It’s been nearly a week since we the people of this country made history by electing Barack Obama as our 44th President! And people are still celebrating not only here but around the world. In spite of battered markets, enormous job losses and a national economic crisis, we have proved that there is still a continuing promise of America.
We voted against a continuation of division and incompetence, of the racism that has been such a blight on our country. We made history on November the 4th and we can and should celebrate it.
In an Op-Ed column by Bob Herbert, he spoke of Arthur Miller who liked to say that the essence of America was its promise. In the darkest of the dark times, in wartime and drastic economic downturns, in the crucible of witch hunts or racial strife, in the traumatic aftermath of a terror attack, that promise lights the way forward. And it has indeed!
We have risen above all the negativity and horror of racism to show that we are indeed, one country, one world, one people and we will overcome the difficulties our country is facing – that the rest of the world is facing and we will see a new day! Yes we can! And Yes we did! Pat yourself on the back, America! Now lets get to work to make sure we continue to move forward in the weeks and months to come.
Now, if you want to see just what this has meant to people everywhere, check this out. I promise you, you will be amazed!
This is an amazing collage. You can click on any of the images to see a larger version.
http://obama2008.s3.amazonaws.com/headlines.html
And here is another one, photos from all around the world when the news broke. Amazing! Got this from Paul.
http://worldevolved.blogspot.com/
Sylvia's world in thoughts and pictures
I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Last Moment Thoughts
Last evening I read the text of the speech that Obama gave on race in Philadelphia some months ago. It moved me as many of his speeches have and I thought it was worth putting a reminder here. I've talked and written a lot lately about the fact that we are one people, one world and how we need to have that view in order to move past all the negatives that have been thrown at us day in and day out for more months than I care to remember. Below are just a few paragraphs from that speech. It's worth reading the entire speech as we wind down this long, ugly campaign.
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution – a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.
And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.
And those are Obama's words that I would leave with you on this day before perhaps the most important election of our lifetime. This is our chance to restore honor to our country and hope not only here, but around the world -- a world that is watching eagerly with the same hope that each of us share. The hope for a new day, a new beginning, for us and for the world.
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution – a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.
And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.
And those are Obama's words that I would leave with you on this day before perhaps the most important election of our lifetime. This is our chance to restore honor to our country and hope not only here, but around the world -- a world that is watching eagerly with the same hope that each of us share. The hope for a new day, a new beginning, for us and for the world.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Welcome the Time to Move Beyond
"You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington. To end the political strategy that's been all about division, and instead make it about addition. To build coalition for change that stretches through red states and blue states."
Senator Barack Obama told this to a crowd that had come to hear his victory speech at the Iowa caucuses. He has said this over and over from the beginning, but it is something that John McCain still just doesn't get.
For the Republicans and John McCain it is still the old fear card that they are so good at waving -- and it has worked for them very well over the past eight years. But now it is also the "Joe the Plumber" card. And Palin is actually an affront even to many Republicans not to mention women in general.
John McCain has all but made a total mockery out of this entire campaign, he's out of touch with most of the people in this country, he doesn't seem to recognize that the country as a whole have had it with the Bush administration and it's repeated demonstration of incompetence. And, to add insult to injury, he has chosen the most unbelievably unprepared Palin to be his running mate. And these days they don't even seem to be talking to each other. Palin is doing her own thing more and more, even contradicting McCain altogether. What kind of unity does this show?
When will McCain wake up to the fact that the politics of the past are simply not going to make it these days?
Our country desperately needs new leadership, a new plan, a new dream to finally move us into the 21st century. This is not the time to fall backward, to depend on the things that have obviously not worked and have all but destroyed this country -- not only for us, but in the eyes of the world. And the eyes of the world are on us right now -- hoping to see new leadership, a new and better way of handling the problems that are plaguing not just our country but the rest of the world as well. We need to see hope for, not fear of the future.
I believe that Barack Obama is that hope. I believe that he can bring a new day to, not only our country, but to the world. And that is why I will vote for him next Tuesday. I hope each of you will do the same -- for our country, the world and each of us individually.
Senator Barack Obama told this to a crowd that had come to hear his victory speech at the Iowa caucuses. He has said this over and over from the beginning, but it is something that John McCain still just doesn't get.
For the Republicans and John McCain it is still the old fear card that they are so good at waving -- and it has worked for them very well over the past eight years. But now it is also the "Joe the Plumber" card. And Palin is actually an affront even to many Republicans not to mention women in general.
John McCain has all but made a total mockery out of this entire campaign, he's out of touch with most of the people in this country, he doesn't seem to recognize that the country as a whole have had it with the Bush administration and it's repeated demonstration of incompetence. And, to add insult to injury, he has chosen the most unbelievably unprepared Palin to be his running mate. And these days they don't even seem to be talking to each other. Palin is doing her own thing more and more, even contradicting McCain altogether. What kind of unity does this show?
When will McCain wake up to the fact that the politics of the past are simply not going to make it these days?
Our country desperately needs new leadership, a new plan, a new dream to finally move us into the 21st century. This is not the time to fall backward, to depend on the things that have obviously not worked and have all but destroyed this country -- not only for us, but in the eyes of the world. And the eyes of the world are on us right now -- hoping to see new leadership, a new and better way of handling the problems that are plaguing not just our country but the rest of the world as well. We need to see hope for, not fear of the future.
I believe that Barack Obama is that hope. I believe that he can bring a new day to, not only our country, but to the world. And that is why I will vote for him next Tuesday. I hope each of you will do the same -- for our country, the world and each of us individually.
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Carry Over from My Other Blog
This was my last post on my other blog before it died on me, so for a little continuity, I thought I'd post it here in the new one, plus I had so many lovely comments, I wanted to add them as well.
Pick Your Color --Gray or Black?
From gray to blackest black, all the news stories this weekend really offered very few bright threads, but we have to take them where we find them. It is increasingly obvious that the whole country – news media included have one hope and that is that this election is over soon and that the candidate who offers the most hope for the future wins by an unquestionable margin.
One of the brightest threads of the weekend was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama on “Meet The Press”. One of the darker tales was the story of A.I.G., the insurance giant bailed out by taxpayers for $123 billion. Just when we thought they had finally been shamed into stopping their post-bailout spa treatments, luxury sports suites, Vegas and California post resort retreats, it was discovered much to our amazement, that some A.I.G. execs were cavorting at a lavish shooting party at a British country manor. Check out Maureen Dowd’s Op-Ed piece to read about the undercover reporter who followed the “feckless financiers on their $86,000 partridge hunt as they tromped through the countryside in tweed knickers, and then later as they slurped fine wine and feasted on pigeon breast and halibut.” Dowd says that these days she’s feeling pretty much like what Charles Dickens described as the “vengeful and bloodthirsty Madame Defarge sharpening her knitting needles at the guillotine”. I can relate to that.
Then, how about Icesave.co.uk where British citizens, municipalities and universities – including Cambridge had their savings parked? When Tom Friedman checked out the Icesave Web site he discovered the headline: “Simple, transparent and consistently high-rate online savings accounts from Icesave”, but underneath in blue letters was the following note appended: “We are not currently processing any deposit or any withdrawal requests through our Icesave Internet accounts. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.” That’s more than an inconvenience – we’re talking total panic. See Tom Friedman’s column for more details.
But then there is an upside to all of this – can you believe that? A recession could actually save your life! According to Christopher Ruhm, an economist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, the death rates go down during economic slowdowns. Now, granted, the suicides rise but total mortality rates drop, as do deaths from heart attacks, car accidents, pneumonia and most other causes.
Some experts are skeptical. But in downturns we drive less and so car accidents decline, while less business activity means fewer job accidents and less pollution. In addition to the fact that in recessions people have more leisure time and seem to smoke less, exercise more and eat more healthily. For more good news regarding recessions see Nicholas Kristoff’s Sunday column.
However, as far as I’m concerned I have had more than enough of politics, politicians, debates, recession, and fear-mongering. There has still, it seems to me, been more bad news than good for much of the time. Let’s hope the next fifteen days hurry by and that MAYBE we can finally see the light at the end of what has seemed to be an endless eight year tunnel.
Patty - I will be glad when it is over, I think Obama will win. fingers crossed.
Deborah Godin - Thanks for another informative post! And the key words are the last two in the first paragraph - "unquestionable margin" - here's hoping!!
Patsy - I will be glad when it is over, I think Obama will win. fingers crossed.
ugich konitari -I sometimes think we suffer from "excessive-informationitis". The constant statistics, numbers, percentages, of folks living it up/suffering/being laid off/driving etc etc, probably bother us a lot more when we hear the numbers. In an age with no access to instant statistics, maybe each of us would have observed the price of groceries going up, premiums going up, the gradual change in the value of the dollar , how much more a tankful of gas costs etc, and individually taken steps on our own , to gradually tighten up and help the economy in our own way. Hopefully, all this finger pointing,cribbing,accusing etc will come to an end in another 15 days. I have watched previous US elections from afar, and looks like folks are really slugging it out a bit wildly this time. They say there is always bright daylight at the end of a long dark tunnel....ylqmbp
bobbie : Oh yes, I SO want it to be over with. Both local and federal. I never in my life put a political sign on my lawn - until this year. Now I have one for local mayor and councilman at large, in a desperate attempt to influence a few more who might pass by.So far as financial worries - I don't have any because I didn't have any money to begin with. But it has become a very interesting spectacle to watch.
Darlene
Your photo at the top of the page is stunningly beautiful, Sulvia.Like you, I read the Opinion Page of the New York Times and William Kristol's piece in this morning's edition left me totally bewildered. He was stumbling all over himself trying to justify his Republican views. I think it's getting harder for even a die hard Conservative to find anything appealing with John McCain's slimy campaign.
Rain
It's been a hard fall politically but the colors of bright orange, red, intense yellows and dropping leaves everywhere are definitely bright spots. The Northwest doesn't always get beautiful autumns because we have less maples than say the northeast, but I was out yesterday and some areas were really outstanding. Some is we haven't had the heavy rains to ruin the colors-- yet.
clairz
Ah, Sylvia, you said it all, as you so often do. When I can't stand to worry about this election for another single moment, I work on my recipe blog. So frivolous of me. However, I am focusing today on Colin Powell's comments. At last, AT LAST, someone has spoken (and most eloquently) about our nation's growing Islamophobia. I will spend the rest of my day hoping that his words take root. It's better than worrying about the voting machines in West Virginia that are
switching Democrats' votes to Republican ones.
Deborah Godin
Thanks for another informative post! And the key words are the last two in the first paragraph - "unquestionable margin" - here's hoping!!
Pick Your Color --Gray or Black?
From gray to blackest black, all the news stories this weekend really offered very few bright threads, but we have to take them where we find them. It is increasingly obvious that the whole country – news media included have one hope and that is that this election is over soon and that the candidate who offers the most hope for the future wins by an unquestionable margin.
One of the brightest threads of the weekend was Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama on “Meet The Press”. One of the darker tales was the story of A.I.G., the insurance giant bailed out by taxpayers for $123 billion. Just when we thought they had finally been shamed into stopping their post-bailout spa treatments, luxury sports suites, Vegas and California post resort retreats, it was discovered much to our amazement, that some A.I.G. execs were cavorting at a lavish shooting party at a British country manor. Check out Maureen Dowd’s Op-Ed piece to read about the undercover reporter who followed the “feckless financiers on their $86,000 partridge hunt as they tromped through the countryside in tweed knickers, and then later as they slurped fine wine and feasted on pigeon breast and halibut.” Dowd says that these days she’s feeling pretty much like what Charles Dickens described as the “vengeful and bloodthirsty Madame Defarge sharpening her knitting needles at the guillotine”. I can relate to that.
Then, how about Icesave.co.uk where British citizens, municipalities and universities – including Cambridge had their savings parked? When Tom Friedman checked out the Icesave Web site he discovered the headline: “Simple, transparent and consistently high-rate online savings accounts from Icesave”, but underneath in blue letters was the following note appended: “We are not currently processing any deposit or any withdrawal requests through our Icesave Internet accounts. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.” That’s more than an inconvenience – we’re talking total panic. See Tom Friedman’s column for more details.
But then there is an upside to all of this – can you believe that? A recession could actually save your life! According to Christopher Ruhm, an economist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, the death rates go down during economic slowdowns. Now, granted, the suicides rise but total mortality rates drop, as do deaths from heart attacks, car accidents, pneumonia and most other causes.
Some experts are skeptical. But in downturns we drive less and so car accidents decline, while less business activity means fewer job accidents and less pollution. In addition to the fact that in recessions people have more leisure time and seem to smoke less, exercise more and eat more healthily. For more good news regarding recessions see Nicholas Kristoff’s Sunday column.
However, as far as I’m concerned I have had more than enough of politics, politicians, debates, recession, and fear-mongering. There has still, it seems to me, been more bad news than good for much of the time. Let’s hope the next fifteen days hurry by and that MAYBE we can finally see the light at the end of what has seemed to be an endless eight year tunnel.
Patty - I will be glad when it is over, I think Obama will win. fingers crossed.
Deborah Godin - Thanks for another informative post! And the key words are the last two in the first paragraph - "unquestionable margin" - here's hoping!!
Patsy - I will be glad when it is over, I think Obama will win. fingers crossed.
ugich konitari -I sometimes think we suffer from "excessive-informationitis". The constant statistics, numbers, percentages, of folks living it up/suffering/being laid off/driving etc etc, probably bother us a lot more when we hear the numbers. In an age with no access to instant statistics, maybe each of us would have observed the price of groceries going up, premiums going up, the gradual change in the value of the dollar , how much more a tankful of gas costs etc, and individually taken steps on our own , to gradually tighten up and help the economy in our own way. Hopefully, all this finger pointing,cribbing,accusing etc will come to an end in another 15 days. I have watched previous US elections from afar, and looks like folks are really slugging it out a bit wildly this time. They say there is always bright daylight at the end of a long dark tunnel....ylqmbp
bobbie : Oh yes, I SO want it to be over with. Both local and federal. I never in my life put a political sign on my lawn - until this year. Now I have one for local mayor and councilman at large, in a desperate attempt to influence a few more who might pass by.So far as financial worries - I don't have any because I didn't have any money to begin with. But it has become a very interesting spectacle to watch.
Darlene
Your photo at the top of the page is stunningly beautiful, Sulvia.Like you, I read the Opinion Page of the New York Times and William Kristol's piece in this morning's edition left me totally bewildered. He was stumbling all over himself trying to justify his Republican views. I think it's getting harder for even a die hard Conservative to find anything appealing with John McCain's slimy campaign.
Rain
It's been a hard fall politically but the colors of bright orange, red, intense yellows and dropping leaves everywhere are definitely bright spots. The Northwest doesn't always get beautiful autumns because we have less maples than say the northeast, but I was out yesterday and some areas were really outstanding. Some is we haven't had the heavy rains to ruin the colors-- yet.
clairz
Ah, Sylvia, you said it all, as you so often do. When I can't stand to worry about this election for another single moment, I work on my recipe blog. So frivolous of me. However, I am focusing today on Colin Powell's comments. At last, AT LAST, someone has spoken (and most eloquently) about our nation's growing Islamophobia. I will spend the rest of my day hoping that his words take root. It's better than worrying about the voting machines in West Virginia that are
switching Democrats' votes to Republican ones.
Deborah Godin
Thanks for another informative post! And the key words are the last two in the first paragraph - "unquestionable margin" - here's hoping!!
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What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.