It's behind a paywall, but this article in the July 11, 2013 Foreign Policy explains that Obama appointed an ambassador that is generating considerable ill-will towards the U.S.:
If confirmed, Brewster will be the first openly gay ambassador to the country, a prospect that is not going over well with some segments of this conservative Christian country of 9 million people. Local reports indicate that church leaders are pressuring the government to reject
Brewster's nomination and calling on the faithful to dress in black on Monday in solidarity against him.
Praise Christian Church Pastor Sauford Medrano is quoted in Diario Libre as saying that Brewster could cause "the U.S. promotion of gender beliefs in the country." That supposedly violates a general education law in the country that "all the Dominican education system is based on Christian principles."There are plenty of countries where a gay ambassador would be welcomed with open arms -- pretty much all of post-Christian Europe. Why go out of your way to upset and offend before the ambassador even hits the ground? This isn't smart; it's stupid. And yes, it is quite equivalent to sending a black ambassador to apartheid era South Africa. It may make the U.S. feel good, but it isn't a way to persuade another country to do what we want.
This may not have been stupid. It could just as easily be an intentional stick in the eye to those who hold any level of Christian value.
ReplyDeleteIs "Foreign Policy" a leftist publication? I ask because the title for this is "Dominicans Freak Out Over Obama Ambassador Pick", a rather colloquial title for a publication called "Foreign Policy", and not "US" or "People", and also sounds vaguely contemptuous.
ReplyDeleteNothing really new here. Obama continues to prove not only is he stupid and way under qualified for the job he has he is also an arrogant *sshole.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he'll send a gay ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
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