FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, met with Nobel Peace Prize winner and past president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela:
Mrs. Obama did NOT meet with the present president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma; and I am happy that she didn't. Mr. Zuma has a troubling past [Accused of rape, but was not found guilty. How many American politicians could run for and be elected to public office with that in their past?]
Mr. Zuma has also been accused of corruption charges, fathering a "love child," and in his background, was once an avowed Communist. Imagine how the right wing media would have played up Mrs. Obama meeting with a head of state who was once a member of the Communist Party. Remember how the wingers ravished Van Jones for his association with a Marxist group?
But having ties to Communists isn't the only dubious part of Zuma's background. Zuma is also blatantly and unapologetically anti-gay.
From Wikipedia:
Remarks on same-sex marriage
"Zuma was criticised by gay and lesbian groups after he criticised same-sex marriage at a Heritage Day celebration on 24 September 2006 in Stanger, saying that same-sex marriage was "a disgrace to the nation and to God": "When I was growing up, an ungqingili (a homosexual) would not have stood in front of me. I would knock him out."
Some rightwing bloggers are crowing over the fact that President Zuma did not meet with Mrs. Obama, but those same wingers would have savagely criticized her for shaking hands with a former Commie and homophobe. They can't be consistent because there's no rationality in their hatred for this FLOTUS, who BTW is admired and very popular with the American people.
And no wonder:
"Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG
June 22, 2011
A healthy-looking Nelson Mandela met with Michelle Obama and her daughters Tuesday, an unexpected encounter between the first lady and the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon who largely has retired from public life.
A photo provided by the Nelson Mandela Foundation showed the 92-year-old Mandela sitting on a couch next to Mrs. Obama, pen in hand to sign an advance copy of his new book, “Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorized Quotations Book.” Mandela was wearing one of his trademark shirts, richly patterned and buttoned at the neck.
Mrs. Obama, daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, and her mother, Marian Robinson, were viewing some of Mandela’s personal papers at his foundation when he sent word that he wanted to meet them at his home in a leafy Johannesburg neighborhood. It was the first meeting between America’s first black first lady and the political prisoner who later became his country’s first black president
Mrs. Obama’s family spent about 20 minutes with Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, who is a former first lady of Mozambique.
[skip]
Mandela, who stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as president, rarely is seen in public anymore. At age 92, he is in fragile health and was hospitalized briefly in January with an acute respiratory infection.
His condition has been improving steadily, and he apparently felt well enough Tuesday to invite the Obama family to visit."
5 comments:
Nice post Shaw... you are correct in that people are indeed making fun of her for being "snubbed" by the President of South Africa. You can be sure the headline would have been FLOTUS meets with Commie Rapist President if she would have met with him.
Maybe she snubbed him?
I was fortunate to see and hear Mandela when he was released. Chelle and I went with 100.000 of our closest friends to the LA Coliseum. I treasure that moment.
For me, way more important for her to sit with him...
Ditto Dave. And, oh my God, the photographs are absolutely stunning.
Leslie, yes they are... it has been a while since we have had a First Lady that could be called elegant.
Classy yes, elegant? Perhaps not since Jackie.
Dave, I believe as you do that Mrs. Obama was correct in having a meeting with Nelson Mandeal rather than with Zuma. But it is strange how the wingers are gleeful over a one-time commie not wanting to meet with the American First Lady.
They really are so consumed with hatred that their ability to think has abandoned them.
Leslie,
Mrs. O is certainly a lovely combination of brains and beauty. And class.
I think Michelle is a class act. I I cringe at the conservative sites I see that constantly criticize her dress, and sometimes call her a gorilla.
Yeah, she did make that awful "proud" statement, which no amount of context can make sound anything other than embarassing. But Nancy Reagan said something far worse. (Nancy's my least-favorite first lady of the era from Lady Bird onward. Before that, I don't form an opinion).
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"Remember how the wingers ravished Van Jones for his association with a Marxist group?"
Van Jones joined a Maoist group. An act of evil-mindedness similar to David Duke's "youthful flirtation" in which he joined the Nazi Party. The President rightly saw a problem with that. Jones' advocacy of an ideology that requires killing a large percentage of the population is incompatible with the ideals of the President and also with liberals AND conservatives. This isn't liberalism Jones subscribed to, but something altogether different.
He should not have been arrested for it, and he wasn't. But sickos like him, David Duke, KKK members, etc deserved to be drummed out of polite society.
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