Women for Obama

"March for Change We Still Believe In - Jan 15th, 2010"

korkie — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:19:04 EST

Please read and pass this on to as many people as you can. I also suggest you join "Countdown to JANUARY 15, 2010." This is the FaceBook group
responsible for this great event.
Korkie

On January 15th, 2010, Americans will gather, peacably, on the DC Mall to show our continued support for the progressive agenda our POTUS campaigned on. We voted for President Obama b/c we hoped for more from our government: more compassion, more diplomacy, more honesty, more protection, and more equality.

On January 15th, 2010, we will stand in opposition to the voices of fear, ignorance, and hate that have, thus far, garnered virtually all the attention of the main stream media and skewed the debate over issues that are far too important to ALL Americans. We've written and phoned our Representatives in the House and Senate. We've remained a diligent, anonymous, but silent majority. Now, is the time for America to see our faces and hear our voices.

January 15, 2010 - Supporting the Change We Still Believe In

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsyU0Rzw2LI

MFs Think I'm Playin'

Nellieyah — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:21:47 EST

I just found an article (below) on the Huffington Post that I believe was plagerized from my blog about universal healthcare, a play in 3 acts. This isn't the first time that my superb creative talents have been STOLEN from, but seeing how I'M NOT GETTING PAID and this is like the gazillionth time this has happen, I'm done playing games. Glenn Greenwald (and all these haters) better recognize! They'll understand what I mean in due time... This is a promise, not a threat.

Glenn Greenwald Writes a One-Act Play about How the White House Works By Jason Linkins

Yesterday, we took up the issue of whether or not President Barack Obama could have done more to pressure Congress to craft a more effective health care reform bill than the one currently slouching out of the Senate towards an uneasy mating ceremony with the House bill in conference committee. Assuming it even gets there! Maybe the only thing Harry Reid can ultimately get 60 votes for is a "Get well soon" card from Hadassah Lieberman -- who knows?Glenn Greenwald took up the matter as well, armed with the same checklist of tactics from Adam Green. Greenwald went on to conclude that, "contrary to Obama's occasional public statements in support of a public option, the White House clearly intended from the start that the final health care reform bill would contain no such provision and was actively and privately participating in efforts to shape a final bill without it." It's a compelling argument and the key piece of supporting evidence is the deal the White House negotiated in private with the pharmaceutical industry. Greenwald also argues, at length, against the notion that the entirety of the failure to reform health care can be laid at the feet of Congressional intransigence. I'd say that Greenwald has far less sympathy for the very real Congressional obstacles the White House faces in advancing their domestic agenda than I do. But I think we'd both agree that this is why you don't take tactics such as the ones Green identifies off the table -- if you can't get health care past your Ben Nelsons or your Joe Liebermans, at least leave no doubt that you tried.Glenn takes his view of Obama's larger indifference to this and fashions a fun little playlet for his readers. As you all know, I like fun little playlets, too!Yet numerous Obama defenders -- such as Matt Yglesias, Ezra Klein and Steve Benen -- have been insisting that there is just nothing the White House could have done and all of this shows that our political system is tragically "ungovernable." After all, Congress is a separate branch of government, Obama doesn't have a vote, and 60 votes are needed to do anything. How is it his fault if centrist Senators won't support what he wants to do? Apparently, this is the type of conversation we're to believe takes place in the Oval Office: The President: I really want a public option and Medicare buy-in. What can we do to get it?
Rahm Emanuel: Unfortunately, nothing. We can just sit by and hope, but you're not in Congress any more and you don't have a vote. They're a separate branch of government and we have to respect that.The President: So we have no role to play in what the Democratic Congress does?Emanuel: No. Members of Congress make up their own minds and there's just nothing we can do to influence or pressure them.The President: Gosh, that's too bad. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and see what happens then.That's pretty good. If I could offer some dramaturgical advice, however, I think that having Emanuel say, "Oh well, I'm off to key Jane Hamsher's car for insisting that we should 'help people,'" would be a much stronger exit line.

Democratic Healthcare vs. Republican Healthcare: A Play in Three ActsBy Nellieyah - Jun 27th, 2009 at 3:00 pm EDTAlso listed in: Obamans for Change in the Americas (CITA) | Voices for Change | Women for Obama Act I: Past

Narrator: Two ideologies are struggling for supremacy. One uses reason and persuasion and the other uses trickery and force.

Democratic Healthcare: The Great Depression is too great. We must do something to help the starving, unemployed masses. Let us make a New Deal to guarantee all citizens basic social services and economic security.

Republican Healthcare: No. We shall not secure anything for any masses. If we must make a New Deal, it must conserve such privileges only to those who qualify. Only Republican Healthcare Members and Associates will qualify.

Democratic Healthcare: And how do you propose to maintain, let alone profit in such and exclusive enterprise?

Republican Healthcare: Easy. We will guarantee all citizens basic payroll taxes to maintain it, and we will charge the healthiest Members and Associates the expenses of the sickest ones and those who are not qualified. Republican Healthcare profits will always increase.

Act II: Present

Narrator: The New Deal was declared, but the old ways die hard.

Democratic Healthcare: The Great Depression is coming! Quickly, we must act to save everything we know and cherish!

Republican Healthcare: Stop complaining! Every thing’s fine! No problem!

Democratic Healthcare: This is serious. Democracy, human rights, our economy and our futures are all at stake. We must change or risk massive chaos, death and destruction. A plague could strike at any moment. We cannot afford this greed and carelessness any longer!

Republican Healthcare: The only greed we cannot afford is that of the needy masses. They are using Big Government to tax private wealth and spend it on their selfish needs. If they don’t have private wealth, how can they expect to have private needs?! We have to stop these socialists from taking more than they’ve earned.

Democratic Healthcare: We of the Democratic Healthcare movement are prepared to make all citizens, including Republican Healthcare Members and Associates an offer you can’t refuse; to the citizens, you will be guaranteed basic social services and economic security. To the Republican Healthcare Members and Associates, you will profit and indulge in privileges envied the world over, including GOOD healthcare. In return, all citizens must contribute to their government, which administers the social services and provides the security. Also, the Republican Healthcare Members and Associates must contribute to their government, which administers the social services and provides the security.

Act III: Future

Narrator: The reasonable, morally correct ideology makes progress with a Universal Healthcare program

Universal Healthcare: I am America’s home for free. I have conquered the land of the brave. I am the living Statue of Liberty. I am the nation-wide flag, long may it wave.

United Nations Climate Change Conference

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:50:32 EST

12/17/09 From POLITICO (all in EST):

President Obama attends the United Nations Climate Change Conference on Friday, December 18th

8:15 AM Obama meets with Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

9:00 AM Obama participates in the afternoon session of the climate conference.

10:00 AM Obama speaks before the COP-15 committee

10:30 AM Obama meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Obama’s address will stress the administration's belief that all countries, even the poorest, have a responsibility to take action.

"This is a global issue that demands global action – therefore, all countries have responsibility to move forward," said the aide.

Obama is expected to meet with Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen and other conference leaders early Friday and then spend much of the day negotiating with other world leaders, with possible bilateral talks taking place between Obama and senior Chinese officials.

12/18/09 CSPAN Update:

Pres. Obama calls for "action" from leaders on Agreement Delegates are now being asked to continue negotiations over the weekend with hopes to reach an agreement on a climate change pact. This morning, Pres. Obama attended multi-lateral talks with hopes of moving the stalled talks forward. In his address to the conference he reiterated his role by stating "I'm here to act and not talk."

Here is the official UN COP15 site: http://en.cop15.dk/

*****************

Good Luck President Obama and the World Leaders in coming to an agreement for climate!

Health Reform: Help For Families In 2010

EsquireUK — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:35:38 EST

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/16/health-reform-help-families-2010

Congress is on the verge of an historic achievement for which the American people have been waiting for decades: The passage of real health insurance reform that will bring stability and security to Americans with insurance and provide affordable options to those who don’t. It will protect individuals and families from unfair and arbitrary insurance practices and will at last shift the power away from insurance companies and into the hands of consumers.

Enactment of these historic reforms will be a monumental accomplishment and will be a victory for the interests of consumers against ferocious opposition from the insurance industry and others invested in the status quo. And while there are parts of reform that will take some time to get up and running, there are a great many benefits that will kick in during the very first year to help families and small businesses get control over their health and their health insurance costs.

If you or somebody in your family has a pre-existing condition, you’ll get help in 2010: Both the Senate and House bills will make it illegal for insurance companies to drop coverage for Americans who get sick. Insurance companies will also be barred from limiting the total benefits Americans can use over the course of a year or over their lifetimes. Affordable insurance coverage options will also be made immediately available through a high-risk pool for Americans who have been uninsured and have been denied coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. These options will serve as a bridge until the new health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, are up and running.

If you or your family has insurance, you'll get help in 2010: The scales will no longer be tipped against you in your relationship with your insurance company. More of your money will start going towards your care instead of excessive insurance company profits or TV ads. Between 2010 and 2013, insurance companies will be required to report the proportion of premium dollars that are spent in areas other than medical care – including profits. If a company isn’t spending enough of its premium dollars providing benefits, it will be required to issue rebate checks to its customers to make up the difference. Insurance companies will also immediately have to begin creating effective appeals processes for customers who have been denied claims ---including independent reviews---and the legislation provides grants for states to create ombudsmen to act as consumer watchdogs on health insurance coverage.

If you want to keep your family from getting sick in the first place, you’ll get help in 2010: All insurance plans will have to begin covering preventive services. That means all Americans who purchase insurance on their own will receive preventive care from their doctor without paying a co-pay.

If you’ve got kids, you’ll get help in 2010: Insurance plans that cover dependents will also have to provide benefits to adult children up to age 26, covering young Americans at a time when they’re most likely to lack coverage.

If you’re an early retiree with coverage from your former employer, your premiums will be reduced: Employers and their retirees between 55 and 64 years of age will have lower premiums from new re-insurance helping to ensure the continuation of these essential benefits

If you’re a senior, you'll get help in 2010: Major help on prescription drug costs will begin kicking in, with dramatic reductions on the costs of brand name prescription drugs for seniors. In addition, the coverage gap, or “doughnut hole” in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program will be closed over the next few years.

So as we come to the end of this debate, it’s important to take stock of what American families and small businesses will get from reform:

Reforms that will generate the largest deficit reduction in 12 years;
Reforms that will rein in insurance companies and shift power to patients, doctors, nurses and American families.
Reforms that will actually reduce premiums and save money for American families and small businesses;
Reforms that will strengthen the financial health of Medicare while closing the prescription drug doughnut hole – the most significant boost to Medicare's solvency in more than a decade.
Reforms that will make quality affordable health care available to tens of millions of Americans – the most significant action since Medicare.

We are on the verge of the most historic improvement in American health care in half a century.

Let's get it done.

Nancy-Ann DeParle is Director of the Office of Health Reform

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/16/health-reform-help-families-2010

Will not be easy and will take time

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:35:14 EST

So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope. Because there are people all across this country who are counting us; who can't afford another four years without health care or good schools or decent wages because our leaders couldn't come together and get it done.

Jan 26, 2008 Barack Obama

***********

Put away the negativity! Don't add to the problem!

If you are angry about the slow process of Congress well then pick yourself up and WRITE & CALL congress!

Then you can sit back and say "I did my share and was productive in being the solution"!

The 24/7 News, 10 Second Sound Bite Blues

Nellieyah — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:41:48 EST

Morning, noon, and night. Seven days a week.
The news is big business, but the story lines are cheap.
Talking point gimmicks and sound bite repeats.
Snatching from victory to jaw about defeat.

I got the 24/7 news, 10 second sound bite blues.
Let them tell it, and I won’t have the right to choose.
Fear and lies in disguise won’t ever change the rules.
Selling the truth is the business of greedy fools.

Most trusted paparazzi. Fair and balanced infotainment.
Teasers for commercials. Scandals for containment.
Dumbing down society and distracting from enlightenment.
Denying Americans their freedom of information entitlement.

I got the 24/7 news, 10 second sound bite blues.
Let them tell it, and I won’t have the right to choose.
Fear and lies in disguise won’t ever change the rules.
Selling the truth is the business of greedy fools.

Where’s the hour long special investigating the news business authority?
Which day of the week will be devoted to the politics of the media itself?
When will solving problems and healing the world be high priority?
For how long can the corporate media elites sustain their wealth?

I got the 24/7 news, 10 second sound bite blues.
Let them tell it, and I won’t have the right to choose.
Fear and lies in disguise won’t ever change the rules.
Selling the truth is the business of greedy fools.

We MUST Fight For RECONCILIATION !!!

Greg Jones' Blacks4Barack ! — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:22:29 EST

Greg Jones

Blacks4Barack

As the health reform debate continues we are hearing of the continuous watering-down of the bill for the purpose of appeasing various Democrats including Senators Joe Lieberman, Mary Landreiu, Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson. But there is a process available to be used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid which would make these obstructionists absolutely meaningless.

RECONCILIATION is the process by which a bill can be passed with 51 votes instead of 60. THIS is what we must DEMAND Reid uses to pass a bill with a strong, robust, National, competitive Public Option...the ONLY way to create affordable, competitive premiums for the 47 million Americans struggling throughout life without the basic right to be seen by a doctor. It is absolutely PATHETIC that hard-working Americans are forced to stand in long lines for as long as 8 hours, at make-shift free clinics just to be seen by a doctor, as recently occurred in Kansas City; a scene reminiscent of a third-world country.

This is a 2 part FIGHT....FIRST...we must FIGHT for a STRONG, Competitive Public Option. In the same call or email we must DEMAND that Harry Reid uses the RECONCILIATION process. As The President has said

The Time is NOW....44,000 Americans DIE each year due to the lack of affordable health care. This must end NOW...and it can...through RECONCILIATION !!!!

Please help spread the word as if your life depended on it. One day...it just might !!!

Contact Sen. Harry Reid/YOUR Senator/THE MEDIA...Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann etc. to say WE DEMAND STRONG PUBLIC OPTION THROUGH RECONCILIATION !

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TODAY !

Greg Jones

National Director

Blacks4Barack

My O-Friend Ben posted this one:

☮ CR ❤ — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:38:43 EST

Barack Obama has much done on only 11 months...

Featured Legislations
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Signed on October 30, 2009
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009

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Signed on October 28, 2009
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

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Signed on October 22, 2009
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act

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Signed on August 06, 2009
Cash For Clunkers Extension

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Signed on June 22, 2009
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

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Signed on May 22, 2009
Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009

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Signed on May 22, 2009
Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act

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Signed on May 20, 2009
Helping Families Save Their Homes Act

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Signed on May 20, 2009
Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act

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Signed on April 21, 2009
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

Signed on March 30, 2009
Omnibus Public Lands Management Act

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Signed on March 20, 2009
Small Business Act Temporary Extension

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Signed on February 17, 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

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Signed on February 11, 2009
DTV Delay Act

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Signed on February 04, 2009
Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act

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Signed on January 29, 2009
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

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The direct actions of the Obama Administration has caused the economy to stabilize despite having inherited the biggest set of challenges of any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

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Barack Obama started during his 2008 presidential candidacy to give the message that he would be open to discussion with adversaries, denounced torture by America and thus change American's reputation around the world.

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The Obama administration has achieved an international consensus around the need for Iran and North Korea to disable their nuclear weapons.

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The most significant piece of social legislation since Social Security, Health Care Reform, is on the brink of passing.

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Dear President Obama,

LisaLi — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:50:47 EST

I live with my parents - they are in the space between Medicare and Medicaid - too rich (right) to qualify for affordable home nursing care, and too poor to pay for it themselves. SO I am here to help... As I understand it, with the new health care plan, they will definitely benefit.

Unfortunately, I will not. I am a self employed Author/Artist/Illustrator/Graphic Artist/Teacher and care giver (yes, all that to make ends meet here in good old Ohio) and I have to buy my own health care. I am profoundly disappointed that freelancers/self-employeed are the ones that will see their health care costs RISE. What could possibly be the advantage of making a scapegoat of the very people who are primed to create jobs for others, who are the innovators, the "backbone", where all big companies start?

Please Explain.

Sincerely, LisaLi

Photoshop4ArtistsWorkshop.com
http://www.photoshop4artistsworkshop.com
http://photoshop4artistsworkshop.com/Wordpress_PS4ART/BLOG/

Mele Kalikimaka & Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

☮ CR ❤ — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:19:15 EST

Hawaii abuzz about Obama's expected holiday return

12/13/09 Herbert A. Sample - AP

KAILUA, Hawaii – Many in this upscale, oceanside suburb of Honolulu are expecting it to again serve as the holiday getaway for scores of reporters, photographers, federal agents_ and one president.

The White House hasn't formally announced that President Barack Obama and his family will be celebrating Christmas in Hawaii — or anywhere else — in part because the health care reform debate in Congress may delay his departure. Gov. Linda Lingle's office and Honolulu police also are remaining silent.

But there are many behind-the-scenes indications that plans are being made, and Kailua is abuzz with anticipation, hoping for an economic boost from another visit by the Hawaii-born president.

"The word is out," said John Stallings, a real estate agent who runs the Web site OurKailuaTown.com. "I'd say it's more than the talk around town that they are returning."

Stallings said he knows for a fact that preparations are being made to house Secret Service agents during the holidays in rental homes near where Obama stayed a year ago. There have also been several news reports indicating a possible presidential vacation starting Dec. 23.

A visit would be Obama's first as president to Hawaii, where he was born and spent many of his childhood years. It's also the first time he's coming home with no relatives living here. Obama's grandmother passed away last year just days before he was elected and his sister has since moved to Washington.

Many expect that Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters will vacation in the same multimillion-dollar beach home where they stayed in a year ago. It's located on the Windward side of Oahu at the base of the towering, green Koolau mountains, about a half-hour drive from downtown Honolulu. The five-bedroom home is in long cul-de-sac and features Kawainui Stream on the other side of the road and the white sands of Kailua Beach out back. It's a pricey neighborhood — one nearby home is on the market for nearly $13 million.

Neighbors said they aren't concerned that Obama's visit will cause havoc since he and his entourage didn't seem to cause much disruption last year.

"It wasn't problematic," Lisa Kiakona said. "It was kind of neat to be in the mix."

Kern Rogerson was slightly bummed when told Obama is expected to show up soon. But that's only because he regularly kayaks along the Kawainui Stream canal and last year the Secret Service prevented him from launching down the street from where Obama was encamped, he said.

"It's more important to keep him safe," said Rogerson, 59, who lives in neighboring Kaneohe. "I figure it's a small sacrifice."

Obama once regularly visited Hawaii during the holidays to see his sister, Maya Ng-Soetoro, and his grandmother. He last visited a year ago when he was president-elect and the glow of his historic election was still bright even as the country was reeling from the financial crisis on Wall Street. He also vacationed in August 2008 shortly after earning the Democratic nomination.

The economy is still struggling and it will be a tough holiday season for many Hawaii residents, particularly those dealing with job losses or cutbacks in hours, said Brian Schatz, chairman of the Hawaii Democratic Party. But Obama remains popular in his birthplace, Schatz said.

Obama "said all along, through the campaign and for the last year, that his concern is not the day-to-day fluctuations of polling data but jobs numbers and how people are actually doing," added Schatz, who like other Hawaii officials carefully couched his comments in a way that would not confirm the president is going to vacation in Hawaii.

Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Jonah Kaauwai said he welcomes Obama back home, but insisted the president's luster is worn. "The excitement of his celebrity is certainly still there, but the actual outcome of his election and what he's been doing I think has reduced the fanfare," Kaauwai said.

If Obama returns to Hawaii, he is not expected to make public appearances, save outings with friends and family, Schatz said. Last year, Obama bodysurfed, played basketball and worked out at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, shot a few rounds of golf and accompanied daughters Malia and Sasha, now 11 and 8, to a local shop that makes shave ice, Hawaii's version of snow cones.

"Last time he came, it did great things for the economy," said Richard Whaley, assistant manager of Island Snow Kailua. "Everybody wanted to come over here and do everything that he did."

That includes eating a "Snowbama" shave ice slathered with guava, cherry and lemon lime syrups — Obama's choice of flavors. The store still displays an Associated Press photo of Obama and his daughters sitting on a bench outside the shop last year, slurping their shave ice.

"We get Japanese tourists that come in, see the picture and they just freak out about it," Whaley said.

Mary Carter, manager of three gift and art shops along Kailua's main drag, recalled how an Obama aide last year bought merchandise from one of the stores on behalf of Obama's family.

"We're thrilled to death that he's coming back to Kailua," she said, noting that when tourists discover the president has vacationed in Kailua, they want to see what the hubbub is all about.

"They see it in the newspapers. They see it on TV, and then they want to come and see what Kailua has to offer," she added. "As a retailer, that's a good thing for us."

View's of Koʻolau Range

****************

Mele Kalikimaka & Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

is Hawaiian for "Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!"

For all those surprised about Obama's decision to increase troops in Afghanistan..

Antonia "Hussein" Mosqueda (Annie) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:09:24 EST

Why act so surprised? Obama always stated he was going to focus more on Afghanistan and send military aid there and withdrawing troops from Iraq. I took this from an old CNN article.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that United States needs to focus on Afghanistan in its battle against terrorism.

Sen. Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai meet Sunday in Kabul.

"The Afghan government needs to do more. But we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan. And I believe this has to be our central focus, the central front, on our battle against terrorism," Obama said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."

"I think one of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here, focus our attention here. We got distracted by Iraq," he said.

Obama said troop levels must increase in Afghanistan.

"For at least a year now, I have called for two additional brigades, perhaps three," he told CBS. "I think it's very important that we unify command more effectively to coordinate our military activities. But military alone is not going to be enough."

Obama met Sunday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a leader the Democratic senator has criticized for not doing enough to rebuild the war-torn nation.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee met with Karzai in Kabul, the capital city, during Obama's first visit to the Asian nation.

Karzai's spokesman characterized the senator's message as pleasant.

Don't Miss

"They're happy to be in Afghanistan. They reassured the support of U.S. people to Afghanistan," Humayoon Hamidzada said.

Karzai met with the congressional delegation that includes Obama, and they discussed the achievements of the Afghan government as well as challenges such as terrorism, corruption and illegal drugs. See a map with photos of Obama's trip »

McCain's senior foreign policy adviser criticized Obama on Sunday for "stubbornly adhering to an unconditional withdrawal that places politics above the advice of our military commanders, the success of our troops and the security of the American people."

"Barack Obama is wrong to advocate withdrawal at any cost just as he was wrong to oppose the surge that has put victory within reach. It is a strategy for defeat, and it is the only strategy Barack Obama has ever supported," Randy Scheunemann said in a statement.

Obama traveled to eastern Afghanistan on Saturday to visit American forces under NATO's Regional Command East, the coalition's Combined Joint Task Force said. Obama is joined by Sen. Charles Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, and Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island.

In a joint statement released Sunday, the three senators expressed confidence that progress would be made in Afghanistan.

Obama's TripSen. Barack Obama is set to step onto the world's stage. During his trip to the Middle East and Europe, Obama will visit:

Jordan
Israel (with a trip to the West Bank-Ramallah)
Germany
France
The United Kingdom

Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday and is slated to visit Iraq, although for security reasons, no public schedule for the visit has been released.

"We need a sense of urgency and determination. We need urgency because the threat from the Taliban and al Qaeda is growing and we must act; we need determination because it will take time to prevail. But with the right strategy and the resources to back it up, we will get the job done," they said in the statement.

Shortly after meeting with Karzai, Obama left Afghanistan to continue a trip that will take him to the Middle East and Europe.

Obama will travel to Jordan, then visit Israel, Germany, France and England.

Although Obama is making the trip as a senator from Illinois and not a presidential candidate, it is aimed at boosting Obama's foreign policy credentials. Watch analyst discuss Obama's visit in Afghanistan »

Obama has made Afghanistan a key focus of his foreign policy, saying he would make it the central front in the "war on terror" if elected.

Earlier in the day, Obama dined with U.S. troops at an American base in the Afghan capital. Watch Obama get some "chow" »

"This is my favorite thing to do," Obama said as he sat with about two dozen soldiers, sailors and airmen in a military mess hall.

Ahead of the trip to Afghanistan, Obama, Reed and Hagel stopped in Kuwait to visit U.S. troops, Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs said. They left Washington on Thursday.

In Kuwait, the senators visited Camp Arifjan for about two hours to meet with U.S. Army Central leadership, take a brief tour of the base and talk with soldiers, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Nutter said.

The senators also met with about 1,000 military members at a gymnasium, who cheered jubilantly at their arrival. Later, Obama played basketball with some soldiers, drawing cheers from his successful shots. Watch Obama visit troops in Kuwait »

Asked whether he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he was "more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."

"I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama said.

The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died in July in Afghanistan, compared with Iraq. July's death toll for coalition troops reached 22 after the Friday death of a Canadian soldier was announced.

Nine U.S. soldiers were killed July 13 in a fight with about 200 Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.

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My thoughts on the increase of military aid... You voted Obama in if you do not like this decision you should have done better reseach. Obama does what Obama say's.

Next, Know the situation in Afghanistan before you judge his decisions. The people of Afghanistan and gov. are very weak they have been bled by terrorist over time. They are out numbered by a force that seeks to corrupt thier homes, culture and children. Obama has always agreed if he was going to aid and support a country who needed military back up against terrorist ( which have been training and manifesting in and around Aghanistan since the 80's) it would be Afghanistan. It's not like he is sending troops in like Bush/Cheney to rape them for oil! The U.S. has no material gain in his decision. Obama's soul purpose is to prevent the overtaking of an already weak and defensless goverment to powerful and radical terrorist. Terrorsit who can potentially do a lot of damage all over the globe if gaining full control of this region. The U.S. has made too many mistakes by aiding countries who did not need our miitary support or presence. Now Obama wants to turn this around and support those who desperatly need military support and want it. Obama would not be there if the support was not wanted by the Afghan gov. unlike the war in Iraq. Hace 8 minutos · Eliminar| Mixx it | Share

Peace Keeping Force!

Lydia from Durham, NC — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:47:53 EST

Michelle Obama says she enjoys 'really bad TV,' lazy days curled up with first dog Bo

☮ CR ❤ — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:20:16 EST

Michelle Obama says she enjoys 'really bad TV,' lazy days curled up with first dog Bo

12/10/09 AP

WASHINGTON - Michelle Obama says curling up with the first family's dog and clicking through food and design shows on television provide moments of peace amid a busy schedule.

During an interview to mark her selection as Barbara Walters' most fascinating person of the year, the first lady said her guilty pleasures involve food and "really bad TV." She also said her toned arms are a bit of "revenge" against her in-shape husband, President Barack Obama

"My really lazy days are I sit with Bo, who usually climbs up on my lap. He thinks he's a lap dog," she said of the Obamas' large Portuguese water dog. "He'll cozy up with me, and I'm just clicking through mindless shows. A lot of, you know, shows about food and design, and all that good stuff. And it's just quiet, and I'm not thinking about anything for that second — not about the kids, not about my husband, not about my schedule. If I get an hour of that during the course of a week, it feels like heaven."

Mrs. Obama went on about her connection with the dog, a gift from the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy: "Bo is my baby, he's our son. He's wonderful. He's growing. It's like I'm a mother. You ask about my kid, I'm gone."

Talking about her human children, Mrs. Obama said her workout routine began when Sasha and Malia were babies.

"I really started right after I had Malia, our oldest," Mrs. Obama said.

"(Malia) was still waking up for that 4 o'clock feeding and I'd get up because I'd be the first one to hear her, and he'd be asleep," she continued. "And I thought, 'I'm up, I might as well go to the gym. And if I get to the gym, then he'll have to wake up and do that feeding.' I get a workout in and everyone will be happy."

On a more serious subject, Mrs. Obama said her husband would not have sought the White House had she nixed the idea. She said she didn't want to stand in the way of her husband's dreams or leadership.

"I think I made the right call," Mrs. Obama said.

************************

As a "dog mom" of Sable, who we picked up from the shelter nine years ago, I am so very happy to know that our First Lady Michelle is so close to Bo. My worries are now put to rest because I was most worried about our FLOTUS' adjustment to such an exploited life and whether she could be happy at the White House.

MESSAGE FROM MITCH

Debbie — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:14:42 EST

Friend --

This year, when you're writing holiday cards to your friends and loved ones, there are two more people who need to hear from you: your senators.

With the Senate deep in final negotiations -- and a compromise just introduced that increases choice and drives costs down -- your senators need to understand how urgent reform really is.

So we've come up with a unique way for you to get the message across -- by sending your senators a card with your holiday wish for the season.

Send a holiday card to your senators, telling them that your wish this season is for them to pass health insurance reform.

Since the full Senate began debating reform just over two weeks ago, approximately 224,000 Americans have lost their health insurance, while spiraling costs have forced countless more into bankruptcy or foreclosure.

That's a big number -- it's as many people as live in a city like Baton Rouge, and more than live in Reno.

This crisis affects everyone in our community. It could be a father down the street who now won't be able to pay for care when his son breaks his leg playing soccer, or a daughter who must watch helplessly as her newly-uninsured mother gets a breast cancer diagnosis she can't afford to treat.

Every day brings thousands more stories of heartbreak and struggle that just shouldn't be in a nation as blessed as ours.

So please take a moment to cut through the noise in D.C. with your simple holiday wish: affordable, quality health care for every American family.

Send your holiday card for health reform today:

http://my.barackobama.com/HolidayCard

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Paradise Lost

Richard Thomas Gerber — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:15:18 EST

Mankind was born into a paradise that provided all sustenance needed for life, one of perfect design, maintenance free naturally correcting imbalance. This Paradise was stolen by the creation of an unnatural man made system, not based on any science just the whim and desire of the creators. It was then required that one must participate in the man made system to obtain that which was once naturally freely and abundantly available to sustain life. This gave the controllers of the system an unnatural power and dominion over their fellow men; this was the beginning of the Ego Empire and the indentured servitude and usury putting a price on participation in this thing called life, which was originally free for all.

All the free resources were locked down and ownership granted to a small number of men and the rest put into a public trust making what they could not manage unavailable to the individual citizen creating an artificial scarcity of land and therefore increasing the value of the land privately possessed. The system was not adopted freely by the economic constituency it was forced upon them backed by brute force and threat of imprisonment.

It created a beast that thrives on ignorance, gave rise to a massive gambling casino with fixed tables (Wall Street), permitted the creation of artificial value and needs, corrupted science, resulted in the creation of an institution called government that doesn’t fully represent the people in reality but creates only the illusion of doing so, and forces patronage of select vendors at inflated prices. Furthermore over time the natural resources were polluted and contaminated resulting in the most abundant natural resource, water, having to be purchased at a price from a supplier that cleaned and filtered it, the system became so distorted that at one point a bottle of water cost more then a gallon of gasoline and the copper in a penny was worth more than the value of the coin in the artificial financial system not based on natural systems science but rather greed and the love of power and dominion over others. It is time to restore paradise and eliminate the concentration of power distributing it amongst all men and women equally.

No longer shall science be perverted by profit; no longer shall there be profit from disease, fear and conflict. No longer shall the sustainment of essential economy be threatened by the artificial economy, no longer shall a few benefit to the detriment of the many. ~Richard Thomas Gerber

The Illusion of Government

Richard Thomas Gerber — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:11:47 EST

The Illusion of Government

The Citizens, Shareholders, and Customers Shall Ascend to the Throne as One
~The Infinite Play

The label “Government” does not own or owe anything, it cannot act, it does not decide, only people can act and make decisions; and the citizens own and owe everything.

If one can see though the illusion of the separation between the government and it's people, created by the ego empire, then you will become empowered to create in reality a true democracy with prosperity and abundance for all.

“Government” is just a label for an institution run by individuals with names, who are supposed to represent truth and the interests of the people as a whole. If they fail to do so then we have the illusion of democracy where the people are ruled by a fallible few and not self governed by the perfect many.

It is in the illusion where the people are taught to see themselves as separate from the institution of government. In reality the people united are the government, which is the manifestation of their collective effort. Unfortunately most live in an illusion, minds full of fiction, and thinking plagued by propaganda; it is the results of this that they experience even now.

"Government" which is a label representing the collective effort of a citizenry, does not make decisions, people do. Individual representatives that are not connected to the source (the people) and do not register the voice and input of each individual to know the collective intent, will, wisdom and intelligence of the people, cannot claim to represent the people and fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to the people.

It is the duty of the representative to balance between the needs of the whole and the "needs" of each part, delivering the essential to all, while taking into account and balancing the "wants" of all. It is their duty to invite conformity in support of the whole by illustrating the benefits of doing so. It is vital that no individual is bound or restrained but is allowed free agency, for it is the exception to the status quo that ensures the evolution and growth of the nation.

It should be understood that any representative or agent of government that acts to the benefit of a few to the detriment of the many has committed treason at least within the heart. Any that have chosen to believe a fiction because they desired it as a reality, prejudice against that which might threaten it, failing to question and doing due diligence to discern and garner the truth and facts, while exhausting all resources of insight and creative intelligence, have failed their constituency.

Until the authentic voice of each person is measured and taken into account on each article of concern and permitted to participate in the design of policy and solution, one does not have a democratic government in reality; only the appearance and illusion of one.

Accordingly the people cannot expect the effort called government to represent them if they do not participate as self informed shareholders that both discern the truth and give voice to it, while providing the impetus of their will. To remain silent is to allow the fictions to grow and spread disease. If a few are allowed to divide the people then they can rule the people, a united people cannot be ruled over, they can only be self governed.

If all one can do as a citizen is repeat rhetoric, rather than committing to study, research and understanding so as to be able to speak the intelligence and wisdom from your own mind then you have also failed your nation, your family and friends and there is no government to blame.

We cannot blame government, it is a label that does not think or act, only individuals can think and act. It is we the people that are to blame allowing ourselves to be divided having others to do our thinking for us, failing to question, remaining passive in ignorance. There is no power on earth greater than a people unified in intent and will, acting with intelligence, moving in truth, with wisdom and compassion. If we allow ourselves to be divided with fictions and labels then it is we that are to blame.

You cannot confront or question a label, you must confront and question the people hidden behind the label.

Truth is the highest of all authority and every law must be based on truth or it has no authority, and anyone acting in truth can break no law.

All injustice is born from fiction, and justice is not about revenge but bringing to light the truth that destroys that fiction that gave rise to the injustice. That fiction may be found far from the scene of the crime and often in the company of others.

It is the responsibility of the representative to craft and orchestrate the manifestation of the deliverables defined in concert with the people. It is the task of a lucid citizenry to be the dominant impetus and to become the main cause of the effect.

The people are the power and the glory of the nation, all as one and one as all, one as many and many as one.

~Richard, Thomas, and Gerber

Be sure to read Illusions the red and blue pill

Making Money is a Scam (in a world of fiction)

Richard Thomas Gerber — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:04:22 EST

Making Money is a Scam (in a world of fiction)

“The truth is often obscured by a veil of complexity”
~Infinite Play

Making Money is a Scam (in a world of fiction)

In a world of fiction making money is a scam. Over the course of time there has been a transfer of power from the “value” creators and the genuine value they create to the “transaction” managers and the owners of the symbol used to represent value, and the symbol itself. The value creators are then charged for the use of the symbol. The symbol controllers create the symbol out of nothing at zero cost and sell it, it is genius idea from an ego perspective but it is not sustainable. In other words the symbol transaction managers are able to usurp genuine value from the system without contributing any considerable value other than entering accounting transactions into the system. So in this world of fiction importance is placed upon the symbol and not the value it represents and everyone is doing whatever they can to obtain monetary units quite often using deception, gimmick, providing illusionary value or selling at an artificially inflated price rather than genuine value creation.

The transaction and symbol managers yield an unnatural power because they control the supply of monetary units to be used by the producers and consumers at anytime they can reduce money supply creating scarcity and conflict between the producers and consumers. They wield the power to decide which endeavors are funded and who gets loans often favoring those that support their scheme. This gives them the false status of Gods and the bank is the temple of worship as they are the source of all sustenance because one needs the symbol or account number to buy food, and obtain shelter. They become the source of all sustenance.

Making money is not a scam (in a world of truth)

In a truth based world making money is not a scam. The difference is that in the world of truth the producer is the creator of money, not the banks, because they are the creator of genuine value and therefore wealth which in a world of truth is naturally reflected in their value exchange account balance. In the world of truth the consumer is the validator of the creation of value and therefore wealth. The consumer credits the account of the value creator in proportion to the amount of value created. In the world of truth the focus is on the creation of value and not the obtainment of monetary units which naturally flow to the value creators, the producers are the true makers of money.

In reality the banks do provide a small amount of value they: Track transactions, Evaluate Risk, Create Debt (new money), Ensure Debt is repaid (future value is created), and calculate interest (their profit), which represents the proportion of your wealth they get for allowing your participation in the economic system. Of course they only loan the amount of the principal into the economic system so in order to pay the interest back as a whole the “whole” of consumers must borrow more creating a perpetual cycle and eternal servitude with cycles of boom and bust, each bust resulting in the conversion of their intangible symbol created at zero cost into tangible assets like land as some of the consumers will always default by design and lose their collateral.

Truth calls into question the price charged by the bankers in this game of monopoly for the use of their symbol and the tracking of transactions. The mark up or margin on the minimal actual cost of entering transactions into a computer system is substantially far more than it would be in free and natural market. In the seven years leading up to 2008, FDIC-insured commercial banks made an average pretax operating profit of $142 billion, for basically entering transactions into a computer system and tracking them. These are very expensive key strokes. Combine this with the Wall Street Gamblers that create no genuine value but take billions of dollars of value out of the system, food from mouths of the starving children, and you can understand the cause of the major economic imbalance we currently have.

The actual cost to manage the value exchange transactions, for the US financial system would be less than 100 million dollars for approximately 12 data centers with server farms and administrative, technical, managing and auditing staff.

If we really have a free market then the consumer / producer should be able to switch to the more efficient lower cost monetary system.

Many do not realize that when the US went off the Gold Standard in 1971 to a fiat currency the worlds monetary and financial system became nothing more than an accounting system. With the high priests of money having the power to create the transactions they became the source of sustenance. The Federal Reserve controls and owns the master chart of accounts making them the high priests.

The economic constituency needs to create a new choice for themselves, a new value exchange accounting system that is fair, equitable, and sustainable supporting a natural market. Read http://coinage.me for comprehensive understanding of the flaws of the current system and the design for the new and be sure to read The Money Changers. It is time to throw them out of the temple once again, for good. If you care about the starving children in the world send this page to everyone on your mailing list so they begin to see through the illusions surrounding money.

~Richard Thomas Gerber

Power Questions

When does it make sense for the citizens (government) to create a debt instrument to create money and then have it given to the banks to be loaned back to them at interest (profit)? Why must citizens borrow money twice?

If a house still provides the same shelter as it did two years ago how could it have lost half it's value two years later? It still provides the same value in reality. Perhaps the way the value is determined is a fiction.

If $100,000 (unreal intangible) buys twice as much real estate (real tangible) as it did two years ago did not the value of money increase?

Why are bank profits tax deductable? The interest you pay on your mortgage is tax deductable which actually allows the banks to charge you more for interest then you would normally be able to pay. It also reduces public funds, resulting in a need for increased taxes, causing the citizens (government) to need to borrow even more money at interest to pay the public debt. Is this fair to people who rent?

Obama Nobel Peace Prize Banquet Menu

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:43:35 EST

Obama Nobel Peace Prize Banquet Menu

12/10/09 ObamaFoodOrama.blogspot.com

The citizens of Oslo--and many visitors--greeted President Obama with a torchlight parade earlier this evening, following the ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize. The President and Mrs. Obama watched from the balcony of the Grand Hotel, then went downstairs to the ballroom for the Nobel Banquet.

Above: The head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute Geir Lundestad walks in front of from left to right, Thorbjon Jagland, head of the Nobel committee, Mrs. Obama, President Obama, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Mari.

Today's Schedule:
09:20: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visit Oslo City Hall to participate in the Nobel Peace Prize Signing Ceremony.

10:00-11:00 The President will meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, to take place between 10:00 and 11:00. Statements to the press will follow.

12:10: President Obama and Mrs. Obama will be received in audience by King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will also be present.

13:00: The Nobel Prize Award ceremony will begin at the Oslo City Hall Auditorium. 1 1/2 hours. Livestreamed.

19:00: President Obama is expected to view the traditional post-ceremony torch light parade from his balcony at the Hotel Grand, then arrive at the Nobel Prize banquet, which is at the hotel. The white tie affair has 250 invited guests. The President's speech will be televised. The rest of the banquet is closed press.

Menu
Starters:
Cured Reindeer Fillet and Smoked Duck
Asparagus Salad with Truffle

Fillet of Cod from the coast of ”Møre”
Jerusalem Artichoke purée

Aquavit Sorbet

Entree:
Juniper Berry and Thyme marinated Elk
Pommes Berny and glazed Turnip

Desserts:
Caramel and Chocolate glazed Banana Mousse
Peanut Meringue

Wines:
Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée no 733
Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile 2004 – Trimbach
Pouilly-Fumé 2008 – André Dezat
et fis
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 – Robert Mondavi
Vidal Icewine 2003 – Inniskillin Wines

*******

Bon Appetitt og skål

REASONS WHY AMERICA IS LOSING WAR IN AFGHNISTAN?

LIVETOLOVE GREENEYES LIVETOLOVE — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:19:02 EST

AMERICA IS LOSING WAR IN AFGHANISTAN DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS.

1. AMERICA IS LOSING WAR IN AFGHANISTAN DUE TO TERRORIST ACTIVITIES OF INDIA, ISRAIL AND TERRORIST ACTIVITIES OF CIA AGENTS OF ISRAEL AND INDIA, IN PAKISTAN, TRIBAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN AND IN AFGHANISTAN TO DESTABILZE PAKISTAN AND TO KEEP AFGHSANISTAN DESTALIZED FOR THEIR INTERESTS. ISRAEL THINKS PAKISTAN IS A THREAT TO ISRAEL SO THEY WANT TO WEAKEN IT. INDIA IS ENEMY NUMBER I OF PAKISTAN DUE TO KASHMIR ISSUES SO THEY WANT TO DESTABLIZE PAKISTAN . ONLY A STABLE AND STRONG PAKISTAN CAN BRING PEACE IN THIS WORLD. BELIEVE OR BELIEVE NOT. WORLD HAS SEEN PAKISTAN CAN DEFEAT TALIBAN AND AL-QUAIDA WITHIN MONTHS. SO IT IS THE DUTY OF WHOLE WORLD TO HELP PAKISTAN WITH MONEY AND WEAPONS.

Congrats, Mr. President

Marie Yolaine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:16:55 EST

"Aux ames bien nés, la Valeur n'attend point le nombre des années" Dit Corneille, un grand Philosophe Français
"To the well born souls, Value does not wait for number of years", said Corneille, a great French Philosopher.
Congratulations, Mr. President, your Nobel Prize is well deserved: for You, Your Family; For America; your beloved and the entire World.
In the name of the World and my Haitian American Community, I salute You. Thanks for being!

Sustaining North American Accountability With Responsible Racial and Religous Practices

Michael Albert Perreault — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:54:07 EST

Osama Bin Laden used a Q'uran book to attack us, and attack a book that hold meaning to almost

400 million Americans. The Christian Bible. We have had ties to Christianity and British Kings who

read that Bible for almost 1500 years previously. When Columbus arrived in North America he came

under a British flag under order of his Christian King. When George Washington won The American

Revolution, he was still Christian. Between George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, there were

wars within North America, with indians.

The Indians were not Christian, but I do believe they still fought for themself spiritually. After the

wars with the North American Indian, fighting along the Great Lakes of Canada separated America

from Canada. America lost the war of 1812, and proceeded to no longer advance North in fear of

future British deployment in Canada and also in fear of not knowing the exact number of Britsh

troops already in Canada. They were also in fear of how many British troops would be deployed to

Canada, and how many french would come to back them up to take back America. They had to

acknowledge Canada, and salute them as friends.

America would have lost everything, and would have no longer existed as a country - something

Osama Bin Laden is trying to exploit. Even in the 1500's - we knew the persian people existed on

the other side of what we call today "Gaza." We knew they read a different book with different

religous fortitude and followed a different set of idealogies in which were custom to their book of

Q'uran - which has existed for nearly 10,000 years.

Osama Bin Laden came to America in the 1970's and to be quite frank would stare at our toilets.

He would leave his country of Afghanistan and see what is we weren't building with Christianity, and

how it is he could build a similar set of values within his Muslim Faith in his own country. Of Persian

descent - he felt raped of his beliefs and felt as if it was America who was holding him and his

country.

He would frequent America until the late 1980's until he could form his own "government" - Al-

Qaeda. Al-Qaeda protected him within his new Muslim principles and allowed to to build a

foundation within his religion, gaining the respect of his people which he still has today. People will

fight for him in Afghanistan in belief of his principle and his ability to defend Allah. If an entire

country follows Allah, then a leader will forth come. Osama Bin Laden believes he is the leader -

although quite contradictally there is another Muslim in that country building that same democracy

with the help of what we call "United Nations." Osama Bin Laden is not part of The United Nations,

and from a North American point of view it is a matter of preference who the persian people

will follow.

Osama should be what we call in North America a Republican, and allow the current Afghani

President to be what we call a Democrat. We should cut our losses, and allow Osama to come out

of hiding to represent his government as a Republican. They will do the job we are trying to do, and

he can work within United Nations stature. If we put sanctions on them in the 1980's because we

couldn't tap their oil, then we held no water in invading Iraq in 1991, further trying to tighten our

grip on their most precious natural resouce. We have water and trees that we share freely within

North America, but they have oil in Iraq that they need to protect just as much.

They need a sustainable government and we need a system in place with the Persian people that

allows us to share our natural resources on a one to one basis, and not ten to one. We could have

brought Persia into North America in the late 1800's to do the the same job in industrializing

America as the African did. It was not "slavery." People in North America are ignorant when they

speak of slavery, on both sides of skin colour.

A white Christian man provided a hot meal of corn and potato for that African and brought them

here in our boats. We gave them a roof over their head and the ability to eat and provide for their

family, in a country with fresh water and uncut trees everywhere. It was not slavery, and I repeat

the same thing is today when you walk into a diner a pay a waitress a tip of $4.75 so that she may

go home and feed that family with minimal wage. In the 1800's, that minimal wage was that plate

of food and log cabin that family slept in, provided by his boss, and no, not his "owner." America

as a whole never embraced slavery nor did they ever say slavery existed.

It was pure hearsay and usually fictious stories that would come out of these log cabins. This is

similar to what you may hear today in the news today about high-profile people "owning" or

"taking-control" of large multi-national companies with thousands of employees and thousands of

benefit plans.

The case against Chevron in Ecuador

Fire Is Born — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:46:48 EST

Chevron Using Six Public Relations Firms to Discredit Indigenous Groups In $27.3 Billion Environmental Case In Ecuador Lobbyists – Mac McLarty, John Breaux, Trent Lott, Mickey Kantor, Carla Hills and Others – Charged With Misrepresenting Facts Amazon Defense Coalition
20 November 2009 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Hinton at 703-798-3109 or karen [at] hintoncommunications.com
Mitch Anderson at 415-342-4783 or mitch [at] amazonwatch.org

Washington, DC – Chevron has retained at least twelve public relations firms and lobbyists to discredit claims of Amazon indigenous groups on the eve of an expected multi-billion dollar judgment against the oil giant in an environmental lawsuit in Ecuador, according to representatives of the tribes in the U.S.

Although Chevron is near the top of the list of highest-spending lobbyists in Washington, the campaign seems to be backfiring. Politico, one of the most influential publications on Capitol Hill, reported this week that Chevron's lobbying was "drawing fire from environmentalists, media ethicists, state pension funds, New York's attorney general, members of Congress, and even Barack Obama when he was a Senator."

The article also quoted Rep. Linda Sanchez (D - CA) as calling Chevron's lobbying "clumsy" and "very heavy handed". Sanchez - who on Tuesday characterized the Chevron lobbying as "extortion" in testimony before Congress – said she plans to write three letters to Members of Congress, blasting what she called the oil giant's "misguided approach" to dealing with the lawsuit from the indigenous groups.

Separately, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the company to determine if it is misleading its own shareholders about the financial risk from the Ecuador case, where damages are assessed at up to $27.3 billion, Politico reported.

An American legal advisor to the plaintiffs, Steven Donziger, criticized the public relations and lobbying effort. "Chevron is paying huge fees to lobby the U.S. government to inappropriately quash a legal case brought by indigenous tribes in the country where Chevron asked for the trial to be held," said Donziger, who has been working on the matter since it was filed in U.S. federal court in 1993.

The case, which alleges Texaco dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste in the Amazon from 1964 to 1990, was transferred from U.S. federal court to Ecuador in 2002 at Chevron's request. The oil giant filed 14 expert affidavits in the U.S. court praising Ecuador's court system, but later began a campaign to discredit those same courts once the evidence in the Ecuador trial pointed to its culpability.

The public relations firms working for Chevron include Hill & Knowlton, which represented the tobacco industry and – as it did in the debate over tobacco and cancer – has tried to deny a link between oil contamination and cancer; Edelman Worldwide, which is believed to be preparing a Wal-Mart-style political campaign against the indigenous groups in anticipation of an adverse court judgment; Sard Verbinnem, which handles financial press in an effort to stem a budding shareholder revolt against Chevron management for its handling of the case; Robinson Lerer Montgomery, a well-highly connected New York-based agency; Sam Singer and Associates, which handles the matter in the San Francisco area, where Chevron is located; and the Washington-based CRC Public Relations, which helped create a pro-Chevron video by former CNN correspondent Gene Randall to counteract a highly unflattering 60 Minutes segment on the legal case that broadcast earlier in the year.

The Randall video, which did not mention that it was paid for by Chevron, was blasted by the Columbia Journalism Review for "blurring the line between public relations and journalism." The President of CRC, Greg Mueller, spearheaded the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry and is a former senior aide to Pat Buchanan.

Reid says 'broad agreement' on public option, senators await details

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:24:29 EST

12/9/09 News-Medical.Net

Coverage of the Senate's "broad agreement" to create a national health insurance plan continues, with Democratic leaders remaining mum on details while insisting the compromise leaves a "public" option in the bill.

The Washington Post: "Democratic Senate negotiators struck a tentative agreement Tuesday night to drop the controversial government-run insurance plan from their overhaul of the health-care system, hoping to remove a last major roadblock preventing the bill from moving to a final vote in the chamber." The Post reports that the deal would allow the government's Office of Personnel Management to negotiate with insurers to create private, national plans much like those available to federal employees. It would also open Medicare to some people 55 to 64 years old (Murray and Montgomery, 12/9).

Kaiser Health News reports that lobbyists for insurers, doctors and hospitals object to the Medicare "buy-in" for some 55-64 year olds, saying that "Medicare already doesn't pay enough. Adding more people would compel hospitals, doctors and others to jack up charges to private insurers and employers to make up the difference, they warned" (Appleby and Carey, 12/9).

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he believes the plan is "an idea worth consideration," Roll Call reports. "The No. 2 House Democrat couched the assessment by stating he did not want to 'anticipate what is acceptable or not acceptable' in the Senate. But he also pointed to the difficulty of finding 60 Senate votes on a reform package, and he praised Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) 'herculean' efforts to forge consensus" (Newmyer, 12/8).

Meanwhile, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., "told reporters that news accounts that the government-run 'public option' had been dropped were 'not true,'" Chicago Tribune reports (Levey and Hook, 12/9).

But a version of the article appearing in the Tribune's sister paper, the Los Angeles Times, quotes a Reid aide as saying, "By and large, it's not a public option, but I think the liberals felt so strongly about getting a bill that allows for comprehensive coverage and meaningful reform, it was worth accepting this." Another concession to liberals in the compromise may be "a mechanism for triggering the creation of a more traditional government-run plan like the one now in the bill, if the nonprofit option does not materialize" (Hook and Levey, 12/9).

CNN: "[L]iberal Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, one of 10 Democratic senators working on the deal, said in a statement released after Reid's announcement that he would not 'support proposals that would replace the public option in the bill with a purely private approach. We need to have some competition for the insurance industry to keep rates down and save taxpayer dollars,' Feingold said. ... Two senators who oppose a public option, moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, said they were open to the non-profit private alternative to a public option" (Bas, Barrett and Henry, 12/9). The New York Times reports that Reid has not yet briefed colleagues outside of the ten-member negotiating group that came up with the deal. "Even senior members of the party said late Tuesday that they did not know if an agreement had been reached. 'I have no idea,' said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the assistant Democratic leader" (Pear and Herszenhorn, 12/8).

One remaining hurdle, according to The Wall Street Journal, is that the plan must get a passing score from the Congressional Budget Office. "Although the public option generated significant dissension among Democrats, the CBO projected that a relatively small number of Americans would use it. It said total enrollment after a decade would be only three million to four million people, in part because the CBO predicted the public option would attract less-healthy employees and charge higher premiums" (Hitt and Adamy, 12/9).

A United Approach To Health Care Reform

Michael Albert Perreault — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:56:45 EST

For all American's, this would provide drug and medical benefits that will bring up the overall

standard of living in The United States of America. Insurance companies may or may not provide

this service, but in the end it has to be in the form of a taxable service indefinitely. The American

government may even have to take responsiblity for this service, again in the form of taxable

service.

A percentage of payment will have to be insinuated into the American people's taxes so

that they may be able to sustain the health care options and pay the hospitals. Payment may

either go to the american government or the insurance companies, but to simplify things the

taxable payment should go to the United States government. This will allow America to streamline

all of their payments at a set percentage and allow all american health care providers to cut out the

middle-men making all this money, the big-banking insurance companies.

The American government would be a much better provider of health-care. Insurance companies

may charge more for this service, and change percentages and policies depending on their

competitor's rates.

While on the other hand, the american government can streamline payment into a small

percentage of tax and provide the exact same benefits across the board to every American

citizen. This would allow the american people to stay away or bypass all of the meddling

middle-ground fee's associated with insurance companies and their varying insurance policies.

Companies who like to take as much money as they can from the policy purchaser, at their

percentage, and keep that family broke and locked in to that percentage. Making the company

richer and the people poorer.

Using the government as well will keep America away from the inflation associated

with large increases of benefit purchases, and out of a market in which the insurance companies

are already making vast amounts of money in.

This ability to change percentage and rate bogs down the American economy and worldwide allows

international companies to intercede and compete with the same benefits that an American may or

may not be already be recieving in american insurance policy, benefit, or equity in the form of

credit or cash purchase.

Using the United States government will also provide a level of median service within a

brand-new american health-care system and will allow america to provide transparency to the

american health-care recipient in way of new monthly or yearly tax forms.

Sabotage Copenhagen

Lydia from Durham, NC — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:52:22 EST

Who wants to stop the train on Global Warming?

Lydia from Durham, NC — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:47:33 EST

Iran's Nuclear Issue: A Win Win Solution

ARK — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:40:26 EST

Let’s have our cake and eat it too. Iran says it wants part of the Iranian enriched uranium to be exchanged on its soil and others say it should be exchanged outside Iran. There is a win win solution which could satisfy all parties and that is to exchange uranium on Iranian soil but in a newly created 9-party diplomatic zone. That diplomatic zone (9DZ) will consist of representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the 5+1 (US, UK, France, China, Russia + Germany) Countries as well as Japan and Turkey. In order to achieve this solution Iran would ship part of its enriched uranium to that 9-party DZ. Then those responsible for supplying the 20% enriched uranium to be used in Iran’s medical research site would ship that 20% uranium to that 9DZ and exchange it with Iran’s enriched uranium which is already in that zone. At the same time as the 20% would be leaving that Diplomatic Zone to be imported to Iran, Iran’s enriched uranium will leave that DZ and would be sent overseas. So we will have the best of both worlds: 1-Technically that part of the Iranian enriched uranium leaves Iran and enters the 9-party diplomatic zone; 2-Meanwhile it is still on the Iranian soil; the uranium will be exchanged both internationally due to the diplomatic zone and on Iranian soil so all parties will be satisfied.

Contact Congress: Lower Medicare Age Limit

Pat Hanrahan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:10:31 EST

Huffington Post reports today that a group of Senators are considering lowering the Medicare age limit as part of health care reform. Only this past weekend, a dear friend of mine who is in great need of a knee replacement told me his insurance company is refusing to authorize the surgery. He is 60 years old and has spent his entire life providing social services, primarily as director of a senior services program. Yet now that he is in need our for-profit, for-greed, private insurance system is failing him. Lowering the Medicare age limit to 60, or even 55, would go a long way towards health care reform. These changes should be part of the broader effort to provide a strong public insurance option.

Contact your Senators to encourage them to support this initiative.

Viva Bolivia! Victory for indigenous people everywhere!

Fire Is Born — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:38:47 EST

AMERICAS, AMERICAS!...................................................

ps. I refuse to buy the "anti-American" verbage in some of the articles below. FIB

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Bolivia's Morales claims election victory BBC News - ‎4 hours ago‎ President Evo Morales has claimed victory in Bolivia's presidential election and appears set to serve a second five-year term. Exit polls suggest Bolivia's first indigenous leader polled at least 61%, defeating his conservative rivals. ...

Bolivia's Mor...

BBC News

Morales Headed for Re-election in Bolivia New York Times - Simon Romero, Andrés Schipani - ‎6 hours ago‎ Supporters of President Evo Morales of Bolivia celebrated his reelection at Murillo square in front of the presidential palace in La Paz on Sunday evening. By SIMON ROMERO LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales and legislative candidates from his ...

Morales Heade...

New York Times

Bolivia's Morales claims landslide victory Press TV - ‎53 minutes ago‎ Bolivia's first indigenous president Evo Morales has claimed a landslide re-election victory in the country's presidential poll. According to the latest vote countess Morales has 'easily' won a second term in office. The victory comes as his social ...

Bolivia's Mor...

Press TV

Evo Morales claims landslide victory in Bolivian elections Times Online - ‎4 hours ago‎ Evo Morales, the Bolivian President, claimed a landslide re-election victory last night in elections seen as a referendum on his socialist reforms. Official results were not due until Monday but exit polls gave him 62 per cent of the vote to Manfred ...

Evo Morales c...

Times Online

Exit polls predict landslide victory for Morales Press TV - ‎6 hours ago‎ Three exit polls predict that Bolivian President Evo Morales has won a landslide re-election victory with an overwhelming 61 percent of the vote. His main rival, Manfred Reyes Villa, the candidate of the Progress Plan Party, trailed with around 23 ...

Exit polls pr...

Press TV

Bolivia election spectacle takes to the ring BBC News - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ As Bolivia gears up for Sunday's presidential poll, the electoral battle is being played out in a La Paz wrestling ring, as the bbc's Andres Schipani reports. In one corner - dressed in blue tights - is "Son of the People" President Evo Morales; ...

Bolivia elect...

BBC News

Morales reaches out to middle class Aljazeera.net - Teresa Bo - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ "These days some people in the middle class are saying: He is an Indian, he is indigenous but he gives us dignity. That's why I want to tell people in the middle class 'welcome to this revolutionary process'." Those were the words of Evo ...

Morales reach...

Aljazeera.net

Evo Morales on course to win second term in Bolivian elections guardian.co.uk - ‎9 hours ago‎ Bolivian president Evo Morales waves to supporters upon arrival at the polling station in Villa 14 de Septiembre. Photograph: Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images Evo Morales appears on course for a big victory in the Bolivian elections tomorrow, ...

Evo Morales o...

guardian.co.uk

In Bolivia vote, Indian power a central issue The Associated Press - Frank Bajak - ‎Dec 4, 2009‎ CHARAGUA, Bolivia — In Bolivia's biggest municipality, a scrub-brush expanse of cattle ranches and hardscrabble farms, Sunday's national elections aren't all about Evo Morales. With Bolivia's first indigenous president expected to easily win ...

In Bolivia vo...

The Associated P...

Morales highly favored for re-election in Bolivia The Associated Press - Frank Bajak - ‎17 hours ago‎ LA PAZ, Bolivia — President Evo Morales, a coca-grower at odds with Washington but hugely popular at home for empowering Bolivia's long-suppressed indigenous majority, was expected to coast to re-election on Sunday. Such a victory would augur further ...

Morales highl...

The Associated P...

Bolivia's Morales talks tough on eve of election AFP - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ LA PAZ — About five million Bolivians go to the polls Sunday in an election that is likely to deliver Evo Morales another five-year term in office and consolidate the anti-American president's hold on power. On the eve of the polls, Morales slammed CNN ...

Bolivia's Mor...

AFP

Bolivia's Morales wins new presidential term AFP - ‎19 hours ago‎ LA PAZ — Bolivia's leftist President Evo Morales won a landslide reelection victory in voting that also handed him unfettered control of Congress, according to exit polls. The results mean that Morales, a fiercely anti-US leader in the mold of his ...

Bolivia's Mor...

AFP

Bolivia's anti-US leader poised for re-election AFP - ‎18 hours ago‎ LA PAZ — Bolivian President Evo Morales, a fervent anti-US leader, looked poised to easily win re-election on Sunday thanks to overwhelming support from his country's indigenous majority. Bolivia's five million voters, who started going to the polls at ...

Bolivia's ant...

AFP

Bolivia prepares for national vote Aljazeera.net - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ Voters in Bolivia are preparing to head to the polls for presidential and congressional elections with Evo Morales, the nation's first indigenous president, expected to win a second term in office. Surveys ahead of Sunday's vote indicated Morales had a ...

Bolivia prepa...

Aljazeera.net

Bolivian leader to change law to jail polls rival AFP - ‎Dec 1, 2009‎ LA PAZ — Bolivian President Evo Morales, seeking reelection in weekend elections, said Tuesday the law would be changed so a conservative opposition candidate and his running mate could be jailed for corruption. "We are going to change the law and the ...

Bolivian lead...

AFP

Morales coasting to new term Washington Times - Martin Arostegui - ‎7 hours ago‎ SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia | Bolivian President Evo Morales appeared headed for a decisive election win Sunday, a victory that opponents fear could lock the country into a socialist system modeled on that of Venezuelan ...

Morales coast...

Washington Times

Bolivia Voted for Evo Morales Hamsayeh.Net - ‎58 minutes ago‎ Dec. 07, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Bolivians hit the voting stations across the country with their hope of re-electing their favorite President Evo Morales for another five-year term. Final results of the elections haven't been announced yet but it is ...

Bolivia Voted...

Hamsayeh.Net

Morales reelected as Bolivian president: exit polls AFP - ‎9 hours ago‎ LA PAZ — Bolivian President Evo Morales was handed a second term in office in elections Sunday, according to various early exit polls that suggested he won 62-63 percent of the ballots. His nearest rival, conservative former governor Manfred Reyes ...

Morales reele...

AFP

Voting begins in Bolivia elections Press TV - ‎17 hours ago‎ Polls have opened in Bolivia's general elections with incumbent President Evo Morales likely to win a second five-year term. Balloting began at 8 am (1200 GMT) amid tight security measures and was expected to continue for eight hours. ...

Voting begins...

Press TV

Landslide victory and Senate majority for Evo Morales in Bolivia MercoPress - ‎4 hours ago‎ Bolivian president Evo Morales won by a landslide majority in Sunday's general elections and according to exit polls has ensured the Senate two thirds majority needed to continue with his reforms program some of them considered controversial. ...

Landslide vic...

MercoPress

Bolivia's Morales set for re-election euronews - ‎18 hours ago‎ The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Bolivia's President Evo Morales is expected to easily win re-election today. Opinion polls predict the leftist leader will take more than 50 percent of ...

Bolivia's Mor...

euronews

Through a Glass Darkly: The Elite Perspective on Bolivian Democracy Salem-News.Com - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ The NY Times takes cheap shots at a President whose politics may more closely resemble democracy, than our own. (EUGENE, Ore.) - In this article I must take a detour from my normal reporting and instead comment on an article written in the New York ...

Through a Gla...

Salem-News.Com

Bolivians Prepare for Sunday Presidential Vote AS/COA Online - Carin Zissis - ‎Dec 3, 2009‎ For the past few months, polls have placed Bolivia's Evo Morales ahead of rivals in the presidential race. Figures published by La Razón earlier this week showed that the gap is ever widening as the country prepares for its December 6 election. ...

Bolivians Pre...

AS/COA Online

Bolivia to see presidential elections on Sunday RIA Novosti - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ Bolivia will hold presidential elections on Sunday, with seven candidates expected to run against the incumbent president, Evo Morales. The candidates include three indigenous Americans, one woman, one former military official, a lawyer, ...

Bolivia to se...

RIA Novosti

Bolivian president on course to win second term Irish Times - ‎7 hours ago‎ Bolivian president Evo Morales, whose left-wing economic policies have made him broadly popular with Bolivia's poor but angered business leaders, was expected to win re-election yesterday, allowing him to expand state control over the economy. ...

Bolivian pres...

Irish Times

Assassination plot claim puts Morales in the driving seat Irish Times - ‎Dec 2, 2009‎ BOLIVIA'S FIRST ever indigenous president Evo Morales is set to sweep back into power in Sunday's presidential election after a campaign in which the opposition has been put on the defensive by the government's accusation that it was involved in an ...

Assassination...

Irish Times

Evo Morales Confident in Re-Election Victory on Sunday Periódico 26 - ‎Dec 5, 2009‎ According to the surveys, President Evo Morales is heading for a clear victory to secure his re-election as president of Bolivia until 2015. Surveys conducted by companies such as Ceprode, Ipsos and Mori Support, show that the Movement Towards ...

Evo Morales C...

Periódico 26

Bolivia's Morales and opposition fighting for control of Senate next Sunday MercoPress - ‎Nov 30, 2009‎ Bolivian president Evo Morales is set to win next Sunday's general election and could even manage 24 of the 36 Senate seats thus ensuring the full control of the future Pluri-national Legislative Assembly, according to the latest opinion polls. ...

Bolivia's Mor...

Colombia Reports

1 2

Sharing my old notes with you'll

Rev. Dr. Yb-lem Cueva Oskowitz — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:12:24 EST

Physical conditions which are caused by emotional conflicts are generally referred to as being Psychosomatic.

The mental condition in which anxiety is not generally found is Psychopatic Personality.

The Rorschach test - Helps in a diagnostic formulation and in determining differential treatment.

Ethical values are most generally acquired through the integration into the self of parental values and attitudes.

Take a moment to save a life

korkie — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:50:57 EST

We are not going to get any support from the Republicans on passing any form of health care reform. Don't waste your valuable time trying to change their minds. Instead, go after the Democrats who are playing political games with our lives, while lining their pockets with donations form the medical corporation. Let them know you will not allow them to put a $$$ on the lives of our citizens.

Here are the Dems we should be putting the pressure on. Each day, take a couple minutes to send them a message. Let them know NOT voting for Health Care Reform is signing a death warrant for tens of thousands of American each and every year.

You do not have to fall under their constituency to let them know how you feel. Tell them if they do not do what is best for Americans, instead of themselves, you will do what ever you can to support their opponents come election time.

Thanks to Alan Paradis for the contact information.

Joe Lieberman
• Phone (202) 224-4041 Fax (202) 224-9750
• 706 Hart Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

Blanche Lincoln, AR
Phone: (202)224-4843 Fax: (202)228-1371
355 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Ben Nelson, NE
Phone: 1-202-224-6551 Fax: 1-202-228-0012
twitter - @SenBenNelson
720 Hart Senate Office Building, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510
http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm

Mary Landrieu, LA
Voice: (202)224-5824 Fax:(202) 224-9735
328 Hart Senate Building,United States Senate,Washington, DC 20510
http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Here are some additional links you should take note of:

• http://lieberman.senate.gov/contact/
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Lieberman/7816456174
• Here's a link to some single payer supporters that were arrested for civil disobedience and are remaingin in jail demanding to meet with Senator Lieberman. Please help this support them and make this video viral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Schemur6pbE
• Petition: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/lieberman_po/
• Petition: http://boldprogressives.org/majorityvote/p-typ-fb

VICTORY!!! The CLASS act is a class act, and ...

Fire Is Born — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:22:00 EST

... means not only the dignity for seniors and people with disabilities. It means "JOBS NOW" for the poorest and most deserving workers (like me) who will spend this mony TODAY. This program is billions of dollars in savings on institutional solutions that are never as good as staying home. Why not? I've been in this business for quite a few years, and really had many reasons to think about it. Trust me! Joe, where would you like to be when you get old? Because you will one day soon...

Finally something out there that made me really happy!

Merry Season, everyone! FIB

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Senate preserves long-term care program

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP) – 22 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Keeping faith with the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Senate voted Friday to preserve a new long-term care insurance program to help seniors and the disabled in its health overhaul bill.

But the vote exposed the difficulties Democratic leaders face in persuading their own moderates to stay united behind the sweeping legislation they hope to deliver to President Barack Obama. Eleven Democrats switched and voted with Republicans, warning that the program would turn into a drain on the federal budget and saddle future generations with even more debt.

Republicans fell short in a bid to strike the voluntary insurance plan on a 51-47 vote. They needed 60 votes to prevail. Two leading Democrats who shaped the health care bill, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana and Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota, voted with the GOP — underscoring the gravity of the fiscal concerns.

Known as the CLASS Act, short for Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, the program would help seniors and disabled people stay in their own homes and avoid going into nursing homes. It had been a long-sought priority for Kennedy, the Massachusetts lawmaker who died this summer of brain cancer.

Workers would pay a modest monthly premium during their careers. If they become disabled, they would get a cash benefit of at least $50 a day. That can help pay for a home care attendant, for supplies and equipment, to make home improvements such as new bathroom railings, or defray nursing home costs. A version of the program is also in the health care legislation passed by the House. The Obama administration supports it.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who led the effort to cut the long-term care plan from the bill, said it would add another unaffordable commitment to a government swamped with debt — and taxpayers would eventually get the bill.

"The CLASS Act is the same old Washington, same old smoke and mirrors, same old games," said Thune. "We are locking in future generations to deficits and debts as far as the eye can see."

But Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said the program is projected to be fiscally sound for 75 years, based only on the premiums that workers would pay. As a further safeguard, the Senate voted to ensure that funds collected under the plan would only be used to pay out benefits — and not to cover other government obligations.

"This is a very creative idea of using individuals' money to contribute to their own long-term financial security if they're faced with disabilities," said Dodd. "It is a solid program that can make a huge difference for millions of Americans, allowing them to lead independent lives with dignity."

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who Democrats are counting on to support the final bill, also voted to strip the long-term care program from the bill.

Mele Kalikimaka

☮ CR ❤ — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:27:45 EST

Obama expected to visit Hawaii for family holiday vacation

12/4/09 By Derrick DePledge and Dan Nakaso - Honolulu Advertiser

President Obama is expected to vacation in Hawai'i later this month, a holiday tradition for the president and his family.

Obama, who was born in Hawai'i and graduated from Punahou School, has not been back to the Islands since being sworn in as president. He was president-elect when he and his family had a 12-day vacation at a beachfront home in Kailua last December, and still a candidate when he visited his dying grandmother in October 2008 and enjoyed a summer break and local fundraiser in August 2008.

Obama is expected to fly to Honolulu on Dec. 23 and return to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 2, several sources have said, spending the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the Islands. The president does not have any public events on his schedule.

A White House spokesman would not officially confirm the visit yesterday.

Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died in November 2008, and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, has temporarily moved to Washington, so the president does not have a direct family tie to the Islands this year.

Brian Schatz, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, could not confirm the Obama visit but said if the president does vacation here, it would show his connection to home.

"Whenever he visits, everyone in Hawai'i is reminded of how proud we are of his strong roots in his home state," Schatz said. "I think the connection between Hawai'i and the president is strong in both directions."

The White House would not confirm the visit or any details about where Obama will stay.

return welcomed

Several neighbors along Kailuana Place, where the Obama family stayed in Kailua last year, said they would welcome a return visit.

"We saw the whole family — Michelle Obama and the girls," Ember Shinn said. "I hope they bring their dog this time."

The Obamas brought Bo, a Portuguese water dog, into their family in April. The little black-and-white dog was photographed wearing a lei in his White House debut.

With the White House press corps camped outside the driveway to the Obama vacation rental, Shinn said her house "became the bathroom for the press."

But she didn't mind.

"It was very exciting," Shinn said. "The best part was we got to know our neighbors because we all hung out on the street a lot," waiting for the Obamas to drive in and out of the neighborhood.

Jim Gebhard's daughter, Leisa, was house-sitting for a neighbor near Obama's rental and had to pass Secret Service security checkpoints every day.

When agents opened the trunk to Jim's car, they found campaign posters for his preferred presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"They joked with her and said, 'I don't know about this,' " Jim Gebhard remembered. "But she was on the list and they got used to her going back and forth."

Even though his candidate lost, Gebhard — a retired Air Force colonel — honors the commander in chief.

"He's the president now and I'm former military," Gebhard said. "You've got to respect the presidency."

'it was a positive'

Linda and David Oifer had just moved into the neighborhood when the Obamas arrived for their vacation. For the Oifers, it was a chance to meet everyone because the neighbors hung out on beach chairs hoping for a glance at the Obama family.

"It was a chance to really have fun with the neighbors," Linda Oifer said. "That was the most memorable thing, and we continue to be in contact with them as a result. The media and all that stuff was not a problem. It was a positive."

She also got to speak with Obama when a friend invited her to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, hoping to get a glimpse of him following his morning workout.

"I shook his hand on base and said, 'I'm going to the inauguration,' " she said. "He actually spoke to me. He said, 'That's terrific. Enjoy it.' "

*********************

Mele Kalikimaka Lyrics

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say,
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day,
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway,
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright,
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night,
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say "Merry Christmas to you."

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say,
On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day,
That's the island greeting that we send to you
From the land where palm trees sway,
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright,
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night,
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way
To say, "Merry Christmas,
A very Merry Christmas to you."

'Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope' by Nikki Grimes

Fire Is Born — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:03:47 EST

'Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope' by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

$16.99

Buy From Amazon

Why give your kids yet another video game when you can open their minds? Nikki Grimes’s children’s book about President Obama comes with an educational guide and colorful illustrations. (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, $16.99)

Christmas Truce

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:02:32 EST

Christmas Truce

The "Christmas truce" is a term used to describe several brief unofficial cessations of hostilities that occurred on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day between German and British or French troops in World War I, particularly that between British and German troops stationed along the Western Front during Christmas 1914. In 1915 there was a similar Christmas truce between German and French troops, and during Easter 1916 a truce also existed on the Eastern Front.

British–German truce
British and German troops meeting in No man's land during the unofficial truce (British troops from the Northumberland Hussars, 7th Division, Bridoux-Rouge Banc Sector)

The truce began on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1914, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, most notably Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.

The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land" where small gifts were exchanged — whisky, jam, cigars, chocolate, and the like. The soldiers exchanged gifts, sometimes addresses, and drank together. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respects.

The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories of football matches between the opposing forces.

In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.

The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, Pope Benedict XV had begged for an official truce between the warring governments, "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." It was considered possible by the Germans but angrily denounced by the British who blithely ignored any further peace overtures made by Benedict - although the pope's ten conditions for a lasting peace were largely subsumed by Woodrow Wilson in his "14 Points".

British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again, although both had left command before Christmas 1915. In all of the following years of the war, artillery bombardments were ordered on Christmas Eve to ensure that there were no further lulls in the combat. Troops were also rotated through various sectors of the front to prevent them from becoming overly familiar with the enemy. Despite those measures, there were a few friendly encounters between enemy soldiers, but on a much smaller scale than in 1914.

French–German truce
In December 1915, “When the Christmas bells sounded in the villages of the Vosges behind the lines ..... something fantastically unmilitary occurred. German and French troops spontaneously made peace and ceased hostilities; they visited each other through disused trench tunnels, and exchanged wine, cognac and cigarettes for Westphalian black bread, biscuits and ham. This suited them so well that they remained good friends even after Christmas was over.” From an account by Richard Schirrmann, who was in a German regiment holding a position on the Bernhardstein, one of the mountains of the Vosges, and separated from the French troops by a narrow no-man’s-land, described by him as “strewn with shattered trees, the ground ploughed up by shellfire, a wilderness of earth, tree-roots and tattered uniforms.” Military discipline was soon restored, but Schirrmann pondered over the incident, and whether “thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other.” He went on to found the German Youth Hostel Association in 1919.

Informal armistice
During the first two years after the lines of the Western Front stabilized, other situations of informal armistice (i.e. armistice not imposed by high command) were recognized by both sides. According to anecdotes, inexperienced British commanders were astonished to find British and German forces both exposing themselves above the trench line within clear range of enemy guns. Artillery was often fired at precise points, at precise times, to avoid enemy casualties by both sides. Situations of deliberate dampening of hostilities also occurred by some accounts, e.g., a volley of gunfire being exchanged after a misplaced mortar hit the British line, after which a German soldier shouted an apology to British forces, effectively stopping a hostile exchange of gunfire.

Christmas Truce memorial
Descendants of Great War veterans, in contemporary uniform, shake hands at the 2008 unveiling of a memorial to the truce.

On 11 November 2008, the first official Truce memorial was unveiled in Frelinghien, France, the site of a Christmas Truce football game in 1914. After the unveiling and a Service of Remembrance, men from 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) played a football match with the German Panzergrenadier Battalion 371. The Germans won, 2-1.

1st Battalion The Royal Welsh and Panzergrenadier Battalion 371 were invited to take part because their regimental ancestors from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 134th Saxon Infantry Regiment had held the Truce at Frelinghien on Christmas Day, 1914. The match was played in the presence of retired Major Miles Stockwell, grandson of Captain C. I. Stockwell, who commanded 'A' Company, 2/RWF in 1914 and wrote about the Truce in his diary. Mrs Margaret Holmes, daughter of Welsh Private Frank Richards, DCM, MM, and Oberst (Colonel) Joachim Freiherr von Sinner, grandson of Hauptmann (Captain) Maximilian Freiherr von Sinner, the commander of the Machine-gun Company of the German 6th Jäger Battalion, were also present at the game.

Before the match, as happened in 1914, a Saxon soldier rolled a barrel of beer towards the Welsh while Major Stockwell offered Lieutenant-Colonel von Sinner a plum pudding and a cigar. The football, signed by all players, is now in the possession of the Arbeitkreis für Sächsische Militärgeschichte. It will be displayed in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr in Dresden, Germany.

Descendants of Great War veterans, in contemporary uniform, shake hands at the 2008 unveiling of a memorial to the truce.

*****************

I first learned about this extraordinary gesture from the wonderful 2005 movie "Joyeux Noël".

* * Merry Christmas World * *

Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:48:06 EST

Word from the White House: Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress

12/2/09 Jesse Lee- WhiteHouse.gov blog

It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published our focus for the day, along with any related articles, documents, or reports.

Supporting article: "GOP Senator Pens Obstruction Manual For Health Care," Huffington Post, December 2, 2009

Supporting report: "Health Care in Crisis: 14,000 Losing Coverage Each Day," Center for American Progress, February 19, 2009

Talking Points: Defenders of the Status Quo Obstructing Progress

The health care status quo is unsustainable for American families, businesses, and the country as a whole. And with each passing day it only worsens. Yet opponents of reform continue their cynical attempts to delay change and preserve the status quo for as long as possible.
After more than two full days of debate, deliberation, and consideration, Republican leaders have obstructed and objected their way to preventing voting on even a single amendment.
- To put that in perspective, in 2003, the Republican-controlled Senate debated President Bush’s tax cut proposal for a total of just two legislative days. And in 2005 they voted on a full tax-cut reconciliation bill after just two days of debate as well.
Delaying change to death might be a time-honored Washington tactic for winning political points – but it's a guaranteed loss for American families.
- Each day reform is delayed, more than 14,000 Americans lose their insurance.
- Health care costs are rising 3 times faster than wages, premiums have doubled over the past decade, and costs for American families will continue to skyrocket without action
- A recent media article reported that many small businesses may see their premiums rise 15 percent over the coming year – twice the rate they rose last year.
Since the last time many of these people killed health insurance reform:
- Individual and family premiums have each more than doubled.
- National health expenditures have tripled.
- Health care costs have consumed a growing portion of the national GDP.
- And millions of Americans have lost insurance.
So while we continue to welcome a robust and constructive debate, we won’t sit idly by as defenders of the status quo continue to execute their self-professed strategy to "delay, define, and derail" reform at all costs.

Christmas at the White House

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:57:34 EST

12/2/09 http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/

The Holiday Gingerbread White House: The Kitchen Garden in Marzipan, A Shadow Box of The State Dining Room...and Bo!

An understated holiday...except for the stunning Gingerbread White House

First Lady Michelle Obama debuted the White House holiday decorations this afternoon, and in keeping with a nation that's involved in two wars and has a struggling economy, she chose Reflect, Rejoice, Renew for the 2009 holiday theme. There's an elegant--even spartan--decorating scheme in place at the White House, which uses ornaments recycled from past presidential administrations, and garlands made of lovely natural greenery and dried foodstuffs such as berries--including old roots taken from the White House Kitchen Garden. Each room that is bedecked has a different color palette, but all meld nature, White House history, and the green economy--even the electric Christmas lights are LED. And there are six living Christmas trees in place around the campus, which will be adopted by the National Park service after the holidays.

The traditional Gingerbread White House, however, pulls out all the stops. Exec. Pastry Chef Bill Yosses has achieved the stunning pinnacle of historic edible architecture, which is even more complicated than the two previous Gingerbread White Houses he's created. He explained the intricate process of construction, which used the skills of White House staff from both inside and outside the kitchen...but that interview is upcoming, with more photos; right now, this mini-photo gallery. (Yosses, above, with the amazing creation)

The Gingerbread White House is covered in white chocolate, and about 400 pounds, exact to White House architect James Hoban's original plans. It has the brilliant added elements of a marzipan model of the Kitchen Garden, complete with vegetables that were actually grown in the garden--radishes, carrots, cabbages, peas, cauliflower. There's also a shadow box view into the State Dining Room--with chocolate furniture--and of course, Bo the First Dog, front and center at the bottom of the steps of the South Portico. The only part of the Gingerbread White House that is not edible is the brass ceiling fixture in the mini State dining Room--and that's because it actually has working electricity.

Click on photo to get a full screen view to see Bo better!

To see more photos and blogs visit: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-post.html

Reaction to President Barack Obama's plans for the Afghanistan war

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:53:35 EST

Some reaction to President Barack Obama's plans for the Afghanistan war:

12/2/09 AP

"The Afghanistan-Pakistan review led by the president has provided me with a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task. The clarity, commitment and resolve outlined in the president's address are critical steps toward bringing security to Afghanistan and eliminating terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global security." — Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

___

"This is not a U.S. mission alone. There are 43 countries on the ground under NATO command and I am confident that other allies and partners will also make a substantial increase in their contributions." — NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

____

"I am pleased that he made clear that our resources are not unlimited and our commitment is not open-ended. ... The president drew an essential distinction between his approach to the war and that of the previous administration." — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

____

"I support the president's decision to follow the advice of Generals Petraeus and McChrystal in ordering a surge of forces into Afghanistan. ... We must ensure that the transition of responsibilities is based on conditions, not timelines." — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

___

"I think that Gen. McChrystal will be able to use the 30,000 effectively. More would have been better, but this is what the president has recommended and that's what we'll support." — Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo.

___

"The American Legion is opposed to any exit strategy that takes place before the mission in Afghanistan is accomplished ... To do otherwise would more correctly be called a 'surrender strategy' to which the Legion would be opposed." — Clarence E. Hill, the American Legion's national commander.

___

"That will be very, very difficult but necessary strategy." — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

___

"I think we must take a few weeks to reflect — first off a few weeks to consult with our other European partners, and then a few weeks to decide what our form of participation would be." — Thierry Mariani, France's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

___

"Canada welcomes the additional military and civilian resources the United States will deploy to Afghanistan, particularly to the south. Additional U.S. resources will help to provide a more secure environment for the Afghan people." — Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

___

"The need for additional troops only reinforces the need for timely VA and defense funding. Both the VA and defense budgets are now more than two months late, and our leaders in Congress must act quickly to ensure that we meet the needs of those brave enough to fight our nation's wars." — AMVETS, a veteran's advocacy group.

For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091202/ap_on_go_ot/us_us_afghanistan_quotes

Save Your Armchair Quarterbacking For Football, Not Afghanistan

Steve Sulkin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:38:12 EST

To me, it's obvious and simple, what else could President Obama do but what he did in Afghanistan and commit more troops? We are in two horrible wars. They were very poorly thought out wars and more abhorrently, we were lied to by the former administration. Bottom line we were put in a veritable no-win situation.

So now what to do? We know that people who wish us harm are in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and many other places. The military says we need to fight them. So President Obama is doing what anyone would do, he's giving the military enough rope to succeed or hang themselves. I don't think he even believes we'll succeed, but he knows there's a chance, albeit a small one.

And more importantly he gave OUR MILITARY a date he wants them to get out. I think that anyone in his position, learning what he must now know (that none of us know) such as the danger of nuclear attacks from terrorists, would have done the same. The difference with this President, is that he made the decision carefully, over time and came to a grim conclusion to proceed. That's not flag waving or hawkish behavior as was common with the last administration. That's intelligent behavior, no rallying cries. For him to be derided for being intelligent, for taking the time to make a careful decision is armchair quarterbacking, but unfortunately not about the triviality of sports, but regarding the importance of our very human existence on Earth which is threatened by terrorists.

We should "back off this man", he's doing his best. Being an armchair quarterback is embarrassing when one is talking about our nation and our world surviving this crisis. Save your armchair quarterbacking for football.

Interview with General Paul Eaton

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:11:13 EST

Excerpt from HARDBALL with Chris Matthews interview with Gen. Paul Eaton (retired who served for more than 30 years in the US Army) after President Obama's speech at West Point on 12/1/09:

Gen. Eaton "I will not speak for the general officer core but I will speak for the bright peers that I have who for having witnessing the Bush administration and the Republican party the damage done to the armed forces of the United States from the last eight years. Anybody, anybody who blindly endorses the Republican party particularly the Republican party that we have today is just not a thinking American. The Republican party has done more damage to the armed forces of the United States than any party in my memory. "

Gen. Eaton "This president has touched a nerve and anybody who is paying attention to the way this man (Obama) operates, the competence and the competent people that he surrounds himself with it is so refreshing given the incompetent prosecution of warfare by the last administration. These guys have got hope, I mean the cadets have got real hope that they are going to be put into harms way by a man who knows what he is doing."

For the entire video:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/ns/msnbc_tv-hardball_with_chris_matthews#34233159

Obama: More troops for Afghanistan, with exit plan By STEVEN R. Hurst

Fire Is Born — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:10:17 EST

Obama: More troops for Afghanistan, with exit plan By STEVEN R. HURST and DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writers Steven R. Hurst And Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writers 24 mins ago

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Declaring "our security is at stake," President Barack Obama ordered an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into the long war in Afghanistan Tuesday night, nearly tripling the force he inherited as commander in chief. He promised an impatient public he would begin bringing units home in 18 months.

The buildup to about 100,000 troops will begin almost immediately — the first Marines will be in place by Christmas — and will cost $30 billion for the first year alone.

In a prime-time speech at the U.S. Military Academy, the president told the nation his new policy was designed to "bring this war to a successful conclusion," though he made no mention of defeating Taliban insurgents or capturing al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

"We must deny al-Qaida a safe haven," Obama said in spelling out U.S. military goals for a war that has dragged on for eight years. "We must reverse the Taliban's momentum. ... And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan's security forces and government."

The president said the additional forces would be deployed at "the fastest pace possible so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers."

Their destination: "the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaida."

"It is from here that we were attacked on 9/11, and it is from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak," the president said.

It marked the second time in his young presidency that Obama has added to the American force in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has recently made significant advances. When he became president last January, there were roughly 34,000 troops on the ground; there now are 71,000.

After the speech, cadets in the audience — some of whom could end up in combat because of Obama's decision — climbed over chairs to shake hands with their commander in chief and take his picture.

Obama's announcement drew less-wholehearted support from congressional Democrats. Many of them favor a quick withdrawal, but others have already proposed higher taxes to pay for the fighting.

Republicans reacted warily, as well. Officials said Sen. John McCain, who was Obama's Republican opponent in last year's presidential campaign, told Obama at an early evening meeting attended by numerous lawmakers that declaring a timetable for a withdrawal would merely send the Taliban underground until the Americans began to leave.

As a candidate, Obama called Afghanistan a war worth fighting, as opposed to Iraq, a conflict he opposed and has since begun easing out of.

A new survey by the Gallup organization, released Tuesday, showed only 35 percent of Americans now approve of Obama's handling of the war; 55 percent disapprove.

He made no direct reference to public opinion Tuesday night, although he seemed to touch on it when he said, "The American people are understandably focused on rebuilding our economy and putting people to work here at home."

"After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home," he said flatly.

In eight years of war, 849 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighboring Uzbekistan, according to the Pentagon.

In addition to beefing up the U.S. presence, Obama has asked NATO allies to commit between 5,000 and 10,000 additional troops. The war has even less support in Europe than in the United States, and the NATO allies and other countries currently have about 40,000 troops on the ground.

He said he was counting on Afghanistan eventually taking over its own security, and he warned, "The days of providing a blank check are over." He said the United States would support Afghan ministries that combat corruption and "deliver for the people. We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable."

As for neighboring Pakistan, the president said that country and the United States "share a common enemy" in Islamic terrorists. "We are in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country. But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That is why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border."

The speech before an audience of cadets at the military academy ended a three-month review of the war, triggered by a request from the commanding general, Stanley McChrystal, for as many as 40,000 more troops. Without them, he warned, the U.S. risked failure.

The speech was still under way when the general issued a statement from Kabul. "The Afghanistan-Pakistan review led by the president has provided me with a clear military mission and the resources to accomplish our task," it said. McChrystal is expected to testify before congressional committees in the next several days.

Obama referred to a deteriorating military environment, but said, "Afghanistan is not lost."

The length of the presidential review drew mild rebukes from normally amiable NATO allies. There was sharper criticism from Republicans led by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who said the president was dithering rather than deciding.

Obama rebutted forcefully.

"Let me be clear: There has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010, so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war," he told his audience of more than 4,000 cadets seated in Eisenhower Hall.

Most of the new forces will be combat troops. Military officials said the Army brigades were most likely to be sent from Fort Drum in New York and Fort Campbell in Kentucky; and Marines primarily from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Officials said the additional 30,000 troops included about 5,000 dedicated trainers, underscoring the president's emphasis on preparing Afghans to take over their own security.

These aides said that by announcing a date for beginning a withdrawal, the president was not setting an end date for the war.

But that was a point on which McCain chose to engage the president at a pre-speech meeting with lawmakers before Obama departed for West Point. "The way that you win wars is to break the enemy's will, not to announce dates that you are leaving," McCain said later.

Obama's address represents the beginning of a sales job to restore support for the war effort among an American public grown increasingly pessimistic about success — and among some fellow Democrats in Congress wary of or even opposed to spending billions more dollars and putting tens of thousands more U.S. soldiers and Marines in harm's way.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and liberal House Democrats threatened to try to block funding for the troop increase.

Sen. Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs a military oversight panel, said he didn't think Democrats would yank funding for the troops or try to force Obama's hand to pull them out faster. But Democrats will be looking for ways to pay for the additional troops, he said, including a tax increase on the wealthy although that hike is already being eyed to pay for health care costs. Another possibility is imposing a small gasoline tax that would be phased out if gas prices go up, he said.

The United States went to war in Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States.

Bin Laden and key members of the terrorist organization were headquartered in Afghanistan at the time, taking advantage of sanctuary afforded by the Taliban government that ran the mountainous and isolated country.

Taliban forces were quickly driven from power, while bin Laden and his top deputies were believed to have fled through towering mountains into neighboring Pakistan. While the al-Qaida leadership appears to be bottled up in Pakistan's largely ungoverned tribal regions, the U.S. military strategy of targeted missile attacks from unmanned drone aircraft has yet to flush bin Laden and his cohorts from hiding.

___

Steven R. Hurst reported from Washington. AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven and National Security Writer Anne Gearan contributed to this report.

Live Blogging Obama’s Afghan Speech

Fire Is Born — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:45:25 EST

December 1, 2009, 6:47 pm

Live Blogging Obama’s Afghan Speech

By JEFF ZELENY

Ruth Fremson/

The New York Times West Point cadets waited for President Obama to speak on Tuesday.

Setting the Scene | 7:11 p.m. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, who is on site at West Point, reports:

Many speeches have been delivered at the military academy, but never before have cadets heard orders directly from a commander-in-chief who could send them into a war zone.

There is a sense of anticipation in the air. A West Point official brought a handful of carefully selected cadets – seniors with impressive resumes – to speak to reporters.

Alexandra Rosenberg, 22, of Manhattan, is a Rhodes and Truman Scholar with plans of becoming a doctor. Eric Bernau, 21, of Rochester Minn., is the cadet public affairs officer, who spent a semester studying in China. And Tyler Gordy, 26, came to West Point after serving as an infantryman and getting wounded in Iraq. He is First Captain, supervising 4,000 cadets.

Ruth Fremson/

The New York Times One cadet was reading “The Kite Runner,” a novel set in Afghanistan, while he waited for the president to speak.

The three will be among those seated behind the secretary of state and secretary of defense for Mr. Obama’s speech, which Mr. Bernau described as “the most momentous day in our four years of the academy.”

“I mean, he’s the commander in chief, he’s our boss,” Mr. Bernau said. “It’s kind of like a shareholders meeting where you hear the strategy of the company.”

These cadets will graduate as second lieutenants and platoon leaders.

While Ms. Rosenberg will go to Oxford in the fall, the other two fully expect to be deployed, and have chosen the infantry as where they want to serve.

“This doesn’t make me nervous, it doesn’t scare me or anything,” Mr. Gordy said. “I have known this for five years now. What it does is give me a sense of direction.”

Speech Preparations | 6:47 p.m. President Obama’s address to the nation from the United States Military Academy at West Point will begin at 8 p.m. He left the White House after a daylong series of calls to foreign leaders, followed by a late-afternoon briefing to Congressional leaders.

By now, broad outlines of the speech are known: 30,000 more American troops will be sent to Afghanistan; the goal for beginning to withdraw the first wave of forces will be July 2011; the strategy is aimed at preventing Al Qaeda from returning to Afghanistan, where the Sept. 11 attacks were planned.

It is the president’s burden, of course, to explain why he believes the war in Afghanistan should be escalated.(...)"

AIDS is a Human Rights Issue

☮ CR ❤ — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:36:22 EST

World AIDS Day’ AIDS is a Human Rights Issue

12/1/09 Posted by: Vienna Colucci- amnestyusa.org

Today is twenthieth anniversary of the first World AIDS Day, established to commemorate those who have died of the disease and marshal attention to address the epidemic. The World AIDS Campaign has declared “Lead-Empower-Deliver“ to be the theme for this year.

For the last several years, AI has been zeroing in on the message that AIDS is a human rights issue. Human rights abuses place people at greater risk of contracting HIV, and, all too often, those living with HIV and AIDS are subjected to human rights abuses.

Check out Amnesty’s special web feature in honor of World AIDS Day.

Nowhere is the link between human rights abuses and HIV and AIDS clearer than in South Africa, where women, particularly those living in rural areas, face not only high HIV prevalence and high levels of sexual violence, but also widespread poverty. AI’s report, I am at the lowest end of all, draws on the stories of women who, having contracted HIV as a result of violence, must now overcome extreme poverty and disrcimination in order to obtain treatement.

Circling back to this year’s theme of leadership, Amnesty wants to know how governments measure up to our 10-point plan of action on HIV and AIDS and human rights. How is the U.S. doing? What changes would you like President-elect Obama to make to U.S. policy on HIV and AIDS when he takes office?

*********************

Barack Obama has done many things to help stop HIV AIDS and to help people with HIV AIDS:

Candidate Obama video speaking about AIDS:
Link

10/30 Obama to lift HIV/AIDS travel ban:
Link

AHF Applauds Obma for Urging All Americans to get tested for HIV: Link

President Obama signs the Ryan White Act video:
Link

President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle, on Sunday released pictures of them being tested for HIV/AIDS three years ago on a trip to Kenya: Link

Stabilizing Afghanistan is worth another try

☮ CR ❤ — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:12:48 EST

11/30/09 San Jose Mercury News Editorial

Afghanistan is the thorniest of the many disastrous entanglements President Barack Obama inherited from George Bush. And there is no safe way out.

The easiest course of action in the short term would be to declare the war unwinnable and bring America's troops home. It would save money and appease liberal members of the president's party.

Instead, Obama is showing great political resolve. Tonight, in a nationally televised address, he is expected to ask Congress to authorize sending an additional 30,000 troops overseas. He will also ask NATO allies to contribute 10,000 troops to the cause of stabilizing a region that remains one of the greatest threats to U.S. and world security.

It's the best of a bad set of choices. Americans are understandably weary of the costly eight-year conflict, and the failure to capture Osama bin Laden still grates. In his campaign, Obama said Bush had fought the wrong war, focusing on Iraq when the real threat was still Afghanistan. He was right, but that won't make Afghanistan easy to win.

Yet critics who urge a pullout ignore the risks of ceding the nation to al-Qaida and Taliban forces, creating an even stronger base for attacks on the West than they enjoyed before 2001 — and heightening the risk of losing Pakistan, with its nuclear capability.

The Afghan government is corrupt and weak. While this makes it painful for the West to defend, it also means the government will quickly fall without a strong U.S. presence. The inevitable resurgence in terrorist activity would then be laid to the U.S. decision to abandon the country.

It's not just Obama who believes that to be true. His most experienced military advisers and foreign policy experts, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and CIA Director Leon Panetta, agree.

The growing destabilization in Pakistan is a factor here. The Pakistani government can play a pivotal role in the stabilization of Afghanistan — but if Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, Pakistan also is at grave risk, its nuclear weapons likely to fall into the worst possible hands. Leaving Afghanistan would embolden opposition forces there.

Obama's biggest challenge is defining the military's long-range mission. He must present a realistic set of goals that lead to eventually handing over military control to Afghan forces.

But the commitment of military and financial aid to President Hamid Karzai must be contingent on his reaching clear benchmarks as well, including separating himself from corrupt warlords. If Karzai can't live up to the goals, he'll never be strong enough to keep the Taliban and al-Qaida at bay. Continuing corruption of the current government will turn a U.S. troop surge into a hopeless gesture.

It may be hopeless anyway. Ask the Russians. But having invested so much, the U.S. must make one last, serious effort to bring stability. This is the plan Obama will present. It's the wisest move he can make, given the hand he was dealt.

New Obama Group Forming 'AmericaNOchange'

Al Boek — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:42:29 EST

Fellow President Obama Supporters and Former Ones"

AS the founder of the Obama Group named YESWECANSOLVEIT...

I have taken the liberty of forming still another group called

AmericaNOchange. I doubt this one gets approved.

Thought I'd better hurry and write this and send it to all groups that

I am still a member of before I am banned here forever. Why would

that happen? you ask. Because I just formed a new group with a little

kid yelling "Hey You" while flipping off the viewer. Hope the president

and his staff gets the message.

The esculation of the war in Aftganistan is the last straw. Three strikes

your out!

First, he keeps the same people on the payroll that got us into this

financial disaster. He let's Bush and Cheney walk scot-free. He continues

to bail out the banks, "all too big to fail" why they screw us in every way.

And tonight on national tv he will try to convience us all that the way to

end the war in Aftganistan is to exculate it. This did not work in Vietnam,

I know, because I volunteered to go there, and it will not work in Aftganistan.

To add insult to injury. The powers that be, the ones backing McCain in

my city in Northern California, are all meeting to determine what the same

good ole boys get to do with local stimulus funds...So my question is?

WHAT THE HELL HAS CHANGED IN AMERICA PRESIDENT OBAMA?

I am so damned mad right now, I swear, if I could afford it, I'd trade in

my next presidential ballot for a passport.

Al Boek, Ex-Supporter of a One-Term President

earlallenboek@yahoo.com

530-549-4315

Redding, California

President Obama’s Correct & Winning Strategy in Afghanistan

ARK — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:57:19 EST

When the going gets tough the tough GET GOING! Extremist in Afghanistan are doing their best to discourage any troop increase in that country. In another word, they are doing whatever they can to break the resolve of this GREAT nation just as Hitler tried to do. Extremists will increase their bombing activities against NATO forces to bring about a disgraceful withdrawal of allied troops. It is a psychological warfare as well as a military one. The answer to such tactics is increased troop deployments by allied forces and NOT only by the US. So far Great Britain which is US’s closest NATO ally in this war as well as the Iraq War. Recently Britain has committed more troops and hopefully others will follow suit sooner than later. Troop commitments by other NATO allies should also be based on British troop levels as well as their GDP and population versus Britain. Other important questions facing us today are:

Whether NATO wants to successfully finish the job in less than two years.
Or get involved in a war of attrition which could last over a decade?
There is a 3rd way and that is withdrawal before success. If this great nation is interested in finishing the unfinished task of stopping Al-Qaeda/Extremist Taliban style terrorism worldwide, then this option is not viable at all.

I sincerely believe the best course of action would be option 1. In order to achieve this task there should be troop increases by allied forces led by the US and that difficult decision will in the long term save lives as well as costs. To prove my point, let’s do the math. If we keep the present troop level of 68,000 and engage in a war of attrition of over 10 years, then we will have at least 68,000x10= 680,000 troops engaged for the duration of our NOT winnable war of attrition. If we choose option A, then we will have 98,000x2 or 196,000 troops involved for 2 years and in a winnable situation. And if we divide these two numbers, then we will get 196,000/680,000=.28 or 28% of human resources and costs involved for option 1 versus option 2 and a winnable situation. Nation building as well as winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and moderate Taliban and LAST but NOT LEAST STOPPING THE SOURCE FINANCING FOR EXTREMISTS are other keys to success. One can NOT expect success without sacrifices, when the going gets tough, the tough will support their President through tough decisions. AND this logical and thoughtful President makes decisions based on facts and NOT assumptions. GOOD LUCK President Obama! We support you and US troops 100%.

90 Things President Obama Accomplished - The Media Didn't Report

☮ CR ❤ — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:54:54 EST

90 Things President Obama Accomplished - The Media Didn't Report

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending

   2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices

   3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women

   4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq

   5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB

   6. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information

   7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family

   8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act

   9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible

10. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House

11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration

12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan

14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research

15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research

16. New federal funding for science and research labs

17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards

18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect

19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools

20. New funds for school construction

21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out

22. US Auto industry rescue plan

23. Housing rescue plan

24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan

25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying

26. US financial and banking rescue plan

27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed

28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards

29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops

30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010

31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols

32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic

33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions

34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office

35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job

36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast

37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles

38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales

39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government

40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children

41. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program

42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones

43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions

44. Expanding vaccination programs

45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters

46. Closed offshore tax safe havens

47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals

48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back

49. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices

50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources

51. Lower drug costs for seniors

52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings

53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel

54. Improved housing for military personnel

55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses

56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals

57. Increasing student loans

58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program

59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy

60. Established a new cyber security office

61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.

62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts

63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness

64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient

65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced

66. Improving benefits for veterans

67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration

68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud

69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco

70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules

71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports

72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons

73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive

74. Making more loans available to small businesses

75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare

76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court

77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans

78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000

79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel

80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan

81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan

82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans

83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production

84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters

85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket

86. Held first Seder in White House

87. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured

88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform

89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform

90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

- dailykos

7 Things You Didn't Know About Senate Health Bill

☮ CR ❤ — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:44:04 EST

7 Things You Didn't Know About Senate Health Bill

11/30/09 Mary Agnes Carey, Phil Galewitz and Laurie McGinley -NPR

Pay attention: The "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" — better known as the Senate health care overhaul bill – is chock full of interesting but little publicized provisions affecting consumers. Sure, the bill is mainly a blueprint for overhauling the insurance system. But look closely and you'll see a variety of items that would affect people from the cradle to old age – from breast pump use to retiree health benefits. It's a congressional tradition, adding pet interests that otherwise might not pass to a big bill that at least will be put up for a vote.

Yes, there's plenty of time to change the bill. But political analysts say a final overhaul bill would more likely look like this measure than the version already approved by the House because Senate Democrats barely could agree on sending it to the floor for debate. In short, there's not much political room for major changes.

Here are some examples of what lies in this 2,074-page bill:

Nursing Mothers Get A Break

Employers would be required to provide an unpaid "reasonable break time for nursing mothers" in the first year after giving birth. Women would be provided a private place, other than a bathroom, to use a breast pump. The provision exempts companies with fewer than 50 workers if the requirement would impose "an undue hardship," a determination left to the employer to make. To encourage businesses, the legislation would give them a tax credit toward the costs of providing a suitable space for women.

This provision was inserted by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who in June introduced the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. Merkley is promoting breast feeding partly as a way to cut health costs. He cites studies showing breast-fed children have a lower rate of disease and illness in their lifetime.

But employers see yet another expense. "Every additional mandated rule further burdens employers who are struggling to keep jobs afloat," says Neil Trautwein, vice president of the National Retail Federation.

Twenty-four states already have protections for nursing mothers in the workplace, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Learning To Be An Adult

Being a teenager is tough. The Senate wants to help with a provision allocating $400 million from 2010 to 2015 to help teens make the transition to adulthood.

The money goes to states primarily to set up sex education programs. But the money can also be used for "adult preparation" programs that promote "positive self esteem, relationship dynamics, friendships, dating, romantic involvement, marriage and family interaction."

In addition, the programs can teach financial literacy and other skills such as goal setting, decision-making and stress management. About $10 million of funding would go to "innovative youth pregnancy prevention strategies" in areas of the country with high teen birth rates.

The Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training funding was approved as an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee. Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine joined all the Democrats in passing it.

Retiree Health Benefits

The Senate bill includes a provision designed to ease out-of-pocket costs for retirees who are under 65 but who still get health insurance from their former employer. The bill would create a temporary "reinsurance" program under which the government would pick up 80 percent of some high-cost insurance claims filed by retirees. Employers would use the savings only to make retirees' coverage more affordable by reducing their share of premiums or other costs. The Senate bill would set aside $5 billion for the program; the House-passed bill, which has a similar provision, has a $10 billion pot. The proposal has wide support among employer groups and labor unions.

The same can't be said of another provision in both bills. Companies would have to pay a tax on the government subsidies they receive for providing their Medicare-eligible retirees with prescription drug coverage. These subsidies, included in the 2003 law that created the Medicare drug benefit, were designed to encourage companies to keep offering drug coverage. Now, if the subsidies are taxed to help pay for a health overhaul, they become much less attractive to employers; some companies might drop drug coverage for retirees altogether, warned the American Benefits Council, an employer group, and the AFL-CIO in a joint letter to Congress. If that happened, the retirees would get their drug coverage from Medicare. Critics say that would ultimately cost the government more money than it would recoup by taxing the subsidies.

Promoting Use Of Bone Density Scans

Rapid increases in Medicare payments for imaging services led lawmakers to reduce payments for some services, including those that test bone density.

The Senate bill is trying to boost payments, which have dropped by more than half since 2006, for a bone test known as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bone densitometry. And those cuts have made it more difficult for patients to get access to the test, especially in physicians’ offices and clinics, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. The Senate bill would increase rates to 70 percent of what Medicare paid in 2006.

Raising the payment for bone density scans is a priority for two senators whom Reid hopes to win over in his bid to get 60 votes for his health care plan: Blanche Lincoln, a moderate Democrat from Arkansas, and Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican from Maine.

Setting ER Prices

Hospitals would have to limit how much they charge low-income uninsured emergency patients to the lowest amount they receive from insured patients for the same services.

The provision in the Senate bill comes more than six years after consumer groups in California and Texas began highlighting how hospitals were charging uninsured patients several times more for the same services as insured patients.

A 2007 study published in the journal Health Affairs showed that many "uninsured and other 'self-pay' patients for hospital services" were often charged "2 1/2 times what most health insurers actually paid and more than three times the hospital's Medicare-allowable costs." The study by Gerard Anderson of Johns Hopkins University also found the "gaps between rates charged to self-pay patients and those charged to other payers are much wider than they were in the mid-1980s."

In response to the criticism, many hospitals have set up programs for the uninsured to apply for financial assistance and obtain discounted care. The Senate provision would require all hospitals to have such programs.

Singing The Blues

Non-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans would have to spend at least 85 cents of every premium dollar on health services or forfeit their special federal tax deductions. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this provision in the Senate bill would cost the Blues' plans about $400 million over the next decade.

Historically, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans received a tax-preferred status because they were created to provide a more significant “community benefit” than other insurance companies. But the Blues have come under increasing scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers and consumer watchdog groups for charging high rates, racking up profits (revenues over expenses) and paying top executives no differently than their for-profit insurance counterparts.

Several Blues' plans converted to for-profits in the past 15 years. Of the 39 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans nationwide, 24 are now non-profit.

Transparency In Drug Pricing

Pharmaceutical benefit managers are a critical part of the nation’s health care system. Administering drug plans for more than 210 million insured Americans, they negotiate discounts on prescription drugs with retail pharmacies and wholesalers and also get rebates from drug makers.

At the urging of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Senate Finance Committee inserted language into its health bill that would force the benefit managers, known as PBMs, to disclose details of those negotiations – including how much of the savings were passed on to consumers.

Adding that transparency to drug pricing, Cantwell maintains, would help lower drug prices. “We want the consumer to benefit as greatly as possibly from the discounts that PBMs are helping to negotiate,” Cantwell said earlier this year.

The PBMs don’t see it that way. Cantwell’s amendment, they argue, would “allow competing drug manufacturers and pharmacies to learn prices their competitors charge and raise prices accordingly. It would decrease, not increase, competition among them,” Mark Merritt, president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, wrote in a Nov. 24 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Merritt’s group represents PBMs.

This story was produced through collaboration between NPR and Kaiser Health News (KHN), an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health-care policy research organization. The Kaiser Family Foundation is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

MIT Economist Confirms Senate Health Reform Bill Reduces Costs

EsquireUK — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:32:10 EST

From Politico:

A new analysis by a leading MIT economist provides new ammunition for Democrats as the Senate begins formally debating the historic health-reform bill being pushed by President Barack Obama.
The report concludes that under the Senate’s health-reform bill, Americans buying individual coverage will pay less than they do for today's typical individual market coverage, and would be protected from high out-of-pocket costs…
The “microsimulation” analysis is by Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Treasury Department official under President Bill Clinton. Gruber used data from the Congressional Budget Office.
Gruber concludes that people purchasing individual insurance would save an annual $200 (singles) to $500 (families) in 2009 dollars. And people with low incomes would receive premium tax credits that would reduce the price that they pay for health insurance by as much as $2,500 to $7,500…

From Bloomberg:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid begins this week pushing for Democratic unity on health-care legislation, which may mean catering to the whims of 60 lawmakers who know that each of their votes is essential…
Without any support from Republicans, Reid has to keep his entire caucus in line on issues big and small on a 2,074-page bill that contains the biggest changes to U.S. health care in more than four decades and is President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority…
Both the House and Senate bills would require that Americans get health insurance or pay a penalty, offering subsidies to help lower-income people and setting up online exchanges for comparison shopping. The bills would also require insurers to accept new customers, regardless of preexisting conditions, and encourage greater use of preventive care…

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/29/mit-economist-confirms-senate-health-reform-bill-reduces-costs-and-improves-coverage

Jonathan Gruber, PhD, a MIT Economist who has been closely following the health insurance reform process, issued a compelling new report based on data from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. As the Politico wrote, "The report concludes that under the Senate’s health-reform bill, Americans buying individual coverage will pay less than they do for today's typical individual market coverage, and would be protected from high out-of-pocket costs." Here are some key points:

Gruber concludes that the Senate proposal's health insurance exchange, choices and competition, and policies to hold insurers accountable would reduce costs. Savings for people purchasing coverage in the individual market would range from $200 to 500 for individuals and families, and would be greater if people opted for basic benefits. People with low incomes would receive premium tax credits that would reduce the price that they pay for health insurance by as much as $2,500 to $7,500 in 2009 dollars.

Two charts based on his report illustrate these savings:

The coverage Americans get under the Senate plan would be better than today's typical individual market coverage. For example, it would protect individuals from high out-of-pocket costs, meaning Americans would pay less premiums for more coverage. If instead Americans chose basic benefits similar to those offered in the individual market today, they would pay almost 20 percent less.

As Gruber concludes:

Analysis of the non-partisan information from the CBO suggests that for those facing purchase in the non-group market, the House bill will deliver savings ranging from $200 for singles to $500 for families in today’s dollars – even without subsidies. The savings are much larger for lower income populations that receive premium credits. This is in addition to the higher quality benefits that those in the exchange will receive, with actuarial values for low income populations well above what is typical in the non-group market today. It is also in addition to all the other benefits that this legislation will deliver to those consumers – in particular the guarantee, unavailable in most states, that prices would not be raised or the policy revoked if they became ill.

Nancy-Ann DeParle is Director of the White House Office of Health Reform

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/29/mit-economist-confirms-senate-health-reform-bill-reduces-costs-and-improves-coverage

POTUS December Schedule

☮ CR ❤ — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:05:23 EST

12/1 President Obama will address the nation on the US troop situation in Afganistarn from West Point:

The news websites will carry the speech as well as C-SPAN and WhiteHouse.gov

******************

12/3

1:30 PM The White House will hold a jobs summit at the White House in December with 130 attendees for the jobs forum including small business owners, experts from green jobs sector, business leaders, academics, mayors and representatives from nonprofits."

CONFIRMED ATTENDEES INCLUDE: Eric Schmidt, Google; Randall Stevenson, AT&T; Surya Mohapatra, Qwest ; Frederick Smith, Fed Ex; Brian Roberts, Comcast; Bob Iger, Disney; James McNerney, Boeing; Andrew Livens, Dow; Peter Solmssen, Siemens; Stephanie Burns, Dow Corning; Phaedra Ellis Lamkins, Green for All; Reed Hundt, Coalition for the Green Bank; Larry Mishel, EPI; Alan Blinder, Princeton; Paul Krugman, Princeton; Joe Stiglitz, Columbia; Bob Greenstein, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; and Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia. PLUS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, including David Ickert, Air Tractor; Woody Hall, Diversapack; and Rose Wang, Binary Group. AND Anna Burger, Change to Win; Leo Gerard, United Steel Workers; Joe Hansen, United Food and Commercial Workers; Randi Weingarten, AFT; Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines; Mayor Julian Castro, San Antonio; and Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Allentown, Pa.

5:00 PM Barack Obama and Michelle Obama attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

*******************

12/4 President Barack Obama visits Allentown, PA to kickoff a months-long tour called the "White House to Main Street tour." Mr. Obama will speak to students, teachers, business owners and others at Lehigh Carbon Community College late in the morning.

*******************

12/11/09 President Obama attends the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies in Stockholm accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng and her husband, Konrad Ng.

*******************

12/13 Oprah Winfrey will usher in the holidays at the White House, visiting President Barack Obama and the first lady as they prepare for their family's first Christmas there, on Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special, airing Sunday, December 13, at 10 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.

*******************

12/18 President Obama attends the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between December 7 and December 18, 2009.

*******************

12/23 Obamas fly to Honolulu to spend the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the Islands. The president does not have any public events on his schedule. The Obamas return to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 2,

Obama at hoops game to see brother-in-law's team

☮ CR ❤ — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:42:13 EST

Obama at hoops game to see brother-in-law's team By HOPE YEN, AP

WASHINGTON – It was a family affair for President Barack Obama at the Oregon State-George Washington University basketball game Saturday.

Brother-in-law Craig Robinson is the Oregon State coach. And the president brought along first lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha, and mother-in-law Marian Robinson.

The family sat courtside in the half-full Smith Center, munching on popcorn as Oregon State (2-3) handed George Washington its first loss after four victories.

After leading comfortably for much of the game, OSU survived a late rally by GWU to win 64-57 in front of a boisterous crowd.

Naturally, the Obamas were intensely interested in the outcome. Obama and Mrs. Robinson clapped when OSU scored. Mrs. Obama smiled and clapped, too.

Obama, an avid basketball fan who likes to play the game himself as often as he can, spent the past two days out of public view, enjoying Thanksgiving at the White House with family and friends. After the game, the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama waves as he attends a college basketball game between George Washington University and Oregon State with his family in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009.

Hawaii Opting Out Of HCReform Overhaul

☮ CR ❤ — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:20:04 EST

Hawaii Opting Out Of Health Care Overhaul

11/27/09 by Ben Markus - NPR

Hawaii wants out of the national health care overhaul because it already has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the country, thanks to its 35-year-old employer mandate system. Hawaii's congressional delegation inserted language into both House and Senate health care bills that provides explicit protection for the landmark Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974. It's apparently the only state looking for such an exemption from major health care overhaul.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

Some people in Hawaii are watching the national health care debate with a been there/done that attitude. Hawaii has one of the country's lowest percentages of uninsured residents and passed its own health care redesign 35 years ago.

From Hawaii Public Radio, Ben Markus reports.

BEN MARKUS: Longtime Hawaii Congressman Neil Abercrombie wants to be clear: Hawaii is not trying to exempt itself from efforts to overhaul health care. But...

Representative NEIL ABERCROMBIE (Democrat, Hawaii): Should the happy circumstance take place that the national bill is better than ours, offers more benefits and is more reasonably priced and available than ours, why, then of course we'll rescind ours.

MARKUS: Hawaii was the first state to attempt universal coverage. It did it by instituting an employer mandate. In other words, all businesses big and small must provide health insurance for employees who work more than 20 hours a week. These days, only about eight percent of Hawaii's population is uninsured. That's half the national average and way ahead of states like Texas with 25 percent uninsured.

Congressman Abercrombie is joined in the fight by the rest of the state's long-term and subsequently powerful delegation. They've inserted explicit language protecting Hawaii's system in both the House and Senate versions of national health care overhaul.

Dr. GINNY PRESSLER (Executive, Hawaii Pacific Health): I certainly wouldn't want to question that wisdom.

MARKUS: That's Ginny Pressler. She's a high-ranking hospital executive and an advocate for Hawaii's uninsured. Pressler has been an influential voice in the Hawaii health care debate for many years. She says there's a lot worth protecting.

Dr. PRESSLER: We do have good health care and access to health care and the lowest cost per enrolling in Medicare anywhere in the nation. And again for our commercial payers, we have the second lowest premiums anywhere in the nation.

MARKUS: Still, Pressler says Hawaii's not immune to the growing cost of health care, a burden that forces some companies to find ways around the mandate.

MARKUS: Here at the Waikiki Health Center, it's a busy morning. The center caters to low-income and homeless patients. Through this recession it's seen a tenfold increase in workload as the newly jobless lose their employer provided insurance.

Waiting in line is Jason Samson(ph). He was recently laid off from a local detail shop. To get treatment, he must first sit down with Gari Gorman(ph), an eligibility coordinator. Samson tells her that despite working full time, he didn't get insurance.

Ms. GARI GORMAN (Eligibility Coordinator, Waikiki Health Center): Okay, so they never offered any kind of health insurance at all.

Mr. JASON SAMSON: They told me after 30 days that I would be getting in, but I never got no health card, insurance card, anything like that. And they never took it out of none of my paychecks.

MARKUS: The health center says they see a lot of this - companies withholding insurance against state law. They also hear of employers scaling back hours to avoid the mandate.

Sam Slom is a small businessman and a Republican state senator. He says the mandate has put Hawaii companies who follow the rules at a disadvantage, probably forcing some out of business altogether.

Senator SAM SLOM (Republican, Hawaii): And, you know, anecdotally you can tell stories about that. But somebody says, well, show me. Show me where it actually happened and it's really hard to do.

MARKUS: It's hard to do because the employer mandate as he sees it is just one of many onerous mandates, taxes and regulations in Hawaii.

(Soundbite of restaurant)

MARKUS: Other businesses see the mandate as a benefit. At Murphy's Bar and Grill in downtown Honolulu, owner Don Murphy says he provides health insurance not just for individual employees, but in some cases their whole family.

Mr. DON MURPHY (Owner, Murphy's Bar and Grill): So, you know, you want to help them out. I mean, you know, when you do that, hopefully they stay. And, you know, I've got - god, I don't know - my average employee has probably been here over 10 years. So I've got a couple guys that have been with me since I opened: 22 years.

MARKUS: Though he readily admits the rising cost of that benefit is eating into the bottom line.

Jerry Russo, a health economist at the University of Hawaii, doesn't discount the mandate's impact on businesses. In the face of skyrocketing insurance premiums, he says Hawaii employers are unable to drop coverage.

Professor JERRY RUSSO (Chairman, Economics Department, University of Hawaii): And we've seen that on the U.S. mainland that a lot of employers have dropped coverage. Whereas in Hawaii it's continued to be stable. Now, that may have been a hardship for the employers. We don't really know.

MARKUS: Whether or not the mandate is a hardship on businesses, Russo believes it's quite amazing that a system designed 35 years ago still provides widespread coverage today. And it looks like that system may continue for decades to come - protection for Hawaii's employer mandate is still alive in both the House and Senate versions of health care overhaul.

U.S. Center at Copenhagen Climate Change Negotiation

EsquireUK — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:33:53 EST

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/nov/132439.htm

For the first time, the U.S. Department of State, in coordination with the White House and multiple federal departments and agencies, is organizing and hosting a U.S. Center at the annual Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At the 15th session (COP-15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 7-18, the U.S. Center will host over 70 events during the two-week conference that will highlight the strong actions the U.S. is taking at home and the leadership role the U.S. is fulfilling internationally to combat global climate change. This diplomatic initiative involves participation by academic institutions, scientific and research laboratories, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

The U.S. Center will occupy a central location in the Bella Conference Center. It will provide an opportunity for the approximately 15,000 accredited participants at COP-15 and the Department’s COP-15 Web site visitors to learn more about U.S. climate actions. The U.S. Center will feature panel presentations, publications and videotape screenings to describe U.S. climate change policies and initiatives, including public-private partnerships and collaboration with other governments. Science On a Sphere®, a visually compelling globe that displays computer-driven animated images of the Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere, will be the U.S. Center’s dynamic centerpiece.

The COP-15 Web site (www.cop15.state.gov) will serve as the central resource for public information about United States policy positions and U.S. Center programs at the Copenhagen negotiation. The U.S. Center page will feature the two-week program of events, as well as fact sheets, photographs, and brief audio and video recordings from selected panels. Through Web streaming, there will be opportunities to watch U.S. Center programs happening live in Copenhagen. On its Press page, the Web site will feature press releases, statements and transcripts of formal press briefings. The Links page will connect users to U.S. climate change Web sites across the Federal Government.

The Department has also launched a Facebook page for the duration of the Copenhagen conference at www.facebook.com/usdos.cop15 to provide real time news, updates and information to users worldwide.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/nov/132439.htm

The US President will be making a one-day stopover during the first part of the UN climate conference in the Danish capital where he is expected to announce an American emissions reduction target of 17 percent.

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2709

http://www.google.com/landing/cop15/showyourvote.html

‘Tis the season to be thankful

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:50:41 EST

‘Tis the season to be thankful

11/27/09 By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes, Mideast edition

COMBAT OUTPOST CHARKH, Afghanistan – In most ways, Thanksgiving Day started out just like every day for the men of Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment.

First Platoon greeted the sunny yet brisk morning air with a patrol through a local bazaar.

"It’s Thanksgiving," 1st Lt. Kevin Cory said to his men as they got ready to push out. "We’re thankful that it’s 9 a.m. and we’re cold."

Second platoon, to the bafflement of other soldiers, spent much of the day digging battle trenches for a class they were about to teach the Afghan National Army.

Like any other day, hot water for showers was in short supply; troops grumbled about a variety of things and made jokes about just how stoned on hashish their Afghan counterparts actually were.

Still, Cpl. Jason Huft of Clovis, N.M., had been preparing the holiday chow since the day before. And as the air warmed, T-bones sizzled on a grill fashioned out of a metal barrel.

Life isn’t easy at Combat Outpost Charkh in Logar province.

The showers are jury-rigged affairs. There’s no heat and wooden outhouses.

But despite this rough deployment and the longing that comes with being so close to going home, Thanksgiving came to COP Charkh.

Company commander Capt. Jason Wingeart pulled guard duty before serving chow with the other officers. At a base where most meals are basic, lukewarm affairs, soldiers dug into turkey, steak, ham, shrimp, macaroni and cheese and other holiday staples. It was the first time some had felt full in a long time.

"That was good as (expletive)," one soldier said to another after eating.

And despite the rough conditions, the soldiers said they had a lot to be thankful for. Mainly each other, and that they were all going home. Though there have been many injuries, the company has only lost one soldier in Charkh.

"I’m thankful that all my buddies are still alive and that I get to spend (Thanksgiving) with the guys to the left and right of me who watch my back every day," said 1st Platoon’s Spc. William Brown of Milwaukee. "And I’m thankful I’m leaving in two weeks."

"I’m thankful I didn’t get shot at today," said Pfc. Don Garab of Walkerton, Ind., of 3rd Platoon. "And for a good cigar."

"I’m thankful I’m not digging that foxhole anymore," said Spc. John McDermott, one of the unfortunate 2nd Platoon guys tasked with that most un-festive of duties.

"I’m thankful for ‘A cog’ scopes, M203’s and HEDP," 2nd Platoon’s Sgt. David Lloyd said, military-speak for his rifle scope, grenade launcher and ammunition. "They’ve saved our ass a lot."

Even Afghan army captain and battle-hardened ex-Mujahedeen fighter Capt. Raz Mohammad got a plate, eagerly digging into a mix of steak, greens and pie.

"It’s really good," he said between mouthfuls. "Everything I like."

Despite the grim conditions at COP Charkh, Sgt. Daniel Barsi of Utica, Ill., was thankful for his health and the security of America.

"The way I see things, everything could always be worse."

Meanwhile, in Washington, President Barack Obama telephoned 10 U.S. servicemen and women stationed in war zones Thursday, to thank them for their service.

The White House says Obama called two servicemembers each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. The servicemembers are stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Arabian Gulf.

Cultural life in Hawaii

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:40:43 EST

Doug asked me "What do people in Hawaii have for Thanksgiving?" I said that I would post the answer on CITA.

The seven inhabited islands that make up the state of Hawaii has as of 2005, an estimated population of 1,275,194 people. In 2008 the Census Bureau the breakdown of the population is that Asian Americans made up 38.5%, White Americans made up 27.1%, Multiracial Americans made up 21.4%, Pacific Islander Americans made up 9.0%, African Americans made up 2.4%, and American Indians made up 0.2% of the population.

When the immigrant workers came to Hawaii to work on the plantations they brought their language, customs and foods. The islands are pretty small so everyone has to get along. People had to learn each other's languages to get things accomplished. Today all the languages and customs are so intertwined that it is easy to get mixed up as to which word or custom is from which group. Pidgin English is a mix up of languages; in a sentence you might have Hawaiian, Japanese and Filipino words used all together. The Hawaiian and Japanese languages use the same sounds, like the word Hawaiian "Hemo" means to remove and I grew up thinking that it was a Japanese word. Now I have learned that African languages also have words that use the same sounds as Japanese and Hawaiian.

Peopled shared each other's foods and customs and again it all became intertwined. A Thanksgiving feast might have Hawaiian poke (seasoned raw fish), Japanese maki sushi (rice rolls with a filling and wrapped in a sheet of dried seaweed), a roast turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, Chinese chicken salad, Korean kim chi, pumpkin pie and Hawaii Haupia (coconut pudding).

Hawaii is a pretty cool place cultural-wise. Rarely do you have locals who exclude the customs of the others. Everybody celebrates most of the holidays because it gives them another reason to party. Everybody is Chinese on Chinese New Year eating noodles for long life, Irish on St. Patrick's Day eating corned beef, etc.

I think that is partly President Obama's take on race and culture.

Holiday service: First family hands out food

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:41:58 EST

Holiday service: First family hands out food

11/26/09 POLITICO

The first family celebrated Thanksgiving by handing out turkeys, pumpkin pies, vegetables, stuffing and other Thanksgiving groceries Wednesday afternoon at Martha’s Table, just a few miles from the White House.

According to its website, “Martha’s Table’s mission is to help at-risk children, youth, families and individuals in our community improve their lives by providing educational programs, food, clothing, and enrichment opportunities." President Obama, First Lady Michelle, daughters Sasha, Malia and First Grandmother Marian Robinson were joined by about a dozen others, including Obama half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, her husband, Konrad Ng and their two daughters, Suhaila and Savita.

Pool reports: ”Malia was wearing a vest over her top with a scarf around her neck; Mrs. Obama a grey top and a scrarf draped around her shoulders; Obama, his oft-seen black jacket and Mrs. Robinson, a dark top.”

President Barack Obama stands next to his mother-in-law Marian Robinson, right, his daughter, Sasha and first lady Michelle Obama as they packing food for Thanksgiving at Martha's Table. AP

Love Translation by Joan Cartwright

Diva JC — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:32:15 EST

This video says all I can think of.

http://www.youtube.com/user/divajc#p/u/14/28KppgdX4qc

Love and music,

Diva JC

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

april — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:48:53 EST

In Celebration of the Pilgrims!!! Am so thankful for a adminstration that cares about that does what they say they are going to do with a sincere mind and heart!!!!

Native American Heritage Day

☮ CR ❤ — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:13:02 EST

The White House- Office of the Press Secretary

November 25, 2009

Statement by the President on Native American Heritage Day

“Tomorrow, Americans everywhere will observe our National Day of Thanksgiving. It will be a time of celebration and reflection as we gather with family and friends to count our blessings and remember those less fortunate. But it will also be a time to remember how this holiday began– as a harvest celebration between European settlers and the American Indians who had been living and thriving on the continent for thousands of years.”

“That is why on Friday, I encourage every American to join me in observing Native American Heritage Day. My Administration is committed to strengthening the nation to nation relationship with tribal governments. But it is also important for all of us to understand the rich culture, tradition and history of Native Americans and their status today- and to appreciate the contributions that First Americans have made, and will continue to make to our Nation.”

Thankful Quotes

☮ CR ❤ — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:49:21 EST

Here are some actual quotes on the subject "Thankful"

Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for.

    Terry Lynn Taylor

***

Be thankful for the least gift, so shalt thou be meant to receive greater.

    Thomas a Kempis (1380 - 1471)

***

Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing that money cannot buy; therefore value it, and be thankful for it.

    Izaak Walton (1593 - 1683)

***

In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.

    H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

State Dinner in Honor of India's PM Signh

☮ CR ❤ — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:45:13 EST

The State Dinner in Honor of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: The Menu, With Wine Pairings

11/24/09 ObamaFoodOrama.blogspot.com

A sustainable, regional, mostly vegetable menu--and curry gets a nod, in honor of India...
At left, Mrs. Obama discusses protocol and petit fours in the State Dining Room this afternoon, with the members of her new girls' mentoring and leadership program, during the press preview event for tonight's State Dinner in honor of India. Mrs. Obama actually gave a very serious and moving speech, which will be posted later. As your intrepid blogger predicted, Mrs. Obama mixed her china patterns for this evening, and is using Eisenhower China and Clinton State China for the service plates, and George W. Bush State China for the dinner plates.

Also as predicted, the china had meaning: President Eisenhower was the first president to visit India after it gained its independence. And both of the Clintons--Bill and Hillary--have been enormously useful to the Obamas and the administration. President Bush fostered a close relationship with India, too: He held a State dinner in Prime Minister Singh's honor in 2005.

No chefs at the menu preview...and no food, either
The ingredients for the State Dinner were sustainably sourced--and meant to represent American regional cuisine; there is no mention of the now-volatile word "organic" in any press guidance. The pears for the dessert were poached in honey from the White House beehive, and herbs and lettuces were harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden--which Ob Fo also predicted. Desserts, created by Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, will be garnished with mint and verbena from the Kitchen Garden, too. The wines, of course, are all American, as is standard White House practice. Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson helped Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford create the menu--but he wasn't present at the preview, nor was she. Nor were any of the dishes from the menu--save for a lone plate of Yosses's desserts. The preview event was a bit of a rugby scrum with so many journalists and photographers climbing over each other. But the menu is interesting--and more on that later, too.

For the State Dinner Menu: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/11/state-dinner-menu.html

**********************

Remarks by the First Lady at Indian State Dinner Press Preview

Photos: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Obama-hosts-first-State-Dinner-first-lady-Michelle-Obama-President-Barack-Obama-Gursharan-Kaur/ss/events/pl/112409statedinner/im:/091125/480/545afa31e497430ba7e54779764189a1/#photoViewer=/091125/480/f59cb9f7fcae481d924696773e4ef89d

Fun POTUS Korea trip details

☮ CR ❤ — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:57:05 EST

President Obama In South Korea: The Luncheon Menu...And Other Fun Details

11/20/09 ObamaFoodOrama.blogspot.com

President Obama gains weight in Asia, and Mrs. Obama magically appears for lunch in South Korea

President Obama attended a closed-press luncheon in South Korea with President Lee Myung-bak and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok during his visit to Seoul on Nov. 19. But Korean media is reporting that First Lady Michelle Obama also attended the lunch at the Cheongwadae, the seat of government--although Mrs. Obama was in the US the entire time President Obama was in Asia. Perhaps local media enthusiasm is to be excused--there was a massive welcoming ceremony when President Obama arrived in Seoul, and during lunch, he was goofing around a little bit--which was captured in the photo, above, taken in the banquet room. President Lee had just presented President Obama with a taekwondo outfit, including an honorary black belt, as a memento of his visit; the President learned the martial art as a younger man. Lee also handed over a gift for Mrs. Obama: A book of Korean recipes, because everyone knows she's a cooking enthusiast, apparently.

The menu is below, verbatim, from Korean media--because it includes excellent "insidery" details, including the fact that President Obama gained wight on his trip. Actually, the reverse is true--so much so that during his trip, President Obama had to answer questions about weight loss from NBC and CBS, and explain that his weight fluctuates by five pounds. Here's the (possibly) fictitious Korean luncheon menu:

Some of the notable dishes were sinseollo, bulgogi, marinated grilled beef; bibimbap, a rice dish with assorted vegetables and beef; japchae, glass noodles with assorted vegetables; and dubu-bugeotang, a dried pollack soup with tofu. Sinseollo, also known as Korean Royal Pot, is one of the most colorful Korean dishes, containing pan-fried beef, kimchi, shrimp pancakes, king trumpet mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms among other things. The dish was initially not considered due to possible complications while serving and eating, but the First Lady insisted, saying there's nothing like a good hot soup in a cold weather.

A total of six basic side dishes (called banchan) accompanied the main dishes; kimchi, water kimchi, assorted spinach, tangpyeongchae (mung bean jelly mixed with vegetables and beef), jangjorim (beef boiled in soysauce with egg) and dashima-toegak (dried kelp fried). Obama, for his part, showed how comfortable he was with chopsticks and repeatedly complimented the dishes served as “delicious.” When he commented that he is gaining weight due to the many Asian delicacies he has enjoyed on this trip at previous summits in China, Japan and now in Korea – Lee assured him that Korean dishes are low in calories. Spinach was included as it is known to be the favorite side dish of US Ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stevens.

*****************

Gochujan (chili paste) is mixed with honey and vinegar to create the Korean Gochujang sauce that is a popular condiment that would accompany many of the dishes mentioned in the article.

Sarah Palin

Faith — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:30:20 EST

During the late 1800's and early 1900's thousands of Black men were lynched in the south and west. Many were strung up by the mere accusation of a white woman who claimed they had been raped, insulted, or in some way offended. The vast majority of these accusations were unfounded and untrue. No matter. Mobs of white men would terrorize the black community until they rounded up some poor man - and sometimes his entire family.

IMHO, Sarah Palin is the embodiment of those women. She was the inspiration for the mob style town halls during the campaign and she continues her insidious and evil accusations from Twitter and now this book tour. God help this country if she or anyone like her is ever made its leader.

The Seven Woes & the Greatest Commandment: Mathew 23 and Mathew 22:34-40 with Commentary

Nellieyah — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:59:15 EST

Matthew 23 Seven Woes 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. The law makers may make laws, but they themselves often do not follow them. Today on the Sunday politics shows, the Republicans and the Wannabes were arguing against the public option because 1) it could lead to non-profit healthcare for all (i.e. single payer) and 2) they don’t want a government to truly represent the masses it governs (i.e. “big government”). One minute they argue that single-payer healthcare (or even a public option) is socialism, not good for a capitalist country. But, the next minute they not only argue against anti-trust laws for the insurance industry, but they actually want to increase these monopolies across state lines. 5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' The corporate media is playing the role of accomplice to the neo-cons crimes against humanity by asking virtually no tough questions or questions that feed right into the opponents of reform and progress’ talking points, allowing them to maintain good and honorable images in the eyes of the public. 8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.[b] 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. It is as if the very Ann Coulter types who write books entitled “Godless” are truly evil, godless people themselves. What gives a politician the right to deny others access to the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that comes with good health and socio-economic security? Is it money? Or maybe just power? 13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.[c] For as long as members of Congress and powerful/wealthy elites in general continue to deny Americans the same quality healthcare and insurance coverage they themselves have, they are damned to hell. Obviously, many sinners are non-believers. Still, a child who doesn’t believe that playing in the streets is dangerous can still get hit by a car. 15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. For elites to use uneducated and/or misinformed “Tea Partiers” to do their bidding, even against their own lower income/middle class interests is truly abominable. These “Tea Baggers” will catch twice as much hell for being accomplices to these crimes against humanity. 16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. The neo-conservatives who are doing everything in their power to derail, delay, or destroy reform and progress on every front, especially healthcare, will eventually lose their money and their power because nature, science, religion, ethics, culture and history all favor progress. In my opinion, so does God. 23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. We progressives need to frame reform as a justice and a constitutional right issue, not a partisan policy issue as neo-cons continue to play the victims and claim they are denied the right to input. 25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. The corporate media has done little or nothing to inform the public about the need for reform. Instead of reports of anger, tax increases, “nearly a trillion dollars” cost, or “rationing” cancer screenings, the COULD BE doing reports comparing and contrasting with other developed nations, on the plight of the uninsured/under-insured, or the cost to small business and American jobs, or the inefficiencies and poor outcomes. When the “Tea Baggers” see how reform could help them and how the status quo is harmful, they can stop yelling idiotic things like “Get your government hands off my Medicare!” 27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. The message is clear: The past has cost us too much, left too many out, and provided too poor of quality outcomes. We need reform, and we will get reform, God-willing. 29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! 33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. 37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'[d]" The neo-cons are condemned to hell whether they have an “R” or a “D” in front of their name. They need not wait for the afterlife to experience this hell, because we are all at least sub-consciously aware of the various manifestations of hell on earth. Money and power are finite. But God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. The Greatest Commandment 34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Equality and Justice have to become the progressive key words as we continue to try to reform some of the biggest institutions of our nation, our government, and our lives. Every politician should either vote to give We the People the same access and opportunities in life, health, education, and career that they have, or sacrifice their own in exchange for short-lived lives of disease, poverty, ignorance, and suffering. If they do not make this choice in this life, it will be made for them when they die and meet judgment.

Simply Disgusted

shaka — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:05:51 EST

I am so completely disgusted with some of the American People, the republican congress and senate, it took eight long years of Bush/Cheny and the republican rich insurance companys, Wallstreet to bring this great country to it's knees.

Sen Risch R-Iowa complained about the wording on a page dealing with mamograms but his head is in the sand if he does not vote to discuss it on the floor!

Lillene Ebanks — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:56:49 EST

Pretenders!

Sen. McCain you complain about what is not in the legislation- medical malpractise insurance so why not vote to debate it and let the majority decide on it in a democratic supply and demamnd Capitalism two party system!

Lillene Ebanks — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:50:52 EST

We the people will win!

D Maryland Benjamin Cardind and Sen Kaufman D- Deleware stood up for pregnant women denied as preexistin conditions!

Lillene Ebanks — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:51:23 EST

I admire men who stand up for babies not like right wing Republican prolifers who do not defend pregnant women and delivery!

President Obama: Traveling Abroad To Spur Job Creation In America

EsquireUK — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:18:25 EST

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/20/weekly-address-traveling-abroad-our-economy-home

In an address recorded in Seoul, South Korea, the President discusses his trip to Asia. He talks about his push to stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea, Iran, and around the world. He talks about promoting America's principles for an open society in China while making progress on joint efforts to combat climate change. And talks in-depth about the primary objective of his trip: engaging in new markets that hold tremendous potential to spur job creation here at home.

Read the Transcript | Download Video: mp4 (128MB) | mp3 (4MB)

http://www.google.com/landing/cop15/showyourvote.html

I'm Back! And Fired Up!!

Jara from CA — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:19:06 EST

It's been awhile since I've been active here. Honestly, after working night and day to get President Obama elected, I thought I'd be able to rest on my laurels...or at least rest. But noooo, his critics started in on him immediately - as in Nov. 5, 2008 immediately. So I have been working unofficially by writing letters to editors, rounding up support for health care, explaining the bill drafts to friends and strangers, correcting the media, etc. But I want to organize my efforts and measure my results. So I'm back. I miss having reinforcements and knowing that I'm not in this fight alone. Most of all, I miss being around doers instead of talkers.
I've been easing my way back into the swing of things by attending a few events per week. This past Wednesday, I attended the Northern CA Weekly Conference Call to see what our strategy is for getting health care passed. Last Thursday, I attended my first official Call for Health Care event. It was great! Much easier than Calling for Change :) Partly because we were calling from a list of people who have already claimed to support the President and/or the health care reform bill. Of the 30 calls I made, I spoke to about 10 people who were at home. They were all still on-board with reform and agreed to call their congressional representatives to let them know.

One very memorable caller - an 80 year-old man - was so passionate about this issue! He told me a couple stories about falling through the "donut hole" - the gap between health insurance coverage. At the end of our call, he wanted to do more than call his representatives (again), though. He wanted to personally visit their offices so they could SEE just who is in need of new health care. I'm paraphrasing because he used more...colorful language. :) He signed up as a volunteer to help spread the word about health care. That was my last call of the night. I left on a high note to see an elderly person with that much fight in him, who is willing to use his *ahem* gift of gab in a productive way. It reminded me of my 86 year-old grandmother writing 80 postcards to send to people for Obama for America.
It was a very encouraging first night back in the saddle, so to speak. I look forward to tomorrow's tabling event to inform shoppers about health care (we created a game to make the information exchange fun). Next week, I'm hosting a couple of events. We'll see if I still have my organizing touch. :) Let's get it done!

...and this is now, not then...

Fire Is Born — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:23:07 EST

It's been a while that I watched BMJ. When I began watching tonight in the middle of the program I entered into President Johnson's conversation in 1965 with McNamara on escalation of the war, when the troops there were in the range of 45 thousands. I sat pinned down to my chair till the end of the program.

That "while" wiyhout BMJ was a wasted while. God bless Bill Moyers of the USA! fib

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A Tale of Two Quagmires

This week on the JOURNAL, Bill Moyers looked back some four decades to his experience as a member of President Lyndon Johnson’s administration. At the time, Johnson made a series of fateful decisions to escalate the war in Vietnam, where eventually over two million American military personnel would serve. Estimates indicate that nearly 60,000 U.S. troops – and more than a million Vietnamese – were killed during the course of the conflict.

With an eye on President Obama’s deliberations on whether to deploy more U.S. troops in addition to the 68,000 already in Afghanistan, Moyers presented a montage of recorded conversations and his personal memories of President Lyndon Johnson’s decisions to escalate the war in Vietnam. He said:

“Our country wonders this weekend what is on President Obama’s mind. He is apparently about to bring months of deliberation to a close and answer General Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan. When he finally announces how many, why, and at what cost, he will most likely have defined his presidency, for the consequences will be far-reaching and unpredictable. As I read and listen and wait with all of you for answers, I have been thinking about the mind of another President – Lyndon B. Johnson. I was 30 years old, a White House assistant, working on politics and domestic policy. I watched and listened as LBJ made his fateful decisions about Vietnam... Barack Obama is not Lyndon Johnson, Afghanistan is not Vietnam and this is now, not then. The situation is different. But listen – and you will hear echoes and refrains that resonate today.”

The nation is divided about America’s mission in Afghanistan. In a new WASHINGTON POST – ABC News poll, 55% of respondents expressed confidence that President Obama will pick a strategy that will work, but 52% said that the war in Afghanistan has not been worth fighting given the costs versus the benefits.

What do you think?

How does the history of the Vietnam War compare to the present situation in Afghanistan?

What decisions do you think Obama should make regarding Afghanistan? What do you think he's actually going to do? Explain.

CHECK IT OUT

Debbie — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:52:56 EST

Friend --

After nearly 1,000 submissions, 20 amazing finalists, and more than 3 million views, we have the winner of the Organizing for America Health Reform Video Challenge.

The winning video shows that our supporters' creativity and passion is more than a match for the slick ads and partisan spin doctors on the other side. In the next few days, we'll be using this video as the basis for a new television ad that will air across the country -- and you can help, by ensuring we have the resources to make the biggest impact.

Check out the winning video now.

With Congress wrapping up its last round of negotiations and closely gauging the public's mood in these crucial final weeks, now is the exact time to get this grassroots message out far and wide.

Your passion has brought our country closer to health reform than we've ever been before -- and it's what will keep our momentum strong so that we finish the job before the end of the year.

So please watch the winning video, pass it on to everyone you know, and give what you can to spread the message on national television:

http://my.barackobama.com/WinningVideo

Thanks,

David Plouffe

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Monetary contributions to the Democratic National Committee are not tax-deductible. Health Reform Video Challenge Official Contest Rules

MESSAGE FROM MITCH

Debbie — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:48:38 EST

Friend --

Right now, Sarah Palin is on a highly publicized, nationwide book tour, attacking President Obama and his plan for health reform at every turn.

It's dangerous. Remember, this is the person who coined the term "Death Panels" -- and opened the flood gates for months of false attacks by special interests and partisan extremists.

Whatever lie comes next will be widely covered by the media, then constantly echoed by right-wing attack groups and others who are trying to defeat reform.

As we approach the final sprint on health reform, we can't afford more deception and delay. We need to be ready for anything -- and have the resources to respond with ads, events, and calls to Congress when the attacks come.

So we're setting a big goal: $500,000 in the next week to help push back against Sarah Palin and her allies. Please chip in $5 to help reach our goal.

Earlier this month, Palin publicly said that she hopes health reform will be "dead on arrival." And since then, she's been working fiercely toward that goal.

On Tuesday, Palin went on Rush Limbaugh's radio show where she outrageously -- and falsely -- suggested that Americans could "face jail time as punishment" if they don't buy insurance.

Palin has many more interviews scheduled on Hannity and other conservative shows in the next few weeks, with more platforms to go after the President. As soon as she does, the rest of our opponents will likely parrot those attacks.

We need to be prepared. And we're counting on you help. Can you chip in $5?

https://donate.barackobama.com/SarahPalin

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.

David Plouffe's book "The Audacity to win"

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:37:43 EST

I am on the third chapter of David Plouffe's book "The Audacity to Win" and I am enjoying it. It reads very well.

I feel compelled to compare it to Richard Wolffe's book "Renegade"; in Renegade you get a closer look as to being on the trail of the Obama campaign but in Plouffe's book you actually hear all the raw language spoken and feel the tense situations. The Obama team was not a bunch of dreamers who felt that Obama's success was inevitable they were prepared to give it their all and fail. Plouffes says that the prima dona mentality was common among candidates but that Obama is the exception and that the team never woke up dreading their candidate.

The First Lady Honors Military Women

☮ CR ❤ — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:25:40 EST

11/18/09 Posted by Molly Fedick - WhiteHouse.gov

Veterans Day serves as a reminder to not only honor America's men in uniform, but also the women—the mothers, sisters, daughters, and grandmothers who, throughout history, broke barriers and endured hardships to serve our country. Today at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Blue Star Mom Dr. Jill Biden, welcomed some of those women in celebration of their bravery and commitment to protecting our freedoms:

In this room alone, we have the first female four star general. We have the first woman in the Navy to be promoted to Master Chief. The first woman in the Army Reserve to be promoted to the general officer rank. We have the first woman in the Army to receive the Expert Field Medical Badge. We have the first African American woman to serve as Chief Nurse at Walter Reed Hospital. And so many more "firsts" and "onlys" -- and that's the result of your hard work and your courage and your persistence.

But we know these achievements aren’t yours alone. That's something that Jill and I have talked about, we've learned more about over the course of this year, because we know that service doesn’t just end with the person wearing the uniform. You all know that. We know that our servicemen and women’s sacrifices are their families' sacrifices as well. And many of you have spouses, partners, children, parents who stood by you and encouraged you and prayed for you every step of the way. And this day is their day too, as far as we're concerned. So let’s take a moment to recognize those members of our families who supported you in your service as well. (Applause.)
The First Lady continued, praising them not only for the good they've done, but for the good they have inspired in others:
But I hope you all know that your service -- that your legacy is more than just your own service. I hope that you know that your legacy will be measured in the service of every woman who follows in the trails that you've blazed -- every woman who benefits from your daring and determination. It will be measured in the inspiration that you provide to our daughters and our granddaughters -- and to our sons and our grandsons as well.
Because of you, when young women wonder how high they can rise in our military, they can look at General Ann Dunwoody and her four hard earned stars. That can see that, it's real. When they ask what kind of jobs they can do, they can look to women like all of you who’ve played just about every kind of role imaginable. And when they ask whether they can cut it -- whether they have what it takes to succeed -- all they have to do is to look at your lives, to look into your lives and to look at the careers that you've developed that inspire us all.

First Lady Michelle Obama attends a Women in the Military Tea in the East Room of the White House Nov. 18, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

To view the video: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/18/so-many-firsts-and-onlys-first-lady-honors-military-women

Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing by Saudi Arabia and Yemen

ARK — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:50:09 EST

It is really amazing how indifferent the international media and human rights organizations are to atrocities against helpless human beings done by Saudi Arabia and Yemen in Northern Yemen. These two countries have made close to 200,000 civilians homeless and all of them are forced to migrate. And Saudi Arabian Government with the help of their Yemeni counterparts are killing and injuring thousands more over there. WHY? Due to the sad fact these Houthis are a helpless & poor minority in Northern Yemen. Is there a difference between North Yemeni Genocides and those done by Hitler and Serbs in Europe and racists extremists in Rwanda? Certainly not but perhaps lack of interest by some countries would prevent them from stopping these outrageous atrocities against humanity. Lately Saudis have outdone themselves by dropping phosphorus bombs on civilians. Is there a difference between these cruel acts and those done by 911 terrorists? Certainly NOT! In both cases: 1-atrocities were done against innocent human beings; 2- They were not provoked by those innocent civilians; 3-and mostly Saudis and some Yemenis are involved; 4-these heinous acts were conducted by citizens of countries who call themselves allies of the US, with friends like these who needs enemies! 5-Not even one Shia or Iranian is involved in these types of aggressive and monstrous acts and those people are wrongfully branded enemies of the US?! Really with friendly and harmless foes like these who needs those types of hostile and harmful allies? Really which one is which? I am really confused now!

U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry

Fire Is Born — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:53:38 EST

I say hang'em!

It is human, silent and unobtrusive. I say, ban the mow-blow-and-go "gardeners"- they are not. One of the special pleasures of travel in Central America are the old fashioned loundry rituals. There, it is not question of choice. Laundry is done by women's hands and is hang outside, watched carefuly, hastily carried inside when rain comes. For many women it is the only source of income. These women, I once thought, should also be awarded all those big green prizes that go to somebody else.

I think more hanging laundry would make our USA neighborhoods safer. Perhaps the sight of children playing ouside would return with it. fib

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November 18, 2009 | 1 comments

U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry

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U.S. residents fight for the right to hang laundry

Carin Froehlich has help from her granddaughter Ava as they hang some laundry in the front yard of her residence in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, November 12, 2009. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer

By Jon Hurdle

PERKASIE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop.

Froehlich is among the growing number of people across America fighting for the right to dry their laundry outside against a rising tide of housing associations who oppose the practice despite its energy-saving green appeal.

Although there are no formal laws in this southeast Pennsylvania town against drying laundry outside, a town official called Froehlich to ask her to stop drying clothes in the sun. And she received two anonymous notes from neighbors saying they did not want to see her underwear flapping about.

"They said it made the place look like trailer trash," she said, in her yard across the street from a row of neat, suburban houses. "They said they didn't want to look at my 'unmentionables.'"

Froehlich says she hangs her underwear inside. The effervescent 54-year-old is one of a growing number of Americans demanding the right to dry laundry on clotheslines despite local rules and a culture that frowns on it.

Their interests are represented by Project Laundry List, a group that argues people can save money and reduce carbon emissions by not using their electric or gas dryers, according to the group's executive director, Alexander Lee.

Widespread adoption of clotheslines could significantly reduce U.S. energy consumption, argued Lee, who said dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use.

Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of local authorities to stop residents using clotheslines. Another five states are considering similar measures, said Lee, 35, a former lawyer who quit to run the non-profit group.

'RIGHT TO HANG'

His principal opponents are the housing associations such as condominiums and townhouse communities that are home to an estimated 60 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the population. About half of those organizations have 'no hanging' rules, Lee said, and enforce them with fines.

Carl Weiner, a lawyer for about 50 homeowners associations in suburban Philadelphia, said the no-hanging rules are usually included by the communities' developers along with regulations such as a ban on sheds or commercial vehicles.

The no-hanging rules are an aesthetic issue, Weiner said.

"The consensus in most communities is that people don't want to see everybody else's laundry."

He said opposition to clotheslines may ease as more people understand it can save energy and reduce greenhouse gases.

"There is more awareness of impact on the environment," he said. "I would not be surprised to see people questioning these restrictions."

For Froehlich, the "right to hang" is the embodiment of the American tradition of freedom.

"If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry," said Froehlich, who is writing a book on the subject.

Besides, it saves money. Line-drying laundry for a family of five saves $83 a month in electric bills, she said.

Kevin Firth, who owns a two-bedroom condominium in a Dublin, Pennsylvania housing association, said he was fined $100 by the association for putting up a clothesline in a common area.

"It made me angry and upset," said Firth, a 27-year-old carpenter. "I like having the laundry drying in the sun. It's something I have always done since I was a little kid."

(Editing by Mark Egan and Paul Simao)

Read Comments (1) | Post a comment

Sez Me at 05:41 PM on 11/18/09
Has it occurred to anyone that when your neighbours can tell you that you can't hang your laundry out to dry, you might be getting a little short on that "freedom" we are all supposed to enjoy in our "free countries" here in North America?Reply | Report Abuse

A letter from a friend in Kabul

Fire Is Born — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:24:41 EST

Some time ago we said good bye to Duston who told us he would be going back to Kabul. So he went. Usually when incidents like the most recent Kabul bombing happen, one thinks of one's friends that could be there, in danger. And so I did as well, thinking he must be well anyway, most likely. Kabul is big (I thought). Not so. It is a small world after all. This is what came yesterday. fib

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Hibiscus Tea and Honey in Berlin

"Dear Friends,

At first, I should offer a quick explanation of this letter: I have not yet read any email replies you may have sent me since my last correspondence back around mid October or so. I am currently drinking Hibiscus Tea sweetened with a little honey in an Army Hospital in Berlin Germany. My Laptop Computer has not had internet for two weeks:

October 28th, 2009 began with a loud bang at exactly 6 AM Kabul time. Actually an explosion at the front gate to the Guesthouse where I was living. I don’t know if it was an RPG or Suicide Bomber, and will truly never know for a fact which one it was. The first explosion was followed by machine gun firing and then an RPG hit the front of the building. The Taleban killed the exterior gate residence guards, entered the front house and proceeded to kill as many UN Election Employees as possible before the Police arrived. A long and intense gun-battle ensued over the next hour and a half and the attackers were eventually killed around 7:30 AM. Some of my friends, and some employees, of the Guesthouse were also killed and many wounded during this incident.

I escaped physically unharmed within 90 seconds of the first sound of the attack.

The media incorrectly portrayed the building as the “UN Guesthouse” whereas technically it was a privately run guesthouse, and I referred to it in earlier email to you as the “Zoo”, because it had lots of animals and birds on the property. I do not know who survived other than I have a “story” of the massacre as I experienced it. I ended up with a large group of UN Election Employees who also survived as we hid together in the neighboring courtyard while the Taleban shot it out with the surviving guards, burned down the place and then shot it out again with the Police.

Around 7:40 AM , I was transferred by the Police to a temporary safe location, and then the Bank security man found me and I was taken to the big famous Hotel ( The Serena ) which is heavily guarded in downtown Kabul. Immediately after I arrived, I was standing in the Hotel Lobby , on the cell phone, calling the Germans who I work for, when a mortar round or RPG hit the Lobby. The glass exploded , and once again, I was not injured and everyone ran to the Hotel bunker to wait for the All Clear sign. The Hotel suffered nothing but broken glass and some jittered nerves, but for me, it was the second attack in less than two hours and I withdrew into my own little brain…..telling myself that no place was safe as it seemed like the terror was following me around that morning in Kabul.

Since then, I have stayed in German Army Hospitals except for the plane rides to Germany where I am now. I am receiving treatment for Psychological Trauma and am getting better quickly. I hope to be released to Outpatient within about 4 days. And then about a month more of Outpatient therapy and then final release back into the employment world when I will be able to totally navigate on my own. The goal is to prevent and reduce the long term possibility or impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( “PTSB”) which we all heard of with the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans and other traumatic incident survivors.

I shall not assign my survival that day to my training, skills, experience and quick thinking ( although I am told by many that it was a critical part of my actions and movement within the first minute of the attack ). I have been given yet another chance on the Planet by my Higher Power. I am no more “religious” today than I was a minute before 6 AM on October 28th; however I have grown substantially. My spirituality is stronger now than ever; and I am convinced that God has a Plan for me, I just need to follow the Steps and listen for His guidance on a daily basis.

Only once since then have I wanted or seriously thought of taking a drink, and I asked to be relieved of that notion, and it was granted. I take some light weight sleeping medication and hope to reduce the strength soon, then be totally free of it within two more weeks or so depending on what the Doctors say. I am receiving excellent medical care here in Germany, with three Doctors and a bevy of Nurses. I see a Trauma Specialist MD every other day and I am recuperating well.

My employment contracts ends in February so money is temporarily not a problem, and I have good insurance for the hospital expenses. So, for today, all I ask for is another chance to be free of my Weaknesses and Character Defects and look for the next path I am to take.

I totally and unconditionally TRUST.

Work the Steps. Turn it over to God. Clean House. Help Others.

With ALL my Love,

Duston"

RECONCILIATION: Should Be A Household Word !

Greg Jones' Blacks4Barack ! — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:58:21 EST

RECONCILIATION !
Should Be A Household Word

The Way Senate CAN Pass The Health Bill

By Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack

For some reason the media and even our politicians keep pounding the vital importance of the Senate obtaining 60 votes in the Senate to pass the health care reform legislation. There's the non-stop 'what will (Traitor) Joe Lieberman do'...or 'will they get (R) Olympia Snowe'...or 'will Harry Reid get the 60 votes he needs...'? 60...60...60 !!! That's all we hear. I'm not sure if the media is trying to add drama to the health care issue in an attempt to stimulate audience ratings or if it's an orchestrated tactic in hopes of keeping Americans ill-informed through the direction of our great politicians, but the FACT is, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid DOES NOT need 60 votes to pass the health care bill but in fact ONLY 51- a simple majority, which makes a huge difference-through a procedure commonly used and known as RECONCILIATION.

Reconciliation is " a legislative process of the United States Senate intended to allow a contentious budget bill to be considered without being subject to filibuster (only needing 51 votes to pass). Because reconciliation limits debate and amendment, the process empowers the majority party ". The reconciliation procedure is limited to being used for budget related legislation that costs or raises substantial amounts of money. In the case of the Senate health care bill, that would include the expansion of Medicare or Medicaid, revenue-raising tax provisions, and even the creation of a public health insurance option, depending on how it's written. So the reconciliation procedure CAN be used to pass the health care bill with only 51 VOTES !

The downside of the bill being passed through this procedure is that, due to a ruling known as the Byrd Rule, non-budget legislation designed to regulate the insurance industry could not be included in the bill and would have to be voted on in a separate bill which would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. But there is a strategy that can be used to overcome even this obstacle as described by Ryan Grimm of HuffPo:

    But there's another alternative, according to Martin Paone. Paone, who served as a Democratic Senate floor staffer for 29 years, has been advising Democrats as they craft their legislative strategy. He proposes that Democrats try to get 60 votes to waive the Byrd Rule -- which would then allow the inclusion of those non-budget-related provision in one bill that would require only 51 votes for final passage.

    What's the advantage? And why would any senator who opposes the entire bill vote for such a waiver? The answer can be found in the specific proposals that would be in violation of the Byrd Rule. Mostly, those would include reforms to the way the insurance industry operates -- for example, a ban on using preexisting conditions to deny coverage, or a law that insurance companies can't drop a client just because they get sick.

    Those are wildly popular reforms. Getting 60 votes to support those policies is much easier than getting 60 for a public health insurance option, which Republicans and some conservative Democrats oppose.

    Conservative senators such as Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) or Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) could, in voting for a Byrd Rule waiver, put themselves on the record as being in support of popular insurance industry reforms, while still opposing final passage of the bill -- a political strategy that may be appealing to them.

So, as the media continues their daily rant of how imperative it is that EVERY Democratic Senator vote yes on the health care bill remember one FACT that they seem to want to hide from We The People. There IS a way for the Senate to get the bill passed WITHOUT 60 votes...without Traitor Joe...without Olympia Snowe...without Mary Landrieu...making them absolutely meaningless in the debate.

Now, WE must let Harry Reid know that WE know that this option is in fact available to him. Call...Email...and DEMAND that if he feels he doesn't have the 60 votes needed to block the filibuster, then We The People...

DEMAND
RECONCILIATION !

When they, our great politicians realize that WE KNOW that they have this option...they will be FORCED to use it...even if they had other intentions (like letting the bill stall or even fail). Help the word RECONCILIATION become a household word. Spread the fact that this IS in fact an alternate means of the Senate getting the bill passed. Since day one, President Obama has stated that he would not be able to create Change on his own...that he would need OUR help. Time to do OUR part by DEMANDING that our politicians do EVERYTHING possible, including RECONCILIATION, to stop 44,000 Americans from DYING each year due to the lack of access to quality health care, by passing health care reform-with a strong public option-for all.

Email the media to let them know that WE know
and are DEMANDING that our politicians
Get It Done !

Related Articles:
Gibbs: White House Not Ruling Out Reconciliation
(11/09/09)

Robert Reich Pushes Getting STRONG Public Option
Through RECONCILIATION
(11/13/09)

Greg Jones
National Director
Blacks4Barack (dotBlogspot.com)

10 yr old wants liberty and justice for ALL

☮ CR ❤ — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:32:33 EST

Will Phillips, 10-Year-Old, Won't Pledge Allegiance To A Country That Discriminates Against Gays

11/12/09 Huffington Post

UPDATE: Will Phillips appeared on CNN Monday morning with his father, Jay, to discuss his refusal to say the pledge of allegiance.

"I've grown up with a lot of people and I'm good friends with a lot of people who are gay and I think they should have the rights all people should, and I'm not going to swear that they do," the ten-year-old Phillips said.

Jay Phillips, asked if his son was prepared for the media attention, said his son saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness. "He felt that just because he's ten years old doesn't mean he doesn't have opinions, doesn't mean he doesn't have rights, and doesn't mean he can't make a difference."

Watch: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/10-year-old-wont-pledge-a_n_355709.html

*************************

Will says that he wants to be a lawyer. He analyzed the meaning of the "Pledge of Allegiance" and decided that there was not liberty and justice for all. It is people like Will Phillips that take the stand and then change the world for the better.

Japan's Obama town ecstatic over presidential mention

☮ CR ❤ — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:52:07 EST

11/14/09 AFP

TOKYO (AFP) – US President Barack Obama charmed his Tokyo audience on Saturday with references to green tea ice cream, Japanese traditional hospitality and, of course, the small town that bears his name.

"I could not come here without sending my greetings and my gratitude to the citizens of Obama, Japan," said the president to the delight of the western Japan town that has turned its accidental fame into a cottage industry.

The ancient fishing town of 30,000, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Tokyo, has long supported its White House namesake, and some of its residents were in Tokyo to steal a glimpse of the president.

Wearing "I Love Obama" T-shirts, a small delegation braved rainy weather on a Tokyo sidewalk and waved as the presidential motorcade passed by.

"The president clearly looked at us and recognised us," said an excited Seiji Fujihara, who leads a dance troupe that on Friday performed a hula dance in honour of the president, who was born in Hawaii.

"I was so touched when President Obama mentioned our town," Fujihara gushed. "I felt goose bumps."

Obama in his speech Saturday recalled a childhood visit to Kamakura, a temple-studded town near Tokyo, where he "looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility, the great bronze Amida Buddha."

Then he quipped: "As a child, I was more focused on the matcha (green tea) ice cream. But I have never forgotten the warmth and hospitality that the Japanese people showed a young American far from home."

Obamania was alive and well among the audience -- where many hailed his personal charm and wide knowledge about the region.

"His voice was good. He spoke naturally. He has something that attracts people," said Yasuko Maki, a 60-year-old housewife.

Her husband, Akihiro, 66, agreed: "He covered every subject and explained how America will handle it. He intends to work as our partner. He is different from former US presidents."

Who were his English teachers?

☮ CR ❤ — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:49:47 EST

Best of "W" quotes from THAT past president (who were his English teachers?) :

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."--Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."--Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"--Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."--Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."--declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001

6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''--Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."--Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006

8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."--Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."--discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007

10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."--meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

11. "We ought to make the pie higher."--South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000

12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee--I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee--that says, fool me once, shame on--shame on you. Fool me--you can't get fooled again."--Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."--speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."--Houston, Sept. 6, 2000

15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."--Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."--U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000

17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."--Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."--CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."--on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005

20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to--the beauty of playing baseball."--Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."--LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."--Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "--Boston, Oct. 3, 2000

24. "They misunderestimated me."--Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."--Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

Slate V: The Best of Video Bushisms

Obama's Half-Brother Recasts Story Of Their Father

☮ CR ❤ — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:21:42 EST

11/13/09 Lousia Lim - NPR

It is a tale of two brothers, but no ordinary brothers. One is president of the United States; the other is his half-brother, who lives in China. As President Obama arrives this weekend in China, his half-brother recently released a semi-autobiographical novel, revealing the abusive nature of their father.

Mark Obama Ndesandjo's face bears an uncanny resemblance to his more famous sibling. His eyes are familiar, yet different.

Ndesandjo and Obama share the same father, but their lives have veered apart. Barack Obama hardly knew their father, who left when Barack was 2. But his younger half-brother Mark grew up in Kenya under the same roof as their violent authoritarian father.

"He managed to work his way up through ... sheer intellect, will and also, at the same time, persistence to go to Harvard and some very high levels in American society," Ndesandjo says of their father. "Then something happened. It was an explosive mixture of drink, maybe disappointment and an inability to understand his own demons that caused the domestic violence we had in our home."

Ndesandjo (pronounced de-SANZ-jo) wrestles with that legacy in his semi-autobiographical book Nairobi to Shenzhen. Like Obama, his mother was a white American, so the book describes his struggle with his multiracial identity. Like Obama, he went to university in the U.S., studying physics and math at Brown, then earning further degrees at Stanford and Emory.

But his academic success was overshadowed by those formative years in Kenya. He says the violence at home hardened him, making it difficult for him to forge relationships or even to look closely at himself.

"With me what happened is that I also didn't want anything to do with anything that had to do with my father. This could include aspects of African culture. It could be not wanting to be associated with the Obama name," Ndesandjo says.

After losing his marketing job in the U.S. after Sept. 11, 2001, Ndesandjo moved to China where he took refuge in music and community work. A gifted pianist, Ndesandjo recorded an album and he volunteers at a local orphanage. Last year, he married a Chinese woman.

But he says Barack Obama's election campaign turned his life upside down.

"I didn't want anything to do with American politics: It's scrappy, it's something that turns huge spotlights on everybody. But then slowly I began to see an atmosphere around the world that was moving from one which had been in fear towards one of hope," he says.

Indeed, the spotlight did turn on Ndesandjo. Last year he flew to Austin, Texas, using money he had been saving to buy a piano, to meet Barack Obama for the first time in many years. He says it was an emotional moment.

"Well, first I hugged him, and he looked at my moustache, and he said, 'Hey, what's this little thing here?' And I said, 'It's a moustache, dude.' Then he said, 'You have a little less hair than last time I saw you.' And I said to him, 'Well, so do you.' And he said, 'Oh I couldn't afford a haircut then.'"

His half-brother's election has allowed him to take pride in the Obama name, which he hadn't used for many years. Their father — who had six other children — died in a car crash in Kenya in 1982.

Barack Obama's 1995 memoir Dreams From My Father dwells on his absent father and how it shaped Barack's life story.

I didn't want anything to do with American politics: It's scrappy, it's something that turns huge spotlights on everybody. But then slowly I began to see an atmosphere around the world that was moving from one which had been in fear towards one of hope.

- Mark Obama Ndesandjo

For Obama and Ndesandjo, their father's shadow looms large over their lives. Back in 2004, Barack Obama described that influence in an NPR interview.

"There's a wonderful saying by Lyndon Johnson that every man is either trying to live up to his father's expectations or making up for his mistakes. I guess I'm sort of doing both. I think in some ways I still chase after his ghost a little bit," Obama said.

Ndesandjo calls Obama's reflections interesting.

"Well, I guess in my case I don't see myself chasing after his ghost. I think for a long time his ghost was chasing after me," he says.

These mirror-image reactions in a way reflect the relationship. These half-brothers have much that is shared — and much that is not. Ndesandjo is planning to meet his half-brother on his trip to China, which starts Sunday.

"I look at my brother — President Obama — and I'm so totally proud of all that he's been able to do. I'm extremely excited my brother is coming to China," he says.

In Dreams From My Father, Obama describes meeting Mark as being like "looking into a foggy mirror." All these years later, Ndesandjo says he finally hopes to wipe clean the fog from that mirror.

To hear the audio of the interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120387029&ft=1&f=1004

Obama announces Hawaii as site for 2011 APEC meetings

☮ CR ❤ — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:18:10 EST

State's political, economic leaders praise selection of Isles for 2011 summit

11/14/09 Robbie Dingeman - Honolulu Advertiser

President Obama's announcement last night that Honolulu will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation annual meeting in 2011 put his hometown at the center of one of his most important international initiatives.

Hawaii has been vying for months to host the gathering of 21 heads of government from the Asia-Pacific region who discuss the economy, trade and investments.

And last night, leaders from Washington, D.C., to Downtown Honolulu praised Hawai'i's selection as a way to put the state on the map as a serious international business meeting place where East meets West year-round.

East-West Center President Charles Morrison said the summit is expected to bring 19 heads of state, many Cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials, and more than 10,000 participants.

Holding the leaders meeting in Hawai'i "attracts attention and excitement no amount of money can buy," said Morrison, who is attending this year's APEC meeting in Singapore.

"Hawai'i has never had anything remotely approaching an international meeting where the president of the U.S., president of China, prime minister of Japan, and many other heads of state come at the same time, not to mention something like 75 Cabinet officials, the heads of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization, and leading regional and global business people," Morrison said.

He added, "This may be arguably the biggest and most open international meeting of 2011, and it's in Hawai'i."

The 2011 event will be held from Nov. 12 to 20.

The president made the Hawai'i announcement to APEC leaders gathered in Singapore.

"When America hosts APEC in a few years, I look forward to seeing you all decked out in flowered shirts and grass skirts, because today I'm announcing that we are bringing this forum to my home state of Hawai'i in 2011," he said.

In comments to the APEC leaders, Obama stressed the critical importance of the region.

"Perhaps no connection between Asia-Pacific and the United States runs stronger or deeper than the economic ties we share," he said.

In his first major trip to Asia as president, Obama has called himself the "first Pacific president." He was born in Honolulu and lived here — except for four years in Indonesia — until he went to the Mainland for college.

"America's four top trading partners are now APEC members, with the countries that form the Association of Southeast Asian nations collectively making up the fifth," Obama said.

He noted that 60 percent of the goods and services the United States exports go to APEC nations — exports that support millions and millions of American jobs.

"The United States is also the largest export market for Asia, which has led to more affordable goods and services for American consumers," he added.

Obama earlier indicated that the United States will also be engaging with the four Trans-Pacific Partnership countries (Brunei, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand) with the goal of shaping a regional agreement that will have broad-based membership and the high standards worthy of a 21st century trade agreement.

"We also believe that continued integration of the economies of this region will benefit workers, consumers, and businesses in all of our nations," he said. "Together, with our South Korean friends, we will work through the issues necessary to move forward on a trade agreement with them."

The APEC meeting rotates among members and was first held in the United States near Seattle in 1993. That's where then-President Bill Clinton came up with the tradition of having the leaders wear outfits chosen by the host. The 2010 meeting will be held in Japan.

coup for tourism

The meeting here is seen as a coup for the state's visitor industry as it underscores Hawai'i as a good site for international business gatherings, especially for the Asia-Pacific region.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann last night said he was "ecstatic" that Honolulu had been selected to host the 2011 APEC Summit.

In addition to collaborating with the East-West Center and Hawai'i Tourism Authority on the proposal to host the conference, Hannemann said he lobbied for the effort in meetings with White House and State Department officials in June.

"When President Charles Morrison of the East-West Center first approached the city about collaborating on a proposal to host APEC, the key component was security," Hannemann said, and Honolulu beat out the two California cities there.

"Honolulu, and all of Hawai'i for that matter, will be on the world stage come 2011, and it will be our opportunity to show that we're more than sun, sand, sea, surf and the spirit of aloha," Hannemann said.

Aside from the immediate economic impact, Morrison said it opens a new line of business over the longer term for the state as "a truly world-class international center."

Gov. Linda Lingle said the selection of Hawai'i to host the APEC Leaders Meeting is "an affirmation of Hawai'i's strategic role as a leader in the Asia-Pacific region, and will help build a stronger economic foundation for Hawai'i's future."

"We appreciate President Obama selecting Hawai'i for this important meeting and recognizing the significant role Hawai'i plays as America's most diverse and strategically located state," she said.

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye also praised the selection.

"The spotlight that will shine on Hawai'i during the APEC meetings will remind the world that our culture and strategic location is the ideal site to gather global leaders and debate the needs of a diverse society," he said.

Inouye said the state serves as a bridge between the East and the West, and "will help show our Asia-Pacific neighbors that the United States remains committed to collaborating on economic policy as the world emerges from international recession."

HTA president and chief executive officer Mike McCartney said the leaders meeting will help to combat the state's image as more of a place to play than work, often dubbed "the boondoggle effect."

"The APEC meetings will dispel that misconception and position Hawai'i as a global business destination," McCartney said. "The world will see that Hawai'i is an ideal place to conduct business due to our strategic location in the Pacific and our multi-cultural diversity."

economic benefits

State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert earlier said she does not yet have an estimate of what the economic value of having the international meeting here would be, but it is significant.

The last high-level international gathering for Honolulu was the Asian Development Bank meeting in 2001.

That meeting had stirred worries of violent protests that had erupted in other cities but the meeting went smoothly with only small non-violent demonstrations.

San Francisco, the Los Angeles-Orange County area, New York and Miami were being considered as possible venues for the conference. Earlier, Hawaii Convention Center's SMG general manager Joe Davis said the decision was narrowed to between Honolulu and the two California destinations weeks ago.

The 21 members of APEC are: Australia; Brunei; Canada; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; the United States; Chinese Taipei; Hong Kong, China; People's Republic of China; Mexico; Papua New Guinea; Chile; Peru; Russia; and Vietnam.

Iron Snake

James — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:33:36 EST

Closer To God

Iron Snake

I grabbed the extended hand, going into a double wrist-lock for additional support. Burt’s arm retracted like a hydraulic ram coming up out of a ditch, and I was pulled straight to the top step of the car. I stuck my head out into the increasing wind as the train accelerated out of the sharp curve. I was the last aboard. A well-groomed conductor retracted the stairs, and then stood looking at us as if viewing zoo specimens. We were at the end of the last car. He blocked the aisle without seeming to do so. I produced our tickets, which he examined, clipped twice and pointed forward with, before returning them to my hand.

We’d waited an hour for the train under Ficus trees, called Mugumo locally, that lined the tracks, with an assortment of natives impatient to clamber aboard with us. Apparently, once aboard, the conductors charged a lower, negotiated price, than could be had at the ticket station.

Our First Class sleeping car was located just beyond the dining car. Most of the overnight train configuration was spent on Fourth Class Fare, which meant four bunks to a room. Burt and I had only two, the extra space taken up by a bench seat with a long private window.

We made our way down the aisle, situated along the left windowed wall of the car. The only cars with center aisles were the dining and day-seat cars. The creak of wood and clicking of wheels were comforting sounds of security. The room was a welcome haven from events of the day. At least it was until I looked at the door. I moved past it, raising one hand to stop Burt. We stood on each side of the door looking at the holes around the handle. Small bore bullet holes. The kind slow, sub-sonic silenced rounds make when they enter wood.

I looked at Burt. Neither of us brought out any weaponry, although there was nobody in the corridor with us. There would be no one inside the room, which I confirmed by pushing the now unlockable door open with my foot. It swung wide, allowing us to see every inch of the space. No one waited because they would have been waiting inside an inescapable trap, in the event of problems. We were up against pros, who wouldn’t expose themselves to the whimsy of chance unless they had to.

I went around the inside of the room, poking my finger into holes on the far side wall and then the frames of our bunk beds.

“Why’d they shoot out the lock? The doors don’t have keys. You can only lock them from the inside.” Burt asked, pulling the bottom bunk down from the wall with a thud, and then sitting atop the mattress.

“Not anymore,” I answered. “Kind of gives me the idea that we’re gonna have visitors later, and they don’t even care if we know ahead of time.”

“Cheeky bastards,” Burt sighed. “Why they treating us like citizens?”

Citizens are regular people. People who have no knowledge of intelligence work, guns, pyrotechnics, or real violence. We call ourselves, and others like us, players. Once you are a player you can never be a real citizen again. Most of us think we can, but in truth, it just can’t be done. “Paranoia bites deep….” the song goes.

“Maybe that’s all the intel they have. Maybe we’re just a hit to them. Maybe they don’t have a formal organization behind them,” I mused, taking a place on the bench seat. The scenery going by was the outskirts of Southern Nairobi. Broken blocks, tile and brick, mixed in with metal sheets in a state of angled falling rust everywhere. And dust. Tons of gray dust runneled through with dark rivulets of muddy water. And native peoples everywhere. Three stone fires sending up hundreds of single plum smoke signals wherever I looked.

Our door flew open. My left hand slipped straight into left front pocket, the forty-five bearing on the door open through the cloth of my trousers. A woman stood in the door.

“Evening mates,” she said, loudly and cheerfully, her rough but attractive face broken nearly in half by a huge smile.

“Hi,” Burt mumbled.

My hand relaxed out of my pocket. I was staring at an ‘Earth Mother,’ as we term them. Young women, mostly from England or Australia, some from America, who come over to Africa and then wander about the countries in their comfortable boots. They invariably wear shorts, long sleeve shirts and carry packs that have to weigh more than seventy pounds. Their lack of fear and sense of adventure has always impressed us.

“We got wine if you got an opener,” she stated, with a great laugh.

I was taken aback for a few seconds. An Earth Mother without a Swiss Army knife? I couldn’t picture it. Then I realized we were being invited over for social reasons. The bottle-opener was cover.

“Sure,” I responded, assuming that Burt had more tools behind the padding of his multi-purpose coat.

“Americans?” the woman asked.

We didn’t answer.

“I know from the accent,” she went on, turning to lead us to her room, as both of us had risen to our feet. “’Hi,’ like ‘Hey’ is strictly American. Then there’s the ‘sure’ comment. Another dead giveaway.”

She was Australian, I knew, from her own heavy accent, but I didn’t reply, only following her two berths down the aisle, where another door was open.

“Ever go see the Flamingos,” she inquired, but not waiting for an answer. “At that lake outside of town American tourists like to go to? Down there they always say the same thing when they see the birds: ‘Oh my God, they’re so pink.” She laughed heartily. I had to laugh too. Her impersonation of an American, totally over done, had been vividly descriptive and funny.

We filed into the room. The woman closed the door behind us, engaging the lock with a loud click. There were three other women in the room, all heavily tanned, all smiling broadly. I was humorously glad that I was armed. Burt produced his own Swiss knife, bottle-opener extended. He went to work on a bottle.

“Four of you in a two-bed First Class room?” I inquired.

“Sleeping bags,” the woman named Wendy, who’d invited us in, answered. “First Class room is two hundred shillings less than a four bed Fourth Class.” I marveled, as that amount of local currency was worth about three bucks, and then took a seat on the floor, my back to the outer wall so I could face the locked door. We’d already had a lesson in just how secure those were.

We drank two bottles of red wine. The label read ‘Terpenja Garnacha,” which I knew was Spanish, and surprisingly, not that cheap. Burt and I nursed ours in paper cups, knowing that there were other players aboard who’d have to be dealt with at some point in the night.

“They call this train the Lunatic Express, you know,” Wendy commented, her voice beginning to slur. “There was a lot of opposition to its being built by the British in the eighteen hundreds,” she slurred on.

“Iron snake,” Burt stated, speaking for the first times since we’d entered the cabin. We all looked at him. “Its what the natives call the train,” he followed, his expression showing surprise at our rapt attention. “Kikuyu. The natives are mostly Kikuyu, not Masai,” he finished, almost guiltily, eyeing the remaining wine in his cup.

I couldn’t believe that I had heard correctly. My formal education was in ethnology. Cultural Anthropology they used to call it, before they wanted everyone to think it was all about the study of fish or bugs. I understood the origins and interaction of the cultures in Kenya. I simply could not believe that a Knuckle-dragger, especially a huge dumb-looking one like Burt, would know anything about such things.

“Where the hell did you go to school?” I asked him, without thinking.

“Thornton Fractional,” he replied, proudly. I knew it to be a high school located somewhere in South Chicago. I didn’t know why I expected some center of higher education to come out of his mouth, but I had.

“You two don’t even know each other? Wendy inquired. “We thought you were companions.” The women all laughed, while Burt’s face grew red.

“I’m not gay,” he said, his voice small amid the raucous sounds filling the room around us.

“So, are you married?” Wendy asked me, directly, her first two words coming out as one.

I said I was.

“All the good ones…and all that,” she replied, then went on, “What’s her name?”

“Joan,” I answered, not having a clue as to why I lied, or used that name.

Burt almost laughed out load, held back only by the angry frown I sent across the room at him.

“Gotta use the loo,” Wendy said, unlocking the door. The other women paid full attention to Burt while she was gone, he having indicated that he was single. I presumed that they were merely practicing their skills, as Burt and I were a good fifteen years older than any of them.

Wendy re-entered the room. “Some Bogans down at your place,” she stated, offhandedly, before being surprised by Burt’s instant rise from the floor.

“What’s a Bogan?” he asked, opening the door a fraction, then drawing out his suppressed automatic. I joined him, the AMT Hardballer in my left hand, pointed down. The room went silent and still, the sounds of the train seeming to grow louder with each passing second.

“What have we got?” I whispered.

Burt held up one finger, then pointed aft, toward the dining car. His finger then tapped his own forehead.

“Okay, out you go. I’ll give you ten minutes.” I checked my wrist, but there was no Omega there. I cursed.

His gun disappeared. He was out the door and gone, seemingly more smoothly and quickly than a man his size could move. I slid the forty-five back into my pocket, then turned to face the women. They sat frozen, one with a cup of wine halfway to her lips. I slid down the door, sitting with my back to it.

“I wont stay long, just until Burt gets back. You’ll never see us again, once we hit Mombasa,” I said, my voice soft but flat.

“Mombasa,” Wendy replied, her voice no longer slurring. “It means ‘Battle City’ in Nandi,” she said, matter-of-factly. I didn’t reply, instead waiting for the inevitable question. It came, but not in the form I expected.

“Who are the others?” Wendy inquired.

“We don’t know,” I answered, truthfully. “They came at us in Nairobi because of something that happened in Mombasa. So we’re going there to find out. They don’t have good intentions.”

“That wasn’t a normal kind of gun, the one your friend has,” Wendy stated.

“We’ve seen a lot of guns on our Walkabout. That one’s not normal,” she repeated.

I had nothing to say. I didn’t care about lying to the Aussies, but I could see no reason to add anything I didn’t have to, other than about Joan being my wife, and I couldn’t understand what had made me say that in the first place.

“He’s the killer, so what does that make you?” Wendy asked, the other women opening a third bottle of the wine, as if they commonly spent time in enclosed spaces with gun-toting hitmen.

I again did not answer, setting my cup aside.

“You’ve drunk our wine. We’ve taken you in. You owe us something,” she said, slowly, with quiet expressive meaning.

I looked at all four of them, trying to decide what to say. If there was a code for such encounters, then Wendy was right. Our taking up with them had, at the least, saved a potentially violent confrontation, which might not have worked to our advantage. And she had warned us. I took out the wad of local currency and peeled off two bills.

“Two thousand shillings,” I intoned, putting the money in front of Wendy’s feet, since she made no move to accept it with her hand.

“More,” she said, with no smile on her face or in her voice.

I took another bill from the roll, but she held out her hand.

“Enough money. Tell us more.” She pulled her hand back, then filled her cup to the brim with red wine.

I sighed and put the roll back in my pocket. “We’re agents. It doesn’t matter what kind of agents. One of us got killed in Mombasa. Burt and I came to redress that loss, but nothing when right. When I inquired, these guys, who we don’t know, came at us. Shooting. We can’t go back and we can’t go forward until we know more, which is why were going down to where we lost that agent.” I finished, hoping that my explanation would be enough.

“Can’t exactly go back to your berth, now can you?” one of the other women said.

I had no answer. The woman was correct in her assumption. Unless I could be certain that none of our pursuers were on the train, it would be very risky to stay in the berth we’d booked. But it wouldn’t be any safer elsewhere on the train, unless it was in a berth nobody knew about. Like the one I was in.

“Since Burt isn’t married, he can stay with me, if he doesn’t mind the hard floor,” the woman went on.

“What’s your name,” I asked her.

“Ruthie,” she answered. “Ruthie Jorgensen,” she fluffed her bright blond hair, as if to indicate the obviousness of her Scandinavian heritage, then went on, “but they call me Dingo, because I don’t talk much.”

“Well, that’s more than kind of you Dingo, but Burt’s much older than you. Women don’t take to men like us, and they usually have better judgment than to marry us,” I warned her.

“Except for Joan, that is,” Wendy said, drinking her whole cup of wine down, before going for another.

“I’m not married, since we’re trying to talk truth here. I lied, to fit in better."

"Joan," I said, and then I paused. I could not minimize Joan, “Joan’s a real woman, but with somebody else. And yes, you’ve shared your wine, your room and your friendship with us. That deserves something, which is what I’m trying to give you. Our problems are not your problems, and our problems are very serious.”

“Than you can sleep in my bunk,” Wendy said. “I mean, since your not really married.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Far from rejecting us, the women were welcoming us into their lives, at least while we were all aboard the train.

“Listen to me. We lie for a living. Violence is our stock and trade. We’re not good men. We’re just tools, guided around out here by people who don’t necessarily have the best interests of humanity at heart.”

“Is that part the lying?” Dingo asked, her face serious. I massaged my face with both hands. I had never encountered Earth Mothers, except in passing, and I was finding the experience frustrating and difficult to deal with. I also noted, when I was done talking, that the two thousand shilling notes were no longer on the floor. Wendy smiled, as if in thanks. I wondered, by the time the train hit Mombasa, whether Burt or I would have any currency left between us.

There was a very soft single knock on the door. I felt it rather than heard it.

The bad guys would not be knocking, and there was also no way they could know which cabin we were in. I stood and opened the door. Burt slipped in, and then took his place near Dingo where he’d originally sat.

“What’d you find?” I asked him.

Burt looked at me, then at the women, then back at me, without speaking.

“They’re in,” I told him. “We’re staying with them. Don’t ask how or why. Talk to me.”

With an expression of reservation written across his face, Burt talked. “They had a Fourth Class room let. There were three of them, all Caucasian. They decided that it was in their best interest,” Burt stopped, looking around the silent room carefully, “to leave the train before we got to Mombasa.”

“This is a non-stop,” Wendy stated, analytically.

“Any blood? Clean-up? Disturbance?” I asked, ignoring her.

“No. They were in the last car. I popped the emergency latches on their window, and out they went. Had some duct tape, so the window won’t flap, or anything like that.”

“You made them jump from the train?” Wendy asked, obviously stunned. “But the train is going a hundred kilometers an hour.”

“Would have been nice to talk to them. You didn’t question them, did you?” I interrupted.

Burt looked at me, his expression showing guilt.

“No, but I did get these,” he said, laying two RAP automatics on the seat between he and Dingo. She immediately caressed the surface of both pieces.

“Parabellum?” I inquired of him. He said nothing, confirming my analysis. The guns were nine millimeter’s produced by a small company in South Africa. That company supplied the local police forces. The weapons were not normally available on the private market outside of that country.

“Boers. Shit. What the hell do the Boers have to do with this?” I said the words to myself, thinking. “You find the suppressor?”

A gray, powder-coated cylinder joined the two automatics. I stared at it for a moment. “SAI,” I asked. Again, Burt did not answer. “Shit,” I said. At every turn with these unknown assailants we were being confronted with an abundance of capability and quality material. SAI was a company out of Denmark. They produced a ‘carbon’ silencer superior even to an oil-filled device, but they were usually more expensive than the weapon they were fitted to.

“Get rid of them,” I said, concluding there was nothing more to be learned from the weapons.

“Can I have one?” Dingo asked.

“Me too,” Wendy followed, instantly.

“Alright, take them, but not the suppressor. That goes out the window.” I was unable to keep the exasperated tone from my voice. I was traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa in the middle of the night aboard the infamous Iron Snake, trapped in a room with people equally as crazy as I, if not more so. The thought did not give me comfort.

“Way cool,” the supposedly silent Dingo intoned, using her caricature of an American accent. “What about dinner. You can’t go to the dining car can you, I mean with those others having gotten off the train early?” She stroked here new acquisition while she talked. Burt smiled at her, and then produced a magazine filled with cartridges. I looked from one of them to the other, wondering which one of them was in more trouble.

I took out my wad of shillings. “These seem to work wonders here. I think we can manage dinner in the cabin.”

http://www.jamesstraussauthor.com

http://www.themastodons.com

http://www.from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com

Health care, abortion and a bridge too far

Terrie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:36:20 EST

I wrote this article originally for the newspaper I work for. It's on peoplesworld.org. Appreciate any feedback.

The House of Representatives passed a historic health care reform bill on Nov. 7. By a vote of 220-215 the Democrats ushered in health reform legislation, the likes of which haven't been seen since Medicare passed in 1965.

Like many others in the labor, progressive and left movements, I see the bill, Affordable Health Care for America Act, HR 3962, as not the end of the monumental battle to guarantee health care for all, but a significant step along that road. It curbs the enormous influence the insurance giants have over the country's health care system. And that's a start.

In the first place, the bill would crackdown on the insurance industry by banning lifetime limits and coverage denials based on preexisting conditions. The bill would end a federal antitrust exemption that has for decades protected the industry from federal investigations.

The bill would create a government-run insurance option to compete with private plans on a new insurance exchange for people who don't have employer coverage.

It puts in place mandates for the individual and employers to buy and offer, respectively, health insurance. At the same time the bill would offer subsidies to help households earning up to $88,000 in annual income for a family of four purchase coverage.

The bill would expand Medicaid and provide free health care to all Americans with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

To pay for the trillion dollar cost over 10 years the bill places a surcharge on taxpayers who earn more than $500,000 a year, or $1 million a year for families. And would cut waste in both Medicaid and Medicare, mainly by phasing out the Bush administration's privatization debacle of Medicare, called Medicare Advantage. This program was a giveaway to insurance corporations.

The bill also would end premium disparity based on health status and sex. Turns out, women are charged more for the same coverage than men. When it comes to pre-existing conditions - they cannot list pregnancy, c-section, rape and domestic violence.

All of which are tremendous victories. All of which have been hailed by Democratic lawmakers, along with the labor movement, civil rights organizations and health care reform advocates.

But, and there is a but.

There is something really disturbing that came alongside those victories.

A bi-partisan amendment, which passed, that would severely restrict women's reproductive health, beyond anything so far to date. Called the Stupak amendment, named after the Michigan Democrat who introduced it, the restrictions go beyond the 33-year-old Hyde Amendment which bans any federal dollars going to pay for pregnancy terminations. It would bar women who get any federal subsidy for health insurance from getting access to abortion even if it's paid with her own money.

To add to that something disturbing happened during the health bill discussion. When members of the House Women's Caucus attempted to take the floor to highlight why this bill overall was good for women, Republicans interrupted and blocked them.

It got so bad, Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio accused the Republicans of censoring her remarks and blocking her right to make them.

The Republicans who shouted down the caucus members were men. It was like they were setting the stage for the Stupak amendment. Don't let women have a voice about health care, their actions seemed to say.

The Stupak amendment was passed by a 240-194 vote with 64 Democrats voting with all 176 Republicans. (Only one Republican voted for the health care bill in the end.)

Out of the 64 Democrats that voted for the amendment, only two were women. Out of the entire 176 Republican caucus, only 18 are women.

There is a major gender disconnect here. And women - 50 percent of the population, 40 percent of the breadwinners in the country - are underrepresented in the Congress and it was really apparent what such under-representation means in this vote.

But let's take it another step.

Pro-choice advocates in and out of Congress had agreed early on that this health care reform bill was about health care, and the fight on reproductive rights would be in another arena. Federal prohibitions like the Hyde Amendment would stay in place.

In fact, on Friday, Nov. 6, every major women's organization sent out last minute e-mails urging their members and supporters to call Congress to support the health reform bill, even with shortcomings. It was a very mature and politically astute approach.

For example the National Organization For Women urged its supporters to get their congressional representatives on board despite severe abortion restrictions. In fact, NOW said, a compromise measure called the Capps Amendment was part of the bill that came out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was seen "as necessary to get the larger bill out."

According to NOW's analysis of the Capps Amendment, "abortion would be prohibited from being included in a list of Minimum Benefits Coverage, a listing that will be determined by an appointed committee of experts and consumers at some future date."

Further, the Capps Amendment was to ensure that at least one of the private insurance options in every premium rating level must include abortion coverage beyond rape, life or incest, and at least one of the private plans must exclude abortion in the newly established insurance exchanges and that in each region of the country, there is at least one plan in the Health Exchange that offers abortion services, but also one plan in the Health Exchange that does not offer abortion coverage, according to NOW's analysis.

State laws regarding abortion coverage, funding and referrals would have been untouched.

"Last minute restrictions adopted in the rule required to bring the House health care reform bill to the floor will explicitly prohibit federal funding for abortion services, guarantee patient access to insurance plans that do not cover abortions and require federal health officials to hire private contractors to handle payments to abortion providers," NOW said. "These restrictions represent a compromise to allow the full bill to go forward and were reached after days of negotiation with conservative abortion rights opponents in both parties."

NOW went on to report that members from the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus were "not pleased with the language but would not oppose it" in order to get support from a few additional Democratic anti-choice House members and to reach the "magic number of 218 votes."

So what happened between Friday morning and Saturday?

Some reports point to a last minute show down with anti-choice advocates insisting on the Stupak amendment going to the floor for a vote. With backs against the wall, Pelosi and the House leadership, reports say, had to let it go to the floor. The Hill reported a shouting match between Reps. George Miller and Rosa De Lauro, both Pelosi confidants, over the decision late Friday night.

Women are a core part of the coalition that helped elect Barack Obama and put a dagger through the heart of the ultra-right's control of politics in this country. Women are a core part of the coalition that will bring to life positive change in this country, including and especially curbing the power of mega-corporations and banks.

It's not easy to keep a diverse and multi-class coalition together on key interests like health care reform, climate change, education or economic recovery. But it's necessary. The Stupak amendment threatens that coalition.

There was already language agreed to that would have prevented any tax dollars going to pay for abortion procedures. It wasn't an easy thing to do but pro-choice advocates agreed to it for the greater good. Then in the eleventh hour, a monkey wrench. Somebody threw it. Seems to me, it played right into the interests of the big insurance companies, desperate to derail major health reform and muck up the political landscape as much as possible as the bill goes onto the Senate. On top of the main political hurdles to overcome in the Senate to get to health reform - the public option and how to pay for it, taxing the rich vs. taxing health plans - abortion, one of the most controversial issues of our time, gets added to the mix.

Why did Stupak and the 63 other Democrats join with all the Republicans in this "bridge too far?" There is much political parsing over that. Whatever the reasons, it only plays into the hands of the insurance giants and the ultra-right. And that won't win health reform.

President Obama said the Stupak amendment must not stand. He is a pro-choice president. Women's groups have demanded the Stupak language be stripped in the final bill. The insurance companies and ultra-right attempt to stop health care reform from going through is not going to happen. Women, and the whole coalition, won't let it.

The Needy

Nellieyah — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:48:52 EST

The needy are knee deep in debt. Up to their necks in regret. That somehow we still let ourselves forget. That even now we can’t seem to set it straight. Calling yelling and hate debating the issues. But the weight that the needy bear can’t wait. The needy have bad news burdens so great. Like, how to put food on a plate. The mood is called forsaken. Feeling shaken and appalled at how rude people can be, taking up all the cream of the crop for the few at the top. With a stingy and condescending attitude, bothered to have to stop and think about the needy. Pretending not to realize how greedy greed can get. Defending the best seed of deception. That the needy are to blame for their condition. That by simply wishing for economic security it could be so. The needy already know the reason why they have no place to go. Because it’s the law of the land. The needy already understand that they have no helping hand. The needy supply only demand, because they are denied the right to supply themselves. The haves have defined the have nots as deaf, dumb and blind. The needy are crying out for help, dying and numb inside. Left out and pushed aside. The needy are trying to survive. The needy are sick and tired of being sick and tired. The needy either aint got jobs, their job sucks, or they just got fired. The needy need for you and me to see what it’s like to live a day in their life, in their strife. We need to get right, and not fight against human rights for all human beings, even if their income is low, or poverty is their level, or their parent is single, or they live check to check, or their education is basic, or their title doesn’t get respect. The very existence of “the needy” is wrong. All God’s children to God belong.

Power for India, Jobs for the U.S.

EsquireUK — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:37:06 EST

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/14/power-india-jobs-us

Before joining President Obama in China on Monday, I am visiting India, another crucial partner for the United States as we meet the challenge of climate change and help speed the transition to a clean energy economy.

India has three times as many citizens as the United States but consumes just 15 percent as much electricity. But in the coming decades, India is likely to become the third largest energy consumer in the world, following China and the United States. In a "business as usual" future, India's demand of coal will be 60% higher than projected its domestic production. The demand for oil could be 10 times the domestic supply.

The number of vehicles in India will rise from 100 million today to 380 million by 2030, and the number of buildings – measured in square meters of floor space – will be five times what it is today.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/14/power-india-jobs-us

These statistics make it all the more important that we invest in technologies like more energy efficient buildings, electric and hybrid cars, and renewable energy like wind and solar. Quite simply, we have a shared interest in ensuring that India's growth is clean and sustainable. There are tremendous opportunities for partnerships in clean energy that we've only just begun to explore.

For example, India could emerge as a major export destination for solar panels and wind turbine components manufactured in the United States.

Roughly 40 percent of India’s citizens currently go without electricity. Small wind farms and solar panels could be an ideal solution, particularly for remote and rural areas that can’t connect to the power grid. These intermittent energy sources could yield a steady, reliable flow of electricity with the help of advanced batteries currently being developed in the United States with the support of the Department of Energy. This would open up new economic opportunities in both our countries.

These are just a couple examples of how moving to a clean energy economy makes good business sense. We need a new industrial revolution in the United States and around the world. America can and should lead the way.

Steven Chu is Secretary of Energy

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/14/power-india-jobs-us

City of Obama, Japan

☮ CR ❤ — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:05:12 EST

City of Obama, Japan

The city of Obama has received much publicity because it shares its name with that of U.S. President Barack Obama. It began when Obama as a Senator gave a 2006 interview to Japanese television network TBS where he noted that, when passing through customs in Narita Airport, an official looking at his visa said that he was from Obama.The Obama City Hall heard about the interview and the mayor, Toshio Murakami, sent Senator Obama a set of the city’s famous lacquer chopsticks, a DVD about the city and a letter wishing him the best. As Senator Obama's presidential campaign progressed, more local businesses began to organize primary parties and put up "Go Obama!" posters, sell "I love Obama" T-shirts, and produce manjū (a type of Japanese confectionery) with Senator Obama's face on them. A hula group began in the town in honour of Senator Obama's home state of Hawaii. The troupe visited Honolulu in June to perform at the Pan Pacific Festival.

President Obama has since thanked the town for their gifts and support, saying "I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and a shared commitment to a better, freer world".

There are a number of Japanese with the surname Obama. Though the American President is of Kenyan Luo heritage, it is not uncommon for Japanese and East African names to sound alike.

As a result of the victory by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, the Mayor of Obama City announced to the Japanese press that he intends to commission a statue of Barack Obama to be put in front of the city hall "as a token of the great historical moment for the name Obama".

In addition, he has declared that November 4 will be an annual holiday in the city.

On January 20, 2009, the day that Barack Obama was sworn into office, the city of Obama celebrated with women dancing the hula at the Hagaji Temple to celebrate the inauguration.

(source: wikipedia)

Japan's Obama town welcomes president with Hawaiian dance

☮ CR ❤ — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:55:58 EST

Japan's Obama town welcomes president with Hawaiian dance

11/13/09 AFP

TOKYO (AFP) – When the US president arrived in Japan on Friday to kick off his first Asia tour in office, no-one was happier than his most fervent fans in the country -- the residents of the town of Obama.

To welcome the US leader, who spent part of his youth in Hawaii, and whose father was Kenyan, the town of 30,000 people dispatched its team of hula dancers to perform a dance outside the embassy of the African country.

The tropical-style welcome was actually performed several hours before Barack Obama's Air Force One touched down in a cold drizzle -- but the undeterred organisers suggested it was the symbolism that mattered.

The namesake of their ancient fishing town, which means "small shore" in Japanese, had been unable to make time to visit Obama town during his busy two-day trip, or even to watch the heartfelt Hawaiian welcome, they said.

"Security is so tight that we only hope to get a glance of the president at some point," said the group's leader, Seiji Fujihara, referring to the 16,000 police who are on duty in Tokyo during the state visit.

"We danced for friendship with Kenya and for the new ambassador," he said. "We also danced with the wish that we will meet President Obama."

Fujihara later said he and his dancers would wait again on Saturday to perform another show somewhere along Obama's route.

"We know it will be impossible to bring him to Obama," he said. "But we hope something will happen, and we are thrilled."

The people of Obama have rallied hard for the US President since his election campaign, creating a hula dance in his honour and distributing "I Love Obama" T-shirts.

The western Japan town, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Tokyo, has turned its accidental world fame into a cottage industry, selling presidential souvenirs and snacks, and enjoying a spike in tourism.

The town's officials had made every possible effort to contact Obama, sending him a gift of lacquer-coated chopsticks, the town's traditional craft, and offering him an invitation to the coastal settlement.

"The invitation was not accepted, due to the tight schedule of the president, but instead the US government invited the mayor to his speech," which is to be held in Tokyo on Saturday, a city official told AFP.

Obama Mayor Koji Matsuzaki gladly accepted the offer, she added.

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