Our President recognizes the responsibility ensuing to the Office of the President of the United States. As he continues to do what is right for all, he undoubtedly will make some angry. I have exorbitant respect for anyone, that will step up and do what is right, even in the wake of adversity. While he may not be the savior, as some have claimed. He is a healer, healing the pain of so many African Americans, allowing them, once again to believe, travailing the word encouraging them to work together as one, As my daughter said, We are all one family. I truly believe that our President has a true heart for humanity. How many years have you prayed for this very person to be in office, not knowing who it should be, but knowing he/she needed to come? My heart is so open, so filled. We truly are so blessed and I for one am extremely happy for our President and his family, as I know no one person, deserves this more!
As we all know, the situation in Israel is still being discussed by The Obama Administration and individuals are anxious that the Iran has a nuclear program. We need to know the facts behind the battling in Israel. This is not my event, however, I encourage those seeking answers to meet this great groups of folks and attend:
Global Exchange
Ventura County Supporters
present
A Recent Visit to Gaza
Wednesday, October 28
7:00 P.M- 8:30 P.M.
Thousand Oaks Library
Laila Al-Marayati, MD, will share her experiences of her recent visit to Gaza and will address some of the major political issues that impact the ongoing situation.
Dr. Al-Marayati is the chairperson of Kids in Need of Development, Education and Relief (KinderUSA), a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping Palestinian children and their families in Gaza, the West Bank and refugee camps in Lebanon. And on behalf of KinderUSA, she traveled to the Gaza Strip in May of this year where she had the opportunity to witness first hand the degree of destruction caused by the Israeli offensive in December of 2008. She visited with numerous Palestinians who continue to suffer under a regime of collective punishment that targets all members of society including those most vulnerable, children. The effects of the ongoing siege of Gaza combined with the trauma caused by the Israeli attack have imposed serious challenges on Palestinians living in Gaza. Yet their resourcefulness and faith help them survive and endure, hoping against all hope for a better future.
Dr. Al-Marayati has served on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom as an appointee of former President Bill Clinton. She is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and is the Medical Director of Women's Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center. She serves as the spokesperson of the Muslim Women's League based in Los Angeles which seeks to strengthen the role of Muslim women in society by disseminating accurate information about Islam and women to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
The program is free and open to the public.
GLOBAL EXCHANGE Ventura County Supporters www.globalexchangeventuracountysupporters.org
For further Information, Contact: 805-498-9401 or GlobalExchangeVCS@yahoo.com
The Global Exchange Ventura County Supporters is a group of people - a community of conscience -dedicated to providing local monthly public forums, supporting and working with other local organizations committed to social and economic justice, human rights and ecological sustainability Global Exchange, headquartered in San Francisco, is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the US public's global awareness while building partnerships worldwide. Visit: www.globalexchange.org
You had the creepy crawlies when you walked out of the Buck McKeon Saturday 9AM Community Townhall Meeting on Healthcare Reform. Some women left crying and skeptical about the future. You don't see this in any video! You had to hear their comments. I even heard women from Wells Fargo who were hissing mad! "These are selfish nuts and liars", she said. I told her welcome to the club. She asked me if there is "anything that she can do", please call her. I've BCC'd her to this message and will call her later today.
My final analysis: In creating a future of change, I agree it requires talking to neighbors, friends, family and congressional leaders. The future for our American grandchildren will require healthcare reform. If number crunchers have already determined that in another 15 years our healthcare premium costs will be equal to our take home pay, how are we going to live? Not all families have the ability to have two or more breadwinners in one family.
We are in a day and age of automation, why should insurance companies utilize 30% of their costs for administrative needs?
Why should insurance executives make 10 times the average income of the American citizens’ that they are fleecing for corporate jets, penthouses, exorbitant bonus plans, elaborate **** luxury resort motivational seminars, and vacation trysts.
Meantime, your healthcare needs are being minimalized or denied because it will diminish the lifestyles of the stockholders, the insurance executives and their bottomlines.
If the insurance companies were truly honest they would accelerate incentives for illness prevention, better eating habits, exercise programs, promote positive lifestyle choices and encourage physical and mental rest to increase healthy clientele.
Questions we need to ask ourselves is why would someone who has government tax paid Roll Royce insurance belittle you into believing it isn’t important for you to have affordable, adequate, and accessible medical coverage and a decent delivery system. To do otherwise is downright “stupid-headed”. To know this information is not enough! It isn’t political ladies and gentlemen, it is a human need. Don’t just read this. Do something that is an investment in your healthcare future. Fight for healthcare reform.
If you are interested in more information on what to have at a helathcare forum please email us: minwilli@gmail.com; or visit our website: www.scvyoungdems.org. It isn't too late to have your voice hear. I know many are tiring to the subject, but I believe this is what the opposing side wants, to wear us down and they they'll have their way with us, business as usual.
Peace out, Minerva
Barack Obama won by more than 7.5 million votes over the Republicans . . . How then can he be so wry in stating what he wants this healthcare reform bill? Obama won more votes than any other candidate. He even won Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Virgina, and handsomely, California (except Orange County).
Those of us who field the calls, go out to the malls, set up workshops, pass the word, produce pass outs, e-blast, twitter, and Facebook are interested in knowing why there is so little information regarding the strategy behind Obama’s statement that the “public option is just a sliver of the proposed objectives and may not be in the final bill”?
Obama-ites and individuals in need of healthcare who believe in the change necessary to stop the medical bankruptcies, to provide efficient, effective and standardized health delivery are supporting healthcare reform. Many understand the need for preventive care, which is to lower the costs of pharmaceuticals, doctors, hospital healthcare, which is strangling our weary seniors, and HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and cardiac treatment. I believe we all know someone with a nagging irreversible illnesses requiring medicinal cocktails, patches, pills, shots, and tonics to make it through the day.
With the recent morphing of the Obama Plan, “NO OPTION”, many are raising their eyebrows regarding the “non information” getting to the front lines and this can be quite wearying when you are taking the “shots, the hits, the late night calls, and the hissing” from those who believe you are on some “blind ambition” that Obama can deliver.
So what is all of this hesitation, maneuvering and double speak that we are hearing? Are the Democrats just downright gutless wonders on an issue that affects us all? Bush is not around to kick this time. The media won’t allow us to be oblivious to the disruptive, gun toting and gun strapped, reddened, head-vein popping, bulging eyed, yelling “patriots” at town hall meetings. We understand that change is abominable to some and frightening to most when the government steps in. We know how groups take advantage of the “gaping loopholes” and “financial windfalls” due to poor planning and pencil pushing administrators who can’t think their way out of wet paper bags. Nevertheless, Obama et. al. says they have “studied the plan, they know what they need to shore up the gaps before execution.”
Won’t we, in the meantime, demand that our legislature stop taking money from the corporate entities that stand to lose when healthcare is spread throughout the United States? While legislators fully enjoy superior taxpayer-supported healthcare, paid in full, every year, on time, without denial for prior medical conditions, can’t we be vigilant and exclaim to our elected leadership that they represent us and our families’ future? What is wrong with us that a subject we all require to live each day becomes something not worth fighting for? Is it really something in the water? Will someone explain this to me?
The question of whether Obama was legitimately born in the United States continues to stir considerable controversy. Reservist Major Stefan Cook of the US Army refused to deploy to Afghanistan, questioning Obama’s authority as commander-in-chief. Cook told the Army he needed proof that Obama was actually born in the US. Without such proof he believed he should not be compelled to follow the President’s orders to deploy to Afghanistan. To further exacerbate this, the Army subsequently rescinded his orders, leading many to hold this as further proof that Obama just may not be a US born citizen and should therefore be removed from office.
Why the army didn’t pursue further action against Cook and simply revoke his deployment does raise serious questions. This is certainly not in line with the Army’s normal procedure for those who refuse to follow orders. Consider the case of Lt. Erin Watada. Watada refused to deploy to Iraq on the ground that to do so would constitute a war crime, namely that of waging a war of aggression. The Army certainly did prosecute him. Although one of the charges got hung up on a technicality, there are still other significant charges pending against Watada, which will most likely have serious consequences.
It is undisputed that Iraq never attacked the United States or even threatened to do so. It is also undisputed that President Bush never secured the constitutionally required congressional declaration of war against Iraq. It would be difficult to find a better example of an illegal and unconstitutional war, which is precisely why Watada refused to obey orders to participate in it.
My father was in the service and always gave me the impression that the United States Military rarely backs off of an insubordinate soldier without providing an explanation. I would think that they would want to make an example out Cook. Did releasing Cook open the door for every soldier, sailor, and airman to get a free "get out of war" pass?
In the Cook case why didn't the Army pursue further action? Where did the order come from to revoke his orders? Under what conditions were these orders revoked? Why was there no explanation? Will the Army ever provide answers to these questions, or at least an explanation as to why his case is closed? Respectfully yours, Minerva L. Williams, Castaic, CA.
Long before Obama ever decided to run for office there was a little incident call the Watergate Scandal. In this incident, we learn how badly "the big boys" play inorder to sabotage one another's campaign and to see information when they are looking for dirt. To go out and hear this from one of the "insiders" is a rare treat. Listening to what this guy has to say, should open your eyes, head and mouth at the level "some people will stoop to" to keep many of us in the dark, mislead, and confused about our government.
So if you have some time on your hand check it out, this will equip you in understanding why HOPE requires ACTION. And why Obama can't do it alone!~ Peace Out, Minerva
Palm Springs, CA- Polimedia Publishing will reissue John Dean's definitive insider account of the Watergate scandal, Blind Ambition: The End of the Story, on July 21st, 2009. Dean appends his original bestseller, out of print for two decades, with a powerful new Afterword, providing new revelations and details that answer the most persistent questions lingering since the original investigation. Readers will be astonished with the brutal honesty of Dean's disclosures, which finally close the case on Watergate. He explains with insightful clarity why (and how) a bungled, conspicuously amateurish burglary at the Democratic National Committee unraveled a presidency, forcing Richard Nixon from office. Dean provides definitive answers to outstanding historical questions, and alerts us to the growing efforts by Nixon revisionists to reinvent this tragic chapter of American history by rewriting it.
I would strongly encourage Buck McKeon and the Republican strategy groups to stop the misleading of citizens so that they can learn what is unmistakably affecting their lives the most, healthcare. The scare, blame and fear tactics used by the prior administrations need to stop also. I have the copy of the Frank Luntz memorandum and it is apparent everyone is reading the script.
Healthcare reform is on the table right now and every effort should be made to represent the citizens of the 25th Congressional District in attaining affordable, efficient, and full coverage health insurance.
According to the Washington Post, "GOP Focuses Effort To Kill Health Bills," (July 21, 2009) nearly 2500 Americans are filing for bankruptcy because of the high costs of medical care, of which 75% had what they believed was adequate coverage. According to the American Progress Action Fund "Health Care in Crisis: 14,000 Losing Coverage Each Day," (February 19, 2009), losing your job affects the loss of daily healthcare insurance and the numbers are climbing fast. Multiply the number of other family members affected and the numbers are staggering.
You would think our legislators would care. The rate at which healthcare costs are increasing is outpacing the rate at which the average Americans’ salary increases. Instead of the various debates occurring, I’m sure Santa Claritians would like to see the Republicans and the Blue and Yellow-dog Democrats find the compassion, guts and action to meet Americans’ need for healthcare.
Representative McKeon, Can we depend on you for this response? You have the luxury of taxpayer paid healthcare. Is it asking too much to share that benefit with the rest of us? The more of us there are alive and healthy, the more of us can vote. I just thought I’d ask . . .
Minerva L. Williams, Castaic California
One of my teaching buddies sent me this today . . .
Clueless in Seattle - YIKES!!!
If one doesn't learn anything while working with various opinionated groups, you have to maintain balance and decorum.We hope to neutralize the playing field by inviting doctors who are specialists in the various levels of Healthcare, healthcare delivery and presenting the materials.
I can only hope that the workshop scheduled for tomorrow where people of serious opposing views and as one person told me "doesn't mind elbowing" the other person, becomes a full fledge mind openers for individuals who don't understand what is at state for our future healthcare bill. We will provide five minutes of discussion for each speaker.
Don Schroeder will provide information regarding the progress of the California State Single Payer's Universal Healthcare Bill inwhich they have already named the state plan "CaliforniaOneCare".
A little birdie told me that Actress and funny lady Lily Tomlin is on board and is taping a couple commercials.
Mark Leno, author or SB 810 (previously Sheila Kuehl's) was unavailable, but his office manager recommended Schroeder highly.
Attendees as asked to ask as many questions as there is time for.Got to run . . . my phone is ringing . . .
NEWHALL, CA. “THE DOCTORS WILL SEE YOU NOW! “ is a collaboration of community sponsors offering an educational series of healthcare discussions throughout the region, Thursday, July 23, at 6:30pm to 9:00pm at Vincenzo’s Pizza 24504 1/2 Lyons Avenue, in Newhall 91354.
Medical doctors and healthcare experts will field questions and answers regarding the various state and federal healthcare reform proposals. The event will include a supplemental reading list, video, PowerPoint presentations and an hour question and answer period. Community credits will be awarded to students who stay for the entire presentation, please see SherryAn Lima and Minerva Williams-Hoover for details. At press time the speakers are:
Professor Don Schroeder, Ph.D, Loyola Marymount, Chaffey College, Emmy Award producer and director will present "California OneCare: Full Care, For All, For Less", a short documentary ;
William “Bill” Honigman, MD. California Coordinator of PDA, will present federal single payer (Conyers HR 676).
Matt Henrickson, MD MPH co-founder of PNHP, Physicians National Healthcare Project, will present federal single payer from a physician’s standpoint.
Gene Dorio, MD, Geriatric and Internal Medicine in the Santa Clarita Valley for 23 years will address the spiritual and morality of healthcare services.
Kess Kessler, California State Democratic Party, Senior Caucus, Chair, will address healthcare from a senior’s perspective.
Susie Baldwin, MD, from LA County Public Health will provide information on the direction of healthcare services regionally and
Professor E. Richard Brown, PhD, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research founder and director will address the Obama option plan. Brown was a senior health policy adviser to the Barack Obama presidential campaign and is a noted authority on health insurance.
AARP and two representatives on the Republican state and federal plan have been invited. Each speaker will speak for five minutes. Questions will be submitted on 3X5 cards and directed to the speakers. There will be an opportunity drawing (gifts). Roving microphone will be available. Speakers are subject to change w/out further notice. . . This is a bi-partisan community healthcare educational event. It is open to the general public. This is a dinner meeting, however, you are not required to purchase dinner. Parking is free.
2nd EVENT will be an evening event September 9th location TBA and will feature Holly Mobacher, pharmaceutical specialist “Money Talks” . . . For directions only call
(661) 259-6733; Questions and RSVP call (661) 295-9318 or email minwilli@gmail.com.
Lets connect to make sure that all Americans have health care. I lived in Australia and the healthcare system was awesome and was paid by the taxes that people paid. The system was amazing. Lets have a similar system here. YES WE CAN
LOS ANGELES, CA. Sunday May 31st. Proponents to abolishing the death penalty, “three strikes” for petty crimes exhibiting mental disorders, and inmates needing drug rehabilitation may be thanking their lucky stars for early parole in an effort to solve California’s budget problems. At least this is the consensus and hope expressed by speakers to 100 afternoon guests at the Fame Renaissance Center of the First AME Church, located at 1968 West Adams Blvd.
California is the seventh largest economy in the world. Will the United States government turn its back on the Governator, Republican and Democratic legislators, businesses, corporations and citizens to make them whole or use it to make us find an answer to the budget woes? This was some of the questions floating in the Death Penalty presentation.
In attendance were guests Judge Mike Davis, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, State Senator Gloria Ramirez, actor Mike Farrell, assembly district representatives from the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, members of ACLU, community advocates, and local citizens.
Congresswoman Maxine Walters opened the meeting introducing the impressive list of guest speakers: Gloria Ramirez, Charles Ogletree, Jon Streeter, Gloria Killian, and Azim N. Khamisa.
State Senator Gloria Ramirez announced her bid for California State Superintendent of Schools and provided statistics on the amount of taxes allocated for education versus the prison system. “They rather spend money incarcerating our children rather than educating them. The number of prisons who cannot read and write is staggering”. She pledged remedying this ridiculousness whether she wins the position or not.
The prominent law expert, Dr. Charles Ogletree, who was born and raised in Merced ( California), was facilitator. Many in the audience knew the Harvard civil liberties law professor. He estimates that the death penalty is costing California taxpayers $1.9 billion a year. Ogletree offered, “The death penalty needs to be abandoned in this state because it is categorically immoral wrong and financially expensive . . .now to find 25 more items like this in the budget might solve California’s budget crisis.” Snickers and approving clapping engulfed the room.
Jon Streeter, Ph.D. from the American Bar Association and mentee of Ogletree when he was a student at Stanford University reflected on the years that it takes for death penalty cases to run through the judicial system, “it is slow, a labyrinth of technicalities and requires attornies who are deligent and understand the various levels in the procedures”. He added that the expensive is enormous, the wrong attorney will increase the prisoners chances of a life sentence and many attorneys do not know the process themselves .
Gloria Killian was a law student when she was implicated in a robber-murder and fought for over 15 years to overthrow her case. She at least understood the judicial process when she was wrongly accused. Her incarceration however, exonerated women prisoners who couldn’t read, write or understand their cases. Since her release, she has a nonprofit organization and often assists lady prisoners “pro bono” or for free.
All speakers provided riveting commentary and testimony, however one stood out more, the wisdom of Azim N. Khamisa, an attractive, humble and serious speaker against the Death Penalty because of the spiritual impact of it all.
Spirit impact, you say, now here was a different concept. What does spirit have to do with our economy?
“January 21, 1995”, Khamisa lowered his voice and pulled on the podium, “my life was changed forever, it was the most that I could do, to get out of my bed after hearing such bad news”. He explained the grief, disappointment, and anguish he went through when Tariq, his only son, was robbed and killed. His son was charismatic, handsome, full of life, 21 years old (at the time), a senior at San Diego State University, engaged to be married, “he was in the wrong place and the wrong time”, is how he calmly states the facts of the situation, You could hear a pin drop, the audience was so still.
Khamisa was and is a successful international investment banker so he had the money to provide his son all the luxuries of life but “my son was determined to save up his own money for college the following semester”.
Khamisa looked forward to sending him to Harvard University, Khamisa’s alma mater. “My son had a promising future. He had the determination, grades, drive, discipline and the support of a proud mother and father. He would decide whether he wanted to become a successful banker, like his dad or an attorney. He hadn’t made up his mind yet, which profession, but he knew, he was going places”. . . Friday and Saturday pizza delivery didn’t pay exceptionally well, but is was available, allowed Tariq freedom, some chump change and he enjoyed the people that he met. Along the way, Tariq met Tony Hicks, a 14-year old gang banger. Tony was to rob and kill the pizza man. Neither person knew one another and the opportunity never came. Tony did not have the promising career, his mother had him at 15 years old, his father had long gone, and he wasn’t doing well in school or had life luxuries. Instead, he was being initiated in one of San Diego’s rough gangs and Tariq was the initiation victim.
Khamisa said he beat himself up trying to figure out, what he could have done differently so that the situation did not happen. Khamisa put his deeper thoughts together in a book called “The Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit: How to bounce back from Life’s hardest hits. ISBN: 9781741757934; Published by ALLEN & UNWIN April 2009.The book is co-authored by renown spiritual advisor and radio host, Jillian Quinn, who too shares her personal experiences. The book assures you that our thinking can also cause us to “create your reality, and that you can use them to take control of your life”.
According to the books preface (www.bulletproofspirit.com) here are suggestions:
• The potentially damaging mental routines you’re running on autopilot • the vital connections between your upbringing and your “resiliency quotient” • spiritually affirming thoughts that may help you make more spiritually empowering choices.
Khamisa offers that he had to go through three steps to be able to forgive his son’s killer.
“First”, he said, “you have to admit that you have a tragic loss and you can’t change what has occurred. You have to give yourself time to grieve”. Time he said is “relative”, some people take longer than others. He assured us that you have to get to the place where you realize what happened, did happen, and denying that didn’t doesn’t make grieving go away.
“Second”, he said, “you have to give up the resentment, rage and revenge. You have to learn to replace it with love and forgiveness.
Then the third stage, he said, you must reach out to the offender that has caused you wrong with love and compassion, unconditional love. You must learn to forgive.
Khamisa, a peace activist, insists that life is not a destination; it is a voyage that no matter how hard you might think you control the elements in the universe, the universe provides you with lessons that make the journey tug at your intellectual, emotional, financial and heartstrings. He offers hope in this book of “thirty essential keys to emotional and spiritual resiliency.”
He offered that we need to be careful with resentment, quoting Nelson Mandela, who didn’t originate the words, but who made the quote famous. “Resentment is like drinking the poison and waiting for or expecting someone else to die or expecting it to kill your enemies”. I knew I had heard this quote before, but it seemed like he had added some additional resentment to the quote.
At the presentation, Khamisa insisted that the world is not kind and maybe never intended to be, but it does offer those of us who believe in a higher authority to know that situation causes us to grow. We are here to help one another, to be more grounded in our spiritual selves, and to allow the universe to use us for love and compassion. I believe we are here to help someone else who is not as advantaged as we see ourselves. And like Khamisa, I too don’t believe in the Death Penalty or capital punishment and could understand that the death of his son only challenged him to be more still within himself, allowing the arms of God to come around him until the explosion subsided and he was able to heal.
So how did Khamisa respond to the death of his son?
First, he had to get to the point of understanding, which isn’t easy for many family members to realize that “no matter how angry and disappointed I was, I couldn’t bring my son back”. He was determined that the death was not going to consume his every waking hour. He admitted it took him five years before he could go and meet the child who was now 19 years old. He said he looked him in his eyes and he felt he touched his soul. “There wasn’t a murderer there,” he offered, “he saw a victim of a gang acceptance, a victim of society and he realized that he Khamisa had to take responsibility for his share of the child having not the guidance that he needed”. He got to know the Tony. He went and met his family. He found that many of the dysfunctionality the boy spoke of were true. He wrote to the young man and offered him not only hope but also a job so that whenever he is released, he has somewhere he can go and call home.
Khamisa is a surrogate father to Tony. He provides him with materials to read. He encouraged him to finish his GED. He writes him. He also began to realize that Tony had lost a father at an early age, and he no longer had a son. Khamisa did not stop at just helping Tony.
Khamisa started the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to break the cycle of youth violence. He said the foundation has met 6 million children in the past 13 years to teach forgiveness. He has six programs at the foundation. He has hired a staff of prison releases, provides them with counseling, job placement, housing, and an opportunity to get a new lease on life. Several of these individuals are now spiritual counselors and motivational speakers. They can speak firsthand of the mistakes that they made in life. They can relate to young adults in a way Khamisa says that he cannot. Their life experiences can relate to the feeling of being a lost soul and hopeless. 2027 is when Tony is scheduled to be paroled. Tony will be 40 years old.
I agree with Khamisa that we all have an opportunity to study ourselves and our children to determine what is it in our society that causes us to be ‘so mean, hateful, full of rage, and constantly believing in destroying people, objects, and ideas that we don’t appreciate’. It is worth the challenged to watch television without the sound on and observe how many negative messages are in two commercial hours of evening programming. Take time to check out the movie offerings. Which ones net the higher income? Listen to the songs on the radio. What messages are being relayed? We are a morally poor and corrupt society. This is why some countries baulk at the idea of American products.
While driving home Todd and I took a look at the reasons for our economy faltering. Does greed, lying, stealing, exaggerating costs, finding loopholes, abandoning financial discretion, blaming others, misleading investors, hiding fine print, rushing the sale, withholding the truth, passing the buck, cronyism, self righteousness, no spending limits, no budget, Ponzi schemes, hidden interest rates, hidden fees, all seem too familiar?
That is because these are the basis for which many American corporations are driven with absolute abandon in their business practices. No not all Americans are doing this, but someone in the ivory castle has pulled the wrong levers and we are not only suffering in the United States, we are causing suffering throughout the world.
It may seem odd that financing death penalty has come on the table, not because we spiritually know that it is wrong, but because financially, we just cannot afford to spend $140-$170K more in court costs, housing inmates and providing “special facilities”. We were told to multiply this number by 621 inmates. Only seven on death row are from families of means to pay these costs. The rest are poor, mentally ill, and indigent and 65% are African Americans. “Don’t tell me race doesn’t matter”, Khamisa declared.
Nevertheless, deep inside we can only hope that Khamisa is right. The universe is teaching us transformative power of forgiveness is a lesson, that taking someone else’s life for whatever revengeful feeling we may have in doing so, requires spiritual re-evaluate. We are not God.
I’m looking forward to Khamisa accepting my invitation to come to Santa Clarita Valley so you can hear him firsthand.
REFERENCES AND NOTES:
NOTE: Charles Ogletree, 54, is a prominent Harvard Law Professor, Founder and Executive director of Harvard Law’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. He was a mentor to Michelle and Barack Obama when they were Harvard students and is part of the Obama Administration’s inner circle. He is known for his frankness and outspokenness regarding legal theory, complexities in legal issues, racism in America and civil rights. Often referred to by colleagues as “Tree”.
Quinn lives in Dutchess County, New York is a wife and mother of three young children. She is a radio host on WHVW 950AM, excellent speaker, teacher, workshop facilitator and an associate minister at the Interfaith Temple in New York City (www.jillianquinn.com).
Khamisa Is CEO and Founder of Sovereign Capital Markets, Inc. He has conducted business ventures in Africa, Middle East, Europe,Asia and the Americas. Mr. Khamisa was educated in England in Mathematics & Finance and is a well-traveled multilingual U.S. citizen residing in La Jolla, California He received Search for Common Ground's prestigious international award for building Peaceful Communities, along with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In 2006, he received the Circle of Courage Award from Reclaiming Youth International. Azim is also the recipient of the California Peace Prize. For more information visit: www.tkf.org; http://www.azimkhamisa.com and http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4833368n. Also, check out his other book, From Murder to Forgiveness.
MINERVA LEAH WILLIAMS, is a freelance writer and enjoys reading on subjects that stimulate the gray brain matter. Formerly of the LA Times, she resides in Santa Clarita Valley with her life partner Todd Hoover, a computer geek, and they oversee several websites and enjoy writing on interesting people and topics.
Over 39 people attended whereas only 4 people RSVPed. Thank you, I was overwhelmed and under-prepared but those who attended looked past that and we had a very lively debate (especially that lone republican Anne Coulter fan whose mission was to convert us to believing in intelligent design. Look I respect her views but she chose the wrong venue to promote it. We were there to discuss healthcare reform and not intelligent design or communism but still all views are welcome (plus she was the entertainment though no?).
For those who did not attend, we discussed what medical tourism was and how it can change the dynamics of healthcare reform by not only lowering costs but increasing revenues. I have a petition of 42 names (thank you) and now I intend to increase it.
I will host more of these venues in the future but please I ask that you RSVP so that I know how many to expect. Our home is modest in size.
Finally, someone who attended may have "accidently borrowed" two of our DVDs. WE WANT THEM BACK!!! THEY DO NOT BELONG TO US, THEY BELONG TO THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES and we will have to pay a huge fee for their return. You have our address, mail it back no questions asked after you watch them.
thank you
Hannity didn’t have a retort for this one. And ahh yes, Ventura was also promoting his latest book, Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! With Dick Russell, an investigative journalist and ghostwriter. ISBN-10: 1602397163 or ISBN-13: 978-1602397163. Skyhorse Publishing, released on May 15, 2009.
Ventura presented himself as a man who has more appreciation for the political purpose although Ventura calls himself an independent and was considered not likely to win the Minnesota governors’ race. But he did and overwhelmingly. Not only is Ventura well known as a wrestling champion, actor and entertainer but because the man spoke the candid words of the people on the wings of Ross Perot. He also brought up the fact that in Ross Perot’s bid for the presidency that Perot was warning American citizens years ago about the deficit and what needed to be done to correct it. There were some citizens who listened, but the majority didn’t pay attention “and now we are where we are”, he says.
