http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-Presidents-Remarks-and-a-Letter-from-Ted/
I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it.Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.Thank you,President Barack Obama
I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it.
Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.Thank you,President Barack Obama
We Can Afford Reform, We Can’t Afford the Status Quo
Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist for the Vice President and Executive Director of the Middle Class Task Force, debunks the myth that we can’t afford health insurance reform. To the contrary, not only has the President demanded that reform not add to the deficit in the short term, but reform is the only way to get skyrocketing health care costs under control that will be devastating not for families , businesses, and for government deficits in the long term under the status quo.
Watch the Video
Earlier today, it was announced that President Obama will address a joint session of Congress on the issue of health insurance reform next Wednesday, September 9th. CNN reported:
It will be Obama's second speech to the full legislature since he took office in January, and the setting and rarity of such an event highlighted the importance the president places on his top domestic priority: overhauling the nation's ailing health care system.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid formally invited Obama to make the address, as required, in a letter issued Wednesday after news broke of the planned speech.
We'll have more information on this important speech in the days to come.
www.whitehouse.gov
THURSDAY, JULY 30TH,
2009 Medal of Freedom Recipients
Posted by Katherine Brandon
The President announced today the 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilan honor. The President praised the recipients for breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."The awards will be presented on August 12. Here is a little bit about this year’s recipients:
See the official release for a little more detail.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/
TEMPE, Ariz. — President Obama traveled Wednesday to the university that does not think he has done enough to merit an honorary degree and declared that he agreed.
Mr. Obama delivered his first commencement address as president at Arizona State University, whose decision not to award him a ceremonial diploma touched off a national furor. He used the controversy to make the point that no one should be satisfied with “the outward markers of success,” either as individuals or as a country.
“I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven’t achieved enough in my life,” Mr. Obama told tens of thousands of students and relatives packed into Sun Devil Stadium. “First of all, Michelle concurs with that assessment. She has a long list of things I have not yet done waiting for me when I get home.
“But more than that,” he added, “I come to embrace the notion that I haven’t done enough in my life. I heartily concur. I come to confirm that one’s title, even a title like president of the United States, says very little about how well one’s life has been led — and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve.”
The decision not to award an honorary degree to Mr. Obama was taken by many as a snub, especially after university officials explained that “his body of work is yet to come.” Embarrassed university officials tried to contain the damage by renaming its most important financial aid program the President Barack Obama Scholars Program, which will benefit 1,600 freshmen this fall.
The university’s president, Michael Crow, heaped praise on Mr. Obama in introducing him on Wednesday night. “You’ve lit a fire under all of us to move America forward,” Mr. Crow said.
Mr. Obama thanked him and called the controversy “much ado about nothing.” But he still aimed a barb at the university’s leadership. “President Crow and the board of regents will soon learn about being audited by the I.R.S.,” he joked.
Mr. Obama’s commencement season schedule this year has generated more attention than most presidents receive. His plan to speak at the graduation at Notre Dame on Sunday has drawn vociferous protests from anti-abortion leaders who consider it inappropriate for him to be invited to speak at the nation’s most prominent Catholic university.
In his speech here to a stadium full of people who waited hours in temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, Mr. Obama said the degree controversy underscored that the nation needs “a fundamental change of perspective and attitude,” one that values substance over appearance, character over celebrity and wise investments over “get rich quick schemes.”
The country, he suggested, has lost its way. “In recent years, in many ways, we’ve become enamored with our own success, lulled into complacency by our own achievements,” he said, citing the economic crisis. “We started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings. We saw businesses focus more on rebranding and repackaging than innovating and developing new ideas that improve our lives.”
He cited Americans who ran the Underground Railroad, fought for worker rights, developed new technology and saved people caught in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. “A whole bunch of them didn’t get honorary degrees,” he said in an ad lib not in the released text, “but they changed the course of history and so can you.”
He added: “That’s what building a body of work is all about: it’s about the daily labor, the many individual acts, the choices large and small that add up over time, over a lifetime, to a lasting legacy.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/politics/14obama.html?ref=politics
What occurred last night is what happens when distraction to which President Obama has referred since the campaign occurs. Last night the Foreclosure Relief Bill was defeated in the Senate with 11 Democratic Senators voting against the Bill. The Senators got bought. By the same banks that got money from the government. This defeat is a stinging blow to many Americans who are in need of help to avoid losing their homes. These include people with good intentions that have always paid on time and did not participate in irresponsible practices.
It is on BIlls like this the Administration needs our voices and calls/emails to Congress, but this time the voices did not speak up. And due to the distractions exacerbated somewhat irresponsibly in my opinion by mostly the left/far left media and support groups, our TV screens, email boxes and phone lines were filled with torture and flu conversations instead of things like this Foreclosure Bill. As I have said before torture punishments can and will be handled by whatever means and I know how much this subject means to people as it should. The pressing matters in the moment like the survival of American jobs and Americans' ability to keep their homes etc. are the key subjects on which we have to make sure we stay laser focused.
In case you haven't seen it, here is a list of the Democratic Senators that voted against the Bill. Please call their switchboards or email if so inclined. It is unconscionable that in the face or our crisis and with the bailout money gone to these banks that these Senators voted against this Bill.
The main number is 1-800-962-3524. Please be cordial to the switchboard operators, but let them know exactly how you feel.
Max Baucus, Montana: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Michael Bennet, Colorado: http://bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=TransitionalSiteEmailSenatorBennet
Robert Byrd, West Virginia: http://byrd.senate.gov/
Tom Carper, Delaware: http://carper.senate.gov/index.cfm
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota: mailto:senator@dorgan.senate.gov
Tim Johnson, South Dakota: http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana: http://landrieu.senate.gov/2009/index.cfm
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Ben Nelson, Nebraska: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Mark Pryor, Arkansas: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania: http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
John Tester, Montana: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/
February 10 2009
I stopped posting on November 5th, 2008 thinking that the job had been done with President Obama’s election, but I think there's a good reason to resume, since this great victory was clearly just the first step in changing the entire mindset of this country and turning it on a new and better path: perhaps it is only real crisis that produces effective change. In any case, real crisis is what we now have, and let us hope that the change – genuine and lasting – will follow in its wake. Part of ensuring that change involves communicating with one another as this Presidency unfolds in response to these great events that threaten, and yet provide opportunity for growth. On a personal level, it has been a joy to see what an intelligent, compassionate man of goodwill can bring to the Top Job in just a few short weeks, and a stark reminder of how long those qualities have been lacking in our leadership. Despite the wisdom-teething troubles of the various cabinet nominations that have gone south, President Obama has begun to come back from them and seize the initiative once more: the news conference of yesterday was remarkable for its candidness, honesty, seriousness mixed with genuine self-deprecation and also for the President's obvious grasp of complex issues and his ability to impart them clearly and succinctly. These qualities were also on remarkable display during the President's Town Hall meetings, most recently today in Fort Myers, FL, a very moving event. Here is a President so comfortable in his own skin and so at ease with sharing the truth as he sees it that he is quite willing even to publicly imagine his own defeat at the polls in four years if he fails to deliver. One is reminded of Elizabeth I, the greatest of all absolute monarchs, who said to her people: “it is not my intention to be your queen for any longer than it might also be to your good. You may well have wiser or greater princes occupying this throne, but you will never have one that loves you more.”
In very different circumstances, but with a similar spirit of humility, Obama not only took responsibility for the Daschle fiasco, but willingly embraced it, refusing to blame others. How far we've come since the last incumbent, who couldn’t imagine one mistake he’d ever made. Let us never forget what a sea change this, alone, is. Does anyone else, I wonder, find this to be unutterably refreshing? Imagine: a President who can admit when he’s wrong.
The last few news cycles have revealed one major weakness in our political system and its ability to deliver change: the parlous state of many of our news media and their inability to delineate complex issues. Their inadequacy was largely responsible for the bumps in the road that Obama’s team experienced over the last few weeks, allowing the defeated Republican rump in Congress to frame and quite willfully distort the debate over the economic bailout; a bailout necessary, be it remembered, because of the toxic legacy of twenty-eight years of fantasy, unregulated, trickle-down economics imposed on the country under Reagan and reaching its nadir under George W. Bush. Even more damaging is the media’s obsession with the banalities of the “who’s up & who’s down” script, on full display throughout the campaign, and far more troubling now that the election is over and a great crisis unfolding. It’s as though the media have come to believe that politics is all just a spectator sport – a fantasy, if you will, without real consequences. It was our media that, based entirely on the plausible image of an actor, elevated the incompetent Reagan to an iconic status that he clearly did not deserve. The same uncritical mindset allowed the venomous Bush/Cheney gang to get away with murder, especially in the period immediately following September 11, 2001, when responsible journalism apparently began a five year vacation and bad government ran unchecked.
It is the cynical and self-perpetuating presumption on which this trash-posing-as-news is based – that the American people are not intelligent, industrious or motivated enough to understand complex issues that are affecting them when described in full paragraphs – that may perhaps finally be broken down by President Obama’s so-far remarkable and potentially transformative approach to the public communication aspects of his Presidency. The bulk of the news commentary after President Obama’s effective press conference last night reflected the media’s habitual, cynical mindset – more than one commentator expressed surprise, even bewilderment at the President’s coherent, deeply-considered and finely nuanced answers to their questions, musing aloud as to whether he was too “professorial” in his approach to be understood. If he was, then the media is to blame for lowering public expectation and debasing its own – and our – currency. Our journalistic commentators, along with the public, need to wake up to themselves and to the dire national emergency that makes their trivializing and obfuscating approach to reporting so dangerous to us. We need to wake up and require our news providers to re-learn their proper trade and fulfill their real function as the necessary Fourth Estate in this democracy, by weaning them (and us) off the trivia that have been presented as actual information for many years now. The stakes are simply too high for journalism to be any longer left to the likes of Coulter, O’Reilly and Limbaugh, and to a lesser extent many of the less than distinguished commentators of the less loony mainstream. We all need to be more involved in holding our leaders to account by participating in our democracy and scrutinizing our media.
President Obama is impressive because he takes the long view of history. This is exemplified by his resolutely seeking bipartisanship for the good of the country. Despite great provocation he clearly intends to continue his overtures to Republicans, overlooking their puerile intransigence in opposing the vital stimulus bill, a wise and magnanimous political approach that has been puzzling even to his own supporters, who are still to some extent also locked into the partisan mindset of the previous eight (or twenty-eight) years. He evidently intends to try as many times as necessary to gently encourage his opponents to free themselves from the mindset of greed, corruption and ill-will that has infected our national debate for so long that it is now accepted as normal. Obama believes that his opponents, whose few remaining elected representatives can, unembarrassed, rise to their feet in the Congress and, as their justification for opposing a stimulus bill that is vitally necessary to our survival, deny the success of FDR and the New Deal in ending the Great Depression, deserve our understanding, concern and unflagging willingness to rescue them from themselves for the sake of healthy political discourse. Obama clearly sees something that Bush and Cheney were incapable of imagining: that crushing your opponents is not conducive to a healthy two-party democracy – it is not enlightened political behaviour. Real strength lies in considering the greater good and bringing opposites together for the benefit of all. Obama’s reaching across the aisle, far from denoting weakness, is the precise opposite: it is a genuine, Lincolnesque lesson in taking the long and wise view of history. It is unlike anything we have seen in recent times.
From what I have observed so far, President Obama has the potential to be one of our truly great Presidents: yes, on the level of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR. It is a greatness that appears to be innate, and as such depends less on his ultimate political success or failure (though I believe he will ultimately succeed) than it does on the valuable personal qualities he is offering as the core of his Presidency to the American people, Democrats and Republicans alike. These are the very American core values that have been so obviously – and dangerously – missing for a very long time from our public life. A restoration of them must lead to the re-discovery of our commonality of purpose and our fundamental decency, offering the best opportunity in decades for a return genuine civility to our national – and international – discourse.
Saturday, 17th January 2009
Washington, D.C.
www.change.gov
In his final weekly Radio/YouTube address before assuming office, Presiden Elect Barack Obama speaks about the upcoming Inauguration activities, a tradition at the heart of our democracy.
This year’s inauguration will be the most open and accessible in history. Millions of people will come together—not just in the capital, but across the nation—to serve their communities and celebrate a new era of change in America:
On Tuesday, the world will be watching as America celebrates a rite that goes to the heart of our greatness as a nation. For the forty-third time, we will execute the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next. www.change.gov... Here at home, transitions also remind us that what we hold in common as Americans far outweighs our political differences. Throughout the current transition, President Bush and his Administration have extended the hand of cooperation, and provided invaluable assistance to my team as we prepare to hit the ground running on January 20th. There is much work to be done. But now, all Americans hold within our hands the promise of a new beginning. www.change.gov
On Tuesday, the world will be watching as America celebrates a rite that goes to the heart of our greatness as a nation. For the forty-third time, we will execute the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next.
... Here at home, transitions also remind us that what we hold in common as Americans far outweighs our political differences. Throughout the current transition, President Bush and his Administration have extended the hand of cooperation, and provided invaluable assistance to my team as we prepare to hit the ground running on January 20th.
There is much work to be done. But now, all Americans hold within our hands the promise of a new beginning.
Thursday, 15th January 2009
The Presiden Elect and his wife Michelle, along with tens of thousands of Americans, will mark this Martin Luther King Jr., Day by participating in community service events across the country. The following afternoon, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, and later that night the new president will celebrate by hosting the first-ever Neighborhood Ball, attended by everyday Americans.
Through interactive technology and a live broadcast on ABC, the Neighborhood Ball will be linked with local, grassroots parties across the country, making for a truly special night that all Americans can take part in. The event will include musical performances by Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder and Nick Cannon.
You can sign up to host or attend a Neighborhood Ball in your community at PIC2009.org.
These parties can be as simple as a group of neighbors gathering in a living room or local restaurant to watch the live broadcast and interact online and through text messaging. Local Neighborhood Balls will be a place to gather with neighbors to celebrate an historic night, the end to one long journey, and the beginning of a new one.
President Elect Obama himself explained:
This is an inauguration for all Americans. I wanted to make sure that we had an event that would be open to our new neighborhood here in Washington, D.C., and also the neighborhoods across the country. Michelle and I look forward to joining our fellow Americans across the country during this very special event.
Wednesday, 14th January 2009
As each president has offered a vision for America’s future, we reflect on the heritage of Inaugurations past: http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/
Monday, 12th January 2009
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama addressed some of the most delicate foreign policy issues over the weekend, confirming that he intended to pursue a clear policy of engagement with Iran and to press immediately for peace in the Middle East.
Speaking on the ABC News program “This Week,” Mr. Obama reiterated that he wanted to work directly with Iran — a country whose president has called for Israel’s destruction — to improve relations and halt a nuclear program that Tehran describes as peaceful, but that the West believes is not.
“We are going to have to take a new approach,” he told the program’s host, George Stephanopoulos. “My belief is that engagement is the place to start.”
Mr. Obama said he wanted to adopt “a new emphasis on respect and a new willingness on being willing to talk” to the Iranians, while making it clear “that we also have certain expectations.”
The remarks suggested a clear departure from the often pointed and deprecatory speech that has prevailed between Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and President Bush.
Last year, President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel for specialized bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Quoting senior American and foreign officials, the article said that the president told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran’s suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons.
Speaking about the Israeli attacks in Gaza, Mr. Obama said he remained convinced that Israel had a clear right of self-defense. More broadly, he promised that after his inauguration on Jan. 20, his foreign policy team would become “immediately engaged in the Middle East peace process.”
Jeff Zeleny, David M. Herszenhorn and Peter Baker contributed reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/us/politics/12iran.html?_r=1&ref=politics
You could be there on Inauguration Day as Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President. Ten supporters will be selected between now and midnight on January 8th to join the inaugural activities. You and a guest could be flown to Washington, D.C., put up in a hotel, and be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Unlike past inaugurations, this one won't be funded by lobbyists or corporations. Barack is counting on grassroots supporters like you to make this the most open and accessible Inauguration in history. Make a donation right now to make the inauguration a success.
If you'd prefer not to make a donation, sign up here and you could still be selected to attend the Inauguration.
Last week, we announced that the Presidential Inaugural Committee would be selecting 10 Americans to attend the historic inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden on January 20th, 2009.
In an e-mail message this morning, Michelle Obama announced the selection of the first grassroots supporter chosen to attend the Inauguration.
Cynthia Russell, of Newberry, Florida, and her guest will attend the welcome ceremony, President-elect Obama’s swearing-in, the Inaugural Parade, and our Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
Cynthia has been a builder for 18 years, but, like so many Americans, she is under pressure because of the economic crunch.
I’ve supported myself and have been able to help out my mother from time to time. Now I find myself wondering how much longer I can hold on and be able to pay my bills and keep the doors open for business.
But she is hopeful that President-elect Obama will lead the nation through this challenging time.
As she pushes ahead, striving to maintain her business and home, she will take a few days vacation to attend the Inauguration as a guest of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Want to sit with Cynthia at the Inauguration? We’re still looking for nine more supporters like her. Donate and let us know what this Inauguration means to you, and you could be selected to witness this historic event on January 20th.
On inauguration night, Barack and Michelle Obama will dance their first dance as the first family with their new neighbors, including members of the public and residents of Washington.
“In keeping with his commitment to make this inaugural celebration open and accessible to all Americans, President-elect Barack Obama will host the first-ever ‘Neighborhood Inaugural Ball’ during this year’s inaugural celebration,” says a statement from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
“It is the first official inaugural ball of its kind to be held during a presidential inauguration,” the statement adds.
There have been rumors for weeks that Mr. Obama would hold a so-called people’s ball; the announcement confirms that it will be the first event of inauguration evening on Jan. 20 and will take place at the Washington Convention Center, where several balls are being held.
Tickets will be free or at “an affordable price,” and some of the tickets will be set aside for residents of the District of Columbia.
“This is an inauguration for all Americans,” Mr. Obama said in the statement. “I wanted to make sure that we had an event that would be open to our new neighborhood here in Washington, D.C., and also neighborhoods across the country. Michelle and I look forward to joining our fellow Americans across the country during this very special event.”
In a symbol of the importance of the Web, both to Mr. Obama’s election and presumably to how he will run the government, this ball will be interactive, with webcasting and text messaging, “to link neighborhoods across the country with the new president and this premier event.”
Details coming soon, both on the distribution of tickets and on how people at neighborhood balls across the country can link up, virtually, of course, to this one.
This is just one of the 10 official balls that the Obamas will be attending that night. Five others are at the convention center (cutting down on the need for a motorcade). The other four are at the National Building Museum, the Hilton Hotel, Union Station and the D.C. Armory.
Please add this consideration to your house parties on December 13th and 14th!!!
As we come together all across the country, we need to reflect on ways of rebuilding our economy. It is possible in our globalized world today to help create jobs here that also creates jobs in developing countries.
Maximum attention should be given to reaching key decision makers for building the Peace Corps up to 16,000 volunteers by FY2011. Peace Corps administration has to change to allow American citizens to actively support volunteers serving abroad to create opportunities to create jobs in health care, education, and overall community development.
Doubling the size of Peace Corps is possible and must be prioritized. Several thousand new PCVs could be sent to Cuba when the American boycott of Cuba is finally lifted (discussion point). The strategy of the Obama Administation towards bringing back a more human face on American foreign policy is vital.
Sign the MorePeaceCorps campaign http://www.petitiononline.com/morepc/petition.html
Thank you for being a part of this movement! There are many important causes out there but we thank you for devoting your time to MorePeaceCorps. Please direct any questions to me or my colleague, Jonathan Pearson (Micronesia 87-89), Advocacy Coordinator for the NPCA. Email: jonathan@rpcv.org.
The opportunity to enhance America's relationship with the continent of Africa has never been greater than it is now with the election of Barack Obama and the hope that abounds throughout Africa and the world for a new U. S. foreign policy. Let us add our voices in support of President-Elect Obama’s concern expressed early in the campaign to make the nation states of Africa a priority in American foreign relations.
My hope is that his vision for that relationship will hold true to the community-based principles of organization that guided the Obama presidential campaign. Those same principles, it seems to me and many others, are what have long been missing in American foreign policy design toward the continent. Prevailing policies have been about imposing America's thinking and assumptions on the continent rather than truly taking into account what Africans want for themselves and are attempting to accomplish for themselves. In short, prevailing U. S. policy toward Africa has been about talking rather than listening, teaching and preaching rather than heeding and absorbing, exporting ideas and practices to Africa rather than learning from the people and thus working in partnership with them. It is what I call the Bwana complex – the belief that only Western and American ideas hold the solutions. Julius Nyerere had it right many decades ago when he said, "It is personally offensive for any African to hear outsiders presume to lecture us on our own affairs at this stage in our history." This is not to deny the importance of American aid to Africa to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS, war and famine, and the many other pressing humanitarian needs. These efforts are to be commended.
The problem is, however, Africa is virtually always viewed with pity, foreboding, horror, disgust, and a host of other negatives. The truth is: there are tremendous positives about the continent and its people. Africa is one of the richest sources on earth for minerals of all types, its people are industrious, hard working, warm and friendly in general. They desperately want more than just foreign aid. There is a fabulous entrepreneurial spirit throughout Africa, a burning desire to be independent and self-sufficient, rather than seen as the welfare continent only wanting handouts. In truth Africans have long-term goals and want help with growth, development, and their own vision of self. Listening confirms this. Leading scholars have been saying this for years but it has too often fallen on deaf ears. The distinguished Africanists Dr. Ali Mazrui, Dr. Vincent Bakpetu Thompson, Dr. Godfrey Uzoigwe, Dr. Olara Otunnu, Dr. Wunyabari Maloba, Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu, Dr. Edmund Abaka, and Dr. Toyin Falola are but a few of the imminent authorities who have pleaded this case again and again, especially over the past eight years.
When American policies become more community focused, the positive results we all want will occur. Take for example the effort of Dr. Herns Marcelin at the University of Miami, who has led the way in establishing the Site Solèy Community Forum in Haiti. The forum is a community-based think tank and action center in arguably the worst slum of Haiti. It is making a major difference because it works in full partnership with the community, bringing elders and even gang members together in a setting of shared ownership of the organization and collective work for a positive future for the community. It is not just the outside experts telling the people what is needed but a gathering of equals listening and learning from one another to combat the problems holistically and to build together. It is community organizing at its best.
I see the same potential for change in West Africa. Let us not forget that in Ghana, for example, 93% of all business and employment is generated by small businesses. These entities look not only for American assistance but for American partnerships. We need a new foreign policy that builds relationships between governments and prominent leaders but also actively promotes inclusive roundtables and is willing and eager to sit side by side at that table with the middle elements and the bottom elements of the society in direct dialogue. The shared positive energy and community of ideas would yield solutions grounded in widespread grassroots commitment for their success. Those solutions should then be collectively acted upon. And as Kwame Nkrumah liked to say, “Thought without action is meaningless.”
We must have development that encourages community initiatives and brings together all elements, including NGOs, American and African business ventures, and the interests from other nations throughout the world. Europe, together with the U.S. has made numerous fortunes by exploiting the African continent. Today, China is one of the most rapidly growing presences in Africa and on its way to becoming the leading economic force on that continent as it continues to develop regional businesses there to harness oil and other mineral resources desperately needed in China. Thus, China advances in Africa because of an American presence centered on strategic military interests and quick economic returns. American investment in long-term development over the coming years and decades will put the nations of Africa on solid footing, heighten their presence on the world stage as contributing members, and be of greater mutual benefit to the U.S. at the same time.
I know that these are difficult times for the United States of America and much of the world given the global financial crisis. But it is also perhaps a very advantageous time to make the necessary changes to African foreign policy design, begin to understand the great potential partnership of a U. S.-African alliance based on reciprocal respect and understanding.
I urge with all my heart and mind that the vision that President-Elect Obama articulated earlier is acted upon. The continent of Africa, the United States, and the world will be the beneficiaries. As the new administration begins on 20 January 2009, let us PLEASE REMEMBER AFRICA.
The campaign to ban these terrible weapons is making progress. This week, as half the world's nations gathered in Norway to sign a treaty banning cluster bombs, here in the United States the Obama transition team announced that the new president will "carefully review the new treaty" when he takes office.
The Obama team's statement is a welcome departure from the position of the Bush administration. The Bush administration refused to send a representative to the treaty negotiations and actively lobbied other countries not to support the treaty. This week Bush's spokesperson couldn't even answer a question from veteran journalist Helen Thomas about why the White House opposes the pact. Now that President-Elect Barack Obama has said he will review the treaty,
A U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs will build support for the U.S. signing the cluster bomb treaty by mobilizing people around the country, lobbying here in Washington, and meeting with key members of the new administration.
The campaign needs your help to expand the movement to stop the use of these weapons. Get involved by writing your Congressional Representative or the President Elect
Almost made a clean getaway.
Now I'm making calls to Georgia for Jim Martin. For two reasons:
1.) To get the Democrats closer to that fillibuster-proof goal of 60 votes in the Senate
2.) Because I don't like what Saxby Chambliss did to Max Cleland six years ago.
Want to join me? Then log on to the Obama site and make just a few more phone calls (again) before Tuesday.
It's snowing right now where I live (Buffalo -- where else) and I'd even consider going down to Georgia to camapign for Martin just to get away from early winter here. Well, if I could afford it I would. Oh well. Hope he's happy with the calls.
President-elect Barack Obama made a now-famous Election Night promise to his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7: "You've earned that new puppy that is coming with us to the White House."
There's no taking it back now - he said it front of a hundred thousand people in Grant Park, Chicago and hundreds of millions of television viewers worldwide.
Obama's was the first acceptance speech in U.S. history to include the mention of a family pet, though presidential pets certainly have received their share of the limelight. The White House website has an entire section devoted to the pets that have occupied their masters' chambers, and there is even a Presidential Pets Museum in Williamsburg, Va.
There hasn't been a president in residence in the White House in a long, long time who did not own a dog. Not since Woodrow Wilson, in fact.
Most presidential dogs were purebreds - a notable exception was Lyndon Johnson's mixed breed, which he named J. Edgar - but Obama hopes to adopt a "mutt" for his daughters - from a shelter where there are "mutts like me," our 44th president said in his first news conference as president-elect.
Obama disclosed that the family will need to find a "hypoallergenic" dog because his daughter Malia has allergies.
Dr. Jack Boden, veterinarian at Imperial Animal Hospital on St. Thomas, said that dogs that don't shed are the best option for people who suffer from allergies. When a dog sheds, the skin attached to the root of the hair follicle - skin that contains the protein to which some people are allergic - breaks up into small particles that can be breathed in, Boden said.
Frequently brushing the dog is good for both the dog and owner who suffers from allergies because it stimulates oils in the skin to keep the coat shiny and gets rid of fur that would otherwise be spread throughout the house.
"By and large, short-haired dogs with single coats - no undercoat - seem to be the best recommendation for allergy sufferers," said Boden.
Some of the breeds and mixes that are considered hypoallergenic are Chihuahuas - both long-hair and short-hair - Bichon Frisé, Greyhound, Schnauzer, Poodle, Goldendoodle or any Poodle hybrid, Yorkshire, Silky Terrier and any from a long list of non-shedding terriers.
Many websites have emerged to help the Obama family find a dog, including www. obamafamilydog.com, and thousands of people have given opinions on personal blogs and on news websites.
But since the Obamas have stated they would like to get a dog from a shelter, what better place than from one here in the Virgin Islands?
If the Obamas are interested in Chihuahuas, The Humane Society on St. Thomas has three cute little Chihuahua-mix puppies up for adoption. The three are 2-month-old sisters found in the Crown Bay area and brought into the shelter on Oct. 19. All are in good health and have up-to-date shots. Dolly is a short hair mix and has a cream coat with a little touch of white, and Loretta and Reba are both tan with short hair. All three have sweet dispositions, the Humane Society staff say.
On St. Croix, the Animal Welfare Center has more than 100 dogs waiting for adoption, and most are mixed breeds.
Shortly before Election Day, the AWC put two of the mixed breed puppies up for adoption: "Obama," a black and white Crucian mix, and "McCain," a lab-bulldog mix. McCain was adopted the day before the election, but "Obama" is still waiting for a home.
A White House would be nice - big lawn, lots of room to run, two adoring little girls to play fetch with.
"Obama" has qualities of "leadership and and can-do attitude" said Animal Welfare Center's communications director, Gretchen Sherrill.
Other St. Croix shelter puppies that might work for the Obamas are "Sticky," a black terrier mix with longish fur and brown eyes, and "Chrissy," also a terrier mix. "Chrissy" has short tan fur with a white chest and belly and a dark brown face.
"I think it'd be great to have a Crucian in the White House; we'd love for the Virgin Islands to be represented through man's best friend," said Sherrill.
To find out about animals for adoption on St. Croix, call 778-1650, on St. John, call 774-1625 and on St. Thomas, call 775-0599.
First dogs
The dogs that belonged to the presidents of the United States. As Harry Truman said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
- George Washington: Mopsey, Taster, Cloe, Tipler, Forester, Captain, Lady Rover, Vulcan, Sweetlips and Searcher, all foxhounds.
- Thomas Jefferson: Briards and foxhounds.
- James Monroe: Spaniel.
- John Tyler: Le Beau, a greyhound.
- Abraham Lincoln: Jip and Fido, unknown breeds.
- Ulysses S. Grant: Faithful, a Newfoundland.
- Rutherford B. Hayes: Grim, a greyhound; Duke, an English mastiff; Hector, a Newfoundland; Dot, a terrier.
- Grover Cleveland: Unnamed Japanese poodle.
- Benjamin Harrison: Dash and various dogs of unknown breeds.
- Theodore Roosevelt: Pete, a bull terrier; Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever; Skip, a mixed breed; Manchu, a Pekingese; Jack and Peter, both terriers.
- Woodrow Wilson: Davie, an Airedale.
- Warden Harding: Laddie Boy, an Airedale; Old Boy, a bulldog.
- Calvin Coolidge: Peter Pan, a terrier; Paul Pry, an Airedale; Rob Roy, a white collie; Prudence Prim, a white collie; Calamity Jane, a Shetland sheepdog; Tiny Tim and Blackberry, both Chow Chows; Ruby Rough, a collie; Boston Beans, a bulldog; King Kole, a German shepherd; Bessie, a collie; and Palo Alto, a setter.
- Herbert Hoover: King Tut, a German shepherd; Big Ben and Sonnie, both fox terriers; Glen, a Scottish collie; Yukonan, an Eski.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt: Fala, a Scottish terrier; Majora, a German shepherd; Meggie, a Scottish terrier; Winks, a Llewellyn setter; Tiny, an English sheepdog; President, a Great Dane; and Blaze, a mastiff.
- Harry S. Truman: Feller, a cocker spaniel; and Mike, an Irish setter.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower: Heidi, a Weimaraner.
- John F. Kennedy: Charlie, a Welsh terrier; Shannan, an Irish cocker spaniel plus their puppies: Blackie, Butterfly, Streaker, and White Tips. Also, Pushinka, a gift from the premier of Russia, who was the daughter of Laika, the first dog in space.
- Lyndon B. Johnson: Him and Her, both beagles; Freckles, their puppy; Blanco, a white collie; Yuki, a mixed breed; J. Edgar, a mixed breed.
- Richard Nixon: Vicky, a poodle; Pasha, a Yorkshire terrier; and King Timahoe, an Irish setter. Checkers, a cocker spaniel, immortalized in a 1952 political speech by vice presidential candidate Nixon, died five years before Nixon was elected president.
- Gerald Ford: Liberty, a golden retriever.
- Jimmy Carter: Grits, a mixed breed.
- Ronald Reagan: Lucky, a Bouvier des Flandres; Rex, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
- George H. W.Bush: Millie*, a springer spaniel; Ranger and Spot, two of Millie's puppies.
- Bill Clinton: Buddy, a Chocolate Labrador.
- George W. Bush: Spot, Millie's daughter, an English springer spaniel; Barney and Mrs. Beasley, Scottish terriers.
* While in the White House, Millie was a busy dog. She "co-authored" a children's story, "Millie's Book," with the help of First Lady Barbara Bush and she gave birth to a litter of six puppies, one of which was Spot, who returned to the White House with President George W. Bush, making Spot the only dog with the distinction of being a second-generation presidential dog.
- Contact reporter Genevieve Ryan at 774-8772 ext. 340 or e-mail gryan@dailynews.vi.
OK, I know I'm biased, but I thought the "60 Minutes" interview last night was great.
Barack Obama seems like a nice guy. Michelle seems like a great mom. Together, they make a wonderful team for us and US!
I especially liked the mother-in-law mentions. As someone who loves his mom-in-law, I identified with that.
I don't know why, but I still keep checking back to the site. Maybe I'm expecting another call to make more phone calls (hey, it would be nice if this was updated; by my count I made @120 more calls than what they say -- no one included the tally from Nov. 3 and 4-- wazzup with that); maybe I want to go knock on more doors agin (yeah, as if); or maybe i just plain miss the excitement.
If that's the case, how do I become an Obama delegate for the 2012 convention. Wait, where IS the '12 convention???
