Obama Target Game

The above crude likeness of President Barack Obama was featured in a carnival game called "Alien Attack" at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time fair in Roseto, Pennsylvania. As the child is doing in this photograph, carnival visitors were rewarded with stuffed animals and other trinkets for their aim in firing a toy plastic gun at the president. The inspiration evidently came from "Tea Party" politics in that the caricature poses the president with a scroll labeled "Health Care Bill" in his right hand.

The original story on this appeared in the Express Times of Easton, Pennsylvania. The story broke nationally through The Morning Call and the British newspaper The Guardian. I first read about it in a piece at The Huffington Post authored by AP Reporter Michael Rubinkam. A company called Goodtime Amusements ran the carnival - 320 Willow Road, Hellertown, PA - goodirv66@yahoo.com - 610-554-7425 - Fax 610-838-2549

ILLER: Obama Zombies Strike Back

World Cultural Preservation

My former professor, Richard Kurin, has been the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture" at the Smithsonian Institution for over 25 years now. An interview with Dr. Kurin posted on the U.S. State Department's propaganda organ America.gov has been making the round among progressive news outlets like Scoop and cultural resources blogs like Saving Antiquities.

I am amazed that Kurin has not only survived but flourished as organizer and recruiter of international acts for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as many of the Silk Road Project events and exhibits at museums in our nation's capitol. The profile advertising his appearance at the Canadian Museum Association conference in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Kurin describes many of his most recent accomplishments:

(Kurin)... has worked with cultural figures ranging from Pete Seeger, Yo-Yo Ma, Mickey Hart, and Bernice Johnson Reagon to the Aga Khan and the Dalai Lama. He helped draft an international treaty on safeguarding the world’s living cultural heritage. He has produced major events for the Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary, the opening of the World War II Memorial, the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, and programs for numerous presidential inaugurals, including that of President Obama.

I highly recommend the interview with Kurin posted at America.gov.

HELL YES, WE DID!


The "Party of No" has now become the "Party of Hell, No!" moving farther to the right and more militant as President's Obama legislative agenda rolls on through a corrupt Senate and a divided House of Representatives. Who speaks for the people now?

Nigerians subject to special scrutiny

The United States has placed Nigeria on a list of 14 countries whose citizens will be subjected to full body searches, electronic scans, and intensive interrogations at airports. A panel of experts interviewed by Al Jazeera agree that the new policy is both racist and unlikely to prove effective in preventing Al Qaeda terrorist actions. Commentary and analysis from blogs and mainstream media will be added below as they appear today (January 6th, 2010):

Dora Akunyili spoke out on the issue in Abuja yesterday (January 5th). Today, she was interviewed on National Public Radio by Steve Inskeep.

Juan Cole has a lengthy analysis inspired by the Al Jazeera story at his blog, Informed Comment.

In African Loft, the story "Nigeria Makes US Terror-Nation List" was first posted on Monday, January 4th and already there are four comments. The caretaker of the African Loft, in his Grandiose Parlor, foreshadowed the current events with his post "Now a terrorist nation?" back on Christmas Day of 2009.

"Nigeria now on Teh List" observes Loomnie in a post padded with significant links.

"US discriminating against Nigerians unfairly" is one of those thingsifeelstronglyabout for Anengiyefa.

The Sahara Reporters' Babtunde Ayeni asks today (January 6th) "Who is afraid of 3d scanner and America: the poor and obedient Nigerians or their rulers?" Mr. Ayeni echoes a common sentiment among Nigerians that the discriminatory treatment by the United States is the fault of a corrupt political system and an inffectual and ailing president at home.

Along the same lines, Chixta asks for "Rebranding" to keep this from happening again.

A comical take on the controversy from EVCL, a creative design studio based in Abuja -

tcktcktck... BOOM!

As many of us expected, the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen has failed to reach a substantive or binding agreement. The United States negotiating team refused to commit to specific targets for emission of greenhouse gases, continuing the policy initiated during the administration of George W. Bush when we refused to join other developed countries in signing the Kyoto Protocol.

Particularly positive develompents in Copenhagen include a strong showing by developing countries, including civil society participants alongside the official delegations. A new crop of climate activists has emerged, loosely coordinated through organizations such as Friends of the Earth, the Climate Action Network and the tcktcktck Global Citizens for Climate Action.

As Kumi Nadoo writes in his open letter to President Barack Obama, the paltry cuts in greenhouse gas emissions which the United States may successfully enact through the Waxman-Markley bill will fall considerably below what is necessary to avert catastrophic climate change. In addition, we have yet to make a commitment to long-term financial assistance for poor countries which will need to adapt to the impacts of our rapid industrial development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Nadoo admonishes Obama for a lack of ambition and warns that many who were energized by his promise of hope are now becoming discouraged. Like Nadoo, I too cling on to hope. To quote Nadoo, "the prospect of personal leadership at the negotiations allows me to retain some ‘audacity of hope’ that (Barack Obama) will have both the courage and the vision to make history."

Hillary Clinton's Nigeria Trip, filtered - my latest and greatest on the events and a commentary on the comments of others in the Nigerian blogosphere just went up at Nigerians Talk.

Blowback from Obama in Ghana

Judging by posts from African bloggers, many African intellectuals were disappointed with Barack Obama's speech to Parliament in Ghana. My own perception of the speech was that it was not that well crafted and showed a lack of deep scholarship and preparation uncharacteristic of Mr. Obama.

I thought that our president looked a bit nervous at points in the delivery, particularly when he defended AFRICOM. I was also surprised to hear outdated views on agricultural development in the section where he promised a "green revolution" for sub-Saharan Africa. Clearly, the Obama administration needs to bring on board some scientists and historians with a deeper knowledge of the developing world and of Africa in particular.

While many may have wanted to hear an apology from our president for mistakes which the United States has made in the post-colonial era, I believe that Obama is rather to be commended for his clear discussion of the role which African elites have played in the continued subjugation and impoverishment of Africa's people. As Barack Obama has himself observed to progressive forces here in the United States, it is our responsibility to push back and challenge him when he compromises with the forces of oppression.

Below are links to some of many posts on this topic by African bloggers:

"Obama Talks Shallow Simplistic Rubbish, Scolds & Lectured Africans As Expected!" by Paul I. Adujie

"Ghana - No antibodies for this virus" by Akin

"The glaring omission" by Solomonsydelle

"Obama shallow and condescending in Ghana?" by Imnakoya

"Obama in Ghana" by Beauty

"It wasn't me" by pyoo wata

The "change we need"? Obama in Ghana by Charles Abugre

Barack Obama visits Ghana

Africa is a Continent not a Country!

Barack Obama visited Ghana on the 10th and-11th of July. Here he demonstrates how much more he knows about Africa than Sarah Palin. According to Martin Eisenstadt, Sarah is still confused about this and resigned as Alaska governor fearing new revelations in Eisenstadt's upcoming book.

On Saturday, July 11th, the White House posted an interactive map with questions from people throughout Africa. The questions were delivered through SMS, Facebook, Twitter, and newspapers throughout Africa. The president will be answering some of these questions in a press conference later on Saturday. As of 11 AM GMT (10 AM in Accra), only one (1) question had been posted on this map -

Hi prez obama u are a source of inspiration to africa!

Larry Sinclair deceptive

The picture at left is of a fellow called Larry Sinclair, a gay man who claims to have enjoyed a night of debauchery with Barack Obama in November, 1999. Allegedly, Barack received a blowjob from Sinclair and purchased cocaine for both of them somewhere in Chicago, Illinois. Even more surprisingly, I think, Barack is supposed to have come back two days later to visit Larry Sinclair in his hotel room where they both again engaged in sex and cocaine use.

A polygraph test administered by Ed Gelb, a top polygraph expert, indicated that Mr. Sinclair was being deceptive in his story regarding both the sex and the drug taking. In taking this test, Mr. Sinclair claimed a reward of $10,000 from Dan Parisi of the blog WhiteHouse.com. The full report on the test is to be posted later this afternoon. Another expert is also going to review the test results to verify Gelb's finding of deception on the part of Mr. Sinclair. It looks like Barack Obama has dodged a bullet on this one, although I suspect that he and his wife Michelle have been having some long and serious talks about how best to detail with overly affectionate and potentially delusional supporters on the campaign trail. We do not need another den of debauchery being set up in our White House if we vote in a Democratic administration.