President Obama, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, and the Conspiracy Theorists (Imani Media Ministry Matters)
Rev. Joel Washington (Khunanpu Sangoma)
Published: June 11, 2014
Clearly, the latest public assault of right wing media aimed at embarrassing, discrediting, and deligitimizing the Obama Administration is the current Astro-turf controversy over the Chief Executive Office's successfully negotiating the release, from Afghan Taliban captivity, of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl (considered the last American prisoner-of-war of the Afgnaistan conflict).
We say right wing media assault because, in addition to the ususal dedicated Obama detractors such Fox News and its sympathetic network of right wing talk radio show hosts, the Bergdahl controversy is reported to be largely facilitated by the Republican Party friendly public relations firm, Capitol Media Partners, lead by PR professionals Richard Grenell and Brad Chase.
Grenell is a former President Bush II media official, a Fox News contributor, and a former Romney 2012 Campaign PR operative. And although Chase denies being a Republican media man, he readily admits coordinating ("pro bono") media interviews on behalf of a handful of Bergdahl's former platoon mates who regard the recently released US Army Sergeant as a deserter or worse and thereby unworthy of being involved in the high profile prisoner-of-war exchange recently engineered by the Obama White House.
This said the current Sergeant Bergdahl controversy essentially serves to stir up the virtual Greek Pandora's Box of right wing anti-Obama conspiracy theories operating inside and outside the Big Business media industry. Below is a brief outline, sourced from Mother Jones Magazine and others, of the vast network of right wing Obama conspiracy theories that might make the Englewood Portal community laugh to keep from crying as well as foster the occasion for some serious charitable prayer on the one hand and truth squad push-back on the other:
A. Obama as Muslim sleeper terrorist right wing conspiracy theories:
1) Secret Muslim, 2) Sworn in on the Koran, 3) Helped the Afghan Mujahideen in the 1980s, 4) Bringing 100 million Muslims to the US, 5) Wears ring with Koranic verses, 6) Funded by Saudi Arabia, 7) Decorated the Oval Office Muslim style; 8) Wrote anti-Jewish poetry, 8) Speaks Arabic and 9) Attended a madrassa.
B. Obama as the Un-American Kenyan right wing Conspiracy theories:
1) Born in Kenya, 2) Lost his US citizenship, 3) Has fake birth certificate, 4) Got a suspicious nose job, 5) Killed his grandma to cover up his birth, 6) Michelle Obama the angry Black woman, 7) Obama the Black Panther, 8) Real dad was Malcolm X, and 9) Obama's mom and dad were Communists.
C. Obama as an underworld and queer fellow traveler right wing conspiracy theories:
1) Married a Pakistni guy, 2) Gay orgy murder cover up, 3) Is on "the downlow," 4) Campaign funded by drug money, 5) Is the Anti-Christ, 6) Has brainwashed America yet needs a teleprompter.
D. Obama as power mad dictator right wing conspiracy theories:
1) Fakes new jobs numbers, 2) Faked Osama Bin Ladin's death, 3) Was behind the BP oil spill, Aurora shooting, and Hurricane Sandy, 4) Planning fake assassination attempt, 5) Killed Breitbart and many more, 6) Coming for private guns, gold, farms, and IRA'S.
E. Obama the ultra-radical leftest right wing conspiracy theories:
1) Seeks to re-educate America's youth, 2) Bill Ayers ghostwrote Obama's memoir, 3) Gave US Islands to Russia, 4) Caused 1995 Recession, 5) Won't say pledge of allegiance, 6) Removed US flag from Air Force One, and 7) And trained to overthrow the government.
This list of the wild conspiracy theories of right wing haters and howlers continuously aimed at President Obama is shared by this writer as a public service. It is our sincere hope that in doing so we are helping to forewarn and thereby forearm (metaphorically speaking) the discerning Englewood Portal community.