Dear Mr. President,
please do not repeat Vietnam! Get soldiers out and stop the war -
if not you, who else?
Jesse Ventura (with Larry King today) is right!
We believe - yes, that you and we can!
Sincerely
European Youth for Obama
President Obama loves children. We love children, they are our future. They will define the world, when grown up. But their understanding depends from their own life - from their democratic life!
Democratic systems als liberty live from free information!
We want to point out, that in many democratic countries children´s rights are hurt. They are hurt especially in the Pope´s dictatoric catholic system, called as "foundations to protect" and guided by US - Sisters and US - lawyers. These children are held as modern slaves.
But they do not know this. Directors avoid to inform them about their rights by huge physical and psychological walls - like in dictatorships. They are not allowed to enter in internet, write emails and get emails.
Opposite: Doing this, they are threatend with child labour, discrimination, organ trafficking, child trafficking and this makes them scared to death (see: MyDocAngel in Youtube and CNN)
Please help to inform those children whereever you know christian organisations, so that it can´t happen, what happens in the US, Ireland, Bolivia and Germany in the 20th and 21st century still!
Inform them aboout their rights:
These rights are hurt in the "Fundacion Amanecer", Cochabamba, Bolivia, lead by US-American people.
We ask: Kids and adolescents in the 328 foundations to protect children in Cochabamba have the right to be informed about their rights!
The original document, in the archives of the city of Geneva, carries the signatures of various international delegates, including Jebb, Janusz Korczak, and Gustave Ador, a former President of the Swiss Confederation.
The SCIU merged into the International Union of Child Welfare by 1946, and this group pressed the newly formed United Nations to continue to work for war-scarred children and for adoption of the World Child Welfare Charter.
On 20 November 1959 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a much expanded version as its own Declaration of the Rights of the Child, with ten principles in place of the original five.[2] This date has been adopted as the Universal Children's Day.
The initial 1923 document consisted of the following stipulations:
3/4/09 BBC
Gordon Brown has urged the US to renew the "special relationship for our generation" in a speech to Congress
Mr Brown, the fifth UK prime minister in history to address both houses on Capitol Hill, urged the US and UK to push for "essential" economic changes.
Neither nation should "succumb" to protectionism "which protects no-one", but "seize the moment", he said.
Mr Brown also announced that veteran Senator Edward Kennedy would receive an honorary UK knighthood.
The prime minister paid tribute to the work of US troops in Afghanistan and said terrorists could "not ever destroy the American spirit".
The partnership between the UK and the US is "unbreakable" and that "no power on earth can ever draw us apart", he also said.
'Standards'
The speech began and ended to standing ovations and was frequently interrupted for applause - with 17 such pauses counted.
Mr Brown called for agreed "rules and standards for accountability, transparency and reward" in banking.
On the recession, he said: "America and a few countries cannot be expected to bear the burden of the fiscal and interest rate stimulus alone. We must share it globally.
"So let us work together for the worldwide reduction of interest rates and a scale of stimulus round the world equal to the depth of the recession and the dimensions of the recovery we must make."
Mr Brown added: "An economic hurricane has swept the world, creating a crisis of credit and of confidence.
"History has brought us now to a point where change is essential. We are summoned not just to manage our times but to transform them."
In addressing Congress, Mr Brown follows in the footsteps of Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.
'Pro-American'
He said: "Now more than ever the rest of the world wants to work with you...
"And let me say that you now have the most pro-American European leadership in living memory. A leadership that wants to cooperate more closely together, in order to cooperate more closely with you.
"There is no old Europe, no new Europe. There is only your friend Europe.
"So once again I say we should seize the moment - because never before have I seen a world willing to come together so much. Never before has that been more needed."
Announcing the honorary knighthood for Edward Kennedy, Mr Brown said that "Northern Ireland is today at peace, more Americans have healthcare, more children around the world are going to school" because of the long-serving Democratic senator.
The world owed "a great debt to [his] life and courage", he added.
Senator Kennedy, who is being treated for a brain tumour, was unable to attend Congress.
Following Mr Brown's speech, Conservative Party acting leader William Hague said: "It is right to remind Americans that we need to work together against protectionism, in defeating terrorism and in combating climate change.
"What was missing was any sense of contrition for past mistakes and an ability to translate words into action."
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said: "Gordon Brown seemed to offer a lot of warm words but very few hard plans to fight the recession which has engulfed the world economy and his government.
"Rather than trying to shore up his reputation in America, he should be focusing his attention on fixing the mess we face back home."
'Common interest'
After Mr Brown's meeting with Barack Obama on Tuesday, the US president said the "special relationship" between the countries would "only grow stronger".
After about an hour of talks at the White House, Mr Brown and Mr Obama said they agreed that improvements were needed to the regulation of the global banking system.
Mr Obama warned that countries should not "project inwards" by encouraging protectionism during the economic crisis.
Mr Brown said the two countries were pursuing a "common interest" in a "global new deal".
The prime minister's US visit comes ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) developed and emerging economies in London on 2 April.
The EU and Canada have warned that a "buy American" clause in the US economic recovery package could promote protectionism.
It seeks to ensure that only US iron, steel and manufactured goods are used in construction work funded by the bill - but has included a pledge to respect international trade obligations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7922426.stm
1 /10/09 reprint of 1995 Le Monde newspaper article (English version). En Français.
"Ma priorité est de ramener les valeurs publiques ou collectives au centre du débat," said President-elect Barack Obama in an interview running in today's Le Monde newspaper.Mr. Obama was not speaking in French; his words had been translated. And in fact he hadn't uttered them in more than 12 years.The French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday took the Obama team by surprise by publishing an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama from 1996 in which the two spoke at length about their marriage, only four years after they were wed, and two years before their oldest daughter Malia was born.
Many themes will not surprise those who know or follow the Obamas. Sitting down to talk about their future the same year Obama eventually ended up running for state senate (and winning), his wife Michelle in the interview expresses reservations about whether a life in politics is what they want. And while her husband is less uncertain of his calling, he wonders aloud about his ability to maintain a balance between private and public life. He also sounds out some notes about restoring civility in discourse to public life and the notion that we're all in this together, themes that have stayed with him throughout his career up through this week.The interview, entitled "An Intimate Conversation with Michelle and Barack Obama," was conducted for a book about American marriages and was never published before today. The story was noticed in Le Monde by Tom McCarthy at the ABC News desk and translated from the French by Maeva Bambuck and Jean Fievet in ABC News' London bureau. (When assessing the precise accuracy of the quotes below, keep in mind they have now been translated from English to French to English.)"If You Look Deep Into Her Eyes, There's a Certain Vulnerability"President-elect Obama, who turned 35 that year, describes growing up with a single mother and absent father, and says, "I think that in a certain way, I’ve tried all my life to fabricate a family through stories, memories, friends or ideas. Michelle’s family life was different, very stable with two parents, a stay-at-home mom, a brother, a dog, that kind of thing. They’ve lived in the same house all their lives. And I think that in a certain way we complement each other, we represent two common models of family life in this country. One very stable and strong, another that frees itself from the constraint of a traditional family, travels, separates, is very mobile.""A part of me was wondering what a strong, reassuring family life would look like," he says, "while Michelle in a way, wanted to break from that model. In a way only, because she’s very attached to family values, but I think she sometimes sees in me a more adventurous way of life, more exotic, and in that respect, we’re complementary."Describing Michelle as "alluring" and with "a strong personality," the future President says, "if you look deep into her eyes, there’s a certain vulnerability. In any case, I see it even if most don’t realize it: she goes through life tall, beautiful, confident, very able…There’s a part of her that is fragile, young, sometimes scared, and I think these are contradictions that attracted me to her. And she makes me very happy. She is very familiar to me and so I can be myself around her, she knows me well, I completely trust her, but at the same time in certain respects she remains a mystery to me.""Sometimes, when we’re lying together," he says, "I look at her and I feel dizzy with the realization that here is another distinct person from me, who has memories, origins, thoughts, feelings that are different from my own. That tension between familiarity and mystery meshes something strong between us. Even if one builds a life together based on trust, attentiveness and mutual support, I think that’s it’s important that a partner continues to surprise.""I Was Thinking, 'He's Probably an Idiot, Whatever'" "It was strange, that excitement over this first-year student," then-32-year-old Michelle Obama recalls when describing the buzz about a new summer associate at the law firm Sidley and Austin. "So smart, so good-looking, so intelligent, everyone was talking about Barack. I’m more of the skeptical kind, I was thinking, 'Yeah, he’s probably an idiot, whatever.'"Why was she skeptical? "Because I always thought that when lawyers rave about someone, they always neglect the relational qualities," Michelle says, "so I told myself, 'He might be brilliant, but he’s probably very ordinary.' And then on the first day, he showed up late. He was late because it’d been raining! And then he walked into the office and we got along right away because he was charming and very good-looking, at least I found him good-looking. I think we were attracted to one another because we didn’t take ourselves too seriously, like some others did. He liked my dry humor and my sarcastic comments. I thought he was a good man, interesting, and I was fascinated by his personal story, so different from mine."The first lady-in-waiting clearly liked the fact that he was different and perhaps even a bit exotic. "It’s not every day that a girl from the South Side of Chicago meets someone who speaks Indonesian, who has traveled and has seen many fascinating things," she says. "It gave him a rather rare dimension in my higher middle-class work environment. Usually, these people are all cast from the same mold, but he came from elsewhere. He had a high level of conversation, while still remaining an average guy. He had an impressive curriculum, but was very down to earth and liked playing basketball. That’s what I found attractive in him. Our relationship was first a friendship. It took off from there.""There's a strong possibility Barack will pursue a career in politics"Asked how she envisions her future with her husband, Michelle says, "there’s a strong possibility that Barack will pursue a career in politics, although it’s not very clear yet. It’s an interesting challenge, the Illinois senate, although we’ve had disagreements on that topic. Once you’re involved in politics, your life becomes public and the people who scrutinize it are not always well-intentioned. I’m rather secretive and I like to surround myself with people I care about and who’s loyalty I trust.""When you start in politics, you have to confide in all sorts of people," she continues. "We may go in that direction, even though I also want to have children, travel, and spend time with my family and friends. It’s not certain that we will succeed. But we’re going to be very busy with a number of different things, and it’s going to be interesting to see what life has to offer to us. We’re ready to take on that adventure for various reasons, for instance, for the opportunities it can open to us."Her husband was clearly leading her down the path."Barack helped my overcome my shyness, take on risks, and try a less traditional path, just to see how it would go, because that’s how he was raised," she says."I’m the more traditional in the couple and he’s the more audacious. I’m more cautious. I think it shows in photographs. He’s more extroverted, more expansive, me I’m more ‘let’s wait and see how things present themselves and how it can benefit us.’"Mr. Obama seems more sure that he will, in fact, enter politics."What concerns me the most are children and the way they are treated," he says about why he will pursue a career in public office. "As an African-American, I am very concerned about children from poor neighborhoods, the problems they deal with, the total lack of a stable environment to enable them to grow and develop. It depends a lot on the economy, the opportunities they are given, their own selves and their parents. It also depends on values, for instance on the kind of family values that get talked about a lot, especially by politicians."He continues, saying, "values don’t just belong to individuals, they are also collective. Children are exposed to the values around them, and if they come to believe that the lives of their parents and their community cannot be rewarded, if their schools and homes are crumbling, how can they come to believe in their own values when they don’t have any to begin with? My priority is to return social values to public debate, because we are all one big family, transcending racial or class differences. We have obligations and responsibilities towards one another."He says, "perhaps that’s where the private and public spheres meet, when it comes to couples, relationships, families or tribes. What’s important is empathy, an understanding of shared responsibilities, the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes. That’s why my marriage to Michelle is vibrant, because we are able to imagine the hopes, the pains, the personal battles of other people, and the challenge for everyone is to transfer that ability (for empathy) from the family sphere to the public sphere.""The Issue Will Be Finding a Balance Between Public Life and Private Life"Describing his father, Mr. Obama said "he studied economy in the United States, at the University of Hawaii and at Harvard. He wanted to contribute to development of Kenya but in the end, he was disappointed, he found himself implicated in political rivalries and the government blacklisted him because he’d protested against nepotism and tribalism. He had a bitter life and died young. Michelle’s father also had to overcome challenges and was stricken by multiple sclerosis. He too died young, but I think he had a steadier and more established life."Speaking of his mother's death just months before, Mr. Obama says, "she was only 53 years old. And when you have a small family, where every relative is very close to you…it was a difficult time for me. I have a sister on my mother’s side, she is half Indonesian like my mother’s second husband, and I also have brothers and sisters on the Kenyan side. They are very scattered, some live in Germany, others in Kenya, some here in the U.S."Mr. Obama says that for him and his wife, "kids are an important priority. We really look forward to having them. I think that the issue will be finding a balance between public life and private life, which will mean finding a balance between my temperament that leans towards risk-taking and ambition, and Michelle’s instinct for stability, family and strong values. The way we go about dealing with these issues will be crucial."- jpt
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, 1/11/09
Barack Obama's election has already had a palpable impact in Europe: it is giving Europe's millions of minorities a new sense of pride and empowerment.
Guest host David Greene talks to NPR's Senior European Correspondent Sylvia Poggioli about her three-part series on minorities and racism in Europe, which airs on Morning Edition this week.
Series Overview: Race And Politics In Europe Today
Most Europeans were thrilled when Democrat Barack Obama was elected president of the United States because he promised to sweep away policies that Europeans found odious. But more than that, he represented hope, renewal and proof that the barriers of age, class and race can be transcended.
But Obama's victory also prompted soul-searching in Europe: Could his success be replicated there? Could a person of color ever become the leader of Germany? Italy? France?
Europeans know about America's segregationist past and the strains of racism that persist in the United States to this day. Many Europeans regard themselves as more enlightened than Americans in matters of race.
But when Europeans ask themselves, "Could a member of one of our own minorities be elected head of state?", the honest answer is: "Not any time soon."
NPR's Sylvia Poggioli explains why that's so in a three-part series, reported from Germany, Italy and France.
Part 1: In Germany, there are half a million people of African descent and 3 million people of Turkish descent. Many of them say they are treated like foreigners or ignored, even though their families may have lived in Germany for generations. There is no national debate on racism. To paraphrase one Afro-German: White Germans do not perceive themselves as racist. They act as if there are no other races in Germany. They perceive Germany as a monoracial country and conclude "we can't be racist." Another observer says, "The German concept of identity is based on exclusion."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99189265
Part 2: In Italy, immigrants make up about 7 percent of the population. But suspicion toward immigrants is pervasive and reflected in some of the West's most restrictive citizenship laws. Not far from Naples, 6,000 to 8,000 black people live in a town now referred to as "Little Africa." Most survive, barely, in a gray economy controlled by the local Mafia. To the north, in a town called Citadella, "The Citadel," ordinances are so restrictive that most immigrants could never afford to live there. "Yes, we're raising the drawbridge," the mayor concedes. Italian media and Italian politicians often exploit public fears about "the Other."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99255579
Part 3: The constitution of France enshrines the notion of egalitarianism. France was once a haven for black Americans, such as writers Richard Wright and James Baldwin. France's colonies were represented in the French assembly. "Negritude," a black pride movement spearheaded by the Senegalese poet and statesman Leopold Senghor, was once embraced as part of French cultural identity. But French society turned "white" again, one scholar observes, when the colonies sought independence in the 1960s. Today, millions of immigrants from Africa live in banlieue, large, rundown housing projects outside the big cities. Unemployment is high. Hope is low. But in the wake of Obama's election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced new measures to increase diversity in the civil service, politics and the media, and, for the first time, concepts such as racism and discrimination are entering the national debate.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99298290
The announcement by Freenet that the northern German telecom company Talkline in Elmshorn will be closed-down has been a shock for the region. After about 20 years this may, but should not, be the end of this successful and profitable enterprise! It is encouraging that both the town and the politics are working on a solution for the highly skilled employees. Let us hope that there will be a future for these people!
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Dunia SENDWEEmail : dunia@sendwe.beBlog : cdfafrique.afrikblog.comFaceBook : Dunia SENDWE
1. Irak / Afghanistan
There is no war, politicians announce.
OK, then "Peacekeeping" is the game!
The game-changer: Get the UN - peacekeepers in. All others might help - but then get out !
2. Financial crisis:
Change workers, employees and the state into investors /shareholders of companies, who have problems in financing, (in Germany Rosenthal (famous Porcelain) has done it in the 60s).
In reverse, they work for less money - everybody is motivated as one works for his/her own company!
The reaction of Italians to Berlusconi's comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M1Cy5DCzAI&feature=related
Bill Maher's best new rules ever:
"Congratulations President Obama. Change Won't be easy but... Together as One World, Yes We Can"
An Avaaz.org initiative, you can help us reach the goal of 1 million messages from around the world here:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama/?cl=145666506&v=2398
tell your friends, ask them to write their message.
Cliquer sur l'image pour voir la vidéo
Par Barack Obama, président élu des Etats Unis. "Si jamais quelqu'un doute encore que l'Amérique est un endroit où tout est possible, qui se demande si le rêve de nos pères fondateurs est encore vivant, qui doute encore du pouvoir de notre démocratie, la réponse lui est donnée ce soir.
C'est la réponse dictée par les files d'attente devant les écoles et les églises, d'une ampleur que le pays n'a jamais connue, par les personnes qui ont attendu trois à quatre heures, la plupart pour la première fois de leur vie, parce qu'elles croyaient que ce moment devait être différent, et que leur voix pouvait être cette différence.
C'est la réponse que donnent jeunes et vieux, riches et pauvres, démocrates et républicains, Noirs, Blancs, Latinos, Asiatiques, Indiens, gays, hétéros, handicapés et non handicapés– des Américains qui ont signifié au monde que nous n'avons jamais été un assemblage d'Etats rouges et bleus, mais que nous serons toujours les Etats-Unis d'Amérique.
Cette réponse conduit ceux qui ont été décrits comme des personnes pétries de cynisme, qui craignaient et qui doutaient de ce que nous pouvions faire, à diriger le cours de l'histoire vers l'espoir de jours meilleurs. Il a fallu longtemps. Mais ce soir, grâce à ce que nous avons accompli aujourd'hui et pendant cette élection, en ce moment historique, le changement est arrivé en Amérique.
Je viens juste de recevoir un appel courtois du Sénateur McCain. Il a mené une dure et longue bataille, d'autant plus dure et longue qu'il adore ce pays. Il a enduré des sacrifices pour l'Amérique que la plupart d'entre nous ne peut même pas imaginer. Nos vies ont été améliorées grâce aux services rendus par ce dirigeant courageux et désintéressé . Je le félicite lui et le Gouverneur Palin pour ce qu'ils ont accompli, et je suis impatient de travailler avec eux pour renouveler ce pays dans les mois à venir.
Je voudrais remercier mon partenaire dans ce voyage, un homme qui a fait campagne avec son coeur et qui a parlé pour les hommes et les femmes avec qui il a grandi dans les rues de Scranton, et avec qui il a pris le train pour rentrer dans le Delaware, le Vice-président des Etats-Unis, Joe Biden.
Je ne serais jamais là ce soir sans le soutien indéfectible de celle qui est ma meilleure amie depuis les seize dernières années, le pilier de notre famille et l'amour de ma vie, la prochaine Première dame de notre nation : Michelle Obama. Sasha et Malia, je vous aime et vous avez gagné un nouveau chiot qui viendra avec nous à la Maison Blanche. Et même si elle n'est plus avec nous, je sais que ma grand-mère est présente, tout comme la famille qui a fait de moi ce que je suis. Ils me manquent ce soir et je sais que ma dette envers eux est incommensurable.
A mon directeur de campagne David Plouffe, à mon conseiller en stratégie David Axelrod, et à la meilleure équipe jamais réunie dans l'histoire de la politique – vous avez fait en sorte que cela arrive et je vous suis redevable pour toujours des sacrifices que vous avez concédés pour y arriver.
Mais avant tout, je n'oublierai jamais que cette victoire vous appartient. Je n'étais pas le candidat le plus évident pour ce poste. Nous n'avons pas commencé avec beaucoup d'argent ni avec beaucoup d'appuis. Notre campagne n'a pas éclos dans les halls de Washington – elle a commencé dans les arrière-cours de DesMoines, dans les salons de Concorde et sur les porches de Charleston.
Cette campagne a été menée par des travailleurs et des travailleuses qui ont pioché dans le peu d'économies qu'ils avaient pour donner cinq, dix, vingt dollars pour cette cause. Elle a gagné en force grâce aux jeunes qui ont rejeté le mythe de l'apathie de leur génération, qui ont quitté leurs maisons et leurs familles pour des emplois qui leur offraient peu d'argent et peu de sommeil, grâce aux personnes pas si jeunes qui ont défié le froid et la chaleur pour frapper aux portes de parfaits inconnus, grâce aux millions d'Américains volontaires qui se sont organisés et qui ont prouvé que plus de deux siècles plus tard , le gouvernement pour le peuple et par le peuple n'a pas péri. C'est votre victoire.
Je sais que vous ne l'avez pas fait juste pour gagner une élection.
Vous l'avez fait car vous comprenez l'immensité de la tâche qui nous attend. Parce qu'à l'heure où nous célébrons la victoire ce soir, nous savons que les défis de demain sont les plus importants de notre existence - deux guerres, une planète en péril, la plus grave crise financière depuis un siècle. En ce moment même, nous savons qu'il y a de courageux Américains qui se réveillent dans les déserts d' Irak et dans les montagnes d'Afghanistan pour risquer leurs vies pour nous. Il y a des pères et des mères qui passent des nuits blanches après avoir couché leurs enfants et qui se demandent comment ils pourront payer leur emprunt, les honoraires du médecin, ou comment ils pourront économiser assez pour les études. Il y a une nouvelle énergie à exploiter et de nouveaux emplois à créer, de nouvelles écoles à construire, de nouvelles menaces auxquelles il faudra faire face et des alliances à reconstruire.
La route sera longue. Le chemin sera escarpé. Nous n'atteindrons peut-être pas notre but en un an ou même en un mandat, mais il n'y a jamais eu autant d'espoir que ce soir, et le peuple américain y arrivera. Il y aura des revers et des faux départs. Nombreux sont ceux qui ne seront pas d'accord avec chaque décision que je prendrai en tant que président et nous savons que le gouvernement ne peut résoudre tous les problèmes. Mais je serai toujours honnête avec vous quant aux défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés. Je vous écouterai, particulièrement lorsque nous serons en désaccord. Et par-dessus tout, je vous demanderai de me rejoindre pour reconstruire cette nation de la seule manière possible en Amérique depuis 221 ans : bloc par bloc, brique par brique, avec nos mains calleuses.
Ce qui a commencé il y a 21 mois dans les profondeurs de l'hiver ne doit pas s'achever durant cette nuit d'automne. Cette seule victoire n'est pas ce que nous cherchons – c'est notre seule opportunité pour créer ce changement. Et cela ne peut pas arriver si nous retournons en arrière. Cela ne pourra pas arriver sans vous.
Alors faisons appel à un nouvel esprit de patriotisme, de service et de responsabilité où chacun d'entre nous s'attèlera à travailler dur et à s'occuper non seulement de sa personne, mais aussi des autres. Rappelons nous que si cette crise financière nous a bien appris une chose, c'est que Wall Street ne peux pas s'enrichir pendant que d'autres souffrent – dans ce pays, nous nous élevons et nous tombons comme une seule nation, comme un seul peuple.
Résistons à la tentation de retomber dans le même esprit partisan, mesquin et immature qui a empoisonné notre vie politique pendant si longtemps. Rappelons-nous qu'il y avait un homme de cet Etat qui a d'abord porté les couleurs du Parti républicain à la Maison Blanche - un parti fondé sur les valeurs d'indépendance, de liberté individuelle, et d'unité nationale. Ce sont des valeurs que nous partageons et tandis que le Parti démocrate a remporté une grande victoire ce soir, nous y sommes parvenus grâce à une bonne dose d'humilité et de détermination pour mettre fin aux divisions qui ont retardé notre progrès. Comme Lincoln le disait à une nation bien plus divisée que la nôtre : "Nous ne sommes pas ennemis, mais amis… La colère a affaibli nos liens d'affection, mais elle ne doit pas les rompre". A tous ces Américains dont je n'ai pas encore le soutien, je n'ai peut-être pas remporté votre vote, mais je vous entends, j'ai besoin de votre aide, et je serai également votre président.
Et à tous ceux qui nous regardent par delà nos côtes, depuis des parlements et des palaces, à ceux qui sont rassemblés autour de radios dans les coins perdus de notre monde – nos histoires sont particulières, mais notre destin est partagé et l'aube d'une nouvelle direction américaine est à portée de main. A ceux qui veulent démolir ce monde : nous vous vaincrons. Et à ceux qui se demandent si le phare de l'Amérique brille toujours, ce soir nous vous prouvons une fois encore que la force de notre nation ne vient pas de la puissance de nos armes ou de l'étendue de notre richesse, mais du pouvoirs de nos idées: la démocratie, la liberté, l'opportunité et l' espoir inflexible. C'est là qu'est le vraie génie de l'Amérique et c'est pour cela que le pays peut changer. Notre Union peut être parfaite. Et ce que nous avons déjà accompli nous donne l'espoir nécessaire pour ce que nous avons à accomplir demain.
Cette élection est faite de plusieurs histoires qui seront racontées durant des générations. Ce soir, je pense à cette femme qui a voté à Atlanta. Elle ressemble beaucoup aux millions d'autres qui ont fait la queue pour faire entendre leur voix dans cette élection à un point près - Ann Nixon Cooper a 106 ans. Elle est d'une génération née juste après l'esclavage. A une époque où quelqu'un comme elle ne pouvait pas voter pour deux raisons : parce que c'était une femme et à cause de la couleur de sa peau. Et ce soir je pense à tout ce qu'elle a vu à travers le siècle aux Etats-Unis – la douleur et l'espoir, la lutte et le progrès, les moments où on nous disait que nous n'y pouvions rien, et les personnes qui ont persévéré avec ce crédo : Oui nous le pouvons.
Un homme a touché la lune, un mur est tombé à Berlin, il y a eu un lien entre la science et l'imagination. Et cette année, lors de cette élection, elle a touché du doigt un écran et a voté, parce qu'après 106 ans en Amérique, après les meilleurs moments et les heures les plus noires, elle sait que l'Amérique peut changer. Oui nous pouvons.
Amérique, nous sommes allés si loin. Nous avons vu tant de choses. Mais il y a encore tant à faire. Alors ce soir demandons-nous – si nos enfants devaient vivre le siècle prochain, si mes filles étaient assez chanceuses pour vivre aussi longtemps qu'Ann Nixon Cooper, quels changements verraient-elles ? Quels progrès aurons nous accompli ?
Nous avons l'opportunité de répondre à cette question. C'est notre moment. Le temps est venu de remettre les personnes au travail et d'ouvrir les portes de l'opportunité pour nos enfants, de rétablir la prospérité et d'encourager la paix, de se réapproprier le rêve américain et de réaffirmer la vérité fondamentale : nous ne sommes qu'un, tandis que nous respirons, nous espérons et quand nous ferons face au cynisme, au doute et à ceux qui nous disent que nous ne pouvons pas, nous répondrons avec ce crédo intemporel qui résume l'esprit du peuple : Oui nous pouvons.
Merci, Dieu vous bénisse, Dieu bénisse les Etats-Unis d'Amérique."
Dunia SENDWEemail : dunia@sendwe.beblog : cdfafrique.afrikblog.com
Merci à tous pour votre soutien durant cette très longue campagne
"Brand New Day" by Marc Johnson, from Chicago:
http://www.dreamyjazz.com/audio/13-Brand%20New%20Day.mp3
Lyrics:
"Quit your fronting and your fightingThrow your sadness and your heartache away!We're living in a Brand New Day.The world's abuzzing with the novelty of all the thingsWe've heard and read and seenA sea change igniting our dreamsFraming all of our hopes andDefining the possibilitiesNever been a better time to be and to be freeIf you believe as I believeWe're living in a brand new dayWe've got fences to mendBridges to build and hearts to healOvercoming obstacles from without and withinIt's a (crazy) lot of work but I know that once it beginsWhat an amazing place we'll find ourselves inSo hey don't delayPut one foot in front of another and begin this brand new dayWe've got fences to mendBridges to build and hearts to healOvercoming obstacles from without and withinIt's a (crazy) lot of work but I know that once it beginsWhat an amazing place we'll find ourselves inSo seize the day, this brand new dayGonna stir it up, gonna break it downMelt it like we shouldBringing love and light and hope to every neighborhoodIt's a Brand New Day."
A Brand New Day Is Here
Soirée GRATUITE de soutien à Barack OBAMAProjection en Direct sur Écran Géant Animations diverses gratuites
Mardi 4 novembre 2008De 22h00 à l'aube
ESPACE MATONGÉ78, chaussée de Wavre à 1050 BruxellesMétro : Porte de NamurBus : 71 - 54
Apportez Boissons & NourritureVenez Nombreux / Max 500 personnesBonne Ambiance et Bonne Humeur
Programme : Nous attendrons les résultats de l'Élection Présidentielle Américaine en Direct sur Écran Géant. La Soirée est entièrement GRATUITE ! Apportez vos Boissons et Nourriture
FAITES SUIVRE LE MESSAGE SVP, NOUS VOUS REMERCIONS D'AVANCE
Organisatrices : Sylvie MAYENGA et Dunia SENDWE
Yeah McCain loves to use Ireland as an example of low corporate taxes and he's right - Irish corporate taxes are low - topping out at 12.5%.
But as typical of McCain's parsing of facts - he spouts what works for him but ignores that which doesn't. Here's a run down on Irish taxation:
Personal Income taxes are:
20% Income tax on first 34,000.00 (euros) then up to 41% on all earnings (minus limited deductions and credits) above this amount
4% Social Insurance on earnings up to 46,600.00 (euros)
2% Health Contribution tax on all earnings
In addition - employers pay a 10.75% Pay Related Social Insurance Tax on each employee's gross earnings. Self emplyed pay 3% and Civil Servants pay 0.9% on earnings.
Also there is a National Value Added Tax - the basic difference between a VAT and a sales tax is that - sales tax is charged upon the final sale of an item (retailer to consumer) - VAT is collected on each transaction - manufacturer to distributor (wholesaler) - wholesaler to retailer - retailer to consumer.
There's a litany of other taxes - you can check them out at wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland
McCain also fails to mention that the majority of Irish taxes go to:
Free Education through 3rd level
Free Healthcare
Old Age PensionsUnemployment Benefits
National Development Plan (infrastructure development & improvements)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
McCain's sanity is like the arctic ice shelf - each day, bit by bit, chuncks fall into the ocean of absurd delusion
- as he has panicked to get his people into the Irak - war!
Each costs about 700bn US$
We´re for Obama! WE trust him! He acts like a real president - opposite to McCain, who looses always his head and act absolutely unpolitically - unworth as president: His campaign suggested that he would skip the debate if Congress hadn't passed legislation addressing the crisis by then. Obama, however, said the debate in Oxford, Mississippi, should go forward. "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person will be the next president," the Democrat said in Clearwater, Florida. "It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once. (TRUE) It's more important than ever to present ourselves to the American people." THAT is an overlooking president!
McCain/Palin: Their campaign is frivolous:
Only to see the Alaska investigation´s flip-flop, produced by the republican lawyers.
The same old story once to get Bush (the second time) as president.
Beware of them...
We´re for Obama! You can trust him!
Alright, I have a bone to pick about this Sarah chick.
She's pretty. No, she's not pretty, she's -- downright BEAUTIFUL! Which is what is making me stark raving mad! SO many people didn't "like" Hillary because they thought she was too manly, too rough, and definately not girl enough. However, when she DID try to be girlier, she was harrassed for it. I personally think she didn't get the male vote because she was -- average looking.
Now comes along Ms. Palin and WHAM! She's got everyone's vote! Even the independents! Why? Because she is EVERYTHING HILLARY WASN'T - especially GOOD LOOKING. And the fact that she has five kids, has many a man thinking about her barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.
Now, I'm not trying to start anything, but seriously, have you tried talking to independents about the ISSUES on which Palin stands? Oh my gosh - she's practically HITLER! And if I have to listen to her complain one more time about people reporting on her family with that NASALLY voice, I will scream. I will, I will literally stand outside my door and scream!
For one thing, if she didn't want her family in the spotlight, then she shouldn't be parading them through the streets. ESPECIALLY since they are not exactely upstanding individuals.
With all the troubles her family has had, it is proof that you CAN'T always HAVE IT ALL. SOMETHING is going to suffer for the lack of parenting.
And to get back to my original point -- all her "mistakes" (Lobbyist loving, bridge to nowhere turned into ROAD to nowhere - on her call, affairs, troopergate, pregnant kids, drug ladden son who's choice was either join the army or go to jail) and the men STILL love her! Why? Because she's pretty! Unfortunately, I think a LOT of men are going to vote with their dick's this year.
I say this because as a pretty woman myself, I've seen how men fall all over themselves to please a pretty woman. And I also gather this conclusion from conversations with my daughter who is a Freshman at the University of Miami (where she is campaigning heavily for Obama) and she is running for a senator position on the Student Government. She was the Student Body President of a 3000, yes, three THOUSAND student body school and is interested in being in same position at Miami when she is elegible. She is OUT there - she talks to EVERYONE - she's also host of UMTV and has the opportunity to ask the important questions of many students - like, "who are you going to vote for?" And the guys all think Palin is a cougar, a MILF, that she's pretty enough to lead!
One more thought before I leave for today. (I have to get back to writing my book - thankfully it is heavily edited - ha ha ha, grammar has never been my strong point, neither has spelling...which reminds me - why no spell check here?)
My other thought for today is why don't some of these special interest groups working in defense of Obama (notice I didn't say working "for") come out and remind all these small minded Republicans all about the shame so many Rebuplicans have brought to the party. You know, Tom Delay, Craig - bathroom scenes and all ---------- I know I don't need to go on...the list would take forever to write...
And something else that irks me I'd like to mention before I sign off. When are the rural/financially struggling Republicans going to learn that everything the DEMOCRATS are fighting for will benefit them? NOT the Republican agenda?????? It never ceases to amaze me how these uneducated/guileless people have not a CLUE as to what the Republican agenda is truly all about. HELLO! If you haven't a job or you don't make enough to feed your family - you should be voting DEMOCRAT! But people like Rush Limbugh make it sound like Democrats are constantly pimping whores and are going to work all drugged up and that all we care about is being "immoral." WHAT????
I had a conversation with a business associate the other day and he insisted that the Republicans were the better party. And I agreed with him -- on one point. That our taxes WILL go up (we are in the 35% tax bracket) but I felt that as a person who makes more than "enough" we would will ultimately be living a BETTER life because if others can feel as though the United States is a place that plays fair in the job market, employees will work harder, get a better education, etc., thus stop that never ending cycle of ignorance and joblessness that brings forth much anger, homelessness and despair. Instead, people will learn to work in harmony, they will feel they have made a fair wage and they will be happy - that just makes it better for all of us! Not all of us are cut out for higher education, but we Do need to educate all students on how to balance a checkbook, how to save money first - then buy, how to invest, about interest rates, etc. BEFORE THEY GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I would recommend starting in middle school. My dad was a steel worker, it took my husband and I forever to figure out how to handle money, and we are still learning to this day. If hadn't had friends who were good enough to explain how things work and guide us on how to manage our money, we would not be where we are today. Even kids that come from nothing should be taught about money - so they will grow up respecting it, understanding they need to work for it, and how to manage it when they get it! It's not fair that Americas richest kids get this taught to them at the dinner table. We need to make this information accessible and easy to understand in layman's terms.
Look, does anyone here honestly thing that the executives at Lehman had NO IDEA what was about to happen? Or that like the 1000 employees that are losing their jobs, they will end up going without a cent also? HELL NO! Those top executives will see a terrific downfall of cash, while the employees about to retire will see absolutely NOTHING.
*taking a deep breath*
*Stepping down from my soapbox*
*reminding everyone to hug their child or someone they love today* My son would have been fighting for Obama, and I will fight to the bitter end for him also!
GO OBAMA!
www.TaylorBurgstahler.memory-of.com
