President Obama’s Address to Students on the First Day of School

MoonHowler

President Obama’s text from the speech he is giving to America’s school children, from Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA has been posted at whitehouse.gov. The entire speech can be found HERE.

Here is an excerpt from his speech:

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

I orginially posted the speech. It was just too long, so I went back and linked to it. Please take the time to read it, especially if you have children in school. I can’t think of a better message to give to any kid on that first day.

It is the first day of school that really sets the stage for those other 180 days. If you miss the first day, its like buttoning up your shirt not matching the right button with the right button hole. You have missed the beginning.

I applaud President Obama for taking the time to welcome the kids back to school and for acknowledging the importance of doing well. The first day of school is the best time for such an address. In my opinion, he hit a homerun with this one.

ENTIRE SPEECH

The speech reportly lasts around 18 minutes.

Fox Trots Out More Freak-Out Lies @5 PM Tuesday

MoonHowler

Glenn Beck should be baying at the moon by 5 pm on Tuesday, September 8. Apparently he plans an hour long show dedicated to the endoctrination of America’s school children. He feels our republic is under attack:

 

 

To help us interpret all this insanity, perhaps its time for a good laugh from Keith Olbermann, who I rarely watch. The only thing left to do is laugh. There is no chance of reason here.

 

 

 

 

The sad thing is, too many people cannot think for themselves and rely on Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh for their political foundation. Perhaps they would be better off with O’Reilly. He at least is a scholar and on occassion make sense. The others are third rate actors.

 

“Birthers” must be mashugana, as my Bubbie would say!!!!!

Elena

Birthers refers to those people who apparently believe President Obama is not rightfully our sitting President, for those of you who don’t know what mashugana means, it’s Yiddish for crazy.  How many time does the state of Hawaii have to verify President Obama’s birth certificate.  Will the third time be the charm? The congressmen in this very aggressive interview with Chris Mathews looks VERY uncomfortable to me, like he has been set up to do something he may not totally believe in, just my perspective though.

When George Bush won the presidency in 2000, by the final ruling of the Supreme Court, I accepted that he was my President and THAT was certainly a conflicted election!  That is how this country works, its truly a miracle that we have such peaceful elections. Now it’s time for the other side to start governing and accept that they lost. 

I love how Chris Mathews refuses to let Rep. Campbell off the hook and insist he answer the question whether HE believes President Obama is a U.S. citizen. By the end of the interview, the congressmen capitulates and finally answers that he believes President Obama is indeed a citizen of the United States. 

Gates-Gate: A Teachable Moment?

MoonHowler

Has President Barack Obama caught Biden-disease? Does he have foot in mouth syndrome?

Wednesday night, during a press conference on health care reform, the president fielded one last question where he was asked about the arrest of his friend, Harvard Professor Henry Gates, Jr. President Obama told reporters that he didn’t know all the facts. But he said, “the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”

Those words brought about great public debate, especially after the country focused on what actually had happened during this altercation. According to CNN:

Crowley wrote in the Cambridge police report that Gates refused to step outside to speak with him, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, “Why, because I’m a black man in America?”

The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.

“While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me,” Crowley said, according to the report.

Gates was arrested for “loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space” and was released from police custody after spending four hours at the police station.

Officer Jim Crowley also said references were made about his mother. He has refused to apololgize. He says he followed protocol and that he is not a racist. Crowley enters the fray with some very impressive credentials, especially in the field of racial profiling. He has taught a course on the subject for several years.

Here is President Obama’s response:

Did he go far enough? Did President Obama equivocate? Should he apololgize? Was this incident reflective of more serious problems?

Is Obama on the Right Track About Iran?

MoonHowler

In the following video with Neil Cavuto of Fox News, John McCain (of Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran fame) admonishes President Obama for not being encouraging enough to the protestors in Iran.  Congress has passed a resolution condemning violence against the protestors. 

On the other hand, senior statemen like Henry Kissinger have come out praising President Obama and praising for his stance regarding Iran.  Kissinger and like-minded others feel that the United States is in no position to be meddling in the affairs of other sovereign nations. 

The Iran portion of the video goes from 00:00-5:10. (Then the topic changes to health care.)

Both the House and Senate Resolutions:

The House went first, voting 401-5 to adopt a measure (H Res 560) expressing “support for all Iranian citizens who struggle for freedom … condem[nation] of ongoing violence against demonstrators by the government of Iran … and affir[mation] of the universality of individual rights.”

The Senate later adopted by voice vote two measures (S Res 193; S Res 196) backing the protests and calling for free speech in Iran, respectively.

“The time has come for the United States Congress to speak out unequivocally in support of the fundamental right of the Iranian people to determine their future for themselves in freedom,” Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., in a joint statement. “With this resolution, the Senate joined with our colleagues in the House of Representatives to affirm our shared commitment to the universal values of democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law, and to condemn the unacceptable violence against the peaceful demonstrators taking place in Iran.”

How do you feel? Should Obama have been more forceful from the beginning in defense of the protestors, especially with strong evidence that the democratic process had been tampered with?

Is Senator McCain right about the U.S. showing more support for the protesting Iranians? Should the President speak only about the civil rights issue of peaceful protest and the human rights issue of allowing protest without violence from the government?
 

 

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Arrested in Corruption Scandal

MoonHowler

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is out on bail after being arrested for plotting to sell the Illinois Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama.

Is this Obama’s first real scandal?  Virginia’s own Eric Cantor would like it to be.  He is quoted in an AP story posted by MSNBC with the headline: “Obama tries to gain distance from Ill. governor: Investigation comes at inopportune time and could involve him.”

It’s Obama’s first big headache since his election last month, and Republicans were anything but eager to let it go away.

Said Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new GOP House whip: “The serious nature of the crimes listed by federal prosecutors raises questions about the interaction with Gov. Blagojevich, President-elect Obama and other high ranking officials who will be working for the future president.”
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Obama Is Coming! Obama Is Coming!

MoonHowler

Western Prince William and Manassas are all aflutter preparing for the big Obama Rally tonight at 9 PM. My roving reporter has called in that there are already about 50 men, women and children lined up at the lower Fairgrounds entrance. Gates open at 5 PM.

I will post news and pictures as they trickle in. Meanwhile, here is an open thread for tonight’s events.

Has anyone heard who the entertainment will be?

Update: The following video is added from last night. Governor Tim Kaine and Former Governor Mark Warner introduced the real entertainment, Obama!

Secret Service and Campaign Eye Several Venues

MoonHowler

Ok, so where is the huge Obama Rally? The prognosticators and I have narrowed down the venue to 4 places: the Fairgrounds, Nissan Pavilion, Costello Park, or out in the middle of a field reminiscent of the Woodstock Days.

[update 1:20 PM Nov. 1, 2008: insidenova.com provides another clue]

Let’s examine each. Obama has been drawing crowds in the neighborhood of 100,000 cheering spectators. Is there anywhere around here that could accommodate that kind of crowd? Washington Mall—that’s about it. Smaller huge venues would be Scott Stadium at UVA in Charlottesville or FedEx field over in Maryland. Scott Stadium makes sense. It is in the heart of Democrat-land also. FedEx does nothing for Virginia.

Nissan only holds about 35,000 people. Is this big enough for an Obama crowd the second time around? After all, he did kick off his official campaign here, right after the Democratic Convention. Traffic patterns are already established.

The Fairgrounds? Who knows how many people you can fit there. I can’t really see Obama speaking where the tractor pull is held or where the donkey dive used to be held before PETA got it. Parking there is just a nightmare.

Costello Park and an open field seem to be not very viable options. The battlefield has no parking and I doubt seriously if our 2 biggest landowners in the county would want throngs schlepping all over their property. Besides, they aren’t even Democrats.

Manassas Park cannot handle this one. It looks like Prince William inherits the King. Stay tuned and place your bets here: Which venue will it be?

(There is always the chance they will pack up their marbles and go elsewhere.)

Update: Hillary Clinton will be in Fairfax, not Manassas.
Change We Need Rally
with Senator Hillary Clinton

George Mason University
Johnson Center
4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, VA 22030

Final Obama Campaign Stop: Manassas,Virginia!!!

MoonHowler

Holy Bat Crap!

It looks like it all winds up right here, right under our noses. Yes, Virginia, our votes count.
A good friend just beeped me this news alert which I will post as is, since it is the middle of the night.

Posted at 10:33 PM ET, 10/30/2008
Obama Will End Campaign in Northern Virginia
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama announced tonight his final event of the campaign will take place Monday evening in Northern Virginia.

Obama plans to hold a large rally in or near Manassas Park, although an exact location has yet to be determined.

Obama’s decision to end his 20-month campaign in Virginia is yet another sign that he views Virginia, which last voted for a Democratic presidential nominee in 1964, as a crucial battleground. Obama has made 10 stops in Virginia since June, when he kicked off his general election campaign with stops in Bristol and at Nissan Pavilion near Manassas.

Considering Obama has drawn crowds that exceed 100,000, Monday night’s rally could be a massive affair, although its unclear if the campaign can find a large venue in that part of Prince William County.

Posted by Tim Craig
Washington Post