Obama vows to shut down Guantanamo Bay November 17, 2008 - 10:10AM
US President-elect Barack Obama says he will shut down the "war on terror" internment camp at Guantanamo Bay and rebuild "America's moral stature in the world" during a major interview aired on Sunday.
"I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that," the Democrat, who takes office on January 20, told 60 Minutes.
"I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture. And I'm going to make sure that we don't torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world," Mr Obama added. AFP http://www.brisbanetimes.com.a.....7/1226770317069.html
Obama's CrackBerry habit Jeff Zeleny | November 17, 2008 - 11:27AM
Sorry, Mr President. Please surrender your BlackBerry.
Those are seven words president-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days.
For years, like legions of other on-the-move professionals, Mr Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry - or CrackBerrys as they are sometimes called for exactly that reason..
But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about keeping email secure, he faces the Presidential Records Act - which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review - and the threat of subpoenas.
A final decision has not been made on whether he could go against precedent to become the first emailing president but aides said that seemed doubtful.
For all the perquisites and power afforded the president, the chief executive of the US is essentially deprived by law and by culture of some of the very tools that other chief executives depend on to survive and to thrive. But Mr Obama seems intent on pulling the office at least partly into the 21st century on that score. Aides said he hoped to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first US president to do so.
Mr Obama is the second president to grapple with the idea of this self-imposed isolation. Three days before his first inauguration, George Bush sent a message to 42 friends and relatives to explain his predicament.
"Since I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass, the only course of action is not to correspond in cyberspace," Mr Bush wrote from his old address, G94B@aol.com. "This saddens me. I have enjoyed conversing with each of you."
But in the eight years since, as BlackBerrys have become ubiquitous - and often less intrusive than a telephone - the volume of email has multiplied and the role of technology matured.
Mr Obama used email to stay in touch with friends when he was on the road. He also relied on email to keep abreast of the rapid whirl of events on a campaign day.
"Given how important it is for him to get unfiltered information from as many sources as possible, I can imagine he will miss that freedom," said Linda Douglass, an adviser who was on the campaign.
Even if he does not carry a BlackBerry or a mobile phone, Mr Obama almost certainly will not lack a variety of new forms of communication.
On Saturday, as he broadcast the weekly Democratic radio address, it came with a twist. For the first time, it was also video-taped and archived on YouTube.
Actually, to be accurate that quote is from Barack Obama, not me You cannot possibly be that cynical Aqua that you believe there is a double meaning there. Nice to have a young and energetic, intelligent and classy President in office. Be a change from the Bush Snr and Bush Jr Terms in Office. The colour of his skin does not even come into the equation with my way of thinking. Love that pic of him with his BlackBerry
I wrote this on antoher forum and had debated on weather I should post it here or not. I don't really feel safe to freely share myself on this particular forum (the good isn't taken with the bad...) but after re-reading it, I reckoned it was just one post and that as such there isn't even anything there of me anyway. This was within a couple days of the election results, and it comes rather late when read now:
I watched Hancock yesterday. A lot of people really hate Will Smith movies. I don't find that all of them are just that similar enough to generalise. I haven't seen many of his roles either though, but overall I think the best I could say was that he doesn't necessarily pick great roles to begin with. I guess some of them have been okay, one or two good, and he's been in a couple real blockbusters... nah you know what, I like him as an actor I guess, now that I look at it more. The movie took an awkward turn that I almost couldn't forgive, then I had no faith that the ending would be pulled off, but it somehow was, a little, and I ended up liking the movie, and I cried at the ending. I was heading in another direction so let me get back to that. I'm someone that cries while watching movies sometimes. I can sometimes only watch the end of a movie and cry. In life, however, as an adult I've only really cried for example when my grandfather died or when I one day ended up back in the US and sat under the tree where my grandparents' ashes are buried and talked to them as I was here in Australia when each of them passed away. Apart from that, there have been instances while in deep depression and desperation that I cried, and probably once that I have cried to God over a life circumstance. Overall though, I'm not a person who really shows that. I never was anyway. I can't say that I'm not now, as some things change. I don't like for people to see me cry though. I don't always like my wife to see me cry even, because she'll make a big deal of it and want to hug me and share in some sort of drama that often isn't really anyone's but mine to have, and as such it isn't something I can give away or share. Of course she means well. Working slowly toward where I'm going with this though, I'll reiterate that I'm much more likely to cry while watching the television or a movie than when something real happens.
It was a fantastic production. At times, and much of the time, it was incredibly boring, at times the shenanigans of the campaigning in the primary elections of the Democrats was pathetic and made me feel ashamed to be a voter registered as part of the Democratic party (this means far less than it does in Australia though), and it was yet another wake up call about just what a world we live in and just what a country I come from. It's really easy for me to point the finger from all the way over here but the overall reality is that I'd have to concede that people themselves are the same regardless of geography. So at times it was a production that smacked me in the face and dissapointed me, but I have to talk about the ending and say that it's sort of now just left me with a more realistic perspective... perhaps. Also, at times it was a production that was exciting. It's embarrassing to admit (a little), but the reality is that... ah crap I got distracted for only like 5 seconds and forgot what I was thinking.
Yes, so it was a very long production as well. At times it made my arse numb. Not really but metaphorically. There were moments of vengeance, for example when Hilary was defeated, when the votes weren't yet counted enough to make an accurate prediction but the Obama victory could still be smelled, tasted, and almost... almost savoured. That feeling of almost savouring though, that wasn't the same feeling of what was actually to come.
It was an expensive production. That it happens at all, the way that it does, is really something to scratch my head at, but that it happened this time the way that it did was just something else entirely.
I was happy Obama came along in the first place. He seems like a humble guy when I consider all that he's been through to become the victor, and his ongoing attitude from what little of the production I watched (and even watching a little is like watching a full length movie). I shouldn't have started this paragraph. I'll just say that I could go on for quite a long time about why I didn't like Hilary Clinton and that it had less to do with politics than it should have, why I despised John McCain for political and non-political reasons, the incredible circus act that went on as a whole.... but it would be boring, and much of it would be to just state the obvious.
So when the production ended, when the movie was over, for me as a liberal American, and from the sound of the news room's republican's achors' voices it seemed they felt the same way too, and as someone who can merely watch the end of a movie and cry, I felt that I had just reached the end of an epic production of an incredible story, and even now I hold back tears so that I can see the keyboard in order to keep on typing.
When I watch a movie and cry, I know that its temporary, that its fake. When the reality of the Obama win hit me... I was alone and I was glad for that because I did let many many tears run down my face for quite some time. I was fatigued and had forced myself to stay awake for quite a while waiting for the outcome, but I didn't care, and I didn't care that I knew, as with all good movies, this one would lose its meaning when I woke up and that I was soon to go to sleep. As I watched the TV, they showed a lot of people feeling the same way I was. They showed a lot of black people celebrating. The news anchors were really at a loss for anything good to say because no matter what they could express, I knew that I knew it already and that so did a f*** load of other people... most people who were watching. I wouldn't have wanted to have their job... they had to hold back their feelings so the coverage could continue... they had to stop feeling so that they could do their jobs. They were robbed.
As I watched the camera's pass by a lot of black people smiling and celebrating, and when they cut to footage of Jessie Jackson trying to speak but balling his eyes out, I couldn't help but to think “Is my joy really that warranted, comparatively?” I wondered if I really should be taking as much joy as I was in this Hollywood happy ending. I say “Hollywood happy ending” because it is just one day in what will be many days of a presidency and I know that I may be very unhappy with the decisions made by the guy at a future date.
I very quickly decided that “No”, my tears of joy running down my face and over the sides of my smile were mine, that they surely weren't taking away from anyone else, though it did remind me of the racist world that I come from and that as such I am a product of, that I had to second guess myself to begin with. I couldn't help but to wonder what sort of head trip Jesse Jackson might have put himself through after running for president and losing, knowing he would lose, and really never getting any proper credit for what was undoubtably also a historical contribution. “Did he have conflicting feelings? Was part of him secretly bitter at the Obama win?” I hope not.
This Obama victory was one of the few things in my life that I allowed myself to really take a lot of joy in without my own personal bullshit... the sewage of society... taking control of and ruining for me a little if not at all. I have baggage. I finally did go to bed shortly after, exhausted, though I still had a smile and I still had tears of joy here and there. I wish hadn't been so damn tired and sleep deprived so I could have enjoyed it for longer. Even the best production doesn't last much longer than one sleep.
Without a doubt, the Obama victory was the best production I've ever seen, and I'll always remember it. From here, it has the potential to go on to be a really really bad TV spin off show, and to even further divide the country racially, as racism in the US seems to be more about the anxiety of racism than anything else most of the time... I thought I should share what it meant to me when he won though, and the reality is that unfortunately it isn't even possible to explain. Its as if I tried to throw a rock in the general direction, but hit something else that only shares a slight aspect of the thing I was aiming for. So basically all I've been able to convey is that in the movies, good guys win and dreams happen, and that is what I experienced, except that it was not a movie. Since it was not a movie, the reality is that the story does not end, and that does ruin it.... but to say this still doesn't even come close to just what the “significance” is, or more accureatly just what this symbolises for me, and why. I feel I'd have to write an entire novel just to come close to explaining myself. For now, this will have to do.
I DID read the whole thing, but I don't have anything substantial to say after that post. (But I don't want to ignore it). It was so in depth.. an interesting read though. It was really nice.. exciting.. seeing everyone so happy.. exuberant.. exhilarated () after he won. Lets hope he lives up to it all America's reputation should improve at any rate.
Thanks Dara. I should have mentioned that I wasn't looking for any real reaction to it as just a personal account for me, but thanks for replying. You're really very attentive regardless of weather you're being nice or mean, and it's a good quality.
Anywho, I'm hoping he just makes it into office and through his term without getting shot. I think the reputation of America is sometimes for the wrong reasons, though where it is for the right reason it's really dead on. It comes down to wealth, as do most wars since probably before we had written language, and the economic problems there, that will get worse, and that we will see here, are sort of coming at an unfortunate time given the change of ideology that's going to happen when he takes office. It will be an incredible challenge to work through these times without trying to bully other countries and particularly those in the part of the world where most of the oil is. I would have rather the country been in a more solid economic state when the ideological trend turned.
Thanks Dara. I should have mentioned that I wasn't looking for any real reaction to it as just a personal account for me, but thanks for replying. You're really very attentive regardless of weather you're being nice or mean, and it's a good quality.
Anywho, I'm hoping he just makes it into office and through his term without getting shot. I think the reputation of America is sometimes for the wrong reasons, though where it is for the right reason it's really dead on. It comes down to wealth, as do most wars since probably before we had written language, and the economic problems there, that will get worse, and that we will see here, are sort of coming at an unfortunate time given the change of ideology that's going to happen when he takes office. It will be an incredible challenge to work through these times without trying to bully other countries and particularly those in the part of the world where most of the oil is. I would have rather the country been in a more solid economic state when the ideological trend turned.
Yeah, he's got a really hard job on his hands. People complain about how bad Howard left Australia, but I think he did quite well. Bush on the other hand.. well, Obama will spend his entire term trying to fix the situation he got the USA into. I wonder when Obama will be added to the dictionary thing... Anyway, he's not going to be able to please every country.
MD, like you, I'm hoping too that the Obama production will not turn into a bad TV spinoff, and I don't think it will. Obama has already done what no politician could do, and that was to appeal to the youth of America and truly inspire those that were less fortunate to stand up and make a change. This air of optimism is great and the level of debate in America can only rise from this point on, but now with young faces and from all walks of life that would have otherwise never given a second thought about politics in the past. My mums brother (in Washington state, spokane) was so happy after the election... he said the whole family watched the victory speech on tv and he said it was as if the whole nation stood still for those few minutes. I have a feeling that your story is one that alot of Americans right now can relate to, democrat or republican.
Great black hope January 17, 2009 The Obama inauguration is much more than pomp and spectacle, writes Anne Davies. It's the dawning of a new political age for America - perhaps for the world.
Barack Obama will usher in a new American era when he takes the oath of presidential office on the steps of the US Capitol on Tuesday. Sweeping aside the remaining racial barriers now seems truly possible; the US might again prefer negotiations ahead of direct military intervention in engaging the rest of the world; and the White House will soon belong to the Blackberry-Facebook generation - where everyone participates.
What could be more fitting than this inauguration falling in the 200th anniversary year of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, another Illinois congressman who made it to the White House and who, by ordering the emancipation of slaves in 1863, set America on its long and sometimes troubled course toward racial unity?
For America's 40 million African Americans - 13.5 per cent of the population - it will be a day of extreme emotion, when tears of joy and relief will wash away some of the sorrow for years of hardship and lost opportunities. Thousands of black churches in America have rented an expected 7000 coaches to carry worshippers to Washington to be part of the moment. The convoys will also include an unknown number of yellow school buses.
Among honoured guests will be 330 members of an all-black flying unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, which initially protected US bombers in World War II but could not fly them because African Americans were denied membership of combat units by the US Air Force.
"We grew up in segregation," Roscoe Brown, 86, recalled this week. "The Tuskegee Airmen were the way that the general public became aware that African Americans can do anything." The unit is said to have never lost a bomber it was charged with protecting.
Next week the military will answer to its first African American commander-in-chief, and Brown is brimming with pride.
For some civil rights leaders who marched alongside Martin Luther King jnr, facing hostile mobs and police, the moment will be the inevitable manifestation of the Voting Rights Act and King's political movement. The Reverend Joseph Lowery is one such old campaigner. He will deliver the benediction at the inauguration. "Did I think it would come in 2008? No. I never dreamed I would live to see it but I thank God I am living. I look forward to it," he says.
For the rest of America, perhaps even the world, the new presidency is almost as inspiring. For some it is just the relief of seeing the back of George Bush, whose approval rating has plumbed historic lows. For others, Obama personifies a more united society, one that will take a more global view as it tackles some of the most pressing problems of our age. He is the man who blends race and an international childhood into a single smart yet cool package. Yet he seems somehow like a regular man who cherishes his family.
With such expectations resting on his slender shoulders, Obama is under pressure to deliver a truly spine-tingling speech. It's not just about giving a good show. Inauguration speeches are powerful political levers which can be used to jolt the nation onto a new track by clearly spelling out a common understanding and galvanising a different mindset.
"Kennedy's inaugural address was world-changing, heralding the commencement of a new American administration and foreign policy determined upon a peaceful victory in the West's long Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union over the world's future direction," says Ted Sorensen, his former speechwriter, now a lawyer and historian.
Obama was asked a week ago for the source of his inspiration. He told US ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "You know, I have been reading Lincoln. I am not sure whether that's been wise because every time you read that second Inaugural, you start getting intimidated, especially because it's really short." He also singled out Kennedy's "ask not what your country can do for you" inauguration speech, which Sorensen worked and reworked, road-tested and refined, until he was satisfied the tone and rhythm hit the mark.
"When you have a successful presidential speech of any sort, it's because that president is able to put their finger on the moment we're in. This is the crossroad that we are at, and then to project confidence that if we take the right measures that we can once again be that country, that beacon for the world," Obama said. "And so my focus is to try to be able to describe in simple, plain terms the challenges we face, but then also to let people know I have every intention of working with the American people so that we meet those challenges."
Anne Davies is the Herald's Washington correspondent.
Two weeks into the Obama administration and we have the first admission of a mistake. Three of his nominees for key positions have had to withdraw from contention - one because of an ethics/fraud probe in his home state and two for being under a tax cloud. One of those was supposed to be in charge of watching the US budget while the other was the potential health secretary and Obama’s Obi-Wan, Tom Daschle.
Yeah I was going to say something yesterday but didn't bother. 2 weeks is a pretty short period of time to judge an overall political performance, and its really a bit unfair that he has such a burden on him of being not only the hope of a people who feel they have failed themselves (or have been failed by their leaders, or both), but also being the first Black president and to have these things make him one of the hottest celebrities in the Western world. When people prop him up on such a high pedestal, he has a long way to fall for them, and it can't be great for his humility either. The last thing I want, for example, is someone who feels so confident of themselves, that military actions are easily justified, once again.
No when you're a government employee who's ripping off the tax man for 128 grand I guess you can't please everyone.....! How much would you be making to have a 128000 tax bill?
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Yes it is a large variable, but that's what it is a variable. He said in the first post 37% in favor which is accurate, move along
I was done with it after I made the first post. I didn't continue asking me to explain myself, someone else did.
Now we're clear... that I can move along (finally) after I either start being a jerk and ignoring people who are genuinely confused about my meaning, when enough is enough, when an understanding is reached... but also when small little men can get it through their thick skulls that I'm not, in fact, obliged to "move along" simply because they will it and put an insulting smiley at the end. I always found eye rolling to be a bit girly btw
Obama reverses Bush limits on stem cell research March 10, 2009 - 6:49AM
President Barack Obama has lifted a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, promising a "new frontier" for US science free of political interference.
"Ultimately, I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek. No president can promise that," Obama said at a White House ceremony before signing an order to lift the ban imposed by president George W Bush.
"But I can promise that we will seek them - actively, responsibly, and with the urgency required to make up for lost ground," he said.
"Not just by opening up this new frontier of research today, but by supporting promising research of all kinds, including groundbreaking work to convert ordinary human cells into ones that resemble embryonic stem cells."
Can this guy get any more popular around the world? Even his wife Michelle is becoming celebrity like ...even calling her Michelle O putting her up there with Jackie O.
Year After Obama vs. McCain It's Obama vs. the Economy
For all that's transpired since his election as president, public opinion has not moved on the big issue, the current economy. The question a year later is how long Obama's got until it goes up, or he goes down – possibly with his party in tow.
The danger was evident in Tuesday's off-year voting, in which the incumbent Democratic Party lost the New Jersey and Virginia governorships, with 89 and 85 percent of voters, respectively, worried about the economy in the year ahead. Majorities were "very" worried – and they voted Republican by wide margins, 61-34 percent in New Jersey, 77-23 percent in Virginia.
Compare with a year ago: Obama won voters who were very worried about the economy by 22 points nationally and by almost identical margins in New Jersey and Virginia alike.
Other than the direction of the vote, little has changed in basic economic views since the maelstrom blew into town. Economic worry in New Jersey and Virginia this week was almost exactly the same as in the 2008 exit polls there. Nationally, the ABC News Consumer Comfort Index likewise is almost precisely the same today as a year ago – near its worst in 23 years.
There have been partisan shifts – economic confidence is higher among Democrats than it was a year ago, lower among Republicans – but with no net movement. Crucially, it's unchanged among independents, the centerweight of politics. A year ago, Obama won independents by eight points. This week they favored Republicans Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell by 2-1.
Unpacking this to get past the influence of partisanship on economic sentiment, there's a sobering result for the Democrats: Just among independents who are very worried about the economy, McDonnell won by a huge 65 points, Christie by 48. Obama in 2008 finished ahead among very worried independents in both states, but by much smaller margins – 10 points in Virginia, just three in New Jersey. Nationally, he won very worried independents by 15.
I bet kevUN has the tissues out over it as well, lets just hope he can get a refund on the extra 6800 photographers he hired for the day. Oh to hell with it only tax payer "funny money".
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
You know they're both such show ponies I could see them singing ebony and ivory
OMG! Although I've stopped following US politics, he is my political party and I voted for him.. and I find your politics cynical in the rare cases that I actually read these sections... but that was hilarious as a metaphor for them, a conceptual (im)plausibility, and in the imagery that ensued. Kevin Rudd was a Muppet in my imagery too...
Health bill vote delivers huge win for Barack Obama By Lincoln Archer and wires From: news.com.au March 22, 2010 2:14pm
BARACK Obama has secured a huge political victory with the narrow passage today of a bill which will eventually guarantee health care for tens of millions of Americans.
Members of the House of Representatives have voted 219-212 to approve the Senate-passed legislation and were to move quickly to pass a package of changes sought by the President.
Mr Obama had postponed his trip to Australia, which had been planned for later this week, so that he could stay in Washington and see the package through the Congress.
Tomorrow in Canberra, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will face off in a debate on their own prescriptions for improving Australia's health system. (Video)
In a special statement at the White House, Mr Obama hailed the vote as a victory for common sense and regular people. He said it showed America was still capable of "big things".
"This is what change looks like," he said.
Obama's legacy
Mr Obama had staked much of his political credibility on getting the changes through the Congress, which his Democratic party controls. As the bill cleared the magic 216-vote threshhold, Democrats erupted in applause and cheering.
Its final passage would cement Mr Obama's political legacy with an achievement which had eluded his predecessors for decades, sealing his place in history beyond being "the first black president".
With the fixes, the overhaul is estimated to extend health insurance coverage to some 32 million Americans who currently lack it, bringing to 95 per cent the proportion of under-65 US citizens with private insurance.
It would ban insurance company practices like denying care for preexisting conditions, imposing lifetime caps on coverage, while providing subsidies to buy private insurance. But many provisions won't take effect for a few years.
A last-minute pledge to continue a ban on federal funding for abortions ensured enough Democratic support for the $US940 billion bill.
The health care debate has been divisive in the US, with opponents calling it a brand of socialism and claiming a government cannot be trusted to run a health system.
The issue has been a long-running political football in the US. Hillary Clinton tried as first lady in the 90s to negotiate a less-ambitious package than was passed today, but that ended in failure.
Supporters of universal health care in the US had grown impatient with President Obama and his party's inability to get their deal done, accusing them of being too timid in negotiating with the opposition Republican party.
Victorious Democrats are now painting the passage of the bill as a landmark moment in US political history. "This is a historic day, and we are happy warriors," one Democrat said on CNN.
But a Republican counterpart said he felt more like "we're breaking history". Another Republican vowed to bombard the bill with "hundreds of amendments".
Protesters had staged a rally outside the Capitol building during the vote to urge the bill's defeat. Republicans had staged regular trips out the balcony overlooking the protest, amid chants of "kill the bill" and "in November, we'll remember".
It's a really huge change for the US. I don't know the details of what was passed, but its a society where people fear socialism, still today, even when in the face of poverty. In most states there's also no mandatory sick leave, redundancy, public holidays, workers comp is a joke, etc etc. The only aspect of the workplace that is overall better than here is a guarantee of overtime pay for most people. Any other benefits that you get, especially basic things that are just part of the way it is here, are usually part of the contract with the employer and aren't workplace rights but with %40 of people living in poverty and a nation of people inevitably working for corporations...
I was just intending to add to the article that Bill Clinton had also tried, and of course failed by nature of the society, a system like HECS here, but I got a little carried away.
This is a big deal for the US. There will undoubtedly be bumps in the road and Obama will cop undue criticism for a long time to come over this issue but it was a victory to pass something at all despite it being a disputed issue (not a small one either) and a concern for both him and McCain during the campaigning.
Its a lingering result of the Cold War in the US... that socialism is somehow wrong, and even when you get passed that there's still fear of what seems like a drastic change, and disbelief that healthcare as its worked in other countries can be just that simple. I used to feel that way when I lived there.
...Just noticed that there weren't any Republicans voting for it btw. It always comes down to BS party affiliation and in the case of the US, possibly there's more ego involved than there is in Australia and we just don't get to see it in the same format... or care to bother anyway.
I wish The Colbert Report wasn't on break with this happening because I think Stephen could explain it really well. From what I understand this will ensure healthcare to those who can't afford it. With a population of over 300 million with a minimum of 12% below the poverty line you have to wonder how this will be funded and rolled out. One of my Face book friends posted the following:
Quoted Text
Obama's health care plan will be written by a committee whose head, John Conyers, says he doesn't understand it. It'll be passed by Congress that has not read it, signed by a president who smokes, funded by a Treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, overseen by a Surgeon General who is obese, and financed by a country ...that's nearly broke. What could possibly go wrong? -- Rush Limbaugh
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
Rush Limbaugh has always been so far right wing that his credibility is hard to take seriously. It would be like hearing it from Michael Moore when there's a Republican in office trying to kick the same type of thing... which would possibly have been the case. Either way though, you end up with half the country disapproving and an ultra loud minority screaming bloody murder with a larger handful supporting them and saying "Yeah!!! take that!!!"
Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore should have a hot dog eating contest.
If I were an American, I'd not be worried by Mr Obama, rather I'd be worried by this lot of rednecks...
Tea Party rallies gain pace
By North America correspondent Kim Landers
The Tea Party movement, a leaderless coalition of conservative groups in the United States, is barely a year old but is already growing in influence.
While president Barack Obama says many of its supporters are "on the fringe", the political movement is threatening to use its grassroots support to defeat sitting members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans.
In Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, around 300 people attended one of the Tea Party's latest rallies.
Kathy Cadden is sitting in a folding chair holding a yellow sign with a swastika on it.
"Obama, [Nancy] Pelosi and [Senator Harry] Reid are the axis of taxes and socialism, just like Hitler was," she said.
"You can't fix stupid, but you can vote them out. First of all, Obama is not a citizen of the United States and he's not a Christian. He's a Muslim. And if you read his books you can find that out."
Ms Cadden says she wants the Tea Party to "take back" the country and start a revolution.
Dale Casterline says he is at the rally because he wants "America back for its people".
"I'm sure not a redneck, but I do want a better America for my grandchildren," he said.
And like many Tea Party supporters he is furious at the recent healthcare reforms.
"The American people have come out and spoken; they didn't want this new medical program but yet [Obama] went behind doors and forced it down Americans' throats," Mr Casterline said.
Tea Partiers are being blamed for some of the recent rowdy protests against healthcare reform in which racial and anti-gay slurs were hurled and one politician was spat on.
Linda Nokes has been to a couple of Tea Party rallies and she scoffs at suggestions Tea Partiers are spewing hate.
"You just meet such good American people, and that's who they are," she said.
"They're not nasty. They're not right-wing extremists. They're not a bunch of wackos. They're good Americans. What's going on is people love this country and they're concerned about it."
Many Tea Partiers want all the incumbents thrown out at the November congressional elections, and to make their point they are planning a massive rally in Washington next week.
Neil Armstrong condemns Barack Obama space plan, but Buzz Aldrin backs it
Apollo 11 hero Neil Armstrong today lashed out at President Barack Obama's decision to axe NASA plans to return to the moon, describing the move as "devastating" to the US space program.
But his Apollo 11 compatriot Buzz Aldrin has backed the move away from moon travel, saying, "The truth is, that we have already been to the moon - some 40 years ago".
Mr Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, was one of three former astronauts who signed an open letter to Mr Obama ahead of his visit to Florida on Thursday where he will deliver a space policy speech.
I actually am of the opinion that we should be spending more money here on EARTH than on space travel. I'm sorry but I have felt like that since I was a teenager. People on Earth are living in squalor and starving and Countries, especially the US, spend bzillions on space exploration.
Countries like the US also spend "bazillions" on foreign aid SuziH. NASA's budget would be just a few drops in the bucket compared to what other countries are given.
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
There are many Technologies that we today take for granted come directly from research by NASA, this site lists but a few...............................
Thanks for the link LB, I wonder when asked how they came to be up at NASA how many of the researchers involved on that list stated "the astronauts" or more specifically "seeing man walk on the moon"?
"To the rational mind, nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained. " The Doctor
I know that NASA created/invented special material that burns victims can wear to stop their skin from shrinking/contracting and those allergic to sunlight can wear outside.
Quoted Text
Now there's never going to be anti-gravity bras within my lifetime. I always looked forward to the day when boobs floated around freely
thanks for that image MD, ROFLMTO. The shaped Bra's of today are wonderful to wear and are almost anti-gravity!
US cracks 'deep-cover' Russian spy ring By staff writers From: news.com.au June 29, 2010 7:54am
THE US has arrested 10 alleged spies accused of carrying out "deep-cover assignments" for years for Russian intelligence services.
An 11th suspect remains at large, the US Justice Department said as it revealed the shocking developments only days after US President Barack Obama praised his visiting Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, as a "solid and reliable partner''.
The arrests were made in four northeastern states following a years-long investigation by the Justice Department, the FBI and New York state authorities.
"Eight individuals were arrested Sunday (local time) for allegedly carrying out long-term, 'deep-cover' assignments in the United States on behalf of the Russian Federation,'' the Justice Department said.
"Two additional defendants were also arrested Sunday for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the United States.''
A total of 11 defendants are "charged in two separate criminal complaints with conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States," it said.
Nine of the suspects also face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The arrests were made in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and in northern Virginia, just outside the US capital Washington, following what the Justice Department described as a "multi-year'' investigation in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The charges of acting as an agent of a foreign government carry a maximum of five years in prison, while the conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. The defendants include “Richard Murphy” and “Cynthia Murphy”, who were taken into custody at their home in Montclair, New Jersey.
Defendants known as "Vicky Pelaez" and “Juan Lazaro” were arrested at the home in Yonkers, New York. "Anna Chapman" was arrested in Manhattan. All are expected to appear in Manhattan Federal Court today.
Officials also arrested “Michael Zottoli" and "Patricia Mills” at their home in Arlington, Virginia , along with Mikhail Semenko who was taken into custody at his Arlington home. The defendants are also expected to appear in Federal Court in Alexandria, Virginia, today.
Another couple was arrested at their Boston home. "Donald Howard Heathfield" and "Tracey Lee Ann Foley" are scheduled to appear in Federal Court in Boston today.
“Christopher R Metsos" remains at large.
The arrest came only three days after Mr Obama quipped it was time to cut off Cold War-era emergency hotlines at a cordial Washington summit with Mr Medvedev as the pair sought to cement their "reset'' in national security ties.
Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev munched burgers and strolled outside the White House together in images carefully choreographed for the cameras.
The US leader said: "We listen to one another and we speak candidly.''
Obama reiterates pledge to end Iraq combat mission by end of the month From: NewsCore August 03, 2010 2:55AM
US President Barack Obama said this morning he would keep his campaign promise to end the country's combat mission in Iraq by August 31 and added that “a grateful America must pay tribute to all who served there.”
“Remember, our nation has had vigorous debates about the Iraq War,” Mr Obama said in a speech at the Disabled American Veterans’ national convention in Atlanta.
“There are patriots who supported going to war, and patriots who opposed it. But there has never been any daylight between us when it comes to supporting the more than one million Americans in uniform who have served in Iraq - far more than any conflict since Vietnam.” Obama’s pledge to end the US combat mission in Iraq comes despite increased violence and political tension there.
According to official figures, 535 people died in Iraq in July – the highest figure since May 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal.
US and Iraqi officials say insurgents are attempting to take advantage of a five-month impasse in forming a new Iraqi government. But Obama struck an optimistic tone saying violence is “near the lowest it’s been in years” and praising Iraqi troops for taking the lead in security in many parts of the country. The president also expressed a commitment to the war in Afghanistan, saying: “We will continue to face huge challenges … But it’s important that the American people know that we are making progress and we are focused on goals that are clear and achievable.” “We will disrupt, we will dismantle and we will ultimately defeat al Qaeda,” he added.
Logged
) after he won. Lets hope he lives up to it all 
)
