The AIM disinformation campaign, however, consisted of a series of small lies fabricated to support the big lie that my father’s “values, passed on to Obama, were those of a communist agent who pledged allegiance to Stalin” (see http://www.aim.org/aim-column/media-excuse-obamas-false-advertising). Such speculation is misrepresented as fact by AIM, in total violation of ethical journalism standards.

There is no evidence that my father’s values were those of a communist agent, nor that he “passed” such values to Obama. There is no evidence that he was Stalinist (as claimed by AIM), or that he even advocated communism; on the contrary, he even criticized Stalin in writing in his poetry. According to Professor Tidwell, THESE were the “radical” goals of Frank Marshall Davis:

(1) integration of armed forces

(2) integration of AFL and CIO

(3) fair wages and other benefits for workers

(4) general dismantling of all laws supporting racial segregation

(5) end to laws supporting anti-Semitism

(6) end to atomic warfare

(7) rights for soldiers in combat zones to vote in national elections

(8) support for Fair Employment Practices Act

(9) support for a broad United Nations (not just US and Great Britain
forming a world power union)

(10) end to restrictive covenants in real estate

Because most of these are now mainstream attitudes, it should be apparent that Frank Marshall Davis wasn’t out of line. He was just ahead of his time.

BTW: Professor Tidwell confirms my identity as Davis’s son at http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/Kaleokualoha/gGx9n3

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.” – Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

Unless you want to buy Obama’s book (I would much rather read something else.), thoroughly checking FoxNews’ claim is more work than I have time for. In any event the version of the book Fox refers to is abridged (New York: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (May 3, 2005); Audio CD; ISBN 0-7393-2100-5; Includes the senator’s speech from the 2004 Democratic National Convention). By definition, something had to be left out. Making a stink about stuff being left out of an abridged book is idiotic, particularly when they did not bother to mention that the book was abridged.

Over the years, I have become skeptical of anything the news media says and writes. These people cannot be trusted any more than the politicians they cover. So it is that the problem I have with Obama has relatively little to do with Fox News. My problem with Obama is what the people Obama associates with have said. My problem is with Obama himself. The policies he advocates reek of busybody socialism. The man is power hungry, and he lies.

Was Frank Marshall Davis a bad influence on Obama? I don’t know. Since Davis is dead, my preference is to let the dead rest in peace. All I will say is that the first man to level the accusation against Davis thought it praise. That man was Gerald Horne (also here), and I find odd you don’t seem to have a beef with him.

The FoxNews link I mentioned, Radical Political Communist, says that Obama apparently had references to Davis removed from later versions of his book. In this clip, Sean Hanity interviews a book author. I guess you can sue that guy too.