He grew up in Indonesia, his father was a Kenyan, and he’s been fighting the perception that he isn’t much of an American since he became a nationally known entity. Unfortunately for President Obama, his redecoration of the Oval Office is not helping by making him seem just as ignorant about America as his critics claim. This latest gaffe is in the expensive rug he commissioned that has woven onto it a quote mis-attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Obama’s rug has attributed to King an oft-repeated line, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Sure King said it. But even King reminded people that he wasn’t its creator.
Jamie Stiehm has the facts regarding this quote. It was originated by the 19th century champion of social progress, Theodore Parker.
Parker was a staunch anti-slavery man who died just on the eve of the American civil war, a man involved in every reform effort of his day, quite a radical for his time. He even supported domestic terrorist John Brown and supplied money for guns to be used in the “Bloody Kansas” fights over slavery.
King admired this white man who fought to end slavery and used his phrase many times — with full attribution, of course.
Sadly, Obama and his rug makers did not do their due diligence and research these quotes properly because they’ve attributed Parker’s inspiring words to King.
This is just one more incident that lends credence to the feeling that Barack Obama has no real feel for America, no connection to her history, and no grasp of what it is to be American.
Like his mis-attributed quote, Barack Obama is only an inch deep American. Sure he and his slipshod researchers knew that there was some famous quote or another, but they just weren’t informed enough about America to get the source of that quote right.
Worse, it is a misappropriation of words connected to Martin Luther King, Jr., the one historical figure that this president aboce all should have taken care to get right.
Is this misquote the end of the world? No, of course not. But it is just another small piece of evidence that points to the fact that this president is essentially disconnected from the country he is supposed to be leading. Barack Obama really isn’t much of an American.
Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as Breitbart.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.
