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Blowing up to $100 million to be seen as heroes in poverty-stricken South Africa is nothing less than obscene

Obama spending $100-Million for ‘Symbolism” on African trip



President Barack Obama’s upcoming $100-million African trip will take a virtual entourage to Johannesburg, the same place where thirsty children lined up at the region’s only water spigot as United Nations delegates gorged themselves on steak and lobster, washed down by fine wines at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. (Here)
Obama will hold a town hall meeting with young Africans at the Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg. The contrast between the students, who struggle with tuition, and the Obamas, who will have their own floating medical centre via a standby Navy aircraft carrier and other multi-million dollar conveniences, couldn’t be more stark. The Obama entourage is embarking on its African mega-million dollar trip as ailing anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela lies in a hospital bed fighting a lung infection. “The US President Barack Obama will defer to Nelson Mandela’s family on whether he will visit the ailing anti-apartheid icon during his trip to South Africa next week,” a top aide said. (Citypress June 22, 2013)

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Mighty big of Obama to defer to the family, given that he ignored Mr. Mandela during all of his first term as president. “We...are going to be very deferential to the Mandela family in terms of any interaction the president may have with the Mandela family or Nelson Mandela,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security advisor. “Ultimately, we want whatever is in the best interests of his health and the peace of mind of the Mandela family. “We will be in touch with them. If he has an opportunity to see the family in some capacity, that’s certainly something that we may do.” (Emphasis CFP’s). As of this morning Mandela was listed in serious but stable condition. It is safe to say that the thoughts and prayers of not only his family but an entire nation are on the beloved Mandela and not the photo-ops of the publicity-driven Obama family. “Obama will stay overnight in Joburg and Cape Town during his trip, and plans to visit Robben Island, where Mandela was once imprisoned. “Rhodes said that Obama’s visit to the island, where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison, would be an “important and powerful symbol” of the president’s respect for Mandela, one of his personal heroes. It took almost five years for Obama to show this “important and powerful symbol” as a sign of his respect for Mandela. Visiting a prison is not even close to being imprisoned for 27 years, and in reality, is only “symbolic”. There are those who would ask why did Obama wait until Mandela, 94, was in failing health before making an official visit to South Africa during his second term in office. Strategizing against his diminishing political opposition, suppressing citizen dissension and his obsession with the Fundamental Transformation of America came first and is always Obama’s unfailing priority. Like most other unknown and unproven senators, Obama met Mandela soon after he was elected senator in 2005 and otherwise has only spoken to him several times over the telephone. Much will be made about Obama’s wife being able to pay a visit to the anti-apartheid icon during her trip to Africa two years ago, calling it “surreal”. A safari with her two daughters followed Mrs. Obama visit with Mandela in 2011. A safari in Tanzania was originally scheduled to end this summer’s African trip that begins on June 26, which reportedly had to be nixed when reporters began asking questions about the snipers who would be on the safari to protect the Obamas from potential animal attack. Meanwhile, going to South Africa when its most beloved leader is ailing and blowing up to $100 million to be seen as heroes in poverty-stricken South Africa is nothing less than obscene.

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Judi McLeod -- Bio and Archives -- Judi McLeod, Founder, Owner and Editor of Canada Free Press, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in the print and online media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared throughout the ‘Net, including on Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

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