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Barack Obama's childhood in Indonesia was full of exotic adventures. Perhaps he should recall the lessons of the cockfights, according to the author.
J. Pat Carter/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Lessons learned: A cockfight looms for 'Barry'

Obama and the Balinese Cockfight

Date published: 8/19/2008

PRINCETON, N.J.

--From the age of 4 to 6 years, young Barry's role model was Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian man studying at the University of Hawaii who later married Barry's mother and moved the family to Jakarta, Indonesia. Lolo tried to fill in the shoes of the absent Kenyan father whom young Barry had met only twice in his life.

Barry's home environment in Indonesia was like a page out of Kipling's "The Jungle Book." Barry's memory was vivid and filled with encounters with wild animals and colorful characters. On his trip into Jakarta, he first encountered the giant-size Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god with supernatural powers, a miniaturized replica of which Obama carries with him as a talisman to this day.

When Barry arrived at what became his new home until the age of 10, he was greeted by a pet ape named Tata, whom Lolo had brought from New Guinea. That's not all, though. A whole jungle of animals greeted him in their backyard zoo, including "chickens and ducks running every which way, a big yellow dog with a baleful howl, two birds of paradise, a white cockatoo, and finally two baby crocodiles, half submerged in a fenced-off pond toward the edge of the compound."

It was in this backyard that Lolo taught Barry boxing as a self-defense, how to fend for himself, and to enjoy different kinds of carnivorous meals, including snake and tiger meat. Barry also learned what it means to be a strong man. "Men take advantage of weakness in other men. They are just like countries in that way. The strong man takes the weak man's land. He makes the weak man work in his fields. If the weak man's woman is pretty, the strong man will take her. What would you rather be?" asked Lolo.

One day, when Lolo picked up a rooster from a street vendor and wished to take it home for dinner, Barry's mother objected to the young boy observing the decapitation. Reminiscent of a denouement of a Balinese cockfight made famous by the anthropologist Clifford Geertz, the street vendor proceeded to butcher the bird.


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Date published: 8/19/2008


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Reuters has McCain winning by 5% (posted by imready , Aug. 20, 2008 5:57 pm)   
I will be smiling when all you haters weep. :0)

Balinese [*#@!]fight (posted by MasaiiWarrior , Aug. 20, 2008 3:13 pm)   
The argument in the article still stands: Is McCain the Real Hawk, and Obama a Chicken Hawk? The doubts are already creeping into the poll numbers as Obama is down by 5%. McCain and team will make it a [*#@!]fight in the stretch. Will Obama go for the jugular? Yes, the article has been made fun off on Wonkette and DailyKos...but my replies have also been posted. Par for the course! I might write another short piece...Thanks for your comments.

immready (posted by raymaelynn57 , Aug. 20, 2008 12:20 pm)   
You are an extremely prejudice and racist sounding person. I may be wrong. Even though he is not a Muslim, if he were, I would welcome him into being the president over McCain or the current evil administration. You broad brush that religion like all racist or discreminatory people do. If someone is affiliated with it, you look at it as evil. You are pitiful and I surely hope your name (immready) is not referring to something biblical. Because if it is, the other side "may" not be ready for you.

Lolo Soetero - Obama's Stepfather was a muslim communist (posted by imready , Aug. 19, 2008 7:45 pm)   
Whereas Obama's daddy was only a muslim polygamist. Polygamists, muslims and communists. Why won't Obama tell the truth about who he is?

You know you have made the big time... (posted by MathewBrooks , Aug. 19, 2008 3:03 pm)   
When your article gets made fun of on Wonkette.

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