Relative Poverty

Before today, I’ve never posted anything about Barack Obama’s half-brother, George Onyango Obama, a resident of one of Nairobi's worst slums. The reason: unlike many, I don’t think that it is automatically the senator’s responsibility to support those whom he has taken no part in creating. And even if it is discovered that there was some agreement between the two brothers, it would be one made between individual adult members of a family and, therefore, none of my business.

In contrast, I took on the responsibility of supporting Obama-Kogelo School with the assistance of many others, because a public promise was made to many children. Some of these children may have the chance to fulfill the same type of dreams which Barack Obama Sr. and Philip Ochieng had a half century ago.

I do understand why some of the senator’s political opponents have made an issue of the fact that Senator Obama has done nothing to lift his younger brother up from his degraded existence, one which is light-years removed from that of a Harvard-educated lawyer and US Senator. (And now it has been discovered that the senator has an aunt on his father’s side--Zeituni Onyango--living Boston public housing.) Senator Obama is the sponsor of the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433)—a proposed law designed to feed all the hungry children of the world and funded by American tax dollars, naturally. In other words Barack Obama would legally compel Americans to give even more to the poor of the entire world even while he made the choice not to do so for his own flesh and blood. The two stances are hypocritical on their faces. Conservative pundit Dinesh D’Souza thinks so as well and has been raising money for the immigration and upkeep of George Obama.

One wonders, however, if the senator, believing that he will win next week’s election, thinks that his proposal will take care of all the George Obamas and Zeituni Onyangos of the world. Senator Obama seems to think that he can solve all of the problems of this country by forcing American workers to give their proceeds to those who cannot or will not work. Why shouldn’t the ideal be applicable worldwide?

But to me, Barack Obama’s advocacy of GPA and D’Souza’s efforts to “save” George Obama represent the same sort of futility. If the parents of the world will not do enough to feed their own children and the George Obamas of the world—especially the American ones—will not do everything in their power to improve their individual situation and that of their kinsmen and their countrymen, nothing will change. All these charitable endeavors will just be like tossing money into the furnace.

With these thoughts in mind, I am thinking of disbanding Save Senator Obama Kogelo School, Inc. Because the organization is a non-profit, I am obliged to either refund the money or donate it to another charitable organization and that’s what I am likely to do next week, but I haven't made up my mind at this point.

At any rate, it is likely that the school will be built/remodeled after the election by an organization which prefers to remain anonymous to avoid the politicization of it all. And in the event of an Obama victory I suspect that Obama kinsman Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga will take it upon himself to upgrade the Obama ancestral village all around. Such is the way of countries where semi-strongman politics is present—if you win, your relatives and your hometown win also.

I almost disbanded my effort immediately after reading my father’s September op-ed on D’Souza’s actions. After all, in email, he said something similar—but less stinging--to me about my effort.

[W]here was this latter-day savior before Barack appeared in the news pages? Why is it that he's only interested in helping the relative of a celebrity, whereas hunger is rasping millions of other Kenyans?

If he were a genuine savior, wouldn't he organize an institution - like Father Grol's Undugu Society - to channel publicly collected funds to benefit more human beings? Granted, he has a right to choose to help only a single individual.

As we know, this is something I actually did do.

But in the event, why not do so privately?

How is the heck are people supposed to know that they can give to a particular charity if the holder of that charity doesn’t tell anyone about it?

My prideful response: if you all are so smart, build your own schools, feed your own countrymen. After all, Mboya’s efforts to educate Obama Sr., Ochieng Sr., and hundreds of other Kenyans back in the day seem to have borne fruit for the individual students and their American offspring, but it didn’t do much for the country that it was intended to benefit.

"You" are merely trying to embarrass the Senator. The urge in your puny mind is to convince the world that Barack is a skinflint who cares nothing about helping his own brother out of a quagmire.

That’s correct. And after the discovery of the existence of the American aunt, this image is reinforced--not because of D'Souza's actions but because of Obama's.

You are telling Americans that the man seeking their votes is a sadist whose entire paternal clan in Kenya is perishing from hunger.

Years ago, in my ignorance, I asked my father why the poor in Nairobi’s slums don’t have indoor plumbing. He never answered me. Now I think that I know the ‘whys’ of both. And, more than ever, I'm inclined to agree with Kenyan economist James Shikwati: the kindest thing that the West could do for Africa is to cease all aid. It would be a great compliment to the competence of all the ethnic groups on the continent.

I’ll post my decision next week and inform the donors.

Comments

[Ruth H]

What a predicament. You have my full and open permission to use my donation to help in any way you want to use it, except for Obama's campaign, of course.
Literacy programs are dear to my heart as I worked in one teaching adults to read in Louisiana. You know where the needs are, I trust you.

[Osas]

I am not too surprised that you would agree with a brash tinted-glasses ideologist who would make even your father in his most youthful and marxist days appear utterly undogmatic *sigh*. But how many intelligent people do you know who take James "Mistah Capitalism" Shikwati and his one-man think tank really seriously?

Once in a while, Philip is right of course. Not often in his regular columns. But in this criticism he was.

Osas

[Khaki Elephant]

A difficult decision in need of prayer. You have mine.

[baldilocks]

Osas,

Your arrogance is so endearing. You're a welcome addition here.

[CTW]

It seems you forgot that your ideological hero, mccain and his pill-popping and stealing wife, also left ex-wives and sisters out in the cold. But let's pile on obama. Your ideological hero, mccain, is an adulterer many times over (over 40, in his own words. What a grand idol for us to emulate. But let's pile on obama. Your ideological hero, mccain, is hated by millions of vets (this one included) and active duty for his unwillingness to take care of the military, active duty, retired, or disabled. But he takes damned good care of the military.......contractor. But let's pile on obama. Your ideological hero, mccain, gave Khalidi over $400,000 dollars, but we're hear obama said 'laudatory things' about his working with the PLO. Personally, I would much rather be aligned with the PLO than the IIOF (illegal israeli occupation force), the ADL, or any other israeli-centered group. But having lived and worked in the ME, and in israel too, I'm at an advantage 'cause I know anything coming from israel is complete b.s. But let's pile on obama.

Rock on, girl. Show us your best shill moves!

[baldilocks]

So many presumptions, CTW, so little inclination. You sound frightened.

BTW, do you have any links for your Khalidi assertions? Or is this merely an example of you master's exhortation to "get in the face" of those who disagree with you?

Relax, honey. If your guy wins, we'll all be equal.

[Tully]

I suspect that some will be more equal than others.

[Pasadena Closet Conservative]

I appreciate the fact that you have thought this through carefully. Time will tell.

[Heather P.]

You will be in my prayers Juliette. This is so heartbreaking. I think of those poor kids. You know Obama could solve the whole thing with a phone call to his BFF Oprah and get her to build a school for them.
Could I recommend a charity?
This is one I love,
http://www.elephants.com/
this is another one I love and know them personally
http://braveheartrescue.com/
Or you could give it to McCain!
Just not Obama! ;-)

[uptownsteve]

Baldilocks,

You can't possibly believe that a bottom dwelling reptilian racist like Dinesh D-Souza gives two craps about Obama's half brother or any other black for that matter..

baldilocks sez: Frankly, Steve, I couldn't care less about D'Souza. My father brought his actions up; I addressed them.

This is all about embarassing Obama.

Shameful.

baldilocks sez: It would be illuminating for you to flesh out the reasons which such actions can and should be pronounced "shameful"--reasons other than because you don't like them.

[uptownsteve]

Tully sez....

"I suspect that some will be more equal than others."

Nah, that only happens under conservative rule.

[uptownsteve]

The hypocrisy of the rightwing never ceases to amaze me.

Normally the attitude of conservatives toward poor folks especially poor Africans is "let 'em eat cake".

But now they are all hot and bothered by the situation of Obama's Kenyan half-brother.

[me]

I was wondering when the Baldi would next emerge from her safe place after she deservedly got such great "critical feedback" on her IM plantation post which she apparently had to shut down.

CDW pulls the rug out from under the house of cards on which Juliette (aka Baldi) built her anti-Obama screed and her only response is to curl up in a ball and ask for "links for your Khalidi assertions".

baldilock sez: What's the problem in asking for links? Are we not on the Internet? And you wish that I was "curled up into a ball."

Apparently she is not aware that McCain's connections to Khalidi have been a topic of conversation in a few of the more straight journalism outlets.

baldilock sez: Apparently not. That's why I asked. I've actually been doing things away from the computer. You should try it sometime.

But to the larger point, Baldi's willingness to ignore the same types of shortcomings in her candidate that she finds so offensive in Obama is yet another iteration of the problem with a lot of these posts and the modern authoritarian movement in general.

baldilock sez: You want to assume that I knew something about a McCain-Khalidi connection and am lying so you can pretend to take a high road. Whatever.

What typically compounds the hypocrisy is that usually when authoritarians accuse their targets of something it's a safe bet that they are 7 times more guilty of the same offense. As a great man once said "those who own 7 glass house should not throw stones".

baldilock sez: No great man that I know of said that. But I do know one that warned of the penalty of twisting His word(s).

Another great man said "Thou shalt not covet." You and your ilk are angry because some have more than you and you want to take it from them. That same man also said "Thou shalt not steal."

And please don't get me started on Baldi's juvenile and blatant cry for attention the "Save Senator Obama Kogelo School, Inc".

baldilock sez: You fill my comment section with strawmen, insults and generalized crap and have the nerve to whine about "juvenile and blatant cry for attention?" LOL!

[uptownsteve]

BTW Baldi,

The McCain/Khalidi connection.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/the-khalidi-gam.html

baldilocks sez: Thanks.

[Mary]

Juliette, I know this is not an easy thing to share, nor an easy decision to make. You are in our prayers.

I hope you'll forward the donations to another NGO -- maybe CRS or Doctors Without Borders?

Regardless, we'll abide by your choice.

[MTheads]

Aid to third world countries sometimes seems like an extension of colonialism. Except this kind of interference is pushed by those who have demonized colonialism. I wonder what would happen if we first worlders truly let Africa fend for herself.

[uptownsteve]

"I wonder what would happen if we first worlders truly let Africa fend for herself."

Wish they would have thought of that 500 years ago.

[uptownsteve]

BTW, Israel got more US aid last year than any dozen African countries combined.

Of course we don't hear you rightwing types whining about THAT.

baldilocks sez: That's because Israel's politicians don't take it and line their pockets with it while allowing its poor to live in squalor while whining about not getting even more from the West.

[uptownsteve]

US aid to Israel in 2005

$3 Billion

US aid to the entire African continent 2005

$700 million

You rightwing negroes really need to stop your nonsense.

[baldilocks]

Sorry Steve but I'm busy today so please find another right winger to insult. Thanks. We both know that that's your actual purpose here. Did Shay give you the boot? Good for her.

[uptownsteve]

"That's because Israel's politicians don't take it and line their pockets with it while allowing its poor to live in squalor while whining about not getting even more from the West."

OMIGOD.

I thought Shay was a confused self-hating black woman.

You make her look like Fannie Lou Hamer.

baldilock sez: What makes me self-hating? Because you say so? What thought process and/or action(s) indicate "self-hate" and why? Do you even know? Or do you just fling insults without engaging your brain?

[me]

Black conservatives stopping their nonsense? Are you kidding? If they didn't have the mythical "Democratic plantation" to whine about they would have to go mute.

What is even more ironic given their "democratic plantation" rhetoric is the utter lack of original ideas from any of these Black Conservatives. While you do see a diversity of thought and even infighting (e.g. is Palin stupid or a moron?) among White conservatives it is almost impossible to distinguish the views of one Black conservative from another. Besides Colin Powell can anyone name any notable philosophical differences between any random 2 black conservatives?

baldilock sez: Whaaaa!!!!

[metoo]

Deleting the comments? What a brave cold warrior you are. I guess the truth is to much for you.

baldilock sez:Can't you read?

[uptownsteve]

Real brave Baldi.

Deleting comments and then talking smack.

You black righties are all the same.

Phonies and cowards.

baldilocks sez: No comments are deleted. If you whiny little milk babies would bother reading, I set the comments to moderate so they can post when I want them to.

And as for the "phony coward thing," screw you and your friend "me," brats who are too scared to post without using your real names. How's that for talking Smack?

Have a nice day.

[Count to 10]

Ouch.
I see you have to put up with a lot of abusive trolling.

That ABC story includes a bit about an organization McCain chaired that gave money to an organization Khalid chaired. You have to sift through it a bit, but it looks like they realized their mistake and cut off the funds at some point.

Of course, this is besides the point. No one thinks McCain is going to be overly influenced by Palestinians, or will abandon Israel because of sympathies with them: this is an open question with Obama.

[uptownsteve]

"this is an open question with Obama."

Why, because you say so?

baldilocks BTW, Steve, I expect an apology for your accusations and your insults. When I receive them, I will apologize for my retaliation.

[uptownsteve]

"You have to sift through it a bit, but it looks like they realized their mistake and cut off the funds at some point."

Where does it say that in the article?

NOWHERE.

[uptownsteve]

I apologize for insulting you Juliette.

I will continue to disagree with your views but I will not make it personal.

baldilocks sez: I appreciate that. Thank you and I apologize as well.

[Laurie-Anne M]

Hi Juliette:
A tough, but honest, post. It reminds me of one of my experiences when I was a student at the University of Guelph, a school with roots as an agricultural university.

The Canadian government "sponsored" African students of talent to come to Canada to study, with the intent that these now-educated Africaners would return home and use their skills/education to uplift their home communities. It was a great concept.

One of my housemates in our off-campus house was one of these beneficiaries. He was studying water resource engineering and his capstone paper was how to bring wells and manage water resources in the most low-tech and low-cost way possible.

However...after graduation, my housemate and others in the program applied to Canadian immigration to remain as permanent legal residents on a path to citizenship. And they were approved.

I don't want to knock my friend for wanting to remain in Canada after four years of study there, but by granting these students landed permanent status and not compelling them to return to Africa to work on "uplifting" their communities in the needed skills they were trained in.....that very act defeated the entire concept of the program.

Follow your heart and do what it says. For what it's worth, I feel we have a moral obligation to complete the project to assist the Obama school since that is what was stated we would do. Going forward, other alternatives can be explored.

God Bless you Juliette.

[Buy Danish]

Regarding your father's, er, bitter email to you, and his op-ed, and just wanted to point out one thing about Dinesh D'Souza. I heard him being interviewed on this topic awhile ago by Mike Gallagher, and he mentioned that some reporter had asked him if he was just trying to embarrass Barack Obama.

Dinesh's honest (and very funny) response was, 'YES! Of course I am! He deserves to be embarrassed!'

I could not agree more.

[baldilocks]

"Dinesh's honest (and very funny) response was, 'YES! Of course I am! He deserves to be embarrassed!'"

That's in one of the links above.

[Tantor]

I think Obama's indifference to his own poor relations while promoting welfare schemes springs from his own upbringing and consequent personality. Obama is a loner. He doesn't seem to have friends like the rest of us do, like McCain does. You don't hear stories about guys hanging out in the basement with Obama with chips and beer.

Obama the loner and fatherless son lives mostly inside his head. He's a solipsist. The normal human relationships elude him somewhat. He's somewhat like Reagan in that respect in that he finds himself his best company.

While his own personal garden of human relationships is sparse, he is full of abstract notions of helping mankind. So naturally he thinks of grandiose welfare programs. If you're Obama, whose father took a powder, relying on family to take care of you wouldn't make much sense. Your solutions would have to turn toward larger entities, the government, something you could rely on, that would never leave.

[Tantor]

You're also quite right about cutting off aid to Africa, at least the bulk of it. It is inspiring dependence rather than independence, feeding the problem instead of starving it. The primary rule of government is that you get less of anything you tax and more of anything you subsidize. Our aid to Africa subsidizes all manner of foul things. We are not changing the mechanism of poverty there but rather gold plating it.

[baldilocks]

"If you're Obama, whose father took a powder, relying on family to take care of you wouldn't make much sense. Your solutions would have to turn toward larger entities, the government, something you could rely on, that would never leave."

You're forgetting that my father took a powder also. I guess it's God's grace that really does make the difference.

[me]

Let me clarify.. there is no where in my recollection that Senator Obama promised Kenyans anything. He did not promise to build any school or help anyone. His visit in kenya as a senator was clearly spelt out that his was not a Charity mission. The people of Kenya are not that desperately poor as someone in USA may think they are. You have to have a better understanding of My country to be able to judge the level of poverty.
About Obama and his family from what I have read there has been a clear understanding that no one is to expect any handouts. Obama owns Grandmother is always states that she does not want any handouts and her relationship with President Elect Obama is that of Grandson and grandmother nothing more. If Obama family was hawkish enough they could have "cashed" on Obamas fame but they have refused to.

The comments on AID to Africa are borne out of Ignorance. You need to read more on AID (LOANS) there is no free lunch and Africa has been exploited by Western government via United Nations.. the Best book to read on the issue of AID and why AID is the exploitation is "lords of poverty"
Uncle sam has never donated anything to anyone for free. We pay dearly for all the JUNK that your government sells to us in AFrica as AID.

the kids in Obama school will be fine with or without your donations. Believe me. THousands of schools in kenya have been built and funded by kenyans without single cent for foreign donations

[epobirs]

Obama did state publicly, referring to humanity in general, "I am my brother's keeper."

On that basis, if those of us of far lesser financial means are expected to surrender a substantial helping of our earnings at gunpoint (as explained by P.J. O'Rourke in 'Parlaiment of Whores,' all taxes ultimately are taken under threat of deadly force) to help out people who we've not the slightest relation closer than species and whose deserving of this generosity is left solely to the whim of Obama and his ilk, he damned well should make some effort to lift his brother from poverty.

I suspect Obama is no different than many children abandoned early on by a parent who goes on to produce more children with a different partner. Those younger hal-siblings are bitter reminders of that abandonment. Would it be any surprise to find out Obama wishes his half-brother had never been born?

[epobirs]

Tantor does have a point. Obama has a line in his first IIRC book talking about the calculated way in which he chose which people he'd befriend. The only criterion that didn't appear to be a factor was whether he LIKED that person.

Personally, I find that pretty creepy. It's something I'd expect to read in the memoirs of a comic book supervillain.

[Constructive Feedback]

[quote]I do understand why some of the senator’s political opponents have made an issue of the fact that Senator Obama has done nothing to lift his younger brother up from his degraded existence, one which is light-years removed from that of a Harvard-educated lawyer and US Senator.[/quote]

Now, now Baldilocks. Barack Obama has fully redeemed his self when he gave the White woman at the airport $100.

Since I have received this airport story from about 10 different people - I think that we all have thoroughly shown our disinterest in the Kenyan school story. :-/

[Xpressions]

I don't think that he has to take care of those siblings, but it just says something about the character of the liberal illuminati. If they can't take care of their family, how will they lead us?