Posted on 04/01/2010 11:03:41 AM PDT by Michael van der Galien
I’m excited I stumbled over Richard Wolffe’s article, “When Barry Became Barack,” Newsweek, March 31, 2008. This piece covers the period around when I first met the young Barack Obama, during his sophomore year at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
My review of this article is particularly relevant right now because of Glenn Beck’s assertion – earlier this month – that “social justice” is basically a code word for Marxist socialist ideology, even when it is used in a church setting. Understanding the role of “social justice” as a code word for something a lot more sinister certainly helps us make better sense of the new information released in Wolffe’s article.
Wolffe points out, for example, that young Obama immediately dove in to the social circles of the “progressive” students. He writes:
“Barry Obama met Eric Moore fresh on arrival from Hawaii at Occidental College in Los Angeles. The two roamed in the same circles, gravitating toward friends who considered themselves “progressive,” including many with international backgrounds.”
As a 1979 graduate of Occidental College, I was part of that same progressive/international network of friends and activists.
Wolffe writes that Obama honed his sense of right and wrong during these years at Occidental. In particular, Wolffe cites one of my old colleauges, Occidental College political theory professor Roger Boesche. Boesche says Obama “…hung out with the young men and women who were most serious about issues of social justice.” Prof. Roger Boesche report he taught Obama two political-science courses and knew him as Barry at the time. (I knew him as Barry too.)
What’s missing from this story is that the “social justice” young men and women were, in fact, simply left-wing socialists.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
social justiceto mean anything but socialism.
Equality of opportunity is the American way. Equality of result is the foreign way.
America is choking to death on ‘social justice’
I always understood it to mean Socialism AND institutionalized theft!
Barry is the first success story. How many other leftists will come out of universities and try to follow in his footsteps? The left ain’t going away any time soon with universities being the indoctrination centers that they are.
Any man who would trade liberty for justice has neither.
Ahhhh, social justice:
http://joytiz.com/2010/phony-christian-outrage-nyt-panics-over-slaying-of-sacred-cow/#comments
The American public is not appalled by socialism any longer. Only 64% of respondents to a recent survey stated that they preferred capitalism. It is completely inconsequential whether Obama is a socialist. They will replace him with someone similar or worse if necessary.
Two generations of Americans have been educated on the evils of America and capitalism. They are now a majority.
Obama is the vomit of the '60's radicals.
After it became apparent that a forceful revolution would not work, they determined to take over the minds of the young by taking over the media and the education system.
Just ask the man Michelle Obama praises as an "education curriculum expert", William Ayers.
...”social justice” is basically a code word for Marxist socialist ideology, even when it is used in a church setting.”
...especially when used in a church setting...it came out of the 1980s Catholic ‘liberation theology’ movement...social and economic ‘justice’ were big buzz words back then....mainstream Christianity lost it’s way over stuff like this.
Thought you would all like this! For those who missed it.
Dinner Roll
Once upon a time I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President.
I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics.
There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a FREE country. There’s nothing that the government can do to me if I’ve broken no laws. My wealth was EARNED honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.
I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.
The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen..
“Sorry ‘bout that,” said the President. “Andrew is very hungry.”
“I don’t appreciate...” I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. “Of course,” I concluded, and reached for my glass.
Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp. “And his brother, Eric, is very thirsty,” said the President.
I didn’t say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I withheld my comments and decided to play along. I don’t want to seem unkind..
My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.
“Eric’s children are also quite hungry.”
With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.
“And their grandmother can’t stand for long.”
I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.
“Their grandfather doesn’t like the cold.”
I wanted to shout, “that was my coat!” But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table.
I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home.
Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn’t moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.
“Andrew’s whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven’t planned for retirement and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do. “
My hands were shaking. I felt faint I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.
“By the way,” he added, “I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I’m firing you as head of your business. I’ll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There’s a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can’t come to you for jobs groveling like beggars...we need to spread YOUR wealth around...”
I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his creme Brule. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss.
I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.
What had I done wrong?
As if answering the unspoken thought, President Obama suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands.
“You should have stopped me at the dinner roll,” he said.
WAKE UP AMERICA!!!
Social Justice kills the very people [unborn, disabled, terminally ill, elderly] who need Social Justice the most.
“Social Justice” means taking from the productive, competent segment and giving to the unproductive incompetents...”share the wealth” is not so subtle code for socialism......
I am a firm believer that leftists have stunted or retarded brains. It varies, but the way they think is usally somewhere between the thought process of a 5 year old to a 16 year old. They do not have the ability for rational thoughts. The world is seen as “fair” and “not fair”. Rampant reliance on emotions to make decisions. Now there are a few exceptions, and those are the planners. But still the thought process remains the same. It is selfish and childish behavior that many, hopefully most of us do outgrow.
You’re absolutely right. We have to fumigate the universities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.