mentioned Bell Curve, just as "medication" does.
GenWTF
I am living outside the US (in one of those nasty Islamic countries where all women are forced to wear a burka and be the fourth wife of an old man), and today I was at a hotel having lunch. On my Ipad I went to Tom's blog - I needed a good laugh. I certainly had one when I got a message that it was blocked because it contained "adult content". Bwahahahahahah!!!!!
It seems to me, personally and as far as news coverage that I have seen, that the main issue is not the accusation that our president is lying about his beliefs, but what the knucklehead said before that - that the United States has a problem because Muslims are living here. Unless Trump agrees with him, which I certainly do not rule out, then he is a spineless wimp with no integrity who is scared of alienating any possible racist voters. Either way the media and the public should get heavily on his case about it.
Looks like Tom has been knocked out once again, totally without any counter arguments.
Bring on the next column!
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