The "Sarah Obama Tape"

*** WARNING -- Please Read ***

As I wrote on Friday, this whole thing does not sit well with me. I've heard the tape, read the transcripts and the affidavits, and just don't know what to make of it. I don't particularly think that it smells right, but feel that IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO SUPPRESS INFORMATION.

Read the information, listen to the tape and decide for yourself. That's how it should be, isn't it? Stop with the agenda-setting, just give the information to the people and let them decide what they think. Personally, while I've been open to the idea that Barack Obama has not been entirely truthful with regard to his background, something here does not seem right.

Since Berg filed his suit in late August, I've done my best to give you the information as I get it, and I have tried to present both sides of the argument. This is no different. This information is included in Berg's filing and, while it just doesn't sit right, we're too close to the election for anything but full disclosure.

Again, I DO NOT FEEL IT IS MY PLACE TO SUPPRESS INFORMATION.

To me, this has little to do with Obama, a man who I do feel is not right for America because of his radical ideology and questionable associations and alliances. This has to do with the availability of all information on all political candidates. If there were something out there which would raise questions about John McCain's fitness or eligibility for the presidency, I'd want it out for public consumption and debate.

Decide for yourself with regard to the information below. I already have, and if you're still wondering what I think, re-read this warning and notice that I've never before felt it necessary to include such a disclaimer at America's Right.

So, to borrow a phrase from a much maligned news organization, when it comes to the information below ... we REPORT, you DECIDE.

-- Jeff Schreiber

For the better part of two weeks, Philip Berg has been talking about evidence that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was born in Mombasa, Kenya and not Honolulu, Hawaii as the senator contends, specifically a taped interview with Sarah Onyango Obama, paternal grandmother of Barack Obama, in her home in Kenya after the third and final presidential debate during which she states that her famous grandson was born in Kenya, and that she was indeed present for his birth.

At first, Berg insisted that he still had some legal issues to resolve before releasing the audiotape itself [which is in Swahili]. While he did not include the tape itself in his recent filings with the United States Supreme Court, he included the transcript of the conversation, sworn affidavits from people involved here and in Kenya, as well as e-mail messages exchanged between the two ministers involved.

The first of the two contacts is Rev. Kweli Shuhubia. His name, as it appears within the filings, has been changed for the sake of his safety considering the political climate in Kenya, not to mention here as well. According to his affidavit, Shuhubia is an ordained minister, native evangelist and translator for the Anabaptist churches in Kenya.

On October 16, at the insistence of the second contact, he traveled to the home of Sarah Obama in the village of Alego-Kogello, and found it to be "heavily guarded by Kenya Police" and "flooded with people who were celebrating Senator Obama's success story." He took photographs of Sarah Obama, another grandson who was present, and other family members.

The second contact is Bishop Ronald McRae. In his affidavit, McRae states that he "oversees the Anabaptists Churches in North America" and also serves as "Presiding Elder on the African Presbytery," where he assists in oversight for churches in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and mission work in other locations there. During his travels, he says in his affidavit, "United States Senator Barack Hussein Obama is a very popular topic of discussion."

What the affidavit and the Court filings do not mention, however, is that McRae is better known stateside as a "street minister," and that his "bishop" title is largely self-applied. A September 10, 2005 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes McRae as a "self-proclaimed Anabaptist bishop" who "has felt it his calling to disrupt the lives of gays, Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses and whatever other among the citizenry he considers the future entree at the Almighty's celestial barbecue come Judgment Day." He made news that day for denouncing the design of the Shanksville, PA memorial to those who perished on Flight 93 as a "symbol of Islam" because the finished product would resemble a red crescent in the autumn months, when the leaves on the maple trees would turn red. To his credit, I guess it would, but cannot imagine that appeasement of radical Islam was behind the design.

This, nonetheless, is the gentleman who brought the tape of Sarah Obama to the world.

Phil Berg was not aware of McRae's history as a "street minister" or as denouncer of crash site memorial designs--yes, I indeed thought it ironic that Berg, a man who believes that the United States government was complicitous in the attacks of September 11, 2001, was relying on a man who felt that the planned memorial to those who died on that awful day was woefully inadequate--but said that he nonetheless "feels comfortable that it's right."

"Say what you want about the man," Berg said, "but he has spent considerable time in Kenya, and the minister on the ground over there has known Obama's grandmother for years. Given the nature of the e-mails and such, I have no reason to believe that this isn't right."

The telephone records attached to filings do indeed add up, showing that there were indeed telephone calls between Kenya and a Detroit, MI telephone number--presumably McRae's--on the dates provided in the affidavits. Furthermore, apart from information that Sarah Obama's comments were translated from Swahili, a language of which a February 2008 article in The New York Times suggests that she speaks only little, the affidavits taken alone are interesting, if not compelling.

First, from Rev. Kweli Shuhubia's sworn affidavit::

During my interview of Sarah Obama; I called Bishop Ron McRae in the United States from my mobile number. I advised Bishop McRae that I was present with Ms. Obama in her home, and wished for him to speak with her. Bishop McRae informed me he would call me right back, to avoid the international costs on my personal mobile phone. Bishop McRae subsequently called me back; Bishop McRae requested permission to electronically record his telephone conversations with Ms. Obama, to which I agreed. Due to bad telephone connections Bishop McRae had to call me back three [3] times, before we were able to continue our conversation. The telephone interview conducted by Bishop McRae was conducted on loud speaker (speaker phone). During the interview conversation, one of Ms. Obama’s grandsons and myself acted as Swahili translators, and as Bishop McRae talked to and questioned Ms. Obama, we would translate what Bishop McRae said to Ms. Obama in Swahili, and then we would translate her Swahili responses to Bishop McRae in English. Ms. Obama can fluently speak Swahili in her native dialect, but cannot read or write.

Bishop McRae asked Ms. Obama specifically, “Were you present when your grandson Barack Obama was born in Kenya?” This was asked to her in translation twice, and both times she specifically replied, “Yes”. It appeared Ms. Obama’s relatives and her grandson, handling the translating, had obviously been versed to counter such facts with the purported information from the American news media that Obama was born in Hawaii. Despite this, Ms. Sarah Hussein Obama was very adamant that her grandson, Senator Barack Hussein Obama, was born in Kenya, and that she was present and witnessed his birth in Kenya, not the United States. When Ms. Obama’s grandson attempted to counter his grandmother’s clear responses to the question, verifying the birth of Senator Obama in Kenya, Bishop McRae asked her grandson, how she could be present at Barack Obama’s birth if the Senator was born in Hawaii, but the grandson would not answer the question, instead he repeatedly tried to insert that, “No, No, No. He was born in the United States!” But during the conversation, Ms. Sarah Hussein Obama never changed her reply that she was in deed present when Senator Barack Obama was born in Kenya. A copy of the Tape transcript is attached hereto as EXHIBIT “A”.

I left Kisumu City and traveled to Mombosa, Kenya. I interviewed personnel at the hospital in which Senator Obama was born in Kenya. I then had meetings with the Provincial Civil Registrar. I learned there were records of Ann Dunham giving birth to Barack Hussein Obama, III in Mombosa, Kenya on August 4, 1961. I spoke directly with an Official, the Principal Registrar, who openly confirmed the birthing records of Senator Barack H. Obama, Jr. and his mother were present, however, the file on Barack H. Obama, Jr. was classified and profiled. The Official explained Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. birth in Kenya is top secret. I was further instructed to go to the Attorney General’s Office and to the Minister in Charge of Immigration if I wanted further information.

Second, a excerpt from Ronald McRae's affidavit:

Since Senator Obama’s birth was reportedly in 1961, birth records may or may not be available, so I felt it very important to obtain the testimony of his grandmother as a first hand witness, since it is commonly known throughout Kenya, and especially around the Kisumu area, that Sarah Obama was present when Barack Obama, Jr. was born in Kenya.

Accordingly, on Thursday, October 16, 2008 Reverend Kweli Shuhubia (actual name temporarily withheld to protect his life), an evangelist with our ministries in Kenya traveled to Kogello and located Ms. Sarah Obama at her home, see the attached email, attached as Exhibit “4”.

Rev. Shuhubia is a very intelligent and educated citizen of Kenya, a former teacher and respected evangelist throughout Kenya. Rev. Shuhubia met and interviewed Ms. Sarah Obama at length on October 16th, during which interview; he called me on my mobile number, see my phone record attached as Exhibit “5”. Rev. Shuhubia advised that he was present with Ms. Obama in her home, and wished for me to speak with her. I advised Mr. Shuhubia that I would call him right back, to avoid the international costs on his personal mobile phone. I subsequently called him back, and requested permission to electronically record his telephone conversations and the conversations with him and Ms. Obama, to which he agreed. Because of static and bad connections I had to call him three times, before we were able to continue our conversation. In that conversation, Mr. Shuhubia and one grandson of Ms. Sarah Obama acted as Swahili translators, and as I talked to and questioned Ms. Obama, they would translate what I said to her in Swahili, and then they would translate her Swahili responses to me in English. Ms. Obama can fluently speak Swahili in her native dialect, but cannot read or write. In the ensuing conversation, I asked Ms. Obama specifically, “Were you present when your grandson Barack Obama was born in Kenya?” This was asked to her in translation twice, and both times she specifically replied, “Yes”. Though, some few younger relatives, including her grandson doing the translating, have obviously been versed to counter such facts with the common purported information from the American news media that Obama was born in Hawaii, Ms. Sarah Hussein Obama was very adamant that her grandson, Senator Barack Hussein Obama, was born in Kenya, and that she was present and witnessed his birth in Kenya, not the United States. When Ms. Obama’s grandson attempted to counter his grandmother’s clear responses to the question, verifying the birth of Senator Obama in Kenya, I asked her grandson, how she could be present at Barack Obama’s birth if the Senator was born in Hawaii, but the grandson would not answer the question, instead he repeatedly tried to insert that, “No, No, No. He was born in the United States!” But during the conversation, Ms. Sarah Hussein Obama never changed her reply that she was in deed present when Senator Barack Obama was born in Kenya. A transcript of this taped interview is attached as Exhibit “6”.

Mr. Shuhubia took photographs during the meeting and interview with Ms. Sarah Hussein Obama, which photos will be forthcoming.

Because of the seriousness of the political situation and the impact of such on a United States Presidential election, and because of the factual reality of tremendous violence in Kenya towards Christians, especially in the immediate area of Kisumu, where both Sarah Hussein Obama and Rev. Kweli Shuhubia live, it is requested that all reasonable and legal steps be taken to secure Rev. Kweli Shuhubia’s identity to the Federal Court alone, in order to protect his life and safety for being willing to provide this very important assistance in gathering this testimony and evidence to be used in any Federal litigation.

The filings with the Supreme Court--which, to the best of my knowledge, cannot actually be considered by the Court because they were not included with the original proceedings at the district court level--also include a transcript. In the transcript, there is a good deal of language that I sure cannot translate. Click on the image below to see it, copied as it appears in the Supreme Court filing.

The Court filings also contain images of e-mails exchanged between Bishop Ron McCrae and the Rev. Kweli Shuhubia. Like with the transcript, I've captured them from Berg's Supreme Court filings and reproduced them here.

The second e-mail clearly shows that Shuhubia's efforts to obtain birthing records and other documentation from officials in Kenya came after similar information-gathering efforts made by WorldNetDaily writer and The Obama Nation author Jerome Corsi who, according to the e-mail, offered $2,000 in exchange for any such information. Corsi, however, says that he doesn't work that way.

"I haven't made any bribes and haven't been involved in any bribes," Corsi told America's Right this afternoon. "There have been reports that people have made bribes on my behalf, and indeed WorldNetDaily reported that money exchanged hands to facilitate my removal from Kenya after I had been detained. However, I think payment of bribes for information is wrong, I think bribery gets bad information, and for those reasons I refuse to pay a penny, always have and always will, and refuse to reimburse anyone who pays a bribe on my behalf."

So there you have it. A tinny, hard-to-discern audio recording. Affidavits from people with changed names and a history of questionable conduct. E-mails which likely show what looks to be at least one fabricated detail. Here's the evidence we've all been clamoring for.

Take it, digest it, and decide for yourself.

You know, on the night that African Press International first reported that Michelle Obama had contacted them and said inflammatory things, I wrote that it just didn't smell right, it just didn't add up. Yes, over the following few days, I got caught up in the misrepresentations made by that fly-by-night organization, but in the end stuck with my gut feeling that something just wasn't right.

My coverage of Berg v. Obama has been, to me, about reporting to you the facts and underlying information, procedure and motivations behind Philip Berg's lawsuit as it progressed through the courts. I've provided you with the information as I have received it, whether from the newest filings in the court or from Berg himself. Throughout, I have attempted to provide you as best I can with a look into the rules and procedure on both sides of this civil action.

While I am certainly concerned for our nation and absolutely certain that Barack Obama has not been completely forthright when it comes to his past, whether it be about his ideological perspective, his friendships, his alliances or his personal background, I have refrained from making blind accusations or participating in wild conspiracy theories--hence the lack of material about Andy Martin's business in Hawaii, claiming that Frank Marshall Davis was Barack Obama's true father--because my interest is solely in the truth, and my jurisdiction is what I can physically see, smell and touch. This is why I kick myself for getting caught up in the Internet fodder surrounding African Press International. This is why I am so hesitant to make the information above available without expressly stating my lack of trust in its authenticity.

Still, who am I to conceal information publicly available but not easily accessible? Who am I to hide, from people who wish to decide for themselves, anything which may help them better understand the choice before them on Tuesday?

In the end, I hope that each and every one of you will pull that lever or push that button based upon more than a tinny conversation between someone purported to be Barack Obama's grandmother and a man who proclaims himself a bishop and sees red crescents in the autumnal hillsides of western Pennsylvania. This is an election of vast differences -- treat it that way. Instead of wondering just where Barack Obama was born, ask yourself whether you want government more or less involved in your daily lives, whether you're a capitalist or a socialist, whether you feel paying higher taxes is "patriotic," whether you value the unborn lives of the most defenseless among us, whether you want our fighting men and women home immediately or home with honor, or whether you feel that America's best days are in front of Her, or that the days of Lady Liberty as that shining city on a hill have gone by.

I hope I've made my point. As with anything else you've seen, heard or read during the past two years, take it in and decide for yourself. Personally, I'm a conservative, and will stick with the candidate I feel is best fit to preserve, for later generations, the tenets and benefits of conservatism -- and I'll do so with or without Bishop Ron McRae, Sarah Obama, Lolo Soetoro, or Philip Berg.



To listen to the audio, click HERE or, if needed, HERE.