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Insider Report: Boyhood Friend & Teacher Say Obama Was Muslim Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories): 1. Boyhood Friend and Teacher Say Obama Was Muslim The issue of Sen. Barack Obama's Muslim past has surfaced again as his campaign steps back from its flat denial that he ever belonged to the Islamic faith. Earlier this year several media outlets reported that Obama had attended a radical madrasa, or Islamic school, when he lived in Indonesia. At the time, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs declared: "To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago." The report about the radical madrasa turned out to be false. Now, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Gibbs amended that declaration, saying: "Obama has never been a practicing Muslim," the key word being "practicing."
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But a boyhood friend of Obama in Indonesia, Zulfin Adi, told the Times: "His mother often went to the church, but Barry [Barack's name at the time] was Muslim. He went to the mosque." The Times sent a reporter to Jakarta, capital of the Muslim nation, to delve into an issue that could have a serious impact on the Democratic presidential candidate's White House aspiration, as voters "react to a candidate with an early exposure to Islam, a religion that remains foreign to many Americans," the Times noted. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama Sr., a Kenyan, and Kansas-born Ann Dunham. The couple separated when Barack was 2. They later divorced, and Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, a Muslim. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where Obama was known as Barry Soetoro, and he remained there from age 6 to 10. Obama attended first grade at a Catholic elementary school near his home, St. Francis of Assisi Foundation School, which accepted students of any religion.
His first-grade teacher Israella Dharmawan told the Times: "At that time, Barry was also praying in a Catholic way, but Barry was Muslim. He was registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim."
In the third grade, Obama transferred to a public school, where he was also registered as a Muslim. Muslim students at the school attended weekly religion lessons about Islam, taught by a Muslim. In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Quran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school." Boyhood friend Adi said Obama occasionally went to Friday prayers at a local mosque. "We prayed but not really seriously, just following actions done by older people in the mosque," he told the Times. Sometimes, when the call to prayer sounded, Barry and Lolo would walk to the mosque together, Adi added. Obama's half-sister Maya Soetoro, in a statement issued Wednesday by the Obama campaign, said the family attended the mosque only for "big communal events."
New revelations about Obama's Muslim past could provide ammunition for his critics — and political opponents. One such critic is Chicago-based Internet journalist and broadcaster Andy Martin, a lawyer and consumer advocate who wrote earlier about Obama's connection to Islam. Reacting to the claim from Obama's sister that the family went to the mosque only for "big communal events," Martin wrote on Thursday: "Tens of millions of 'Christians' flock to churches for Easter and Christmas. And they would slap you down if you told them they were not Christians merely because they only appear twice a year for 'big communal events.'" He also wrote: "Obama no longer denies he was a Muslim. Now he says he wasn't a 'practicing' Muslim. "People in general will accept most anything from public officials as long as they don't lie about it." Editor's Note:
2. Valerie Plame: The Movie Joseph Wilson and his wife Valerie Plame, the couple at the center of the Lewis "Scooter" Libby case, are leaving Washington, D.C., and moving to a new home in New Mexico, with a possible side trip — to Hollywood. Plame could reportedly earn more than $2 million if the CIA permits her to publish her book, tentatively titled "Fair Game," recounting her career in the CIA and her outing as an agent after Wilson criticized the Bush administration's pre-war intelligence on Iraq. Libby was convicted on charges related to a probe of the outing. Warner Brothers bought the movie rights to Plame's book, and "there is already chatter of Nicole Kidman or Diane Lane taking the part of the blonde CIA operative," The New York Times reports. According to Jonah Goldberg of the Los Angeles Times, the studio has already green-lighted the movie, and there's "buzz" that Morgan Fairchild is being considered for the part. "Other boldface names under consideration include Sharon Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow," Goldberg writes. Plame's book is still under review at the CIA, said agency spokesman Mark Mansfield. "The concern is that the manuscript as it was originally submitted would cause additional damage to operational matters," he said, adding that most operatives have eventually been able to publish. As for the couple's move to Santa Fe, N.M., Plame's mother Diane Plame told the New York Times: "Valerie tells me how quiet it is out there in New Mexico. She loves the silence." Editor's Note: 3. Giuliani-Appointed Judges Lean to the Left White House hopeful Rudolph Giuliani has been assuring conservatives that as president he would appoint "strict constructionalists" to the federal bench. "I would want judges who are strict constructionalists because I am," he told South Carolina Republicans in January. "Those are the kinds of justices I would appoint – Scalia, Alito, and Roberts." But some observers are pointing out that in his eight years as New York City mayor, Giuliani's judicial appointees were for the most part anything but conservative. A review by The Politico found that of the 75 judges Giuliani appointed to three of New York State's lower courts, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by more than 8-to-1. "Rudy's judges were mostly liberal," Connie Mackey, vice president of FRC Action, an arm of the conservative Family Research Council, told the Times. "Any pro-lifer who believes they are going to get the kind of judge out of Rudy Giuliani that we see in either Roberts or Alito is probably going to be disappointed." Indeed, Giuliani's record of appointments won plaudits from Kelli Conlin, head of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, the state's leading abortion-rights group. However, Giuliani's judicial appointments won good reviews in New York legal circles for "being what conservatives sometimes say they want: competent lawyers selected with no regard to 'litmus tests' on hot-button social issues," The Politico reports. New York City's mayor appoints judges to the criminal court, which hears misdemeanor cases; the family court; and civil court, where they hear claims of less than $25,000. New York University law professor Stephen Gillers told the Times that it would be "nonsense" to cite municipal judges, who deal with misdemeanors and small claims, as indications of how Giuliani might approach appointments to the Supreme Court. Editor's Note:
4. Kevin Phillips: U.S. Debt 'Frightening' Veteran political strategist and author Kevin Phillips says he is less troubled by our $8 trillion national debt than by the $43 trillion debt racked up by individuals and businesses. Phillips devised the strategy that brought the then-Democratic South into the Republican fold when he worked for Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign.
Speaking to a Society of the Four Arts gathering in Palm Beach, Fla., the strategist — now a National Public Radio commentator — said the individual and business debt equals 320 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, and that frightens him. "It's a huge problem, and it's systemic now," he said in remarks reported by the Palm Beach Daily News. Phillips said crippling debt is one of five "commonalities" the U.S. today shares with the declining years of the Roman, British, Spanish, and Dutch empires. The others: The populations felt their societies were failing; religious extremists were on the rise; their economies turned away from the livelihoods that had supported ordinary people; and their imperial reach exceeded their grasp. Phillips is particularly concerned about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., and the prospect of higher oil prices in the near future. The Democrats' victories in the November elections indicate that voters are getting "fed up" with Republican leadership, Phillips said. But he added that a Democratic takeover of the government isn't a sure thing: "If any group of people can blow an opportunity, it's these guys." Phillips' most recent book is "American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century." Editor's Note: 5. Advertisers Target Airport Security Lines Talk about a captive audience! A company is bringing its advertising message to travelers cooling their heels while waiting on airport security lines. SecurityPoint Media of St. Petersburg, Fla., already has a presence at Los Angeles International and three Tennessee airports. The company places its ads in the bottom of the trays where passengers put their belongings when passing through security, Advertising Age reports. SecurityPoint provides airports with free stainless-steel tables and carts with wheels for holding the plastic trays, and in return the company and the airport share revenue from ad sales. Aviation consultant Michael Boyd doesn't think the ads are a good idea. "Why would you want your product advertised at a point where consumers' anxiety, fears, and maybe even anger are at a peak?" he told Advertising Age. But SecurityPoint President Joe Ambrefe said more than 22 million travelers at the four airports have been exposed to the ads, and so far the firm has not received any complaints from passengers. Editor's Note: 6. Rudy, They Hardly Know Ya Republicans believe they are quite familiar with presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani, but a surprising number are actually clueless as to his stances on key issues. When a Newsweek poll asked Republicans to indicate how much they know about the former New York City mayor and his positions, 26 percent said "a lot" and 39 percent said "some." Only 8 percent said "nothing." But the respondents were also asked: "On the issue of abortion, do you know if Giuliani is pro-choice?" The result: 54 percent said they didn't know, and another 12 percent said he was pro-life; only 34 percent correctly stated that he is pro-choice. When asked if Giuliani supports an amendment to ban same-sex marriage, 76 percent didn't know and 8 percent said he supports it; just 16 percent correctly said he opposes it. And when asked "Is Giuliani in favor of new restrictions on gun ownership," 73 percent of those polled didn't know; 10 percent said he opposes it; and 17 percent correctly said he favors new restrictions. Editor's Note: 7. We Heard . . . THAT the Congressional Record — which is supposed to chronicle the proceedings and debates that take place on the floor of the Congress — is in fact "full of fiction," according to the Reason Foundation. Jesse Walker, Reason's managing editor, points to one particular "debate" in which more than a dozen Senators "spoke" about a tax bill. None of them, however, was actually present in the Senate. "What looks like a long exchange of ideas is in effect a series of press releases composed by the senators or their staffs, dropped into the Record to look like they were spoken aloud on the floor," according to Walker. And these comments were not, as required by congressional rules, underlined or marked with a black dot to indicate they were added later. The problem, according to Reason: "If there's a dispute about how to interpret a law, courts often look at the debate that preceded the vote to discern the legislators' intent. But if the Record includes arguments that weren't actually made and, thus, did not affect any other congressman's vote, the additions can distort more than just a transcript." THAT Free Congress Foundation President Paul Weyrich is endorsing Bill Greene to serve out the late Charlie Norwood's term as U.S. congressman from the 10th District in Georgia. In a mass e-mail, Weyrich writes: "Bill is the president of RightMarch.com, a million-member grass-roots activist organization which has been instrumental in motivating conservatives across America to stand up for pro-life causes and traditional values, help confirm constitutionalist judges, oppose illegal immigration, support tax cuts, challenge congressional overspending, and much more . . . "This is the kind of man we need on Capitol Hill." The mailing seeks to raise campaign cash for Greene, who is one of several candidates seeking the Republican nomination in the June 19 election and possible runoff. Norwood died on Feb. 13. THAT former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife Columba hosted a private screening of the family-oriented movie "Bella" as the Smithsonian Latino Center honored the film with its Legacy Award in Miami. Director Alejandro Monteverde and actor/producer Eduardo Verastegui received the award, which honors role models of Hispanic heritage who have made an impact on American culture through their work. The film, which premiered on the East Coast during the Miami International Film Festival, also won the prestigious People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. "Bella" is a heartwarming romantic drama about how a single day in New York City changes the lives of three people forever. It is scheduled for general release in August. Editor's Note: Editor's Notes:
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