Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s 140th birthday. The October 2 birthday message from Barack Obama is awkward if not downright historically inaccurate. We are sure he means well. We just wish he knew a little bit more about historical events.
Mahatma Gandhi
I’m sure that if Barack Obama had gone to elementary school in the United States, he might would have a better grasp on American history. As it is, however, he seems to be prone to these odd little gaffes that expose his lack of understanding of time lines, who lived when and how many states are in the country. Case in point is a speech he gave to honor the venerated Mohandas K. Gandhi on his October 2nd birthday.
As those of us who studied American history know, Martin Luther King, Jr. studied Mahatma Gandi’s struggle to win Indian Independence from Britain through non-violent means. King patterned his own struggle after Gandhi and used the same methods to successful protest for civil rights for Blacks in the 1950s and 1960s.
In his speech today, Obama seemed to imply that King was personally tutored by Ghandi when King went to India in 1959. Ghandi, however, died in 1948. That would be similar to Obama having been conceived when his parents marched in the Selma, Alabama civil rights march on ‘Bloody Sunday’ (March 7, 1965). That was an interesting assertion he made considering he was born in 1961. Whoops. Yet another gaffe. There again, he didn’t get the whole time-line thing that he might have learned in an American classroom had he gone to one in elementary school.
Here is the confusing segment of his statement:
On behalf of the American people, I want to express appreciation for the life and lessons of Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of his birth. This is an important moment to reflect on his message of non-violence, which continues to inspire people and political movements across the globe. …
Americans owe an enormous measure of gratitude to the Mahatma. His teachings and ideals, shared with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, transformed American society through our civil rights movement. The America of today has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi and the nonviolent social action movement for Indian independence which he led.
Don’t worry about this latest gaffe tarnishing the President in any way. He will continue to be the most wonderfulest president evah! The press ignores his gaffes, his ardent supporters are deaf and blind by his repetitious rhetoric and he just smiles and moves on to the next one, oblivious as usual.
Let’s see what some other people are writing about today.
Villainous Company – A picture is worth a thousand words … as our Soldier’s wait …. and wait …. and wait ….
blatherings blog has noted that the ENTIRE PLANET has rejected the Obamakins. Oprah cried, btw. Grown woman. She cried.
Nice Deb has some info on David Axelrod’s reaction to Obama’s Olympic failure. ‘It’s not his fault!!! It’s not his fault!!! He’s the anointed one!!! Don’t those crazy Euro neanderthal dudes know that??!!?? What’s wrong with them!!! WAAAAAHHHAAAAAA!!!!!’ That’s not really what he said. I just made that up. You can see it for yourself on her blog.
Weasel Zippers has a MUST SEE video of a CNN anchor who just can’t believe Obama couldn’t make Chicago look like a-just-lovely-place-that-isn’t-full-of-gang-violence-no-it-really-isn’t-trust-me-yes-you-can to anyone other than himself and his fellow gazillionaires who have luxury homes in the ’safe’ areas of Chicago. Even that magic golden tongue couldn’t pull that one off.
Big Government is reporting that people in the U.K. are starting to see ‘climate change’ as just another excuse to get more money from the people. Yeah, ya think?
Red State thinks the October 2 Birthday Message From Barack Obama about Gandhi is just poorly worded, not that he doesn’t know who was where, when in the great time-line of events in the world. However, he also thinks that Obama should set an example of how to use the English language properly. Sheesh.
Back to our original topic. Barack Obama claims that he has found a lot of inspiration in Mahatma Gandhi. In answering questions posed by school children he said he’d most like to have dinner with Gandhi. This, of course, is quite interesting since he apparently didn’t know that he died before Martin Luther King, Jr. went to India. Of course, that comes back to that darned time-line thing that Obama seems to have so much trouble with.
You will also notice that Obama is frequently answering questions from school children. We don’t know if he takes his teleprompter along, although we are told he doesn’t go anywhere without it. But should be be teleprompter-less, then these questions are much safer than what he might get from actual adults. Just saying.
Obama speaks about Mahatma Gandhi – Video
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
put a shirt on
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
[...] Mahatma Gandhi, October 2 Birthday Message From Barack Obama … Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Mahatma Gandhi, My real hero: Says ObamaGandhi Jayanti- 2nd OctoberLeaders pay tributes to MahatmaThe Roots of Violence by Mahatma Gandhi [...]
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Maybe Gandhi could of gotten the Olympics in Chicago.
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
If he were a woman you wouldn’t be complaining about him not having a shirt on! lol
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Beth:
Looking at how old he is in that picture trust me we would.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Oh Charles!!! I had no idea you guys were at all picky! lol
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Dr. King met Mahatma’s Family in 1959. King Jr was introduced to Gandhi through Thurman’s missionary work.
It does not say the his teachings and ideal were shared BY Gandhi himself. Much as Jesus’ teachings and ideals can be shared with you today, Jesus does not have to be in flesh and blood for you to learn from Him.
“His teachings and ideals, shared with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, transformed American society through our civil rights movement.”
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:47 am
Beth you think we are idiots.
You the idiot.
Thank you, Allen, but you must understand, this is not the place for voices of reason. Voices of reason get hung. It is also not the place for people who know how to read English.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
If he were a woman you wouldn’t be complaining about him not having a shirt on! lol.-Beth Shaw
That is correct Beth. I , like most men enjoy seeing a woman’s breasts.
Now,
October 4th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Beth (Dove?).
My friends (the two retarded Paramecium) saw this thread and asked me to post the following transcript of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s radio address to India, which was broadcast on All India Radio in March, 1959.
Leaders in and out of government, organizations, particularly the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi1 and the Quaker Center, and many homes and families have done their utmost to make our short stay both pleasant and instructive. We have learned a lot. We are not rash enough to presume that we know India, vast subcontinent with all of its people, problems, contrasts and achievements; however, since we have been asked about our impressions, we venture one or two generalizations.
First we think that the spirit of Gandhi is much stronger today than some people believe. That is not only the direct and indirect influence of his comrades and associates, but also the organized efforts that are being made to preserve the Mahatma’s letters and other writings, the pictures, monuments, the work of the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi and the movement led by the sainted Vinoba Bhave. These are but a few examples of the way Gandhiji will be permanently enshrined in the hearts of the people of India. Moreover, many governmental officials who do not follow Gandhi literally apply his spirit to domestic and international problems.
Secondly, I wish to make a plea to the people and government of India. The issue of world peace is so critical, that I feel compelled to offer a suggestion that came to me during the course of our conversations with Vinoba Bhave. The peace-loving peoples of the world have not yet succeeded in persuading my own country, America, and Soviet Russia to eliminate fear and disarm themselves. Unfortunately, as yet America and the Soviet Union have not shown the faith and moral courage to do this. Vinobaji has said that India, or any other nation that has the faith and moral courage, could disarm itself tomorrow, even unilaterally.
It may be that, just as India had to take the lead and show the world that national independence could be achieved non-violently, so India may have to take the lead and call for universal disarmament. And if no other nation will join her immediately, India may declare itself for disarmament unilaterally. Such an act of courage would be a great demonstration of the spirit of the Mahatma, and would be the greatest stimulus to the rest of the world to do likewise. Moreover, any nation that would take such a brave step would automatically draw to itself the support of the multitudes of the earth, so that any would-be aggressor would be discouraged from risking the wrath of mankind.
May I also say that, since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity. In a real sense, Mahatma Gandhi embodied in his life certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of gravitation.
Many years ago, when Abraham Lincoln was shot – and incidentally, he was shot for the same reason that Mahatma Gandhi was shot for; namely, for committing the crime of wanting to heal the wounds of a divided nation. And when he was shot, Secretary Stanton stood by the dead body of the great leader and said these words: “now, he belongs to the ages.” And in a real sense, we can say the same thing about Mahatma Gandhi, and even in stronger terms: “now, he belongs to the ages.”
And if this age is to survive, it must follow the way of love and non-violence that he so nobly illustrated in his life. Mahatma Gandhi may well be God’s appeal to this generation, a generation drifting again to its doom. And this eternal appeal is in the form of a warning: they that live by the sword shall perish by the sword.
We must come to see in the world today that what he taught, and his method throughout, reveals to us that there is an alternative to violence, and that if we fail to follow this we will perish in our individual and in our collective lives. For in a day when Sputniks and explorers dash through outer space and guided ballistic missiles are carving highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can win a war.
Today we no longer have a choice between violence and non-violence; it is either non-violence, or non-existence.
.
.
.
.
The actual audio of this speech is contained in the following MP3 file.
http://sajablogs.typepad.com/files/mlkonair.mp3
.
.
.
.
.
There is no doubt that President Obama would pay a tribute to Ghandi on the anniversary of his birth. There is also no doubt that he would pay tribute to the memory of Dr. King, who followed Ghandi, both in non-violence, and in violent death.
There is nothing in what President Obama said in that tribute that could be construed in the manner that you have presented it, except by someone that either cannot read on a grade-school level, or is unable see read those words without twisting them in their own overtly biased mind. My little friends are quite upset that you would go to the extent of twisting the memories of two highly respected advocates of peace in order to attack a person who did no more than invoke their memories on the birthday of Ghandi himself.
October 4th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Just some thoughts on Gandhi. He is an ordinary man who has done extraordinary things. If Jesus (who don’t wear a shirt either) was hindu, Gandhi would be his rebirth. Its his utter and mind blowing simplicity that made a whole nation of completely different types of people take notice and follow him. Without Gandhi we would have had a 100 small countries in the place of india, forever at war with each other – once the British left.
Gandhi’s non-violence was less about the British and more about Indians themselves. It would have been easy for Indians who were numerically superior and united under british brutality to have thrown out the british, weakened by WWII, by force. But Gandhi realized that once the british were gone, the leaders of such an armed resistance would turn against each other – given that indians are culturally and linguistically disparate groups.
Non-violence was the only way to unite people under a leadership that won’t tear the country apart afterwards. Even then we had to go through a horrific partition. Without Gandhi what was left of India would have made all today’s other troubles look like a walk in the park.
I assume that is what made Dr King also follow a path of non-violence – that blacks and whites had to live together afterwards.
However, using non-violence as a method of self-defense by a united populace against external enemies is foolishness – esp when your enemy is not a democratic country and its citizens don’t have a say in what their military does.
People forget that Gandhi asked Indians (indian soldiers) to support the British during WWII so as not to disrupt the armed fight against Hitler. He was certainly no dove then. He realized that under Hitler indians would have been butchered without mercy – non violence or not. He waited for the allies to win and then used the sentiments of the british people to ensure they could not rule india without utterly shaming themselves. You can hold a mirror up only to conscientious people, not blood thirsty dictators or religious fanatics.
For me, Gandhi’s message is not about non-violence as a cure all, but about avoiding violence as much as possible, applying long and deep thought before using violence, being mindful of its long term consequences, and where absolutely required, using violence with responsibility and restraint.
October 4th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
and on a lighter note..
Beth, Dennis thinks we have a lot in common, hyphens at least. Wanna hang out ?