Obama relative recalls World War II horror (Madelyn Dunham's brother)

Chicago Tribune ^ | 5-8-09 | John McCormick

[STARWISE]

For much of his 84 years, Charles Payne has lived in Chicago in relative obscurity and watched his sister's grandson rise to the presidency.

But now it appears possible that a painful part of Payne's own story will be brought to the forefront, based on German news reports that President Barack Obama is considering a visit to the concentration camp that his great uncle helped liberate in April 1945.

Payne, who spent much of his career working in library science at the University of Chicago, was a private first class in the 89th Infantry Division during World War II when he participated in the liberation of Ohrdruf, a forced-labor camp that was a satellite of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

"I remember seeing a lot of really emaciated people in rags at the point of starvation. People were clutching tin cups for food," he said Thursday in a Tribune interview. "I saw sheds where dead bodies had been stacked up."

*snip*

"She was a great storyteller," he said of his sister. "You couldn't totally rely on the details."

Dunham, described as something of a second mother to Obama, died in Honolulu just days before he was elected president.

[CaribouCrossing]

“In no way do I ridicule this WWII veteran,
who had to have suffered from the sacrifice
of his honorable service to our country.”

I should have posted my comment to “All”, not you, STARWISE. I was making a general statement, not one that was directed in any way at you personally. :)

[STARWISE]

Yes .. also that Toot had a habit
of embellishing the truth.

[Beckwith]

Toot had a habit of embellishing the truth.

Link/source please.

[LucyT]

Thanks, Fred Nerks. Yes, we all remember.

This is the great uncle who was at the University of Chicago in the same year that Stanley Ann Dunham WAS ACCEPTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO as a student.

But the 'official' story is that her father wouldn't let her go...

Remember? Stanley Ann was missing after graduation in the summer of 1960 and wasn't seen again until she showed up with a baby about three weeks old, according to Susan Blake.

Pinging to thread and comments.

[Polarik]

Before I begin my analyses of these photos, I'd like for all of you to click on this link, "The Holocaust Timeline," and remind yourselves of how the unthinkable happened, when it happended, who was responsible for doing it, who was responsible for ignoring it, and lastly, who liberated what camps. We must never forget. One additional point I wish to make (which appears in this timeline) is that Bulgaria was the only country in Europe who, despite Nazi occupation, refused to deport its Jewish population. If you know nothing about this wonderful country, at least remember this action.

OK, Photoshop-sleuthing time.

Unless one of O's enemies in Africa is a headshrinker, his grill most definitely has been Photochopped. Seems like the Left's loss of perspective extends to visuals, too. I mean, he IS a pinhead, but...

Notice how almost every group photo of Obama has him standing behind everyone, and almost always wearing BLACK. No color is easier to manipulate than BLACK. That should be a tip-off right there. [As a sidebar. I wish his entire Administration were a Photoshop so that I could just hit the UNDO button and bring us back to where reality wasn't always manufactured.]

I don't think anyone in Photo #2 looks like they really belong there. For starters, not only does Obama appear to be behind his wife -- which no self-respecting Muslim would ever do -- he's either squating or Michelle is on 3" heels and on steroids.

Again, whoever did this has no sense of perspective. Yes, the picture is receding, but that alone would not account for the drastic differences in the sizes of the people pictured.

That third photo showing children marching away from the gates of Buchenwald is unique in that nobody knows who took it. It's original posting is on the The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website as well as on Elie Weisel's website. Elie Wiesel became the Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in 1980, and was one of the children liberated from Buchenwald. The caption on Wiesel's site notes that Elie appears this photo. He is the tall boy with a full head of dark hair, the fourth from the front on the left side of the column of orphan boys.

BTW, STARWISE: what exactly was the purpose of your disjointed segway from Charles Payne's factual account of the liberation to a much later comment about his sister's (Madelyn Dunham/Payne) penchant for storytelling, in regards to Obama's claim that uncle Charles liberated Auschwitz? Here's the part you left out:

Payne came up in Obama's political narrative, albeit in an awkward way, when as a candidate he told a group of veterans at a 2008 Memorial Day event that his "uncle" had helped liberate the Auschwitz camp. His campaign later said he misspoke and corrected their relationship and the camp.

The war veteran said he had talked to Obama about liberating the camp "only after his famous misspeaking" about Auschwitz. He said he suspects the error was not purely Obama's fault, citing a tendency of Payne's sister, Madelyn Dunham, to gloss over the facts.

In other words, the lesson that Obama learned from Granny is to "Lie Like Toot!!"

[autumnraine]

Thank you Polarik!!

I knew it didn’t pass the ‘something looks fishy’ test to me, but I couldn’t quite figure out what!

You always come through for me to point out what seems off. Like in that Harvard graduation class picture that had his arms coming up at a direct from the bottom angle. I know Obama is tall, but I doubt he has extendable arms.

So once again, you have come through and I appreciate your time!

[Jeff Head]

That’s why this idea of making sure that every single veteran, when they are discharged, are screened for post-traumatic stress disorder and given the mental health services that they need... So, Barry, sounds like by your reckoning, that anoyone who has served is mentally ill?

[Jeff Head]

That’s why this idea of making sure that every single veteran, when they are discharged, are screened for post-traumatic stress disorder and given the mental health services that they need...

So, Barry, sounds like by your reckoning, that anoyone who has served is mentally ill?

[Tailgunner Joe]

Uncle Charlie who helped liberate Buchenwald sounds like one of those right-wing extremist veterans Janet Napolitano warned about!

[Jeff Head]

Exactly...and accroding to Barry, he never received the help he desperately needed and so he must be mentally ill.

[azishot]

Am I seeing a hand on BO’s right shoulder (1st picture)? Is that the hand of the guy standing on his left or an extra hand? It’s hard to tell since all their jackets are black.

I did notice how small his head was compared to everyone else’s. Yeah, what a pin head.

[Las Vegas Ron]

Good grief, even those family photos look photoshopped.

Wow, I had the same impression...they just don't look right.

[ExTexasRedhead]

PING
Try to keep down your dinner when viewing.

[autumnraine]

Check Polarik’s analysis and why it doesn’t look right at post # 46 or so. He makes sense as to why it doesn’t look right.

[freekitty]

You mean Obama has a white relative he didn’t tell us about?

[Las Vegas Ron]

He makes sense as to why it doesn’t look right

I agree. zer0's hands relative to the position of his arms don't look right either in the first pic, especially his left.

Both sides when compared seem out of joint, even though his body is slightly turned to his left.

[wideminded]

Ya know... HE could request a copy of the Great One's Certificate of Life Birth...

Even if he was Obama's parent, they would still only send him the "Certification of Live Birth", just like the document Obama has already displayed. That's what you get for $10. (I'm not sure if a great-uncle qualifies as an allowed requester.) According to the law they will do special record searches for an unspecified fee, but there's nothing in the law or on the DOH website about getting a copy of the original certificate. Presumably, if Obama asked, it would appear immediately.

[autumnraine]

I would also like to point out the aging of about 10-15 years of Charles Payne in a matter of three or four.

Notice how young he looked in the “family” photo that bizarrely has Maya (makes sense), her husband and new baby (that also makes sense) but Maya’s IN-LAWS (can give reference for that here: http://obamafamilywhitehouse.com/?p=102 note the December 2003 wedding photo with Toot and Ng’s parents) Also, note wedding date of DECEMBER 2003, so this photo with the baby would have to have been at LEAST summer of 2004 (which means Maya was knocked up when married, not a drama of historic preportions, but just to note) because of the summertime clothing. But does not this man look like he aged from 65 to 85 from mid 2004 to what would have been late 2008 to Jan 2009?

I know the elderly can age fast, but that seems very very very fast.

Just an observation.

[autumnraine]

I would also like to point out the aging of about 10-15 years of Charles Payne in a matter of three or four.

Notice how young he looked in the “family” photo that bizarrely has Maya (makes sense), her husband and new baby (that also makes sense) but Maya’s IN-LAWS (can give reference for that here: http://obamafamilywhitehouse.com/?p=102 note the December 2003 wedding photo with Toot and Ng’s parents) Also, note wedding date of DECEMBER 2003, so this photo with the baby would have to have been at LEAST summer of 2004 (which means Maya was knocked up when married, not a drama of historic preportions, but just to note) because of the summertime clothing. But does not this man look like he aged from 65 to 85 from mid 2004 to what would have been late 2008 to Jan 2009?

I know the elderly can age fast, but that seems very very very fast.

Just an observation.

[El Gato]

Notice that The Messaih's ears and nose are pretty much just like his Great Uncle's.

I'm thinking that his "sperm donor", whoever he was, didn't contribute much beyond skin, eye, and hair color, and some hair texture.

Without DNA matching, I don't think one could ever tell just who his "real" father was.