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Once again the Republican arm of the “ super-stupid “ are passing out another made up myth concerning President Obama. Sadly, once again the “ super-stupid “ believe it.
By T. Steelman December 1, 2013
The Vatican embassy is being closed – oh noes! You may have seen something on this in the past few days. If what you saw came from the right, you are not getting the whole story. Of course, as is their wont, they are being selective about their information. So, once again it’s time to play… Debunk That BS!
First off, there is no “Vatican embassy”
There is no U.S. embassy in Vatican City. There are no embassies in Vatican City at all, actually. There is just no room for them. The whole of Vatican City is only 0.2 square mile. All embassies to the Vatican lie in the surrounding city of Rome. Ergo, no “Vatican embassy.”
What is happening is that the U.S. embassy is being moved. That necessarily requires the closing of the old location. The new location will combine the U.S. embassy to the Vatican with the one to Italy (seen above). It’s also closer to the Holy See. But the closing of the former site is all the information that the myth-laden screeds from the right are giving. So naturally, this truncated version of the facts is drawing the ire of the right.
The right created a controversy which grew in their echo chamber
It started with Jeb Bush:
Derp, Jeb. Retribution? Way to project. However, this president is not a “retribution” kind of guy. If he were, we’d have known by now. Besides, President Obama has dealt with the complaints of the Catholics when it came to the birth control mandate in the ACA. Forcing employees to follow the religious beliefs of an employer is blatantly unconstitutional. The Supreme Court should uphold the rights of employees: we hope.
Several former diplomats have joined their voices with Jeb and the loony right. These are men who should know that there is no “Vatican embassy.” Primary among them is James Nicholson, who took the opportunity to bash the Obama Administration:
“It’s another manifestation of the antipathy of this administration both to Catholics and to the Vatican — and to Christians in the Middle East. This is a key post for intermediation in so many sovereignties but particularly in the Middle East. This is anything but a good time to diminish the stature of this post. To diminish the stature of this post is to diminish its influence.”
How on earth does moving the embassy “diminish the stature of this post”? Nothing else is changing. Not the staff, not the Ambassador, not the U.S. presence. There will be no reduction in staff or presence — got that, Mr. Nicholson? Oh, and Jeb? Your brother is the one who initiated this move — his administration purchased the buildings. So kindly, STFU.
Here’s the lowdown
Why is the “Vatican embassy” moving? The main reason is to save money. The old location cost us $1.4 million every year to lease and operate. The other reason is security. The new location is easier and cheaper to protect. You’d think with the current right-wing obsession with embassy safety — fake as it is — might make them stop and listen. Ha! Not bloody likely.
Other myths surrounding this move include that the Ambassador’s residence is moving (it’s not) and that the U.S. is the only country that will have a combined location. We’re not. The UK, Netherlands and Israel all have co-located embassies to Italy and Vatican City.
Yet again, we see the right-wing taking a small piece of information from a much larger story and using it to bad-mouth President Obama. This phone interview with a state department official dispels all of the “Vatican Embassy” BS. But those who want to blame any and everything on this president don’t want the facts. They would much rather pile on the faux outrage.
The Vatican itself has said that they are aware of the move and the reasons for it. And, while they say the situation is “not ideal,” it is “not the end of the world.” Indeed. Unless one is an American right-winger. AddictingInfo
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