While I am here, I think I'll post a letter that I sent to our president a couple of weeks ago.
*****
Dear President Obama,I have advocated for the inclusion of all for many years. My simple mantra of inclusion has been "Everyone is Included...All People, All Places, All Ways."Last year, I followed your presidential campaign injecting some thoughts relating to my vision and efforts into it. I was so pleased to see them applied here and there and have the overall spirit of my work embraced.I am writing to you today, Mr. President, to let you know that I am now seeing inclusion at work within your administration.Keep it up.Keep widening the circle of inclusion within our great democracy. Keep giving voice and opportunity to all. Keep striving to help and serve all Americans.Indeed, keep it up, for, if you do...and do so in a positive, constructive, flexible manner applying our core, most sacred, high founding values in the process...then all of us will benefit greatly.Keep it up, for, goodness gracious, Barack, in my view, you have an opportunity to create an extraordinary template for use by all future administrations...a modus operandi that will enable our America to become the best it can possibly be.Keep it up.May God bless and be with you in your presidency.Sincerely yours,Ed RosenBergwww.everyoneisincluded.us
Greetings, Folks.
I want to stop by and thank our president for his and his administration's walk with inclusion thus far. As a longtime advocate for the inclusion of all, I am most pleased and proud of what the Obama Administration is doing with the value and concept that I hold dear.
All the very best to Mr. Obama and the good folks that surround him as they move forward.
Everyone is Included...All People, All Places, All Ways
The Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy, Central Africa Republic
Let us hope the new year and the concept of inclusion bring us similar good news from other areas of conflict and disarray around the globe.
Happy New Year, Folks!
(Note: I am going to take a couple of days off. I will return this weekend.)
"A peaceful world is an inclusive world."
Judith Umbach
I believe this to be so. In 2009, I, sincerely, hope we see Mr. Obama and all of our nation's and world's leaders on all levels embrace this notion and strive to build an inclusive world so that peace comes to all within our human family.
Gerry Adams, President, Sinn Fein
There have been more than a few calls for a fully inclusive dialogue among all stakeholders not only as it relates to the current Israeli-Palestinian crisis, but the entire Middle East. These calls have come from both within and outside the region. This has not happened yet. Perhaps, though, the Obama Administration will add its voice and, hopefully, be the catalyst to bring all to the table in the hopes of creating stability and building a lasting peace for the entire region.
By the way, in recent years, Gerry Adams and other Northern Ireland leaders have been global advocates for inclusive dialogue. They understand its value.
(Note: My computer/internet issues appear to have been resolved. Life is good.)
"Inclusiveness is better than judgmental polarization."
John Brummet
(Note: It appears as if things are improving as far as my internet situation goes. When I can get into my website to edit it, then all will be well.)
I don't know what's up. I have been having problems with our internet service and/or my computer the last couple of days, Folks. I am very surprised that I was able to post here.
Sorry.
EdR
Improving the United States' image in the Middle East
The choice of meal companions was a form of social exclusion. People ate with their own group. Elites ate with elites and peasants ate with peasants.
It is instructive to focus on the Pharisees. They certainly were Jesus' opponents but I would suggest they were not intrinsically bad people. Instead they lived in a manner that they thought would please God.
The book of Leviticus in the Torah contains a long list of rules to become "pure" and to maintain that purity. The code for the priests while officiating in the Temple was of a higher degree of purity than for the ordinary Israelite, and the Pharisees adhered to that strict practice. In fact, they called all Israel to become observant of that utmost degree of purity.
And, of course, the Pharisees would only eat with others who were keeping those strict laws of purity.
The Essenes, those who collected the Dead Sea Scrolls, restricted their meal companions to only those who had completed a rigorous training period for novices.
So, along comes the historical Jesus who invites all sorts of people to his table. He shared meals with tax collectors and prostitutes, as well as respectable, even wealthy, citizens. Is it any wonder that people were shocked? Jesus' inclusivity was a scandal."
Bill Linden, Theologian, Author
David Brown, The British Computer Society's APM Group IT Trainer of the Year
"The future of financial inclusion lies in moving microfinance beyond credit, offering the working poor the basic suite of financial tools that we take for granted."
Monica Brand, ACCION International
Everyone is Included...All People, All Places, all Ways
(Note: Inclusion has many forms...hmmm, a hub from which many spokes radiate. Check this out.)
After having experienced such phenomenon in the recent past, wisdom would demand that our Constituent Assembly members act fast and do not waste time, as they have been doing under one pretext or the other, and draft a new constitution that is inclusive in both nature and content; that embraces all the sections of the society; allows the population to live a secured life with dignity and facilitates even one single individual to become a part of the society and the nation at large. Let the people participate in the mainstream politics. If done so the system will last long."
N.P.Upadhyaya, Nepal
Koichi Morita, Japan's Ambassador to Zimbabwe
Dogu Ergil, Columnist
"I think it is time to close this issue (Rev. Warren), and concentrate on building a new, positive society of unity, compassion where all people are included."
Torgny
Well, folks, those here to applaud or decry the choice of Rev. Warren are, indeed...here.
Included.
Yay or nay, for better or worse...
I commend the Obama/Biden Campaign for this and, sincerely, hope something good for America comes from the discussion relating to the Warren issue...as I hope this spirit of inclusion continues.
Linda Douglass, Obama Spokeswoman
Everyone is Included....All People, All Places, All Ways
“This administration is about inclusion and not about exclusion.
The basic foundation of his (Barack Obama) philosophy is that too many people have been excluded for too long; the special interest groups and the lobbyists have dominated Washington. And as a result, the voices of every day people have been drowned out. And this grassroots campaign has been about reengaging the American people. And so there’s room for everyone at the table.”
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor, President-elect Barack Obama
Yes, indeed.
I hope, though, as we move forward, that we, the people, understand that, while we do have a seat at the table...that we are all included, decisions must be made.
p.s. Thanks, Lisa, for wanting to be my friend. You have brightened my day, my dear.
Dr. Denise Askin, President's Advisory Council on Inclusiveness, Saint Anselm College
Retired Admiral Fasih Bokhari, Pakistan
