It is easy to conclude that the disrespect, conspiracy theories, propaganda, and even hatred that President Obama has endured throughout his presidency are unprecedented. From the beginning of his first term in office, he has been treated worse than any dictator of a Third World country has been treated.
President Obama has been accused of several things such as being unfit to be president (Birther conspiracy theory that he was born in Kenya), being a Muslim, a dictator, and even a racist. What is amazing about these accusations is that even when factual evidence shows otherwise, the accusations continue.
It is astounding that so many people can make false accusations against President Obama when he has repeatedly demonstrated qualities synonymous with good character and integrity.
The accusation that President Obama is a Muslim is often used to demonize him. This accusation also implies that he does not love America as his detractors have suggested. Those who actually believe this sometimes emphasize his full name “Barack Hussein Obama” as if this is absolute proof that he is a Muslim.
Last Friday President Obama did something that was amazing for a president to do. He gave the eulogy at the funeral of Rev. Clementa Pinckney one of the nine persons shot to death in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopalian Church in Charleston, South Carolina. As if this was not amazing in itself, he climaxed his eulogy with a rendition of Amazing Grace. My eyes welled up with tears as I watched the humility of the president singing this inspirational song that is the epitome of Christianity and its principles of compassion and forgiveness.
Anyone who still believe that President Obama is a Muslim, after giving the eulogy in a Christian church and singing Amazing Grace, should be forgiven for their spiritual blindness, ignorance, and hatred.
President Obama has endured unspeakable acts of hatred that no prior president has experienced. Throughout his presidency, the right-wing media, conservative politicians and their supporters have disrespected him, called a liar, a mongrel dog, and caricatured him on the Internet as a monkey.
Despite all the negativity shown to President Obama, he has proven to be an effective president. His detractors seem to forget that when he became president the country was on the brink of an economic collapse. Through his courage and leadership, this collapse was averted. Despite the relentless opposition to his policies – often without any merit – he has achieved significant accomplishments that benefit many Americans. These include the comprehensive health care reform – Obamacare.
It is time for Americans who dislike President Obama (without any sound justification) to recognize that he is a good decent Christian man who embodies the cherished values that Americans pride themselves in – family values, honesty, fairness, and compassion for the downtrodden.
It is time that Americans recognize that President Obama is a blessed man as explained in the book, Whom God Has Blessed, Let No Man Curse. May God continue to bless President Obama, his family, and America.
Mel Shim is the author of Whom God Has Blessed, Let No Man Curse (Infinity Press, 2013) and A New Perspective on Race-related Problems in Corporate American Companies (Outlook Press, 2013). http://www.jermelshim.com