Bush Extends Greetings To All Celebrating Kwanzaa

US Dept of State ^ | December 19, 2005 | George W. Bush

[presidio9]

President Bush December 19 sent warm greetings to all who are celebrating Kwanzaa -- a seven-day observance emphasizing seven principles of African culture.

Kwanzaa, which will begin December 26, represents an African-American and pan-African holiday celebrating family, community and culture.

For additional information see Holidays and African Americans.

Following is the text of the statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary December 19, 2005

December 2005

I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa.

African Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa. The seven days of this celebration emphasize the seven principles of Nguzo Saba -- unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. These values contribute to a culture of citizenship and compassion, and Kwanzaa activities help pass on African values and traditions to future generations.

As families and friends gather for Kwanzaa, Americans remember the many contributions African Americans have made to our country's character and celebrate the diversity that makes our Nation strong. May your commitment to family, faith, and community thrive during this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a happy Kwanzaa.

[Eva]

Someone needs to send the President a link to that article about the criminal background of the guy who started Kwaaza.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...Hitler's birthday..."

THE HITLER CARD!!!!!

Kwanza is a peaceful celebration of one's heritage, how you compare it to a celebration of one of humanity's worst genocidal maniac is quite laughable.

Your comparison is known as a non-sequitur.

Let's examine your argument, and your fallacy, in reverse.

Is Christmas evil because Hitler celebrated it?

By the way...Adolph Hitler merged the German Protestant Church and the Third Reich together in 1933.

Does that make Adolph good, or the German Protestant Church bad?

[Spiff]

First and foremost, there is no such thing as Klanzaa...so to carry on a discussion about what someone may do under a completely hypothetical situation is a load of garbage. It's not me trying to turn this discussion into a religious flame war. Simply stated.

You refuse to answer the question because of the Klanzaa thing? You just refuse to accept your hypocrasy on the subject, so let me ask it differently. Would you similarly defend a presidential message sending "greetings" to and extolling the virtures of any sort of KKK holiday or possibly Hitler's birthday? I'm sure that many Muslims celebrate the 9/11 attacks as a holiday. Would it be OK if the President sent them a friendly little official presidential proclamation?

By and in large, the observants of Kwanza (I know some) are not members of racial hate groups, and in spite of the fact that the history of the Kwanza creator may be filled with violence and hate, his sins do not fall on the observers, any more than children will be put to death for their fathers. They are guilty of little more than celebrating a made up holiday. As a matter of fact, my Kwanza observant friends observe Christmas. Perhaps you should educate yourself in the meaning of Kawanza, for it is neither a religious or a political Holiday,and in no way seeks to replace Christmas.

I am quite educated on Kwanzaa, its origins, and its meanings as described by its founder and the official "keeper" of Kwanzaa, Ron Everett (aka. Maulana Karenga). In fact, I've considered writing a book on the subject given all of the research I've done and information I've gathered about Kwanzaa and the writings of its crazed founder. Most of what I've learned did, in fact, come from Everett himself. His own writings damn him far more than I ever could. Go check out a few library books and see for yourself.

Kwanzaa does, in fact, seek the replace Christmas. In fact, Kawaida - the pseudo-religious source of Kwanzaa - seeks to replace Christianity as Everett disdainfully considers Christianity and Judaism to be "spookism". His term, not mine. Kwanzaa and Kawaida are wholly incompatible with Christianity and Judaism. I hope your Kwanzaa celebrating suckers...er...friends are aware of that.

[Clara Lou]

I think we do agree. It's the level of venom in your posts, thread after thread, day after day, that puts me off. There are many issues out there, and this particular one doesn't rank in the top 100.

[Lloyd227]

Absolutely disgusting

[Spiff]

You are still deflecting and failing to answer my question. Would it be acceptable for the President - any President - to officially recognize through a laudatory proclamation a holiday such as one celebrated by the KKK or Nazis? YOU made the argument that the president is the president of all Americans and I factually pointed out that members of the KKK and some Nazis are also Americans. Are you ceding your point or are you going to continue to deflect into religious arguments about the predominant religion in the state of Utah, your queer invocation of Godwin's law, or Hitler's assocation with the German Protestant Church and Christmas? Just answer the question or admit that your point was wrong.

[Jorge]

Merry Kwanzaa Freepers!

Thank you!

[Jigsaw John]

Why interpret it as his intention to "lend credibility" to Kwanzaa? Why not interpret it as his desire to acknowledge a Black holiday and thus avoid being called racist

Well, I guess one could look at it in that respect.

[Hand em their arse]

right backatcha' yo!!!

[Spiff]

I think we do agree. It's the level of venom in your posts, thread after thread, day after day, that puts me off. There are many issues out there, and this particular one doesn't rank in the top 100.

To you. Yet, every December I have to see otherwise intelligent people pretend that Kwanzaa is something beneficial or laudatory. You seem to be missing the point that Kwanzaa is intended to foment racial division among blacks against all other races. It is intended to promote black nationalism which is the establishment of a seperate black nation within America. It is intended to undermine the black community's predominant association with Christianity as Kwanzaa's founder dismisses Christian beliefs as "spookism". It is intended to foster Marxist thought within the black community. And given its 1960's black revolutionary roots, it was intended to cause a black nationalist revolution within America.

Maybe you don't understand the colors associated with Kwanzaa and black nationalism in general - Red, Green, and Black. Let me educate you:

This is from the Kwanzaa Info. Center run by a black nationalist organization:

Go here.

Red is for the Blood. Black is the Black People. Green is for the Land.

The Red, or the blood, stands as the top of all things. We lost our land through blood; and we cannot gain it except through blood. We must redeem our lives through the blood. Without the shedding of blood there can be no redemption of this race. However, the bloodshed and sorrow will not last always. The Red significantly stands in our flag as a reminder of the truth of history, and that men must gain and keep their liberty, even at the risk of bloodshed.

The Black is in the middle. The Black man in this hemisphere has yet to obtain land which is represented by the Green. The acquisition of land is the highest and noblest aspiration for the Black man on this continent, since without land there can be no freedom, justice, independence, or equality.

Pledge
WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE RED, BLACK, AND GREEN, OUR FLAG, THE SYMBOL OF OUR ETERNAL STRUGGLE, AND TO THE LAND WE MUST OBTAIN; ONE NATION OF BLACK PEOPLE, WITH ONE GOD OF US ALL, TOTALLY UNITED IN THE STRUGGLE, FOR BLACK LOVE, BLACK FREEDOM, AND BLACK SELF-DETERMINATION.

[Hand em their arse]

"Omygosh! Kwanzaa is this week???"

"Shoot. And I haven't bought a single thing for anyone."



Just steal something for those on your list... i mean after all, it is "Kwanzaa"...

[Holden Magroin]

Bush has sunk to new lows by sucking up to the diversity-mongers. "Kwaanza" is a fake holiday created back in the '60s by a bunch of looney Afrocentrists.

[Spiff]

Please review THIS PAGE.

The link I provided is to the position statements of the group called "The Organization Us". This is the same gang that Everett founded in the 60's, the same gang that lived a communal lifestyle as they practiced their bizarre brand of Marxism, the same gang that gunned down two rival gang members for heckling Everett during a speech in the UCLA student union about who would head the new Black Studies program there, the same gang from which came the two accomplices to Everett's sadistic torture crimes against the two young women. They've only slightly changed their name and their militant appearance, but the goals are the same nonetheless. Their PR effort makes them only slightly more palatable.

Review the statements on the link I provided and you will see just how detestable this organization and its views are. And these are the views that they wish to put front and center for all to read.

Now go to theOfficial Kwanzaa Website at www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org.

There you will see the logo from the US website:

You will also see the following statement:

First, Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture. It is, therefore, an expression of recovery and reconstruction of African culture which was being conducted in the general context of the Black Liberation Movement of the '60's and in the specific context of The Organization Us, the founding organization of Kwanzaa and the authoritative keeper of its tradition.

The views and history of US is inseperable from the Kwanzaa observance. They are the originators and official keepers of the Kwanzaa tradition. This is the holiday that you're defending and the holiday that Presidents Clinton and Bush gave official laudatory proclamations concerning.

I hope that this helps to further educate you about this detestable observance and helps you to begin to understand why some find Kwanzaa so objectionable.

[Clara Lou]

Thanks for the links. CSU Longbeach has hired this man to spew his evil to students?? There's a scandal. It supports his effort to rewrite history? Ludicrous.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Would it be acceptable for the President - any President - to officially recognize through a laudatory proclamation a holiday such as one celebrated by the KKK or Nazis?

I answered your question quite clearly; yours is a logical fallacy because the people celebrating Kwanzaa are neither Nazis nor Klansmen, so the two do not compare.

Your "question" is the basic equivalent to my saying that abortion should be outlawed because I don't believe in murdering the unborn, and you arguing that so should automobiles because children die in auto accidents.

it's not the same thing.

While the President is president of all Americans, Americans in general will not tolerate a holiday celebrated by people who advocate racial hatred and violence...Kawanza advocates neither, in spite of the actions of its "inventor", the celebration (not a holiday) is simply a celebration of heritage. So your objection to a Presidential remark to the celebrants of Kwanzaa is purely racially based, and motivated by some sort of basic problem within yourself.

These celebrants take nothing from you, they seek to take nothing from you, they force nothing on you, nor do they seek to force anything on you.

You have a problem.

[presidio9]

Uh, there are several Latin American holidays celebrated in this country. The most significant ones that I can think of are Cinqo de Mayo, and Peurto Rican national day. The differnce here is that most descendants of slaves are robbed of any sense of national heritage. Not that Kwanzaa is the answer, but if blacks want some sort of heritage holiday, I won't deny them that. Personally, I am of Irish, Scottish, German, and American descent, and I don't celebrate any national holiday. But plenty of people do.

But that's not what I was talking about. You asked what great accomplishments Africa has produced in the last millenia. I think that's an ignorant question. Africa is imporverished culturally and economically because of geography, not because of any inherent superiority of those who settled America.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Just steal something for those on your list... i mean after all, it is "Kwanzaa"..."

Tell me that this isn't about as racist a remark as you've ever seen in this forum.

[presidio9]

To something is a holiday is to say that something is a Holy Day.

Not true in this country. The words have the same root, but we do not consider President's day or Martin Luther King Day "Holy Days." The feast of the Assumption is a Holy Day. Yom Kippur is a Holy Day.

The Holiday-Holy Day connection is a lame justification liberal apologists have been using lately to explain the war against Christmas.

[Conservative Goddess]

Hey now.....I think I can celebrate Gunzaa!

Ping to GoodRay......

[streetpreacher]

I send greetings to those observing Kwanzaa.

Sounds like something from a frikkin' Coneheads movie.