If I knew it wouldn't drive you crazy, I'd have the Beatles "Come Together" - right now - playing as you read this... oh, shoot, I can't completely resist, the video is below the speech, you can click it and have it playing while you read the message if you choose :-) Lest you think I don't want the world to come together, let me correct that impression. I'm just not overly inspired by this Easter / Passover message.
President Obama Says Nations Must Unite To Overcome Global Challenges
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama extended his best wishes to everyone celebrating this week’s Passover and Easter holidays and called on nations around the world to come together to solve the current trials facing the world. On the heels of his weeklong trip overseas, the President said he believes it is important to acknowledge no single nation can solve global problems like a recession, international terrorism, climate change, or nuclear proliferation. But, working with other nations, the United States can lead the way in overcoming these challenges.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, April 11, 2009
I speak to you today during a time that is holy and filled with meaning for believers around the world. Earlier this week, Jewish people gathered with family and friends to recite the stories of their ancestors’ struggle and ultimate liberation. Tomorrow, Christians of all denominations will come together to rejoice and remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
These are two very different holidays with their own very different traditions. But it seems fitting that we mark them both during the same week. For in a larger sense, they are both moments of reflection and renewal. They are both occasions to think more deeply about the obligations we have to ourselves and the obligations we have to one another, no matter who we are, where we come from, or what faith we practice.
This idea – that we are all bound up, as Martin Luther King once said, in "a single garment of destiny"– is a lesson of all the world’s great religions. And never has it been more important for us to reaffirm that lesson than it is today – at a time when we face tests and trials unlike any we have seen in our time. An economic crisis that recognizes no borders. Violent extremism that’s claimed the lives of innocent men, women, and children from Manhattan to Mumbai. An unsustainable dependence on foreign oil and other sources of energy that pollute our air and water and threaten our planet. The proliferation of the world’s most dangerous weapons, the persistence of deadly disease, and the recurrence of age-old conflicts.
These are challenges that no single nation, no matter how powerful, can confront alone. The United States must lead the way. But our best chance to solve these unprecedented problems comes from acting in concert with other nations. That is why I met with leaders of the G-20 nations to ensure that the world’s largest economies take strong and unified action in the face of the global economic crisis. Together, we’ve taken steps to stimulate growth, restore the flow of credit, open markets, and dramatically reform our financial regulatory system to prevent such crises from occurring again – steps that will lead to job creation at home.
It is only by working together that we will finally defeat 21st century security threats like al Qaeda. So it was heartening that our NATO allies united in Strasbourg behind our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and contributed important resources to support our effort there.
It is only by coordinating with countries around the world that we will stop the spread of the world’s most dangerous weapons. That is why I laid out a strategy in Prague for us to work with Russia and other nations to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons; to secure nuclear materials from terrorists; and, ultimately, to free the world from the menace of a nuclear nightmare.
And it is only by building a new foundation of mutual trust that we will tackle some of our most entrenched problems. That is why, in Turkey, I spoke to members of Parliament and university students about rising above the barriers of race, region, and religion that too often divide us.
With all that is at stake today, we cannot afford to talk past one another. We can’t afford to allow old differences to prevent us from making progress in areas of common concern. We can’t afford to let walls of mistrust stand. Instead, we have to find – and build on – our mutual interests. For it is only when people come together, and seek common ground, that some of that mistrust can begin to fade. And that is where progress begins.
Make no mistake: we live in a dangerous world, and we must be strong and vigilant in the face of these threats. But let us not allow whatever differences we have with other nations to stop us from coming together around those solutions that are essential to our survival and success.
As we celebrate Passover, Easter, and this time of renewal, let’s find strength in our shared resolve and purpose in our common aspirations. And if we can do that, then not only will we fulfill the sacred meaning of these holy days, but we will fulfill the promise of our country as a leader around the world.
Showing posts with label nuclear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear. Show all posts
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
RedState Morning Brief: Defense, Palin, Vouchers, Economy plus
Here's another great update I receive that's always chocked full of good info, short (usually), rarely sweet and always to the point. My Sarah Palin friends will appreciate #3. I'm planning on writing about #4 on one of my blogs, grrrrrrrr:
Sign up to get the morning briefing by email here.
1. NYTimes: Obama's Economic Ideas Great... Just Like Hitler's Were?
The New York Times' says Obama and Hitler have GREAT economic plans. So what about that whole Holocaust thing?
For The New York Times economic scene section for March 31, David Leonhardt came across with one of the most amazing admissions about Obama that I've ever seen in the Times. Namely that Barack Obama is just like Hitler. Now, many of you may be solemnly shaking your head in agreement, but in so doing you would be missing why the Times was comparing Obama to Hitler. You see, Leonhardt didn't mean it as an insult. He was saying that it was a good thing that Barack was being like Hitler at least in an economic sense.
Here Leonhardt is taking the trains-on-time track with his Hitler angle by saying that, despite that whole Holocaust and World War II business, Hitler's policies were good for Germany. So good, in fact, that he celebrates the ways he sees that Obama is emulating the mustachioed mad-man's economic prescriptions with the massive takeover of the economy and bloated government spending on "stimulus."
You know the left has lost it when they are invoking the "success" of Hitler to prop up The One!
SOURCE
2. Another Homework Deficiency - Russia Sees Obama's Nuclear-Free Offer As.... A Threat
Homework? Too cool for school....
I don't know about you, but for my entire life whenever I've heard someone prattle about "a world without nuclear weapons," I roll my eyes for at least two reasons. One is the naivete; the other is the practical notion that in such a world, one "kook-with-nuke" would be king.
But it turns out that in Moscow, the Russian leadership sees the Obama offer as something else - yet another move in the game of trying to rein in Russian influence in the world.
In other words, the Kremlin sees this plan as a threat.
SOURCE
3. Levi Johnson Jumps On the Sarah Palin Gravy Train
Anyone else want to make some money off Sarah Palin?
This is Levi Johnson appearing on the Tyra Banks show. He's a clean cut, pretty type. That is, though, a carefully constructed image - constructed by the Palins and McCains as the Presidential campaign unfolded with the news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy.
The real Levi Johnson is something altogether different. The left, when it decided Bristol Palin was fair game, went after Levi Johnson for being a thug and redneck. He was not interested in college - only in scoring with the Governor's daughter. The classic tale of the high school jock who is, in essence, a low life loser in it for a good time. The left and media regaled the rest of us with tales of what a loser the Palin kid slept with.
The left was right. Now, though, they can't be bothered by it. Below is the actual Levi - no preppy clothes. No polish. Just good old boy who knocked up the Governor's daughter. Not exactly the image Tyra Banks and he would like you to think about.
SOURCE
4. Obama Administration defense cuts
He's cutting technologies that will keep us competitive against growing threats from China and Russia
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed the Obama Administration's restructuring of the Pentagon's top weapons priorities.
There was a lot of information thrown out in the Gates press briefing, but the biggest talking points are likely to be the cuts:
Stop the growth of Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) at 45 versus 48
Retire 250 of the oldest Air Force tactical fighter aircraft in FY10.
End production of the F-22 fighter at 187.
Not pursue a development program for a follow-on Air Force bomber until we have a better understanding of the need, the requirement, and the technology.
Reduce the Navy's carrier force to 10 carriers after 2040.
Delay the CG-X next generation cruiser program.
Delay amphibious ship and sea-basing programs.
End the DDG-1000 destroyer program with the third ship.
"Complete" production of the C-17 airlifter program this fiscal year with the 205 already in the force and currently in production.
Terminate the VH-71 presidential helicopter program.
Terminate the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue X (CSAR-X) helicopter program.
Terminate the $26 billion Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program.
Cancel the planned increase the number of current ground-based interceptors in Alaska.
Cancel the second airborne laser (ABL) prototype aircraft.
Terminate the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program.
Cancel the vehicle component of the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.
Reduce the number of support service contractors from our current 39% to 26% and replace them with as many as 30,000 full-time government employees.
SOURCE
5. Democrats Delay Release of Report Showing Success of DC Voucher Program Until After Senate Can Vote to Kill It
Never mind the children.
On Tuesday, March 10, the U.S. Senate voted to terminate the experimental Washington, DC school voucher program, which had been implemented in order to help provide poor minority children in failing DC schools with the same educational opportunities that so many children of Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents within the district have as a result of their advantageous birth.
During his Presidential campaign, President Obama indicated that he would put his personal opposition to vouchers aside "if he saw more proof that vouchers are successful." I would "not allow my predispositions to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn," he told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in February 2008. "You do what works for the kids."
ow, it appears that the Obama administration and the U.S. Senate purposely kept the results of a Congressionally-mandated study showing the benefits of the Washington, DC voucher program from becoming public until after they had managed to spike the program due to its supposed "lack of effectiveness." (The executive summary is available here; the full report can be seen here.)
The result of the Obama administration delaying the release of this report, which showed that participants in the voucher program outperformed those in the district's public schools by a large margin on reading tests, is that the 1,700 low-income, minority children who are currently receiving up to $7,500 in vouchers per year to attend private school instead of their own failing DC public schools, will be forced to return to those publics after the 2009-10 school year, over the wishes of DC mayor Adrian Fenty, who said "it would not be productive to disrupt the education of children who are presently enrolled in private schools," and despite empirical evidence that such a move will consign them to a lower-quality education and a far less optimistic future.
SOURCE
6. Rebuilding the Movement: Online Investment
At some point, competition must yield to collaboration.
Every day in Washington, there is some right-wing group somewhere bemoaning the efforts of the right online. Sadly, for them and the rest of the right, their first thought is "let's do it ourselves", instead of "let's invest in the existing talent."
It's often bemoaned on our side that the left is much further ahead online than the right. This is true. The left has larger blogs than the right, though I still think the right has many more sites than the left. The left has a great online investigative journalism wing that gets picked up by the mainstream media. And the left has a stable of full time bloggers than is not matched on the right. I am a very rare breed on our side.
One area where the left has done a much better job than the right online is investing in blogs as a component of left-wing activism.
On the right, Heritage has its blog. Club for Growth has its blog. MRC has its blog. The GOP has its blog. The list goes on and on and on. When the right wants to get online, each organization does its own thing. That's just the way its done.
To be sure, on the left, there's a bit of the same thing going on, but then you've got groups like Media Matters that function more or less to subsidize left-wing bloggers. Oh sure, they say they are more important than that, but they aren't really.
More importantly, though, is the advertising component. What is the online advertising budget for Heritage? What about for AEI? What about for Americans for Tax Reform? Family Research Council? Leadership Institute? NFIB? NTU? National Right to Work? Club for Growth? The list goes on.
Every day in Washington, there is some right-wing group somewhere bemoaning the efforts of the right online. Sadly, for them and the rest of the right, their first thought is "let's do it ourselves", instead of "let's invest in the existing talent." Until the second becomes the first, the right will keep meeting in private to bemoan its (in)effectiveness online.
Meanwhile, the DailyKos has nine employees and a seven figure budget. Here at RedState, I have a volunteer list of two dozen contributors with full time jobs, me, and no budget.
SOURCE
Sincerely yours,
Erick Erickson Editor,
RedState.com
Sign up to get the morning briefing by email here.
1. NYTimes: Obama's Economic Ideas Great... Just Like Hitler's Were?
The New York Times' says Obama and Hitler have GREAT economic plans. So what about that whole Holocaust thing?
For The New York Times economic scene section for March 31, David Leonhardt came across with one of the most amazing admissions about Obama that I've ever seen in the Times. Namely that Barack Obama is just like Hitler. Now, many of you may be solemnly shaking your head in agreement, but in so doing you would be missing why the Times was comparing Obama to Hitler. You see, Leonhardt didn't mean it as an insult. He was saying that it was a good thing that Barack was being like Hitler at least in an economic sense.
Here Leonhardt is taking the trains-on-time track with his Hitler angle by saying that, despite that whole Holocaust and World War II business, Hitler's policies were good for Germany. So good, in fact, that he celebrates the ways he sees that Obama is emulating the mustachioed mad-man's economic prescriptions with the massive takeover of the economy and bloated government spending on "stimulus."
You know the left has lost it when they are invoking the "success" of Hitler to prop up The One!
SOURCE
2. Another Homework Deficiency - Russia Sees Obama's Nuclear-Free Offer As.... A Threat
Homework? Too cool for school....
I don't know about you, but for my entire life whenever I've heard someone prattle about "a world without nuclear weapons," I roll my eyes for at least two reasons. One is the naivete; the other is the practical notion that in such a world, one "kook-with-nuke" would be king.
But it turns out that in Moscow, the Russian leadership sees the Obama offer as something else - yet another move in the game of trying to rein in Russian influence in the world.
In other words, the Kremlin sees this plan as a threat.
SOURCE
3. Levi Johnson Jumps On the Sarah Palin Gravy Train
Anyone else want to make some money off Sarah Palin?
This is Levi Johnson appearing on the Tyra Banks show. He's a clean cut, pretty type. That is, though, a carefully constructed image - constructed by the Palins and McCains as the Presidential campaign unfolded with the news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy.
The real Levi Johnson is something altogether different. The left, when it decided Bristol Palin was fair game, went after Levi Johnson for being a thug and redneck. He was not interested in college - only in scoring with the Governor's daughter. The classic tale of the high school jock who is, in essence, a low life loser in it for a good time. The left and media regaled the rest of us with tales of what a loser the Palin kid slept with.
The left was right. Now, though, they can't be bothered by it. Below is the actual Levi - no preppy clothes. No polish. Just good old boy who knocked up the Governor's daughter. Not exactly the image Tyra Banks and he would like you to think about.
SOURCE
4. Obama Administration defense cuts
He's cutting technologies that will keep us competitive against growing threats from China and Russia
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed the Obama Administration's restructuring of the Pentagon's top weapons priorities.
There was a lot of information thrown out in the Gates press briefing, but the biggest talking points are likely to be the cuts:
Stop the growth of Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) at 45 versus 48
Retire 250 of the oldest Air Force tactical fighter aircraft in FY10.
End production of the F-22 fighter at 187.
Not pursue a development program for a follow-on Air Force bomber until we have a better understanding of the need, the requirement, and the technology.
Reduce the Navy's carrier force to 10 carriers after 2040.
Delay the CG-X next generation cruiser program.
Delay amphibious ship and sea-basing programs.
End the DDG-1000 destroyer program with the third ship.
"Complete" production of the C-17 airlifter program this fiscal year with the 205 already in the force and currently in production.
Terminate the VH-71 presidential helicopter program.
Terminate the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue X (CSAR-X) helicopter program.
Terminate the $26 billion Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program.
Cancel the planned increase the number of current ground-based interceptors in Alaska.
Cancel the second airborne laser (ABL) prototype aircraft.
Terminate the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program.
Cancel the vehicle component of the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.
Reduce the number of support service contractors from our current 39% to 26% and replace them with as many as 30,000 full-time government employees.
SOURCE
5. Democrats Delay Release of Report Showing Success of DC Voucher Program Until After Senate Can Vote to Kill It
Never mind the children.
On Tuesday, March 10, the U.S. Senate voted to terminate the experimental Washington, DC school voucher program, which had been implemented in order to help provide poor minority children in failing DC schools with the same educational opportunities that so many children of Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents within the district have as a result of their advantageous birth.
During his Presidential campaign, President Obama indicated that he would put his personal opposition to vouchers aside "if he saw more proof that vouchers are successful." I would "not allow my predispositions to stand in the way of making sure that our kids can learn," he told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in February 2008. "You do what works for the kids."
ow, it appears that the Obama administration and the U.S. Senate purposely kept the results of a Congressionally-mandated study showing the benefits of the Washington, DC voucher program from becoming public until after they had managed to spike the program due to its supposed "lack of effectiveness." (The executive summary is available here; the full report can be seen here.)
The result of the Obama administration delaying the release of this report, which showed that participants in the voucher program outperformed those in the district's public schools by a large margin on reading tests, is that the 1,700 low-income, minority children who are currently receiving up to $7,500 in vouchers per year to attend private school instead of their own failing DC public schools, will be forced to return to those publics after the 2009-10 school year, over the wishes of DC mayor Adrian Fenty, who said "it would not be productive to disrupt the education of children who are presently enrolled in private schools," and despite empirical evidence that such a move will consign them to a lower-quality education and a far less optimistic future.
SOURCE
6. Rebuilding the Movement: Online Investment
At some point, competition must yield to collaboration.
Every day in Washington, there is some right-wing group somewhere bemoaning the efforts of the right online. Sadly, for them and the rest of the right, their first thought is "let's do it ourselves", instead of "let's invest in the existing talent."
It's often bemoaned on our side that the left is much further ahead online than the right. This is true. The left has larger blogs than the right, though I still think the right has many more sites than the left. The left has a great online investigative journalism wing that gets picked up by the mainstream media. And the left has a stable of full time bloggers than is not matched on the right. I am a very rare breed on our side.
One area where the left has done a much better job than the right online is investing in blogs as a component of left-wing activism.
On the right, Heritage has its blog. Club for Growth has its blog. MRC has its blog. The GOP has its blog. The list goes on and on and on. When the right wants to get online, each organization does its own thing. That's just the way its done.
To be sure, on the left, there's a bit of the same thing going on, but then you've got groups like Media Matters that function more or less to subsidize left-wing bloggers. Oh sure, they say they are more important than that, but they aren't really.
More importantly, though, is the advertising component. What is the online advertising budget for Heritage? What about for AEI? What about for Americans for Tax Reform? Family Research Council? Leadership Institute? NFIB? NTU? National Right to Work? Club for Growth? The list goes on.
Every day in Washington, there is some right-wing group somewhere bemoaning the efforts of the right online. Sadly, for them and the rest of the right, their first thought is "let's do it ourselves", instead of "let's invest in the existing talent." Until the second becomes the first, the right will keep meeting in private to bemoan its (in)effectiveness online.
Meanwhile, the DailyKos has nine employees and a seven figure budget. Here at RedState, I have a volunteer list of two dozen contributors with full time jobs, me, and no budget.
SOURCE
Sincerely yours,
Erick Erickson Editor,
RedState.com
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