Obama in Africa

[GrumpyBunny]

@Penfeather

Ah, but imagine the hilarity that will ensue when a tribe of Obama’s African relations descends upon the White House with grass skirts and bones in their noses, humourously attempting to buy Hillary Clinton for many cows and trying to put the Chaplain into a large iron cooking pot surrounded by carrots and potatoes.

I totally want to attend that particular state dinner.

[John_Mace]

@Colibri

Actually, he spends Christmas and New Year’s there almost every year.

It was meant to be a joke.

[up_the_junction]

@up_the_junction

Sure, the Stasi comment was clear.

Thanks.

wasn’t :smack:

[Colibri]

@John_Mace

It was meant to be a joke.

So was mine.

[Measure_for_Measure]

@Miller

It’s worth noting that a major reason things are so bad for gay people in many African nations is because American evangelicals, no longer finding much support for their bigotries in the US, have started exporting it abroad. Interesting that, of all the Americans going to Africa to talk about gay people, the one he’s upset about is the guy advocating tolerance.

I detect a hint of racism as well, as if human rights are too advanced for those African natives. After all the US does routinely lecture other countries about their human rights policies: they even issue a freaking report on the subject annually. This sort of thing is routine.

@even_sven

FWIW, Cameroon has softened its response to gay people (taking it down a notch from “publish their name in the newspaper and put them in prison”) in what I am almost certain is a direct response to U.S. pressure on Uganda. Just a little bit of political pressure can do a lot to make them a less attractive political scapegoat.

Many parts of Africa are at a crossroad right now on gay rights, and gay rights movements across the continent are on the verge of making some real wins, but it’s fragile. It’s a bit of a critical moment that will determine a lot about the future, and kudos to our president for going out of his way to fight for a better world.

Yes. This. Kudos to the President. It wasn’t about gay marriage: it was about an intensification of anti-gay legislation over the past decade or so, spurred by a few US evangelicals.

After all, this sort of thing has worked on the edges in Europe. When a new government in Hungary won elections in 2010, they proceeded to rewrite the constitution. In private, the US stressed that such processes were best done in a spirit of inclusion. The US was ignored. Polite talks culminated in a letter written by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011, which got leaked to the press. The combination of careful groundwork combined with a diplomatic letter led to… incremental adjustments: [INDENT] Officials agreed to begin a process to work with the European Union to ensure that the corrections did not violate EU law. The Hungarian government agreed to consult with the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe, and the European Commission, volunteering to hand over English translations of the constitution and several of the most controversial of the cardinal laws. If elements of the law were found to be inconsistent with EU standards, Hungarian government officials agreed to work with Parliament to modify them.

This was a significant turning point. We at Embassy Budapest knew that our role, unconventional and nuanced as it was, had been instrumental in getting the Hungarians to this point. For many months, we had been nearly alone in pushing for Hungary to address these concerns. The European Union had remained almost completely silent, even though it was far more appropriate for Hungary to work with EU and European institutions, given its membership in the group. As one European journalist tartly noted, “It takes Hillary Clinton writing a letter before we are willing to take notice of a problem within our own Union.” [/INDENT] The EU ignored the problem even though Hungary is a goddamn member. So no, I make no apologies for US jaw-jaw on this and other issues.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/junejulyaugust_2015/features/the_hungary_games055882.php?page=all

[up_the_junction]

@Measure_for_Measure

After all the US does routinely lecture other countries about their human rights policies: they even issue a freaking report on the subject annually. This sort of thing is routine.

This is amusing:

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we participated in the 18th round of the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue

<snip>

At the same time we did not shy away from raising the full range of issues where China’s policies and human rights practices have fallen seriously short of international standards.

I can only think the Chinese go along to these meetings so they’ve got stories to tell over dinner.

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/rm/2013/212667.htm

[Smeghead]

Are you implying that China’s record of human rights abuses is not significantly worse than the United States’? Would you care to back up that assertion at all?

[Measure_for_Measure]

Hada, Gao Yu, Ngawang Sangdrol, Kang Yuchun, Jigme Gyatso, Xiao Bin, Ding Junze and Liao Yiwu are among those who the Chinese have released from prison following US pressure.

USStateDepartmentResponse_03132002.pdf

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/09/us-china-rights-idUSKBN0JN0VG20141209

China Releases 3 Pro-Democracy Political Prisoners

[Enderw24]

@Penfeather

Ah, but imagine the hilarity that will ensue when a tribe of Obama’s African relations descends upon the White House with grass skirts and bones in their noses, humourously attempting to buy Hillary Clinton for many cows and trying to put the Chaplain into a large iron cooking pot surrounded by carrots and potatoes.

Which begs the question, we know that the Secret Service would take a bullet for the President, but what if, instead, the tribe threatened death by Snoo Snoo?

[Nava]

@Colibri

Why do you imagine they would want to move away from other family members and a familiar society? It’s very hard to adapt to a new country. Of course many people want to move to the US for economic reasons, but unless they are in actual need they may not care to. Not everyone in the world wants to live in the US!

Nice post-location combo, birdie

[Biggirl]

Every time I read this thread title, I imagine our President in a tiny, overheated, sandy room burying himself in sand to avoid heatstroke in preparation for this state trip. He was drugged and forced to go in order to catch modern day slavers.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@up_the_junction

It was very pleasing today to see the US president patronising the leader of Kenya on gay rights today, approximately 7 minutes after gay marriage became legal in the USA - after the USSC ruled in a decision not related to an Obama policy.

Directing the Solicitor General to file an amicus brief on behalf of the challengers to the state SSM bans probably counts as a “policy.” And it’s probably fair to say that the decision was “related” to that policy, since the government’s brief was cited in the majority opinion. Do carry on, though.

[Bookkeeper]

@Enderw24

Which begs the question, we know that the Secret Service would take a bullet for the President, but what if, instead, the tribe threatened death by Snoo Snoo?

So all those Secret Service “sex scandals” were really contingency training!

[Colibri]

@Nava

Nice post-location combo, birdie

I know an awful lot of Panamanians who have lived for years in the US, and come back. Likewise lots of US retirees who have chosen to live here.

[GrandWino]

@Chefguy

Exactly. An African leaving Africa is a much bigger deal than a black American moving to another country. In Africa, you’re leaving not only your extended family, but your tribe, your culture and your history. Tribal affiliation is at least as strong as family ties. A black person from an African nation can’t just automatically assimilate into American black culture or community simply because he has a similar skin color.

I saw a documentary about this. I think Eddie Murphy was in it.

[elucidator]

That was Out of Africa. It was about a writer with syphilis.

[up_the_junction]

That’s correct. Meryl Streep played Obama in a highly acclaimed performance.

[elucidator]

If I send you money, will you promise never to help me, ever again.

[Siam_Sam]

@Colibri

Actually, he spends Christmas and New Year’s there almost every year.

I thought that was Mecca?

[BrainGlutton]

@Biggirl

Every time I read this thread title, I imagine our President in a tiny, overheated, sandy room burying himself in sand to avoid heatstroke in preparation for this state trip. He was drugged and forced to go in order to catch modern day slavers.

Late at night in a remote African village, a white man is sitting in a hut playing classical music on a battery phonograph. Outside the hut, drums beat. He calls for his servant, a local black boy, punches him out, kicks him in the balls, and sends him to fetch a 13-year-old virgin. After raping the girl, front and back, he shoots her in the head and kicks her corpse down the steps of the hut. The drums continue. The white man, roaring, calls for the village chief, shoots him, and kicks his body down the steps. The sound of the drums just gets louder. He calls the boy and demands, “What’s with the drums?!” The boy answers, “They’re mourning for the chief you just shot.” The white man jams a hypodermic needle into his arm, kicks over the phonograph and screams, “I can’t stand it! What time is it, anyway?!”

“It’s midnight, Dr. Schweitzer.”