Kumbaya Summit
link Obama calls entrepreneurship summit with Muslims.
Hmm. Imagine being on airplane screening duty for this event!
“…The summit will highlight the role entrepreneurship can play in addressing common challenges while building partnerships that will lead to greater opportunity abroad and at home,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said…”
What does this even mean? Over the past year, this is pretty representative of the kind of vague nonspeak coming out of this administration. Is the goal to nurture entrepreneurship among Muslims? Or among Americans to Muslims? Who would represent Muslims? The largest Muslim population in the world is in Malaysia and Indonesia? Is the intent to make Muslims more aware of America?
It’s doubtful in my mind that Muslims worldwide have not been aware of business opportunities with the U.S. According to the Foreign Trade Statistics from the U.S. Census bureau, the American trade deficit with Indonesia was over 7 billion dollars in 2009, which means the U.S. buys a lot more stuff from that nation than stuff sold to them. So, if that’s any indication, it looks like entreprenerhip is in pretty good shape over there. Similarly, the Chinese, Koreans, Germans, Japanese, Australians, heck even the French have long established trade ties with the U.S. Though in the case of the French, it’s mainly in fries, cheese and wine. They tried to sell Peugeots in the U.S., but apparently, Americans weren’t totally indiscriminate.
The fact is, there have never been any impediments to trade with Muslim nations. The real intent of this touchy feely sounding summit is presumably to show just how Muslim friendly America really is. While this summit will be showcased as an olive branch to that population, it’s effect will be moot. Logically, the group that the White House wants to influence are radical Muslims, they of the fiery rhetoric and loaded underwear. No amount of wining and dining is going to change the opinions of this group. What are they going to do, show episodes of Jerry Springer to convince them that America is not the Great Satan?
But perhaps the stated goal of the radical jihadists has been misinterpreted: I mean, kill all infidels can be a bit ambiguous. Maybe it’s just a matter of inferior communication skills. The U.S. can certainly help the jihad boys with some media savvy. Pretty soon, you’ll have talk shows over there, emulating our own programming. Imagine the Ahmed Letterman show for example, or Two And A Half Martyrs. I’m sure by the end of the summit we’ll have achieved historic bi-cultural, global understanding with cultural bridges built upon mutual peace and kumbaya. Somebody should print T-shirts to mark the occasion.