Wednesday, January 27, 2010

EXCERPTS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA's STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Washington DC......".We face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope – what they deserve – is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics. For while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds and different stories and different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same. The aspirations they hold are shared. A job that pays the bill. A chance to get ahead. Most of all, the ability to give their children a better life." President Barrack Obama.

You know what else they share? They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. After one of the most difficult years in our history, they remain busy building cars and teaching kids; starting businesses and going back to school. They are coaching little league and helping their neighbors. As one woman wrote to me, “We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged.”

It is because of this spirit – this great decency and great strength – that I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We don’t allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it’s time the American people get a government that matches their decency; that embodies their strength. And tonight, I’d like to talk about how together, we can deliver on that promise.



By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Co-pays will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans. And neither should the people in this chamber.



Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it’s time for something new. Let’s try common sense. Let’s invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let’s meet our responsibility to the people who sent us here.

To do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust – deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; and to give our people the government they deserve.

That’s what I came to Washington to do. That’s why – for the first time in history – my Administration posts our White House visitors online. And that’s why we’ve excluded lobbyists from policy-making jobs or seats on federal boards and commissions.

But we cannot stop there. It’s time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my Administration or Congress. And it’s time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office. Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign companies – to spend without limit in our elections. Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, and worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.

I’m also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform. You have trimmed some of this spending and embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members of Congress post some earmark requests online. Tonight, I’m calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single website before there’s a vote so that the American people can see how their money is being spent source: EKOW MENSAH-SHALDERS

State of the Union Address Preview - C-SPAN Video Library

State of the Union Address Preview - C-SPAN Video Library

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

PRESIDENT OBAMA ON NATIONAL ANGEL ISLAND DAY 2010

WASHINGTON DC...........According to the office of the press secretary of the White House,the president of the United states of America ,Barrack Obama has proclaimed January 21 2010 as National Angel Island Day,with a call on Americans to   learn more about the history of Angel Island and observe the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies.below is the full text



One hundred years ago, the Angel Island Immigration Station
in San Francisco Bay opened for the first time, and an important
chapter of the American narrative began. It would be written by
those who walked through the station's doors over the next three
decades. From the cities, villages, and farms of their birth,
they journeyed across the Pacific, seeking better lives for
themselves and their children. Many arrived at Angel Island,
weary but hopeful, only to be unjustly confined for months or,
in some cases, years. As we remember their struggle, we honor
all who have been drawn to America by dreams of limitless
opportunity.
Unlike immigrants who marveled at the Statue of Liberty
upon arrival at Ellis Island, those who came to Angel Island
were greeted by an intake facility that was sometimes called the
"Guardian of the Western Gate." Racially prejudiced immigration
laws of the time subjected many to rigorous exams and
interrogations, as well as detention in crowded, unsanitary
barracks. Some expressed themselves by carving poetry and
inscriptions into the walls in their native language -- from
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean to Russian, German, and Urdu.
These etchings remain on Angel Island today as poignant
reminders of the immigrant experience and an unjust time in
our history.
If there is any vindication for the Angel Island immigrants
who endured so many hardships, it is the success achieved by
those who were allowed entry, and the many who, at long last,
gained citizenship. They have contributed immeasurably to
our Nation as leaders in every sector of American life. The
children of Angel Island have seized the opportunities their
ancestors saw from across an ocean. By demonstrating that all
things are possible in America, this vibrant community has
created a beacon of hope for future generations of immigrants.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do
more


hereby proclaim January 21, 2010, as National Angel Island Day.
I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about
the history of Angel Island and to observe this anniversary with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA

Filed by:Ekow Mensah-Shalders
GLOBALVILLAGE NEWS NETWORK.











Wednesday, January 6, 2010

TERORISM IS DEVILISH AND UNACCEPTABLE –AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE.


TERORISM    IS DEVILISH AND UNACCEPTABLE –AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE.
NEW YORK…………………..In the wake of the abortive terrorist attack on board flight NW235 from Amsterdam Schiphol  to Detroit USA on December 25 2009,The African Cultural Exchange(A.C.E) of Fordham University says the act  is barbaric and devilish  and must be condemned by all well meaning individuals and organizations the world over.
The African Cultural Exchange, An organization that promotes African values and culture says it is appalled by this act of terrorism and condemns it in no uncertain terms.
In a Media release signed by the secretary of the organization, Mr.Kojo Ampah .The A.C.E said “terrorism is a crime against humanity no matter where it is committed and whom it is committed against. It is an act of cowardice, devilish and unacceptable.”
Even though the unfortunate incident according to the release has placed Africa in a bad light, it believes America will not shut the open doors of opportunities in the face of Africans who mean well. It says some great African leaders like Dr Kwame Nkrumah and a host of others were beneficiaries of the American opportunities and used their studies here to liberate the African continent.
The group believes the energies and intelligence of the suspect Mr.Umar Muttallab could have been channeled into a more positive venture like: Crusading for a better Darfur, spreading the message of deepening democracy in Africa and poverty alleviation rather than committing this stupid and unimaginable crime.
The statement also commended the passenger who helped in over powering the suspect and urged all well meaning people globally to join them in saying NO to TERRORISM.
SUSPECT TERRORIST FOR COURT.
Meanwhile Umar Abdul Muttallab the 23year old terrorist suspect will be in a federal court in Michigan on Friday .Authorities are tight lipped so not to interfere with the case, but are hopeful that he will agree to a plea deal exchange for reduced prison sentence. It is believed the suspect travelled to the United States on a one-way ticket and had no luggage .Sources say he has provided useful information to the FBI in interviews on December25.The day of his arrest, explaining his travels to Yemen and connections to the al-Qaeda group there.
Investigators are finding leads overseas in response to the information the suspect provided.

   SOURCE:EKOW SHALDERS