Has Obama Quit Smoking?

Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, has said he has not seen the "Boss" on the cancer sticks for some nine months. However, he knows that the smoking habit (or addiction) is one that the President struggles with on a  daily basis. Yet, there has been some suggestion that Obama has gone "cold turkey" and no longer smokes. Let's face it, if the man was not smoking, he would surely be drinking, right?

But, in all seriousness, good luck to the man. He will be much better for it, if he has indeed pulled the plug and ceased to ingest the toxins that are cigarettes.

I am wondering whether the commander-in-chief quitting the smoking habit is going to have any direct impact on others? Will people take the Obama worship stuff to the level that they will quit too? Conversely, will Republican and Tea Party types start smoking just to prove how anti-Obama they really are?

The mind boggles.

I have never been a smoker. But, I am in support of laws and regulations that restrict where the habit can occur in public places. If smokers want to smoke and kill themselves in the process,then I am fine with that. If they want to argue that they have a human right to kill themselves with tobacco,then I am fine with that. But, if they want to invade my space with nasty cancer-causing fumes, then they are invading and violating my basic human right to life, and that is something they must be restricted from doing.

However, if I am stupid enough to go to a place where smoking is still permitted, legally, such as just about anywhere in Indonesia (although there are regulations in place to protect public facilities, but enforcement is slack), and ingest those nasty fumes then that is a personal choice of mine and the consequences are ones that I must live with.

So, what does the 'big man' say? Well, Obama acknowledges that it is a struggle and that it is one where he has fallen off the wagon on occasion. But, he is not a daily smoker. Giving credit where credit is due. That, sir, is a good start.

The images, if you are wondering, are pulled from the internet. Speaking of which, it would seem that the first two images are mirror reversed and one of them has been photoshopped. Iwill leave it to the experts to work out which one! The last one is really just to suggest that smoking is really like rolling up your own cash and burning it...priceless or pointless?

Barack Obama's Indonesian Tranny Nanny

Some things are just good enough as they are. So, this is a simple cut and paste from gawker.com. I particularly liked the part about Glenn Beck, so much so that I highlight it so that you won't miss it.

Barack Obama's trip to his ancient Muslim homeland of Indonesia is splashing all sorts of tender boyhood memories across the newspapers, like his gay male nanny who later became a transvestite volleyball player. Glenn Beck just came in his pants.


On the occasion of his Indonesia trip, the New York Times canvasses the old neighborhood for memories of young Barry. And look what they found!


"His nanny was an openly gay man who, in keeping with Indonesia's relaxed attitudes toward homosexuality, carried on an affair with a local butcher, longtime residents said. The nanny later joined a group of transvestites called Fantastic Dolls, who, like the many transvestites who remain fixtures of Jakarta's streetscape, entertained people by dancing and playing volleyball."


Obama's association with a Muslim gay will no doubt add fuel to the fire for conservatives who argue that he is attempting to bring Sharia law, and its well known relaxed attitude toward homosexuality, to the United States.


The Times also found some boyhood friends who revealed Obama's childhood plot to become president and nationalize the banks:


"Mr. Obama asked a group of boys whether they wanted to grow up to be president, a soldier or a businessman. A president would own nothing while a soldier would possess weapons and a businessmen would have money, the young Obama explained.


Mr. Januadi and his younger brother, both of whom later joined the Indonesian military, said they wanted to become soldiers. Another boy, a future banker, said he would become a businessman.


"Then Barry said he would become president and order the soldier to guard him and the businessman to use his money to build him something," Mr. Januadi said. "We told him, ‘You cheated. You didn't give us those details.'"


Of course he cheated, Mr. Januadi. How naive can you be about this monster?


[Photo of statue of Obama as a boy in Indonesia via AP]


Send an email to the author of this post at john@gawker.com.

Are Mr and Mrs Obama Muslim?

Some kindling for the fire...

I wonder how long till these photos become "talking points" on conservative television and radio as proof positive that not only is the President a Muslim, but his wife is as well. After all, photos don't lie, do they?

No apologies for posting these pictures (by way of Reuters). The photos are from the visit Mr and Mrs Obama (aka Mr. President and the First Lady) made to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta this morning.

Tifatul Sembiring -- The Minister for Hypocrisy & Stupidity...

The litany of stupidity that continues to encircle the Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Lack of] Information is sort of like slowing down to watch a car crash. However, when it comes to Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS) it is all self-imposed. The man is a hypocrite who has used religion, Islam, to create an image of piety for himself.

Yet, the latest series of events shows the man to be a fraud who is prepared to go to any lengths to cultivate an image. For a man who is supposed to have his finger on the pulse of communication and information, and particularly the technology that supports that, he has been found wanting yet again.

The "event" in question is the shaking of Michelle Obama's hand. The First Lady and the President were going through the formalities of meeting dignitaries, including Indonesian Ministers. Now, in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with men shaking hands with women. However, TitS has cultivated an image that being a pious Muslim he will not under any circumstances touch a woman to whom he is not related to. And, this is where the fun and games begin.

During the formal "meet and greet" TitS shakes hands with Michelle Obama. By my reckoning, the man would have to go a long way back in his family tree to find a familial relationship with the Obamas. Maybe all the way back to Adam and Eve. The handshake immediately piqued the attention of plenty of people who know TitS and his medieval stance on women and their relationship with men. It was hypocrisy of the highest order. It is hypocrisy that must go to the very core of his being as it exposes that his piety was a fraud perpetrated against all those who believed in what he was saying as a member of the PKS (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera).

On realising that the technology that he has been trying to shut down to all intents and purposes had caught him out, he took to social networking, Twitter in particular, to state his innocence. His innocence claim is that he was forced to shake hands with the First Lady. According to TitS, the First Lady thrust her hand out at him and kept on thrusting it towards him. This left the poor man with no option but to lightly touch her hand.

Now, have a look at the video. Too bad it has not gone viral, it should. There is no hesitation on the part of the Minister and this was not some ever-so brief touch of hands. It was a handshake.

I wonder if the Minister immediately scarpered out of the room, washed his hand with acid to get the germs of the imperialist woman of the west from him, and then proceeded to the nearest Mosque to ask for forgiveness of his God for touching a woman he is not related to. The flip side of that coin is that he immediately scarpered, flogged himself stupid and then called his mates to tell them that he had bedded the First Lady.

TitS as the Minister for Banning Porn, even you should know the difference between a good story and a wank!

Calling President Obama Names...

I was reading a story earlier on today about a British teenager who sent President Obama an email message. The message is allegedly a drunken rant, but the gist of it was that the president was a "prick"!

I am sure he is not the only one in the whole wide world that thinks that, but he is probably one of the few that have bothered to get online and track down a working email address for the White House and fire off his little tirade.

Unfortunately, for the teen, Luke Angel, the FBI intercepted the message, made a few calls to the British police, and the local coppers came around to his house in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, and reprimanded him.

For his efforts, Mr. Angel is now apparently banned from travelling to the US for life. Yep, I had to read that twice myself. I find it hard to believe that calling the president of the US a prick warrants quite such an extreme measure. There simply has to be more to it, doesn't there?

Let's face it, there is a big difference from calling someone a prick and threatening to kill them. There is a big difference between calling someone a prick and using a racial epithet, even.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security there are 60 reasons why someone might find themselves on the "banned from the USA" list. I only have 59 others to track down. Hopefully, they are a lot more serious than this one! I wonder if Mr. Angel would have been banned had he called President Obama a wanker? What about a clown? Or perhaps a Nazi?

On a personal note, I like the fella and like the idea that Obama is president. I actually would have voted for the fella if I was a US citizen with the right to vote. I reckon that he is doing a pretty good job in a very tough gig. I always thought he had much thicker skin than that. After all, the president lived in Indonesia for three or so years in his formative years, and you have to be tough inside and out to survive that!

This story surely must be a beat-up...the US is not really banning people from travelling to the US for calling the president names, are they?

The Morgan Freeman Chain of Command...

Checking out the daily Buzz Feed I came across this rather funny little poster.

It would seem that Morgan Freeman can play just about anyone and has been just about everyone. I am not sure about the location of the pimp though. He sort of seems a little out of place where he is at the moment. It would seem that being a pimp is higher up the chain of command than driver.

Enjoy!

Obama on the Move in Jakarta...

President Barack Obama is not only under pressure 'at home' in the USA but also under pressure in his second home of Indonesia. Obama having spent 4 years living in the Menteng area of Jakarta as a young boy has been adopted, almost, as a native son by some Jakartans. It was interesting to watch Obama-mania sweep Jakarta during the most recent US presidential election cycle.

The fact that Obama is so popular in Indonesia may be testament to the real lack of political heroes and figures worth following in Indonesian politics in the 21st Century, or it might just be simply enough that the man once lived in Jakarta.

The Obama-mania culminated with a statue of the young Barack Hussein Obama II being erected in a local Menteng park (photo above). However, not all the people of Menteng and Jakarta were comfortable with the idea of a statue of Obama being placed in their park. The main issue of contention is that there are many Indonesian heroes worthy of recognition with a statue, and then to have that statue erected in a prominent place in a local park.

The pressure has been building in order to have the statue removed. That pressure has now succeeded in seeing the statue moved. Obama is to be moved to the grounds of the school he attended as a boy, SDN 01 in Menteng. He might find the time to go and visit himself when he is in Jakarta. After all, he has promised to take his wife and children to some of the places he used to 'hang out' in as a kid. So, a visit to a statue might just be on the agenda.

Nevertheless, the Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, is now on board with the "we gotta move Obama" movement. Bowo feels that SDN 01 is the most appropriate place for the current president of the USA to 'hang out'. Perhaps Bowo would support a movement to have himself erected in place of Obama in recognition of the leaps and bounds Jakarta has undergone during Bowo's term as Deputy Governor and now Governor?

In any event, it should be a good photo opportunity if Obama was to make a visit to the statue and enjoy a bowl of bakso while chatting with the current students of SDN 01 Menteng.

Obama's Indonesian Wedding Ring...

As media stories go, this must mean that there is no news of real importance out there in the world of national or international affairs or the design of Obama's gold wedding band is in fact news of both national and international importance. I will leave you to be the judge on this one.

The photos are courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Just about everyone in the world must know that Obama has a black Kenyan father and a white American mother. Most all must also know that he spent some of his formative years in Indonesia. Apparently he still has fond memories of the country, and still speaks a little of the local lingo, Bahasa Indonesia, or just plain old Indonesian to the rest of us.

The New York Times magazine has a story on the "First Marriage" , and the story identifies that Barack Obama's wedding ring is not only gold, but that it is crafted in a traditional Indonesian style.

I wonder whether this gives more fodder to the birthers who seem to still be fascinated with whether or not Obama is qualified to be president as they dither between whether he was born in Kenya or Hawaii and whether the president ever held Indonesian citizenship or not as a boy (courtesy of his stepfather, Lolo Soetoro).

In any event, the fact that the "most powerful man" in the world is wearing a wedding band using an Indonesian design is a bit of an advertising and marketing scoop for Indonesian jewelry artisans everywhere. Perhaps, there may now be a run on wedding bands with an Indonesian design.

Thanks Obama!

Barack Obama -- Not Everything Is As It Seems

This picture is doing the rounds on the Internet. However, not everything is as it seems. Despite the shot looking like one of Obama checking out the butt of Mayara Tavares at a family photo shoot at the G8 Summit with a giggling Nicholas Sarkozy looking on, this is not in fact what was happening.

Well, at least this is what we are being told.

Anyways, as it is being referred to across cyberspace, "Tail to the Chief"