One Simple Question
Washington DC
When I was a kid growing up in Japan, our parents told us `You can do anything, you can become anyone . . . . except President of the United States.`
We all knew that there was one thing we could never accomplish because we were born in Japan.
As we come down to the wire on the election with so many issues, positions and ideas to evaluate, there seems to be one that trumps them all.
The answer to the simple question that I along with many other `foreign born` Americans have lived with all our lives – where were you born?
Amazingly, one the most basic premise for the upcoming election - the simple question `where were you born` as relates to Barack Obama remains unproved.
Sitting in a coffee shop this morning in Washington DC, I spoke with 23 year old Obama supporter Patrick Boland.
When told of the unsubstantiated rumors regarding Barack Obama`s birth, Boland said
`I had not heard that. While I would still support Barack Obama, that is something that would concern me.`
The unsubstantiated rumors are quite simple and stark.
1. Barack Obama was born in the city of Mombasa, Kenya at the Coast Provincial Hospital and taken later via Seattle to Hawaii and his Grandmother was present at his birth.
2. Barack Obama was taken to Indonesia by his Indonesian Father where he could not have gone to unless he was an Indonesia Citizen and registered in school as Indonesia.
3. Barack Obama attended University on a Foreign Student Scholarship.
There is one hint on the Barack Obama Website, under the `Fight the Smears` link.`
It says, `Since Sen. Obama has neither renounced his U.S. Citizenship nor sworn an oath of allegiance to Kenya, his Kenyan Citizenship automatically expired on August 4, 1982.`
The Obama Campaign confirms on their own website that until 1982, Senator Barack Obama was in fact a Kenyan Citizen.
The Constitution is very clear that one of the three qualifications for becoming president is to be a `natural born` American citizen.
What is most amazing is that to date, Barack Obama has not produced an official copy of his Birth Certificate.
What is produced is a copy of a `Certification of Live Birth`, which is not a Birth Certificate, but simply an `after the fact` Certification that anyone can receive following a birth.
Even more shocking is a complete lockdown on any information ranging from his birth certificate from Hawaii to his school records at Occidental College, Harvard and Columbia to any records from Kenya or Indonesia.
This just does not stand well.
Put aside for a moment all the policy matters and positions ranging from taxes to abortion to Iraq.
The most important question facing us in this election is `where were you born`.
Why does it matter?
First, obviously because if you are not `natural born` you cannot become the President of the United States as all of us `foreign born` kids learned a long time ago.
Second, though, and more concerning is the simple fact that if you are not honest about the single most important fact in an election than all the rest comes into question.
There remains one, extremely simple question that deserves one simple proof.
Before you vote, ask yourself the stark question.
Why has not Barack Obama produced the single most important document of the election – his birth certificate.
The answer to all other questions should flow from that answer.
Ken Joseph Jr.
www.kenjoseph.com
Showing posts with label Faith And Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith And Politics. Show all posts
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Danger Of Goodness
The Danger of Goodness
Washington DC
For those of us who have grown up and lived in totalitarian states the signs are ominous.
The unquestioning adoration.
The threats to anyone who dare oppose.
The clampdown on any dissenting media.
Unclear public policy.
It was the `good people` who welcomed Fidel Castro when he stood up against corruption.
It was again the `good people` who welcomed Khomeini home to Iran to start a revolution for the poor.
I will never forget meeting one of the original students, one of the `good` people who supported and worked with Khomeini.
He had promised food for all, jobs for all, freedom and equality.
The promises never materialized.
Months after arriving in Iran to cheering crowds, the same students who had joyfully welcomed him experienced firsthand the near immediate setting up of the moslem police state.
Stunned at the dramatic change of events and a `revolution` so different from what they had been promised, my friend asked Khomeini directly. `What happened to all your promises`.
With steely eyes, he told me Khomeini looked at him and said simply `I lied`.
I cannot forget the sadness in the eyes of the now middle aged student follower of the Islamic revolution.
The pattern is always the same.
We all forget at our peril that Dictators usually come to power on a wave of adoration and calls for change.
Once in control of the levers of power they immediately dismantle the very freedoms that allowed them come to power.
Why does this happen?
There is one very simple answer.
It is the danger of goodness.
Good people are at their core exactly that – good.
They always look for the best in people, strive for progress and hope for a better day.
They cannot imagine how anyone given such power would every want to use it for anything but good.
It is their one massive and gaping blind spot – their own goodness.
I was in Baghdad with a senior American General.
He had just finished a meeting with the panicked Assyrian Christians of the city.
`The meeting went very well. There were no complaints` he said.
`Was there anyone else in the room besides you and them`, I asked.
`Just a couple of Officials` he replied.
Having spoken with the Christians, I knew he had neglected, in his `goodness` to understand the `look` given to the Christians by the `officials` in the room.
Having endured Saddam Hussein, they all knew that `look`.
It said `say a word and you are toast`!
Goodness, as De Tocqueville found is America`s greatest blessing.
It causes us to reach out to a world with open arms of giving and caring, always believing, always pushing for a better world.
At the same time, as Americans it is our Achilles heel.
Sadly, there is evil in this world and understanding it first is the only way to be truly `good`, because the real purpose of `good` is to stand against evil.
Hopefully I and so many others are wrong and all the telltale signs of classic dictatorship will not come to pass.
I for one, though do not want to look into the eyes of another `good` person and hear them say `but it all sounded so good`.
Vigilance, a clear minded understanding of evil and a sharp eye at history are the only human ways to stop a dictator.
There is one thing, though that every dictator forgets about at his peril.
That is that goodness is based on faith and faith is nourished by prayer and prayer still changes history.
Disappointed? Fearful? You should be!
The solution?
Get on your knees.
Prayer still works and it still stops the march of evil and ultimately all tyrants fall in its path.
Ken Joseph Jr.
Washington DC
For those of us who have grown up and lived in totalitarian states the signs are ominous.
The unquestioning adoration.
The threats to anyone who dare oppose.
The clampdown on any dissenting media.
Unclear public policy.
It was the `good people` who welcomed Fidel Castro when he stood up against corruption.
It was again the `good people` who welcomed Khomeini home to Iran to start a revolution for the poor.
I will never forget meeting one of the original students, one of the `good` people who supported and worked with Khomeini.
He had promised food for all, jobs for all, freedom and equality.
The promises never materialized.
Months after arriving in Iran to cheering crowds, the same students who had joyfully welcomed him experienced firsthand the near immediate setting up of the moslem police state.
Stunned at the dramatic change of events and a `revolution` so different from what they had been promised, my friend asked Khomeini directly. `What happened to all your promises`.
With steely eyes, he told me Khomeini looked at him and said simply `I lied`.
I cannot forget the sadness in the eyes of the now middle aged student follower of the Islamic revolution.
The pattern is always the same.
We all forget at our peril that Dictators usually come to power on a wave of adoration and calls for change.
Once in control of the levers of power they immediately dismantle the very freedoms that allowed them come to power.
Why does this happen?
There is one very simple answer.
It is the danger of goodness.
Good people are at their core exactly that – good.
They always look for the best in people, strive for progress and hope for a better day.
They cannot imagine how anyone given such power would every want to use it for anything but good.
It is their one massive and gaping blind spot – their own goodness.
I was in Baghdad with a senior American General.
He had just finished a meeting with the panicked Assyrian Christians of the city.
`The meeting went very well. There were no complaints` he said.
`Was there anyone else in the room besides you and them`, I asked.
`Just a couple of Officials` he replied.
Having spoken with the Christians, I knew he had neglected, in his `goodness` to understand the `look` given to the Christians by the `officials` in the room.
Having endured Saddam Hussein, they all knew that `look`.
It said `say a word and you are toast`!
Goodness, as De Tocqueville found is America`s greatest blessing.
It causes us to reach out to a world with open arms of giving and caring, always believing, always pushing for a better world.
At the same time, as Americans it is our Achilles heel.
Sadly, there is evil in this world and understanding it first is the only way to be truly `good`, because the real purpose of `good` is to stand against evil.
Hopefully I and so many others are wrong and all the telltale signs of classic dictatorship will not come to pass.
I for one, though do not want to look into the eyes of another `good` person and hear them say `but it all sounded so good`.
Vigilance, a clear minded understanding of evil and a sharp eye at history are the only human ways to stop a dictator.
There is one thing, though that every dictator forgets about at his peril.
That is that goodness is based on faith and faith is nourished by prayer and prayer still changes history.
Disappointed? Fearful? You should be!
The solution?
Get on your knees.
Prayer still works and it still stops the march of evil and ultimately all tyrants fall in its path.
Ken Joseph Jr.
Friday, September 19, 2008
One Of Us!
St. Paul, Minnesota
I will never forget attending a meeting in Washington, where both President George Bush and his wife Laura, spoke.
Laura Bush opened the event she was beautiful, eloquent and brilliant.
She blew us all away!
And then there was President George Bush.
He wasn’t very brilliant. He was `ok`, but definitely not amazing.
But what brought us all over?
It was the simple fact that although George Bush didn’t bowl us over – to tell the truth he came across as being pretty nutty - Laura Bush sure did.
We just loved her! She was real and just like us.
I think we all concluded `He sure doesn’t have it, but if she was with him, he must be pretty good too!`
I have met John McCain many times in conjunction with working to try and get his support for the Assyrian Christians in Iraq.
He is always prickly, mean and short tempered.
A typical reaction to asking for his support for Christians in Iraq would be `we don’t support any particular group.`.
Not exactly a `one of us` comment!
In fact there might be a bit of history that makes him so `prickly`, particular to those of us of faith.
My father, Kennu Joseph Senior, knew John McCain Senior.
A second Generation Admiral, commander of the Pacific Fleet, he was a strident advocate for freedom.
Often when he would meet my father he would say `Pray for my son! He is away from God.`
John McCain Senior, was known as a godly man, rising up early in the morning to spend a hour or more in prayer, apparently much of it for his wayward son.
I think I share the same reaction of most conservatives of not being particulary excited about John McCain.
Why have we reluctantly supported him?
Because lined up with Barack Obama, he is clearly a choice of the lesser of two evils.
But, Sarah changed everything!
We may not be particularly exited about John, but like Laura Bush with George, if she is on his side, he must be ok!
Why? Because she is one of us!
Just listen to her words!
`They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America.`
`By the grace of God ... the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome.`
`I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way.`
`But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart. `
What was so difficult about listening to the Democratic Convention?
They didn’t use our language and the few times they `prayed`, you could run a knife through the thick, icy atmosphere.
For people of faith, real faith it is words like `the Grace of God`, `a Servants Heart` and `prayer`, said in passing that grips our hearts.
We know for all the human frailties and the brilliance of campaigns and political rhetoric, at the end of the day we are at best Servants of God.
For some reason we will only understand in Glory, God chooses each of us, in spite of ourselves.
What finally put just about everybody over? The simple fact that she is `normal`, too.
Married, five Children, struggling to balance everything and a daughter that got pregnant before she was married.
Thank goodness for that sweet daughter. That really convinced me she is truly `one of us`.
Being people of faith, doesn’t mean we are perfect. It simply means that we see the world through glasses of hope, belief, faith and a higher purpose.
It means that we struggle every day with the same problems, disappointments and human failings as does anybody except for two special words, quoted by John McCain when asked what was meaningful in his life.
He replied `I believe in forgiveness and redemption`.
People of faith are not better, but simply forgiven and redeemed.
Is John McCain one of us?
Not quite yet, but with Sarah and the prayers of a special father on his side he is on his way!
Ken Joseph Jr.
I will never forget attending a meeting in Washington, where both President George Bush and his wife Laura, spoke.
Laura Bush opened the event she was beautiful, eloquent and brilliant.
She blew us all away!
And then there was President George Bush.
He wasn’t very brilliant. He was `ok`, but definitely not amazing.
But what brought us all over?
It was the simple fact that although George Bush didn’t bowl us over – to tell the truth he came across as being pretty nutty - Laura Bush sure did.
We just loved her! She was real and just like us.
I think we all concluded `He sure doesn’t have it, but if she was with him, he must be pretty good too!`
I have met John McCain many times in conjunction with working to try and get his support for the Assyrian Christians in Iraq.
He is always prickly, mean and short tempered.
A typical reaction to asking for his support for Christians in Iraq would be `we don’t support any particular group.`.
Not exactly a `one of us` comment!
In fact there might be a bit of history that makes him so `prickly`, particular to those of us of faith.
My father, Kennu Joseph Senior, knew John McCain Senior.
A second Generation Admiral, commander of the Pacific Fleet, he was a strident advocate for freedom.
Often when he would meet my father he would say `Pray for my son! He is away from God.`
John McCain Senior, was known as a godly man, rising up early in the morning to spend a hour or more in prayer, apparently much of it for his wayward son.
I think I share the same reaction of most conservatives of not being particulary excited about John McCain.
Why have we reluctantly supported him?
Because lined up with Barack Obama, he is clearly a choice of the lesser of two evils.
But, Sarah changed everything!
We may not be particularly exited about John, but like Laura Bush with George, if she is on his side, he must be ok!
Why? Because she is one of us!
Just listen to her words!
`They love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America.`
`By the grace of God ... the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome.`
`I'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way.`
`But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and ... a servant's heart. `
What was so difficult about listening to the Democratic Convention?
They didn’t use our language and the few times they `prayed`, you could run a knife through the thick, icy atmosphere.
For people of faith, real faith it is words like `the Grace of God`, `a Servants Heart` and `prayer`, said in passing that grips our hearts.
We know for all the human frailties and the brilliance of campaigns and political rhetoric, at the end of the day we are at best Servants of God.
For some reason we will only understand in Glory, God chooses each of us, in spite of ourselves.
What finally put just about everybody over? The simple fact that she is `normal`, too.
Married, five Children, struggling to balance everything and a daughter that got pregnant before she was married.
Thank goodness for that sweet daughter. That really convinced me she is truly `one of us`.
Being people of faith, doesn’t mean we are perfect. It simply means that we see the world through glasses of hope, belief, faith and a higher purpose.
It means that we struggle every day with the same problems, disappointments and human failings as does anybody except for two special words, quoted by John McCain when asked what was meaningful in his life.
He replied `I believe in forgiveness and redemption`.
People of faith are not better, but simply forgiven and redeemed.
Is John McCain one of us?
Not quite yet, but with Sarah and the prayers of a special father on his side he is on his way!
Ken Joseph Jr.
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