Obama's family owned slaves, practiced Islam and polygamy

Black Pastor: "Obama supports wholesale slaughter" of African-Americans"

Credit for Art: Illinois Review

Democrat Sen. Barack Hussein Obama is a complicated man. The family tree of the presidential hopeful includes Republican President George W. Bush, former Ku Klux Klan leader Senator Robert Byrd, and other white folks who owned slaves.

On the African side of his family, Obama's family includes polygamists and Muslims, but no slaves. Yet he hopes to connect with African-Americans whose votes he needs to become president.

The genealogist who exposed that Obama's ancestry includes slave owners also found that he is distantly related to President Bush and the president of the Mormon Church. The fact that Obama is a "Bushie" by blood, if widely disseminated - which is highly unlikely due to the mainstream media's love affair with Obama - might hurt Obama's candidacy with liberals more than his past as a Muslim student, his family's ownership of slaves, and his father's and grandfather's polygamy.

Obama's past, like many whose kin hail from the south, includes slavery. But unlike thousands of African-Americans, Obama is not a descendant of a slave, but the descendant of slave owners. The Illinois Senator, whose mother is white and father is black, has other notorious distant relatives .

"None of Mr. Obama's ancestors lived under slavery in North America," wrote William Addams Reitwiesner, the genealogist who also works for the U.S. Library of Congress. Reitwiesner researched Obama's ancestry among others' in the government. In what he calls a "first draft" of his work , he revealed that Obama's maternal family owned slaves.

"The first of Mr. Obama's paternal ancestors to leave Kenya was Mr. Obama's own father, who left in the mid-20th century, about 100 years after slavery had been abolished in the United States."

Reitwiesner read Obama's autobiography, "Dreams from my Father," and found inaccuracies. Among them:

• "Mr. Obama's "grandmother", whom he visited at Nyangoma-Kogelo, Kenya, as recently as August 2006, is actually his step-grandmother, a different one of the several polygamous wives of his grandfather Onyango," the genealogical research shows."
• In Dreams, p. 13, Mr. Obama says that "a distant ancestor" of hers "had indeed been a full-blooded Cherokee". No evidence has been found to support this claim."

Reitwiesner's research, some of which was double-checked by mainstream media such as the Baltimore Sun , found that Obama's relatives include not only President Bush and Vice President Cheney, but acto Christopher Reeve, FOX News anchor Brit Hume, writer John Steinbeck and former Democrat presidential hopeful Howard Dean.

Britain's Daily Mail last week wrote an in-depth story about Obama's claims versus the newspaper's discoveries about Obama's background:

• "Yet an investigation by The Mail on Sunday has revealed that, for all Mr. Obama's reputation for straight talking and the compelling narrative of his recollections, they are largely myth.
• We have discovered that his father was not just a deeply flawed individual but also an abusive bigamist and an egomaniac, whose life was ruined not by racism or corruption but his own weaknesses.
• And, devastatingly, the testimony has come from Mr. Obama's own relatives and family friends.
• Charismatic and with movie-star looks, Barack Obama Jnr has managed to steal some of Hillary Clinton's most influential supporters in the two weeks since he entered the U.S. presidential race."

Powerful black religious leaders oppose Obama

Obama and Clinton on Sunday appeared in Southern churches on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala., in hopes of gaining support in the African-American community. Both presidential wannabes unabashedly pandered to black churchgoers with Clinton taking on a fake southern accent and Obama's speech quickly morphing into an unfamiliar black drawl.

Rubbing elbows with the folks "down South" could win them some votes, but the evangelical black community may not be so fast to bite.

Pastor Clenard H. Childress, Jr., an African-American pastor who also serves as leader of the largest black pro-life group in America, said Obama is a danger to the black community because of his unflinching support for abortion at any time during pregnancy.

"Abortion is black genocide," the Rev. Childress said . "Each day, 1,452 African Americans are murdered by abortion. 4,000 children over all. There have been over 15 million African-American children dismembered in the womb by the abortion holocaust and as many women victimized. Sen. Obama supports the wholesale slaughter of our own community by abortion."

"All polling shows that African Americans are pro-life," the Rev. Childress said. "All polling shows that they are not in agreement with same-sex ‘marriage.'"

Childress, director for Christians for Social Justice, also argues that Obama's votes for same-sex unions are a threat to African-Americans.

"African Americans make up 12 percent of the population but account for over 50 percent of all new cases of HIV. Now, with that said, 60 percent of all new AIDS cases in America will be the result of the violation of Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:27 (men having sex with men). If he were to become president of the United States, Sen. Obama's support of homosexual unions would pose a real health threat to African-Americans."

A national poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times in March 2001 found that 56 percent of African-Americans oppose most abortions compared to 54 percent of Caucasians. About 20 percent of blacks would make no exceptions, compared to the 11 percent of the Caucasian population. Younger blacks may feel differently these days, thanks to folks like Obama who support the abortion industry and don't flinch with any thought of ending a life as it begins. That is part of Childress' argument.
Rev. Childress is not a lone voice screaming about black genocide. He has deep credentials in politics and religion, and is a beloved and respected spiritual leader. Childress criticizes Obama not only for his pro-abortion rights votes, but the fact that Obama calls himself an African-American. Democrat Hillary Clinton's position for abortion is no less galling, but she does not hail from the proud black heritage Obama claims. The abortion argument is especially important to the black community because of its disproportionate effect on its population. It is the nexus between Obama's blackness and his radical abortion position that riles the reverend.

Planned Parenthood, one of the nation's most forceful advocates for abortion-rights, celebrates Obama's shameless votes supporting all forms of abortion. The group went so far as to pay for a published "Valentine" for Obama, encouraging others to send the senator a love note.

Is Obama black enough to overcome his family's ownership of slaves?

Unlike previous black presidential contenders, the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, Obama has not locked up the black vote that is essential for his success. His No. 1 rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, was far and away the favorite among blacks in early polls. And although a new poll shows Obama, 45, gaining major ground with blacks, he doesn't have the percentages he'll need to stifle the virile Clinton-spin machine.

"In December and January Post-ABC News polls, Clinton led Obama among African-Americans by 60 percent to 20 percent. In the new poll, Obama held a narrow advantage among blacks, 44 percent to 33 percent. The shift came despite four in five blacks having a favorable impression of the New York senator," according to the Washington Post online edition.

Good looks, a comfortable speaking manner, and relative political anonymity brought Obama to an early peak. Standing between Obama and his goal are black critics, former President Bill Clinton's popularity with blacks, Obama's radical votes supporting late-term abortions, and votes against protecting babies born after a failed abortion, and, finally, his triangulation about his past as a Muslim student. Even his current affiliation with a controversial black church could raise hackles with some voters.

"Barack Obama might not be considered a black candidate for traditional black voters, given their history," said Ronald Walters, director of the African-American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland. "Obama has talked about America wanting a new kind of leadership. What is he talking about? He hasn't defined that sufficiently."

Salon.com , a leftwing Web site, posted an article in January that questioned Obama's black roots, according to the Baltimore Sun .:

Author and essayist Debra J. Dickerson wrote in a January salon.com article that she had previously refrained from opining about the senator because "I didn't have the heart (or the stomach) to point out the obvious: Obama isn't black."

" 'Black,' in our political and social reality, means those descended from West African slaves," Dickerson said.

Democratic candidates rely heavily on the black vote for elections. Some claim that Democrats take the black vote for granted, though some of that easy-street attitude was adjusted when President George W. Bush made slight inroads with African-Americans. In the 2000 election, 90 percent of African-Americans voted for Al Gore, providing 20 percent of his overall support. Gore could not have won the popular vote in 2000 without the black vote. The same is true for the 2008 Democrat contender.

Obama identifies with his black heritage and embraces the label of African-American, though he is as much white as black. And he doesn't share the enslaved heritage of many who live in the United States. But his "Christian" church - which celebrates a 10-point blueprint for African superiority - may appeal to some more radical blacks.

Last week, I reported on Obama's Afrocentric church, which fueled discussion in the new media about Obama's church and brand of Christianity. He was "saved" when brought into the Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago, which has a "congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA," according to its Web site .

"We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization," the Trinity United Church of Christ Web site says.

The Web site for the Trinity United Church of Christ offers for sale books with titles such as "The Black Christ," "Bad Boys of the Bible," "African Power," and "Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery: Consequences for blacks and whites of picturing God as a Caucasian." The church also sells Obama's best-selling books, as well as other more mainstream titles.

After a commitment to God, Trinity United Church of Christ members follow 11 more "precepts and covenantal statements, including: "Commitment to the Black Community", and "Commitment to the Black Family."

Unlike evangelical black churches - whose history reaches back to the very days that African-Americans were first forced to the shores of the United States as slaves - Obama's church appears to put blacks ahead of other non-black Christians"

We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

Commitment to God

Commitment to the Black Community

Commitment to the Black Family

Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence

Adherence to the Black Work Ethic

Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"

Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community

Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions

Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System

Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10.A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

Sen. Barack Obama (above); his father Barack Obama Sr. (below)

Obama was born to a Muslim African man and a white American woman. His father - a heavy-drinking polygamist - lost his Muslim roots when he embraced atheism. But he and his wife had already given Barack the proud Muslim name, Hussein. Barrack Hussein Obama has said that Hussein is an African name, but in fact it is a common Muslim name. That Obama misrepresents his past is a problem with his candidacy. As much as the mainstream media have propped him up as a rock star with pure intents, Obama's veiled past is catching up with him.

Obama posing with a member of American Islamic Congress
Credit: American Islamic Congress

America is in a war with radical Muslims and Obama's past complicates things. Religion does matter, as Republican Mitt Romney knows. American voters are ready for a woman or black president, but religion is still a touchy subject. President John Kennedy had to break the Catholic barrier, but Romney is facing an avalanche of preconceived ideas about Mormonism, such as the haunting and immoral practice of polygamy as part of its roots. Romney and most Mormons no longer follow their forefathers in polygamy and find it deplorable and sexist. But the media have done a good job of smearing Romney with the "polygamist" brush, while ignoring Obama's father's polygamy and his own family's links to the Mormon religion.

In June 2006, The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg News conducted a national poll that found 37 percent of voters said they would not vote for a Mormon for president. Imagine a question about a converted Muslim. Obama would not have gained a serious foothold if the mainstream media had told the truth about his past.

The Feb. 22-25 Washington Post-ABC poll showed a slight improvement for Mormons. Three in 10 now say they would be less likely to support a Mormon candidate. The poll asked nothing about an African-American candidate with Muslim roots.

"He comes from a father who was a Muslim," said civil rights author and National Public Radio (NPR) host Juan Williams , who is black. "I mean, I think that given we're at war with Muslim extremists, that presents a problem."

Americans' discomfort with various religions has not eased enough to ensure a free pass for Obama's brand of Christianity and his family's past with Islam. He is safe as a black candidate, because Americans say they would support either a woman or an African-American as president. But what about a person who has misrepresented himself to America about such simple things as his family's economic status and his religious upbringing?

An Insight story about Obama's education in Islam proved controversial. Some mainstream journalists took their best shot at discrediting the story, but the reporting by CNN was weak. A journalist visited the school more than 35 years after Obama attended it and spoke with one former classmate, a friend, who said the school was not a Muslim school.

But Obama himself claims in his books that he attended Muslim school, but was not exposed to Wahhabism, the extreme form of Islam followed by the 9/11 highjackers. Insight stood by its story, but leftists and the mainstream media continue to prop up Obama with denials and vicious, libelous attacks on his critics.

But will black voters pull the lever for a candidate whose past is in question? Whose own stories don't jibe with the facts? Whose slave-owning family clashes with his pretense as an African-American who stands against their conservative family roots? The answers to these questions are key factors in determining our country's next president. CAT CALL #2
Obama Worships at Afrocentric Church
Parishioners "Pledge Allegiance to all Black leadership . . ."

"Obama's progressivism, however, leads him to conclusions that are morally untenable, if not reprehensible, to Evangelicals and other traditionalist Christians," The Rev. Rob Schenck.

"In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, then the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons and Alan Keyeses will continue to hold sway," Sen. Barack Obama said.

Barack Obama Speaking at Salem Baptist Church
Photo Credit: NDP

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., worships in an "unashamedly Black" church with covenants and a "vision" that include a "disavowal of the pursuit of "middleclassness" and a pledge of allegiance to "all black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System."

The Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago has a "congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA," according to its Web site .

"We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization," the Trinity United Church of Christ Web site says.

The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. became pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ on March 1, 1972, and brought Obama into his brand of Christianity. Rev. Wright has written many books and studied Theology at several universities. He leads a church with more than 80 ministries that range from music to outreach to the poor.

While much has been made of Obama's early education in Islam and his Muslim roots, his Christian conversion into a church that is self-described as Afrocentric has faced little public scrutiny. Some black pastors and evangelical leaders have condemned Obama, who hopes to win the Democrat nomination for the 2008 presidential race.

Following Obama's announcement to enter the presidential race, the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, said Obama's Christianity is "woefully deficient."

The Rev. Schenck's comments in full:

• "Barack Obama began his presidential campaign today with the words, 'All honor and glory to God.'
• "While all Christians should welcome the public acknowledgment of God by a serious presidential contender, such a bold pronouncement and infusion of Christian faith into his campaign will require much of Mr. Obama.
• "Jesus Christ said by what measure we judge others, we will be judged. By injecting his faith so directly into his campaign, Mr. Obama has invited an examination and debate focused on his faith. Sadly, we will find Mr. Obama's Christianity woefully deficient."

The Web site for the Trinity United Church of Christ offers for sale books with titles such as "The Black Christ," "Bad Boys of the Bible," "African Power," and "Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery: Consequences for blacks and whites of picturing God as a Caucasian." The church also sells Obama's best-selling books, as well as other more mainstream titles.

After a commitment to God, Trinity United Church of Christ members follow 11 more "precepts and covenantal statements, including: "Commitment to the Black Community", and "Commitment to the Black Family".

The liberal teachings of Obama's church may turn away black evangelicals, a large voting bloc for Democrats running for national office. Sen. Obama has called for reaching out to evangelicals and understands the necessity for him to gain their votes.

The Rev. Schenck warned in a Dec. 8, 2006, article, Barack Obama: Sheep or Goat, that Obama's brand of Christianity would turn away evangelicals.

"Obama's progressivism, however, leads him to conclusions that are morally untenable, if not reprehensible, to Evangelicals and other traditionalist Christians," Schenck wrote.

Schenck warned evangelical Christians to watch out for Obama's arrival in their churches and to look at his church's Afrocentric beliefs with a skeptic's eye.

"Obama will also likely need to explain why his mentor, Pastor Wright, unapologetically uses language that insults millions of Americans, many of whom are Evangelicals. In one interview, Wright called those of us who voted for George Bush "stupid," Schenck wrote .

Catherine Moy is a Bay Area journalist that has been recognized by many prestigious national, regional and local journalism institutions for her work. The Pulitzer nominee has been recognized for her investigative reporting, opinion columns, business writing, and coverage of breaking news, among other issues. She lives in Solano County with her husband, daughter and many animals.