2009
Americans United Action List
29-Jan-09 10:57 AM
The lists of issues facing our nation and the new Obama administration are staggering. The country is faced with many pressing challenges and problems that need immediate attention. Many of these issues are the direct result of 8 years of Bush administration policies and programs that need to be re-examined and checked in accordance with our Constitution. The economy is of primary importance, but lest we forget, there are other important issues that need addressing. The following list is taken directly from the Americans United For the Separation of Church and State website, and represents the top 9 religious freedom objectives that President Obama should consider for immediate action. Here is the list:
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As Barack Obama assumes the presidency, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has prepared a list of nine religious liberty issues that merit special attention from the White House. Called “9 in ’09,” this campaign seeks to repair the damage that occurred to the wall of separation between church and state during the Bush administration.
Americans United calls on President Obama to make this list a priority.
1. Restrict Faith-Based Funding: The Bush administration’s dangerous executive orders promoting the “faith-based” initiative should be overridden. Religious organizations should not be singled out for special government treatment and generous tax subsidies.
2. Ban Faith-Based Job Bias: An executive order should be issued barring religiously based job bias in all publicly funded programs. Not one dime in tax funds should go to “faith-based” organizations that discriminate in hiring.
3. Select Good Judges: Give America judges who support the Bill of Rights, including its church-state separation provision. Our country deserves federal judges who will respect, not eviscerate, the First Amendment.
4. Reform Justice Department: America must have a Justice Department that understands its duty to uphold constitutional rights, not one that parrots the views of extreme Religious Right legal groups.
5. Stop School Vouchers: Cease all federal tax funding for misguided school voucher “experiments” in Washington, D.C., (or anywhere else) that subsidize religious and other private schools.
6. Protect Military Personnel: Sever the tie between fundamentalist groups and the military. The United States must have a military that doesn’t take a stand on theological issues and that does not pressure its service personnel to adopt religious beliefs.
7. Defend Sound Science: Base public policy on science, not theology. Public policy on issues such as stem-cell research and education about human origins must be based on science, not religious dogma.
8. Resist Church Politicking: Oppose attempts to overturn the federal ban on church politicking. No tax-exempt house of worship should be permitted to engage in partisan politicking by endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.
9. Oppose Sectarian Symbolism: Use the presidential bully pulpit to oppose sectarian resolutions in Congress. We must see an end to polarizing resolutions by Congress that promote one faith over others, thus sending the message that some Americans are second-class citizens.
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As Barack Obama assumes the presidency, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has prepared a list of nine religious liberty issues that merit special attention from the White House. Called “9 in ’09,” this campaign seeks to repair the damage that occurred to the wall of separation between church and state during the Bush administration.
Americans United calls on President Obama to make this list a priority.
1. Restrict Faith-Based Funding: The Bush administration’s dangerous executive orders promoting the “faith-based” initiative should be overridden. Religious organizations should not be singled out for special government treatment and generous tax subsidies.
2. Ban Faith-Based Job Bias: An executive order should be issued barring religiously based job bias in all publicly funded programs. Not one dime in tax funds should go to “faith-based” organizations that discriminate in hiring.
3. Select Good Judges: Give America judges who support the Bill of Rights, including its church-state separation provision. Our country deserves federal judges who will respect, not eviscerate, the First Amendment.
4. Reform Justice Department: America must have a Justice Department that understands its duty to uphold constitutional rights, not one that parrots the views of extreme Religious Right legal groups.
5. Stop School Vouchers: Cease all federal tax funding for misguided school voucher “experiments” in Washington, D.C., (or anywhere else) that subsidize religious and other private schools.
6. Protect Military Personnel: Sever the tie between fundamentalist groups and the military. The United States must have a military that doesn’t take a stand on theological issues and that does not pressure its service personnel to adopt religious beliefs.
7. Defend Sound Science: Base public policy on science, not theology. Public policy on issues such as stem-cell research and education about human origins must be based on science, not religious dogma.
8. Resist Church Politicking: Oppose attempts to overturn the federal ban on church politicking. No tax-exempt house of worship should be permitted to engage in partisan politicking by endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.
9. Oppose Sectarian Symbolism: Use the presidential bully pulpit to oppose sectarian resolutions in Congress. We must see an end to polarizing resolutions by Congress that promote one faith over others, thus sending the message that some Americans are second-class citizens.
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Barack Obama's Inaugural Address
20-Jan-09 01:56 PM
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"My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
I thank President Bush for his service to our nation..... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality.... and lower its costs.
We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
Where the answer is "yes", we intend to move forward. Where the answer is "no", programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.
But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.
With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense.
And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.
To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.
It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.
In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river.
The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.
At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America."
8 Years Never Seemed So Long
15-Jan-09 08:53 PM
Tonight, President Bush bid farewell to the nation via a short televised appearance from the White House. It was a quintessential Bush moment, complete with the familiar smirk and smiles while talking about serious subjects while he attempted to play one last jedi mind trick on the nation with his paltry list of accomplishments while in office. In his now familiar attempt to remind the nation of 9/11 (in case we had forgotten), Bush began to list his achievements over the last 8 years. Noticeably glossing over the extraordinary bad economy and rough financial times that he is leaving the nation in, Bush at least was gracious in talking about his successor and his ever triumphant, up beat outlook for the future of the country.
He did acknowledge briefly the economic downturn and noted that all Americans were in this mess together. And while that is true enough, it's just that some of us are in over our eyebrows while others can still afford to buy two mansions in Dallas and maintain another large, sprawling ranch in central Texas. Hard to imagine how a person on a president's salary can afford so much, especially during such "tough" economic times. He went on to note other hallmarks of his administration by citing his mixing of federal tax monies with faith based organizations as a "good" thing that helps needy families. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would be shocked and outraged to see such a program. Not that faith based charities are bad, for they are not bad - they do very good works; it is the mixing of federal tax monies with religious organizations that is the odiferous and constitutionally ignorant offense here. Bush seems completely oblivious to these facts and claims this gem proudly; always failing to see the uncomfortable and tenuous connections this places on a government that according to the constitution must remain neutral on the subject of religion.
Another one of particular interest that he specifically lay claim to were his achievements in reducing the advance of stem cell research to fight the prevention of deadly human disease. Of course he didn't word it that way, but merely made reference to the protection of the unborn saying that it is always evil to kill the innocent for any reason. Another policy that was clearly guided solely on religious principle without regard for any scientific or true humanitarian advancements for mankind. He then noted particular pleasure in having selected two ultra conservative judges to the supreme court as another important hallmark of his legacy. Thankfully Bush is leaving office before he could've nominated another conservative to the high bench that would've shifted the court in a disastrous keel to the right thereby setting up the potential unraveling of years and years of advances in civil liberties and freedoms for many millions of Americans. As long as you are middle class and higher, then you need not worry about such issues unless you have any sort of a social conscious about fairness and equality for all.
Any regular reader of this blog will know that I am not, nor ever have been a fan of Mr. Bush. I make no bones about it, I am glad to see him and his entire collection of cronies and crooks leave with him. I've been counting down the days on this blog marking his departure for a very long time now. My aversion to this president is not simply because of political affiliations, but because of his 8 year string of mind numbingly horrible and irrevocable decisions he has made while leading this country. That is not to say that he has never done anything good, or that he has never made a single good decision, because he has on a few selected subjects (i.e. support for stopping the spread of AIDS in Africa, etc). But let’s just say that the bad decisions, errors and mistakes, far outweigh any good he may have done. And that is how history will remember this president I am quite certain.