Barack Obama versus Martin Luther King; The Mali Endgame, Imperial Handover
Global Research News Hour Episode 12
“Obama is not the lesser of two evils, he is the more effective of two evils… Obama is getting away with things that no white president could get away with .. .those who have orchestrated his two terms are well aware of that.” -Jared Ball, crediting Glen Ford.
Obama is NOT the Realization of King’s Dream
Barack Obama is the first African-American to hold the office of President of the United States. This is a major milestone to be sure. In 1963, when civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous and iconic “I have a Dream” speech, such an achievement would have seemed unachievable, if not unthinkable.
Considerable attention has been brought to the fact that this year, the date of his second and final presidential nomination falls on Martin Luther King Day. This would not be the first time comparisons have been made between the two men.
A popular sentiment in America is that the election of Barack Obama to the US Presidency represents the realization of King’s dream. However, anyone who has taken a close look at Obama’s background and record in office should find this puzzling.
In one of his last speeches, King spoke of the triple evils not only of racism, but of materialism and militarism. Obama has overseen the expansion of Bush’s wars, as well as government bail-outs of financial interests implicated in the scandalous sub-prime mortgage fiasco. (Incidentally, seven of those Wall Street firms – Goldman Sachs, UBS AG, Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse were by February 2008, among the top fourteen donors to Obama’s first campaign for US President. ) [1]
This week’s Global Research News Hour focuses on the role of Barack Obama within the framework of the American power structure. Our guest is Jared Ball, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. The interview focuses on Obama’s track record in office, his inaugural address, and what his Cabinet picks tell us about his policy priorities moving forward.
Mali The End Game. Imperial Hand-Over?
In one of his most recent essays, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Who’s Who? Who is Behind the Terrorists? Professor Michel Chossudovsky of the Centre for Research on Globalization addresses the current crisis in Northern Mali, and the hostage-taking in Algeria.
Professor Chossudovsky had previously undertaken field research in Mali largely focussing on economic, social and environmental issues. In this interview he deconstructs the propaganda surrounding the rebel fighters in Northern Mali and presents the remarkable thesis that France’s military build-up to defeat rebel activity in Northern Mali is actually part of a re-colonization of former French Africa…by the US!
References
1) Pam Martens, “Obama’s Money Cartel“, Counterpunch.org, May 8, 2008
LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Length (59:26)
Click to download the audio (MP3 format)
The Global Research News Hour hosted by Michael Welch airs on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg Thursdays at 10am CDT. The programme is broadcast weekly by CKUW News, 95.9 FM out of Winnipeg, MB, and on Canadian community radio networks. The weekly programme is available for download on the Global Research website.
