Kevin Jennings and Anita Dunn: Obama Administration’s “Philosophers” and “Inspirations”

According to sources such as Media Matters and Think Progress.org, Obama “Safe Schools Czar” Kevin Jennings is the victim of a right-wing smear machine whose cogs consist of rabid Christian fundamentalists bent on “destroying” Jennings’ career in the Obama administration. Unfortunately for Jennings and his defenders, the issue isn’t Jennings role as a gay activist, but his “praise” of another gay activist Henry Hay, whom Jennings, in 1997, stated he was “inspired” by Hay. Henry Hay was a very vocal supporter of the pedophile organization NAMBLA-North American Man/Boy Love Association. Here’s the crux of the Jennings matter: more evidence via the blog Zombietime has emerged, evidence which confirms that Jennings had to have been fully aware of Hay’s “work” with NAMBLA. Evidence which shows Jennings, a former teacher and writer, chose to include a chapter from the 1990 book, “The Trouble with Henry Hay” in Jennings’ 1994 anthology “Becoming Visible”. Jennings’ “trouble” with using a chapter from “The Trouble with Henry Hay” book: the book contains a section on Hay’s involvement with NAMBLA. Jenning’s “further” troubles with Henry Hay: three years later, Jennings gave a speech where he stated he was “inspired” by Henry Hay.

Jennings, a former teacher whom Obama appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS), founded and was the former executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an organization which works to make schools safe for transgender and gay students.

According to Jennings’ defenders, there’s two issues:

A) Henry Hay wasn’t a member of NAMBLA, and,

B) Jennings’ statement that Hay was an inspiration was Jennings “praising” Hay’s work as a gay activist.

Hay was far more than a “gay” activist. He was a very vocal supporter of NAMBLA who spoke at NAMBLA meetings on how NAMBLA could become more “cutting edge”, and marched in NAMBLA protests. For more info on Henry Hay and NAMBLA read Kevin Jennings, NAMBLA, and Harry Hay: More Evidence of Hay’s Involvement with NAMBLA.

To date, Jennings has yet to “clarify” how Henry Hay “inspired” him. In fact, he’s remained mum on the subject, a subject that involves a man who publicly supported a pedophile organization.

Perhaps Jennings could take a cue from Obama Communications Director Anita Dunn who, back in June during a speech given to high school students, declared that two of her “favorite political philosophers” were Chairman Mao and Mother Theresa.

Dunn’s response to criticism of her speech, courtesy of CNN:

“The Mao quote is one I picked up from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater from something I read in the late 1980s, so I hope I don’t get my progressive friends mad at me,” Dunn told CNN.

As for Beck’s criticism: “The use of the phrase ‘favorite political philosophers’ was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat — at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing.”

How ironic that, to date, there seems to be a lack of proof that Atwater made the Chairman Mao quote. To put Dunn’s statement into context, here’s the video of Dunn’s “Mao” speech:

“The third lesson and tip actually come from two of my favorite philosophers, Mao Tse Tung and Mother Theresa, not often coupled with each other, but the two people I turn to to most to basically deliver a simple point which is you’re going to make choices, you’re going to challenge, you’re going to say “why not”. You’re going to figure out how to do things that have never been done before. But here’s the deal, those are your choices, they are no one else’s.

In 1947, when Mao Tse Tung was being challenged within his own party, on his plan to basically take China over, Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalist Chinese held the cities, they had the army, they had the air force, they had everything on their side, and people said, “how can you win? How can you do this? How can you do this, against all odds against you?” And Mao Tse Tung said you fight your war and I’ll fight mine. And think about that for a second, you don’t have to accept the definition of how to do things and you don’t have to follow other people’s choices and paths. Okay? It is about your choices, and your paths. Fight your own war. Lay out your own paths. Your figure out what’s right for you. You don’t let external definition define how good you are internally. You fight your war, you let them fight theirs. Everybody has their own path.

And Mother Theresa, after receiving a letter from a fairly affluent young person who asked her if she could come over and help with that organization in Calcutta responded very simply, “Go find your own Calcutta”. Go find your own Calcutta. Fight your own path. Go find the thing that is unique to you. The challenge that is actually yours, not somebody else’s challenge.”
Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director

Both Jennings and Dunn are part of the Obama administration. Ms. Dunn’s Chairman Mao lovefest occurred while addressing high school students, while Jennings is Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. Dunn touted Chairman Mao as one of her “favorite philosophers”, a man whom, under his hideous regime, caused the deaths of over fifty million Chinese. In the CNN article, Dunn never denounced Mao, in fact, it was more of a “tee-hee” moment for Dunn who “attacked” Glen Beck, who, according to Dunn, just doesn’t get “irony”. Jennings “praised” Henry Hay as an “inspiration”, a man who vocally supported the pedophile organization NAMBLA.

As for “smears”, Jennings’ behavior, of remaining mum on the subject of Henry Hay, whom Jennings once praised as an inspirational figure in Jennings’ life opens up a deep void of distrust, especially in lieu of the evidence that Jennings, a “gay” historian”, put together a book which included a chapter from a book on Hay which included information about Hay’s involvement with NAMBLA.

Queries as to whether the Deputy Director of Obama’s “safe schools” program and “inspirational” figures, regardless of whether Jennings is gay or straight, is appropriate, and not a “smear”. We find it ironic that the person who has been appointed to keep schools “safe”, has opted to “stay safe” in the face of warranted scrutiny by “staying mum” and hiding behind sources such as Media Matters.

By LBG

Image – Nambla protest march