Michele Bachmann (allegedly) is palling around with terrorists. At least, Bachmann is palling around with a Republican Evangelical who was arrested for terrorism, and spent 37 days in a Ugandan jail until the George W. Bush administration pulled some strings to get him out. That was in 2006. He now is “a staffer for Bachmann and responsible for her faith-based organizing both in Iowa and South Carolina,” according to a report.
Let’s be fair and acknowledge that absolutely, in America, no one is guilty until convicted, so an arrest, at least here, doesn’t engender guilt. But the man arrested, Peter E. Waldron, not only does not deny the arrest, he’s making a film about it. So, what does that say?
As you read the story below, ask yourself, what does this say about Michele Bachmann’s decision-making abilities, vetting processes, and even personal judgment?
“Where do you stand on the Constitution? Are you competent? And do you share my views? That’s my criteria,†Bachmann said on Meet the Press this Sunday, about whether or not she would hired someone. The question, albeit one about gays, is absolutely valid and applicable to everyone else — or certainly should be, unless Bachmann is going to have double-standards for gay and straight people. “I am not out asking any other questions,” Bachmann added. Proof positive, right there.
As you read the comment from Bachmann’s press secretary  in the email mentioned below, note how God, or one’s purported relationship with God, evidently is all the vetting Michele Bachmann requires.
If this story were about Barack Obama instead of Michele Bachmann, how would the Right view it?
After all, if not defending DOMA is an “impeachable offense,” according to GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, what is this?
Via Garance Franke-Ruta, a senior editor at The Atlantic:
“The evangelical organizer who helped Michele Bachmann win the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa Saturday was previously charged with terrorism in Uganda after being arrested for possession of assault rifles and ammunition in February 2006, just days before Uganda’s first multi-party elections in 20 years.
“Peter E. Waldron spent 37 days in the Luriza Prison outside Kampala, where he says he was tortured, after being arrested along with six Congolese and Ugandan nationals for the weapons, which were described variously in news reports as having been found in his bedroom or a closet in his home. The charges, which could have led to life in prison, were dropped in March 2006 after a pressure campaign by Waldron’s friends and colleagues and what Waldron says was the intervention of the Bush administration. He was released and deported from the east African nation, along with the Congolese. On Saturday, Waldron told The Atlantic in Ames that he was a staffer for Bachmann and responsible for her faith-based organizing both in Iowa and South Carolina. But he also declined repeatedly to give his name.
“Asked about Waldron’s role and background, Alice Stewart, the press secretary for the Bachmann for President campaign, replied in an email: “Michele’s faith is an important part of her life and Peter did a tremendous job with our faith outreach in Iowa. We are fortunate to have him on our team and look forward to having him expanding his efforts in several states.”
Any questions?
By the way, Waldron has written a book, “Â “Rebuilding the Walls: A Biblical Strategy for Restoring America’s Greatness.” Big surprise. Dominionism, anyone?
But wait, there’s more!
Franke-Ruta adds that “the Kampala Monitor reported that the inspector general of police “told a news conference Waldron was suspected of links to a group in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and ‘planned to set up a political party here based on Christian principles.'”
“On his website, Waldron says he was “falsely accused of being a spy by the Uganda government’s secret police,” leading to his arrest. One man who knew Waldron in 2004 told The St. Petersburg Times in 2006 that Waldron had told him he used to work for the CIA, and the question of whether or not Waldron has worked as a spy is prominently teased in the trailer for the movie based on his life now being promoted on his personal website.
“At the time of his arrest, Waldron was hailed on one right-wing blog as being “an arms dealer of the Lord” and “the latest victim of Christian persecution in Africa.” But his allies seeking to free him said he was being persecuted for his reports in the “Africa Dispatch” newsletter about Ugandan opposition activities, and that he denied that he owned or was storing weapons.
“Waldron has been described at times as a leader of a wide variety of organizations, including Advancing American Freedom (co-founder); Christians Restoring America’s Greatness (founder and president); Cities of Faith Ministries (founder); the Contact America Group, Inc. (president); and The Save The Family Foundation (president).
“From 1995 to 1999 he ran the Rising Stars Education and Sports Foundation in Florida, according to The St. Petersburg Times, taking in $600,000 from state and local governments, and he later had an affiliation with “the Rocky Mountain Technology Group, a Montana software development company,” according to the paper.”
Any questions, now?
No doubt, Bachmann will rush to answer all the questions this story asks, just as she has been so open and transparent about her and her husband’s ex-gay Christian counseling business practices.
(image)