Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for October 03, 2010

What no Republican has yet to answer me is how come so many of the same people scream “He’s a Muslim!” AND “He had a pastor who hates America!”

Which is it, please?

No, of course they can’t give an articulate answer … at least any one that isn’t “Because we’ve got a lot of knuckledragging morons in our ranks.”

even if he was a Muslim, why should anyone care about it? did being a Catholic make any difference to JFK’s presidency? did being a Quaker make any difference to Nixon’s presidency? when are American’s going to stop giving so much credence to sub-moronic nutjobs instead of ignoring their idiocy so it doesn’t spread to other sub-moronic nutjobs. (i’m betting the flames will fly high over this post, but i’m tired of listening to news reports about idiots and the patently stupid things they say. thanks for the opportunity to vent.)

When is the last time any president acted like their moral principals were anything but a convenient veneer? They lie, they cheat, they kill, they rob little old ladies of their retirement and give it to bankers. Anti-heros all of them.

Short memory YYYGUY. “JFK is a Mic. Do you want some dumb drunk Irishman in the White House? Do you want a President kneeling to the Vatican. He’ll take his orders from the Pope.” I guess you only remember today. Catholic? Irish? We don’t want your kind here. Just cause trouble.

How many Irishmen were lynched in the worst riot in America in New York over the draft in 63? That was 1863. The Irish and Catholics faced as bad if not worse discrimination than any other group. JFK has a bit of prejudice to overcome. You wouldn’t let your daughter marry a papist paddy. why vote for one.?

I know my ancestors didn’t own black slaves cause they came over in chains themselves after the English murdered half of them, slowly by starvation as they stole the food from our island.. The emancipation Proclamation didn’t do much to for my people, it only affected the states in rebellion. Slavers were free to enslave the Irish in the FREE states.

There are these things called books in the library. Though not totally true, they tend to be more truthful than the electronic media. Take out one on the 60 election. You might find that JFK’s opponent wasn’t so bad either. Or believe what you read on the Internet.

Heavens forbid! Obama is black?

I think it would be nice id he received a Democratic Super Majority in the Senate so he could get some of his programs through Congress without having to alter them to fit the Republican agenda. Let’s see what happens…………

President Obama is a Kenyan, Muslim, Socialist, Fascist with a deep-seated hatred of white people who wants to impose Sharia law on all god-fearing wealthy Americans. That should cover it.

People seem to forget Obama is also 50% Irish.

…how sad that this so true.talking at work(there was 14 people),I asked if anyone saw the president proclaiming his Christianity,four of my co-workers expressed actual surprise at this.They truely thought he was a Muslim.Four out of fourteen!These are not dumb people..well,not on most things.

They asked why he was just coming out saying it,now?I said,hello…don’t you remember his minister’s big anti-white American speech,back during the election?He couldn’t have a minister scandal if he didn’t go to church.

They came back with,well,just because you go to church doesn’t mean you’re a Christian,so I replied,Like going out boozing and carousing on Saturday then going to Church on Sunday does?

Actually,supposed sinners need church.I was just making a point.

They came back with,-no lying-With a name like Barack ‘Hussein’ Obama,he has to be Muslim…

..Aaargh!

So, 31% of Republicans are morons.

I have been holding back on this, however, I must weigh in. When Mr. Obama was first tapped to be a candidate for Senator from Illinois, it was told that he was born in Kenya to an American mother and a Kenyan father. Soon after, nothing more was said. Cover-up? I do not know. When Mr. Obama was tapped fro the Presidency, his birth place was suddenly Hawaii. The state of Hawaii has yet to produce his birth certificate, saying that everything is in order but will not let anyone else examine it. His mother remarried a Muslim and they all lived in Indonesia. It was in Indonesia that Mr. Obama attended a Madrassa.(sp) Now, such schooling is not necessarily anti-anything, but it is Muslim based. There are many Muslims who have converted to Christianity, he could be one. To be fair, Reverend Wright has only been portrayed by his rant of God D**N America. Was it taken out of context? If it wasn’t, it hardly qualifies him as a Christian. Nor, does it qualify Mr. Obama as a Christian. What we have is a lot of evidence pointing to things not being what they are said to be around Mr. Obama. He has always surrounded himself with socialists and others who would tear down the America that I grew up with. Oh yes, about the white hating part, I don’t think he cares who he hates. You decide.

I personally think that, at the least, Mr. Obama is not qualified to be President of the United States of America based upon his birth status alone. If he is Christian, I would hazard to say that it may be in name only. Mr. Obama, it seems to me, is self-serving. He is the epitome of the worst of politicians. May he not serve a second term.

John Pike, Get real!

I go off for a week on vacation, and when I come back, the comments are the same depressingly worn-out rhubarbs. (On all sides.) I guess we should all be grateful for the rock-solid consistency of life.

Dang, it looks like one of the 31%ers infiltrated the forum.

There were several celebrated presidents in our past who were certainly not as well qualified as our current president. Our president was president of Harvard Law Review. He didn’t just graduate from Harvard Law School. He was always an outstanding thinker. Just because a claim was made during a political campaign in Illinois a few years ago doesn’t make it so. Obama was born in Hawaii, which is part of the USA. (It may seem obvious to most that Hawaii is part of the USA, but believe me, there are those who seem to not understand this.) Some people need to grow up and realize that there is no magic solution to the many challenges which face us now. All of the remedies are difficult and take time. We got into this mess in the first place because of the GOP and they want to go back and do the same thing again. Wake up people! Unfortunately, as usual, the only people who seem to vote are those who are affluent, as they know that they can always get back in power. Those who are less fortunate don’t believe they can make changes hence they tend not to vote. If more people from every part of society would vote I could accept the nonsense from the GOP. However, this simply is not what happens in the USA typically.

Stanley Ann Dunham and Madelyn Dunham were Mr. Obama’s mother and grandmother. Stanley Dunham was his grandfather. All 3 were from Kansas. Ann was the age of a younger sister to me (no relation) and we were raised with good Kansas values. Granted there are some from Kansas who are racists but I tended to ignore them. Ann and her parents raised Barack with no assistance from his father. He provided some genetic material but not much else. I also raised my 3 children without help from their father. He was addicted to drinking and gambling and got caught floating checks. I totally identify with what Ann went through. She eventually received her Doctorate, I only went as far as a Masters. We both raised intelligent, competent children without their fathers but with the assistance of families with good Kansas roots (not all KS roots are ‘good’). As far as religion- I divorced my self from organized religion of any kind when I was about 12- asked a question about the Sunday school reading assignment (Congregational Church) and was verbally burned at the stake by Mrs. Dxxx. I was raised to ask questions and was totally shocked by her reaction. As an adult I was back in my hometown. Her letters to the editor were amazing- Hitler would have loved her! There are Pasty-White Christian hate groups everywhere in the US but many forget that one of them blew up the building in Oklahoma City. They also blew up a gas pipeline in AR, robbed a National Guard Armory, killed a Jewish talk show host, shot and killed a highway patrolman, etc, etc. I have may have very pale skin but can’t identify with these hate groups. I refer to them as the ‘scary’ because they are every where and look just like me. It is scary when I hear 45 minutes of automatic weapon fire at night. Stay safe if you can!

JP- Please cite a valid reference to your assertion that he (or his campaign) stated he was born in Kenya. The way you present it (“it was told”) is exactly like the current ‘birther’ argument. Somebody said it, so “it was told”. Who told it, and were they in a position to know? WND refers to an “apparently archived” report from 2004, but the html structure for the archived newspaper articles and the “apparently archived” report are different, and other articles referenced have been since corrected.

Saying so doesn’t make it so.

1) I found today’s strip funny. Doonesbury is consistently funny.

2) John Pike has been misinformed. He needs to check his sources

I’m telling it like I heard it. From the internet. Yes, corrected, but what does that mean? Does it mean altered in a way to deceive or to embellish? My sources are the same as yours. And I did not make attacks or assumptions, just raised my eyebrows along with a few questions. So save your BS attacks for the shouters.

there are lots of ways to lynch a man….politely.

keep seeing through the spin, GT!!!!!

beyond whew to yikes.

I have nothing against (Christians) / (Muslims) [select one]. Some of my best friends are (Christians) / (Muslims). But I wouldn’t want my daughter to marry one (Christians) / (Muslims).

Insert your favorite racial, religious, political, or ethnic group. It still conveys the same message: Bigot!.

Doesn’t matter where he was born - see http://tinyurl.com/ycu75xg

According to actual US law, theoretically, the President could have been born to his mother on Mars and he would still meet citizenship requirements qualifying for the office.

Giddyup.

The Jews have a great response to the folks that believe the lies about Obama’s place of birth and his religion even after being presented with the evidence for his birth in Hawaii and his long term attendance at a Christian church.

Oy!

What else can be said to such persons, really? Willful ignorance is incurable.

Between President Obama’s election and his inauguration, a lawsuit was brought to the Supreme Court challenging his citizenship. It was dismissed as having absolutely no merit. The letter of dismissal was written by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, not exactly a liberal. Does anyone think that if there was any doubt of his citizenship that Chief Justice John Roberts, not exactly a liberal, would have sworn him in as 44th POTUS? If Barack Obama is not an American citizen, then Clarence Thomas and John Roberts are incredibly stupid, incredibly corrupt, or both.

Thank you for your sanity Waiting Man. Love this strip; always have. Keep at it Mr. Trudeau. Thank you.

Thanks, WaitingMan, for the first intelligent comment I have read today on the “birth issue.”

We, who oppose Obama, must not be side-tracked by irrelevant issues such as this.

We must concentrate our energies on his economic issues which could bring this country down if unchecked.

@Lewreader==you have aroused my curiosity. Would you mind letting us know the part of history you speak of as part of your ancestry? “Arrived in chains” and “island” ?? I thought possibly Haitian, but then there was the transport of English and Irish to US and Australia. I read a lot of history (yes, mostly novels) but still history.

The problem is not that the President may not be a citizen (like at some point that was not addressed during the campaign) nor is it that he may be a Muslim. These are simply the words and phrases used by those who did not want him elected. The real unspoken reason that the words non-citizen and Muslim are used is in fact that the President is a black man. These bigots hide their cowardly behavior behind the masks of citizen and Muslim and weak and failing when their real problem is that a black man was freely elected to the White House. Welcome to the land of the free (for the top 20%) and the home of the brave (those brave souls who hide behind avatars venting on cartoon commentary pages). PATHETIC!

Lewreader asks “How many Irishmen were lynched in the worst riot in America in New York over the draft in 63? That was 1863.”

Answer: None. The Irish mob was lynching blacks. Many Irish were wounded or killed, but they were shot by Union troops brought in to quell the riot.

The practice and teaching of the art a of comedy has been my profession for over 60 years. Garry Trudeau has a great, well-honed sense of humor, and he wields it like the master he is. But comedy, all comedy, is, in the final analysis, purely subjective. Some of the commentors appearing herein cannot appreciate GT because their politics denies their enjoyment; hatred blurs and dilutes their ability to grasp any nuance. The rest have a grapefruit’s sense of humor.

mike p Now that you have categorized us ALL with one swipe of your obviously superior (surely in your mind) 60 year old pen, I find it interesting that you only have accolades for GT as you place us in either the blatant politically stupid or the brains of a citrus fruit camps. Out of curiosity, just exactly where have you displayed your expertise in the art of comedy? It seems that you have fallen into the same grouping that you have decried…welcome to the ranks of the common folks. LMAO

GT had forgotten to mention during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit last week that 35% of Democrats are “Truthers”, which gives them at least one thing in common with the Iranian president. Insanity knows no political boundaries.

Obama is not a Muslim, but the confusion is forgivable. For years the LA Times has been running stories on his old Chicago ties with Palestinian support groups, and had given speeches alongside such anti-Israel Palestinian leaders such as Rashid Khalidi. The LA Times admits that it has a video of Obama speaking at a farewell dinner for Khalidi, but refuses to release it.

Reverend Wright isn’t known to have Palestinian friends, but prefers the company of Louis Farrakhan, so Obama’s Christianity shouldn’t be in question.

I was encouraged that our country could finally elect a black president (anyway a 50% black president), and had high hopes for the future like so many people. But I have been so disappointed that he is more politician than anything else. Why he has not simply laid the birth certificate issue to rest is beyond me - I can only guess that he has some reason for letting that issue ferment and bubble along. I think he has been the perfect politician - breaking nearly all of his campaign promises - especially all of the change and hope rhetoric. He seems to be the first to demonize the republicans any chance he gets and certainly never met a fire he didn’t want to throw fuel on. It looks to me that any stone thrown at the tea party or republicans could just as easily hit the democrats. Neither side seems less guilty than the other. Sadly, I identify with the tea party on what I believe is the most important issue. You would be hard pressed to find a person in the whole elected government that does not showcase the worst aspects of being a politician - including Mr. Obama - perhaps especially Mr. Obama as I had dared to hope he would be different.

We see mankind from the outside, but God alone knows us from the heart. He will judge us all in the end. The point of all of this dialogue is to get to the truth as much as that is possible.

There are too many questions surrounding Obama. He has had many opportunities to answer them, but has chosen not to for his political reasons. He could easily disclose his long-form birth certificate, his college admission records and financial aid records, etc. That would stop many doubts.

No empirical evidence has been presented. We cannot form a solid opinion that can be verified by facts. How convenient!

The more important issue should be the FACT that he started his political career as a New Party candidate in the State of Illinois. They were as socialist as they could be. He is closely associated with more Marxists, socialists, communists and other far-left radicals, and has made them czars in his personal administration. This is a no-brainer people!

@montessori - It’s hard to tout Obama’s collegiate pursuits, since all of his educational records have been sealed.

@heeyuk - Finally someone really understands the citizenship rules; if you are born to an American (which Obama was), then you are an American. End of story.

What a shame that the liberals on this board feel that they must belittle, disparage, and call names in order to bolster their own points. By doing so, they show themselves to be devoid of intellectual depth. We can do better, people.

trudeau caved on this one. heh. face it folks, he’s doing a site better job than anyone else i know. i wouldn’t want the job, and if i had it, i’d be doing just what JFK did to look good: murder the opposition.

Am I wrong in my recollection that the law reads that the President must be born in America? And that this is (at least) one reason that Mr. Schwartznegger is not eligible to run for President?

Obama’s “collegiate pursuit” as in having been president of Harvard Law Review is a matter of public record. There are plenty of witnesses to that fact as well. For that matter, he has produced his Hawaiian birth certificate multiple times. Neither of these is in any way difficult to prove. But, I am at the point where I believe that it is just as well to let those who would be so ignorant have their way in making their claims. It shows their true colors and is very instructive for the rest of us as to where they are coming from.

Coryscomics - You are correct. President is the only position for which the Constitution requires a native, in Article II if I remember right. That is why Arnold couldn’t be president.

Lewreader - After reading your post, I don’t think you read yyyguy’s very carefully before you went on your rant. You should go back and read it.

“even if he was a Muslim, why should anyone care about it? did being a Catholic make any difference to JFK’s presidency? did being a Quaker make any difference to Nixon’s presidency?”

He was pretty clearly implying that JFK’s being a Catholic did not cause the end-of-the-world scenarios that were conjured up by the bigots of his day. Nixon’s being a Quaker didn’t interfere with his willingness to escalate the Vietnam War. Implication for the present day is that even if Obama were a Muslim, it would not be cause for all the panic and histrionics going on now.

Lycka - Whether it requires being born in a State and not a territory is completely irrelevant. Hawaii became a State in 1959, two years before the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Obama’s birth.

Y’all need to read today’s FRANK AND ERNEST: http://www.gocomics.com/frankandernest/2010/10/03/

Please explain how President Obama cannot be a U.S. citizen while at the same time Senator John McCain is not a citizen of Panama and ineligible to be President.

@waitingman; sharia law? first I hear of it. wow, you have a lot of prejudice in you. go take a cold shower.

Coyoty - McCain was born on a US military base in the Panama Canal Zone, then a territory of the United States. Both of his parents were US citizens. There is no question of McCain’s (or Obama’s) citizenship.

and to all those people who are arguing about whether obama is a christian i must tell you, as a non-christian myself, i must ask WHO CARES? Is it in the US constitution that the president must be a christian?

i surely hope not… it would contradict the whole philosophy of the constitution.

@ksfarmgirl, you are a person after my own heart. very refreshing.

John Pike said, about 15 hours ago.. Nonsense, lies and gibberish of all kinds

Waitingman, I applaud your post about the Supreme Court and their refusal to hear a lawsuit regarding President Obama’s birthplace. Can you post another about the Supreme Court doing the legally correct thing after the 2000 Presidential election? I’d say a lot of the “birthers” would shut up about it if a lot of the “Bush stole the electioners” would shut up about that. In both cases, I believe the Supreme Court did the correct thing. And in both cases, the men involved are or were my President, regardless of for which candidate I cast my vote.

At the time McCain was running for president, a BIPARTISAN board of lawyers concluded that, by having been born on a military base in the Zone, he was a “natural born citizen,” consistent with legal precedent and the inferred intentions of the authors of the Constitution. The framers could not have foreseen that a century and a half later, the US would have territories and military bases all over the world, where the wives of US servicemen might give birth to potential presidents, and its hard to imagine that they would intentionally exclude someone like McCain. (The Constitution does not actually define “natural born citizen.”)