Obama election sparks new interest in civil rightsBy Andrea Shalal-EsaREUTERSBIRMINGHAM, Alabama - When Barack Obama is sworn in next week as the first black U.S. president, 97-year-old Alabama civil rights veteran Amelia Boynton Robinson will see a miracle in the milestone."I think it's an act of God," said Robinson, who was jailed and beaten decades ago in the racially segregated U.S. South.For Robinson, whose mother was born just a few years after the end of slavery, the fight for equality did not end with the civil rights laws passed in the 1960s and it won't end with Obama's historic inauguration on January 20."To this day, I am still on the battlefield," Robinson told 35 educators, students and activists last week in Tuskegee, Alabama, during a four-day tour of civil rights historic sites in Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama.Obama's election has rekindled interest in the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s amid continuing racial tensions and wide disparities in income, education and health care between whites and minority groups.In Alabama, visitor numbers are up dramatically at a center that marks the route of a five-day, 47-mile march led by King from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 by 25,000 people demanding equal rights for black Americans, said Tina Smiley of the U.S. National Park Service.Doug McMillon, chief executive of the Sam's Club unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc, has brought four large groups of executives to the center in recent months, and has commissioned a film so all his workers can share the experience, she said.Activists Charles Alphin and Bernard Lafayette organize civil rights tours such as the one Robinson addressed.Robinson, who once hosted Martin Luther King Jr. in her home, will travel to England next month to teach the principles of non-violence used in the sit-ins, mass arrests and protests that characterized the movement.In the 1930s, she started a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama, where African-Americans were hindered from voting until the mid-1960s by capricious literacy tests, poll taxes and the need to produce two white "sponsors."Robinson catapulted the issue into the limelight in 1965 when she asked King for help.Soon afterward, King led the historic voting rights marches in Alabama. On what came to be known as "Bloody Sunday," white authorities beat and tear-gassed protesters and television images flashed around the world.A LONG ROAD"It's the screaming I remember most," says Joanne Bland, who was 11 years old when she was knocked unconscious on Bloody Sunday. Her 14-year-old sister needed 26 stitches on her head; but both girls marched again the next Tuesday.The violence sparked outrage and solidarity marches around the country and helped prod Congress into passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law that finally secured the right of African-Americans to vote.Bland ran Selma's voting rights museum and now leads tours of the 20,000-plus town that is grappling with a high crime rate, drug problems, severe poverty and rising unemployment.Bland says the Selma movement paved the way for the election of Obama, who visited the city in 2007."What we did here in Selma is why he was able to be elected," she said.Obama often credits the black Americans whose struggle made his personal road to the White House possible."It's important for people to study and learn about this period of history so that we can continue to build on King's work and his philosophy," added Roger Vredeveld, 47, who teaches U.S. and black history in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and went on the tour.Some analysts have described Obama's victory as ushering in a "post-racial" era, but civil rights activists say there is still much to be done. They point to such crises as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which revealed deep racial divides, and recurrent cases of police brutality.Another teacher on the tour, Arthur Romano, cited riots in Oakland, California, after the January 1 shooting of an unarmed 22-year-old black man by a white transit police officer, and said King's non-violent approach would be far more productive.Oscar Grant's death, he said, "serves as a reminder of how far there is to go, and the need for serious, strategic and long-term community involvement on these issues."(Editing by Doina Chiacu)
posted: http://africanamericans.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxFcL discussion: http://discussheadlines.blogspot.com/2009/01/civil-rights-education.html
AIR FORCE * ARMY * COAST GUARD * MARINES * NAVY
If you are going to be in Washington DC during the Inauguration you may want to attend the Blogfest event to Help Wounded Veterans. see http://www.usaservice.org/page/event/detail/4jqt3
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church, 4 February 1968.
HELP WOUNDED VETERANSSource: David Apperson, LIFE CLOUD
http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxFK9
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
"Our veterans are part of an unbroken line of heroes who have defended the American people and stood up for American values" - PRESIDENT ELECT OBAMA
ABC * AP * CNN * C-SPAN * GOOGLE * MONITOR * MSN * REUTERS * TIMES * UPI * CARTOONS
Alabama * Alaska * Arizona * Arkansas * California * Colorado * Connecticut * DC * Delaware * Florida * Georgia * Guam * Hawaii * Idaho * Illinois * Indiana * Iowa * Kansas * Kentucky * Louisiana * Maine * Maryland * Massachusetts * Michigan * Minnesota * Mississippi * Missouri * Montana * Nebraska * Nevada * New Hampshire * New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North Carolina * North Dakota * Ohio * Oklahoma * Oregon * Pennsylvania * Puerto-Rico * Rhode Island * South Carolina * South Dakota * Tennessee * Texas * Utah * Vermont * Virginia * Washington * West Virginia * Wisconsin * Wyoming *
PRESIDENT INAUGURAL TICKETS are available for those who would like to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. RSVP must be made by 15 DEC 2008. This will be an historic moment of FAITH, HOPE and UNITY. Confirm your reservations while you still can.
Some US Senators are already out of tickets. As of 15 NOV 2008, I recommend trying to connect with your local congressional representative.
CLICK HERE FOR BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL TICKETS
UPDATE: WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), today introduced legislation prohibiting the sale and counterfeiting of inaugural tickets."The Inauguration of the President is one of the most important rituals of our democracy. The chance to witness this event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game," Senator Feinstein said. "This legislation is meant to immediately stop the unscrupulous behavior of those who obtain these tickets for free and then seek to profit by selling them, often at dramatically inflated prices. This bill also would target those duping the public with fraudulent tickets or promises of tickets they don't actually have."It is my hope that Congress will pass this legislation during this week's lame-duck session so that we can stop scam artists and profiteers from maligning this historic event," Senator Feinstein added.The bill would make it unlawful to sell or attempt to sell tickets to the presidential inaugural swearing-in ceremony. It also would be illegal to create a fraudulent ticket or forge a ticket to the inauguration. Those who violate the law would face fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year.Tickets to the 56th Inaugural Ceremonies are provided free of charge and are distributed through members of the 111th Congress and the President-elect and Vice President-elect. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in person pick-up with proper identification.No websites or other ticket outlets have inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, despite what they may claim. Last week, Ebay/StubHub announced it would not allow the sale of inaugural swearing-in ceremony tickets on any of its websites.
Contribute to the David Apperson Internet Civil Rights Campaign
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."
PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA
RSVP MIDNIGHT PRAYER AND CELEBRATION - 31 DEC 2008
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IS OUR NEW COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
We invite everyone breathing, or not, the opportunity to show global unity and dedicate three [ 3 ] minutes of time on News Years Eve to thank God for President Obama and ask the Creator of All Things for a GLOBAL BLESSING for ALL NATIONS, PEOPLES, AND TONGUES.
May we agree that 2009 can be a year of healing for the nation and the world as we celebrate this historic election. All faiths are encouraged to join the festivities. LET US GO DOWN TO THE RIVER AND PRAY.
Text translations of the readings supplied by GOOGLE TRANSLATE through GLOBAL BIBLE STUDY.
Reuters has published some great photos from the Mid-East tour. Here are a couple I rather like:
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (R) meets with Israeli President Simon Peres in Jerusalem, July 23, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama rekindles the eternal flame, commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, during his visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem July 23, 2008.
See more and read article here: Obama assures Israel he's a friend
This is great news! Obama's leading in a new nationwide poll, despite having to contend with Wright, "bitter", and other controversies. Barack Obama leads John McCain by 10 points nationwide, in a poll including Libertarian Bob Barr and Liberal Ralph Nader, according to the latest Reuters/Zogby telephone poll. There is good news and good news. Among Democrats, Obama has 79% support, which may show that Democrats are uniting. Independent voters prefer Obama to McCain by 48% to 32%. Obama led McCain among all voters, but McCain has more older voters, 45% to 34%. Obama leads among voters under age 30, and is 13 points ahead among voters age 50 to 64. "Obama has been very resilient, bouncing back from rough periods and doing very well with independent voters," John Zogby said. Zogby said attacks on Obama by Bush and McCain only reminded voters of the ties between McCain and Bush, according to Reuters.
Read More here.
Carole
It seems there are these little known enterprises called prediction exchanges. In a nutshell, they act somewhat like stock markets, where traders buy and sell contracts on the likelyhood of future events. Apparently Barack Obama's win in both August and November is a hot commodity in these prediction exchanges the world over.
Anyway, here's a link (opens in new window) to the story in Reuters I found this in. It's much more exciting the way they tell it than the way you read it here!
From Reuters:
----BEGIN ARTICLE----
US doctors support universal health care - survey
Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:00pm EDT
WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - More than half of U.S. doctors now favor switching to a national health care plan and fewer than a third oppose the idea, according to a survey published on Monday. The survey suggests that opinions have changed substantially since the last survey in 2002 and as the country debates serious changes to the health care system. Of more than 2,000 doctors surveyed, 59 percent said they support legislation to establish a national health insurance program, while 32 percent said they opposed it, researchers reported in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The 2002 survey found that 49 percent of physicians supported national health insurance and 40 percent opposed it. "Many claim to speak for physicians and represent their views. We asked doctors directly and found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, most doctors support national health insurance," said Dr. Aaron Carroll of the Indiana University School of Medicine, who led the study. "As doctors, we find that our patients suffer because of increasing deductibles, co-payments, and restrictions on patient care," said Dr. Ronald Ackermann, who worked on the study with Carroll. "More and more, physicians are turning to national health insurance as a solution to this problem." PATCHWORK The United States has no single organized health care system. Instead it relies on a patchwork of insurance provided by the federal and state governments to the elderly, poor, disabled and to some children, along with private insurance and employer-sponsored plans. Many other countries have national plans, including Britain, France and Canada, and several studies have shown the United States spends more per capita on health care, without achieving better results for patients. An estimated 47 million people have no insurance coverage at all, meaning they must pay out of their pockets for health care or skip it. Contenders in the election for president in November all have proposed various changes, but none of the major party candidates has called for a fully national health plan. Insurance companies, retailers and other employers have joined forces with unions and other interest groups to propose their own plans. "Across the board, more physicians feel that our fragmented and for-profit insurance system is obstructing good patient care, and a majority now support national insurance as the remedy," Ackermann said in a statement. The Indiana survey found that 83 percent of psychiatrists, 69 percent of emergency medicine specialists, 65 percent of pediatricians, 64 percent of internists, 60 percent of family physicians and 55 percent of general surgeons favor a national health insurance plan. The researchers said they believe the survey was representative of the 800,000 U.S. medical doctors. (Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Will Dunham and Xavier Briand)
© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
----END ARTICLE----
Here is the survey and an editorial about the survey: survey and editorial. See also the summary if the article is a bit confusing and this response, which is on page 2 of the link. Based on the orginal article, it should be more interpreted as a plurality instead of a majority. What do you think? Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
EMK
PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST THIS!!
Obama has finally pulled ahead of Clinton here in Califronia, according to a new Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080203/pl_nm/usa_politics_poll_dc_1;_ylt=ApyFNiP0T662p1VeGEXWOGcE1vAI
YES, WE CAN!
