Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): @BarackObama Speaks....

As a new week dawns, our team chose the following from former US President @BarackObama: 

The First Day of Spring.......

The first day of spring is upon us. Farsi speakers throughout the world celebrate this day as the day to begin anew..to let go of the old and start with the new possiblities:



Send this eCard !


I have also been heartened by this message that President Obama sent on this joyous occassion:



May this be the advent of a true day of hope and new possiblities.

History In the Making

I have been thinking about the week ahead. All of us are Witness to History. People are anxious and concerned. I wrote about it as I was visiting with my students to reflect upon it. Here is an excerpt:

"...The week ahead will be quite exciting and enjoyable. I wrote about being an ordinary "Witness To history" in a few days ago to underscore the historical nature of what we're faced with. I am sure that some may well not have agreed with my views due to their partisan nature. I am continually inspired by the chance to begin anew and look to the future. The inauguration of our new President gives all of us a chance to do so.

I view the transition as nothing but a blessing. Many countries in our world are not as blessed as we are because of wars, hunger and famine. We have economic difficulities--that's for sure. But, the idea of a peaceful transition of power where the man giving up the power gives it up willingly and embraces his successor never, ever seizes to amaze me......King Day is tomorrow. I have signed up to attend a local food drive in my community to underscore the calling by the President-Elect to step up and get involved. We have much to celebrate in America. Let us embrace the possiblities......"

Of all the hope that I have as we embark on this new era, I took special comfort in what David Brooks of the New York Times said at today's Meet the Press. The challenges are enormous, but the opportunity to transform this country is enormous. The goodwill is there. The key is transform that goodwill into policies that would change this country. As always, I found the discussions on Meet the Press insightful:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tavis Smiley talked about the need to have a modern day Frederick Douglas. I don't claim to be that by any means. But, I plan on developing my ideas and reflecting upon as an "ordinary face" and an "outsider" precisely because ordinary people need to have a voice to express their views and realize the potentials. The Obama Transition Project apparently recognized it when it embraced the very power of the internet to solicit ideas and to report back on those ideas. change.gov and usaservice.org is the first of what I hope are many ways to work to somehow bring all the people who have somehow felt left out. That's the promise as America's new era begins anew.

November 4, 2008: When America Voted for Change

Barack Obama is now the President-Elect. "Jobama" is now the game in town. I found the day to a moving experience for me. What a day!!

I will be thinking about this for a long time. I wrote about it earlier in my current affairs blog, outsiderviews, to reflect upon what happened and what to expect:

Source: http://www.outsiderviews.com, retrieved November 5, 2008

As I write this, Thursday has arrived. I am personally still coming to grips with the historical nature of the election in the United States. I had been reading up on the analysis by all the pundits and the world reactions so far. The entire world seems to have embrace Senator Obama's election. From the reports I have seen, it appears that Senator Obama has hit the ground running. He got the job because he did run a superb campaign and did not lose his cool no matter what. But, as he begins to get ready, he sure has his work cut out for him. The market lost 5% on Wednesday alone. I am still trying to figure out why anyone would want this job.

I was out today on my on-going business commitments. I was amazed to see that folks ran out of newspapers to keep a memento of this election. I actually checked out all the newspaper stands and even the local starbucks. I did manage to pick up a copy of my local paper to keep it for posterity. But, Tuesday was the day I truly understood how significant the election was. For me, it started around 5:30 AM when I left to report to my first precinct. I was amazed as to the volunteers who were staffing the precinct. There was a chaplain from the local fire department, a student, a housewife and a retired gentleman. They all came together to do the right thing. They had gone out the night before to make sure everything was set up and ready to go. When I got there at 6:00 AM, voters were already then ready to go. My reaction was simple this: OMG!!! This was a tempo of things to come. At my second precinct, I again saw America. People were lining up and ready to go. I ran into a bit of snag. But, thanks to the team in place, we were able to resolve it with two minutes to spare. I then proceeded on to my third, fourth and fifth precincts checking on things and making sure everything was on track. As I continued to make the rounds of my precincts, I continued to be amazed by the folks who were showing up. The enthusiasm by all the poll workers uplifted my spirits. I will never forget when one of the volunteers ran to me with joy at reaching the 500th Vote. She had volunteered for that poll and that school for years. It was a long day. But it was a day to be proud of because I saw America at its' best.

I read reports on stuff going wrong. I had two machines that went down. I also had poll watchers keeping a watchful eye. I also had folks advocating for the position they were either for or against while adhering to the 100 ft boundary that was mandated by law. I had folks who had an Obama Sticker, a Republican Proud Shirt who walked in and were reminded to be nonpartisan. But, it was a great experience. But, of course, I was as interested in the elections despite my commitment of service to the Registrar of Voters. I started getting the first returns which pointed to an Obama Victory. I also heard Senator McCain very gracious concession speech. It was the Senator McCain I knew who fought the big spenders and who the patriot was. I also heard Senator Obama speak as well. He told the country and the world of the challenges ahead. He gave the world hope and promised that the world will overcome. I think he set the tone for what he is going to do.

The Democrats had a very good night on Tuesday. There were a lot of celebrations. As I have come to grips with the significance of what has happened, I am also quite mindful of the profound challenges that remain. The world economy is in shambles. We have two wars that do not seem to want to end. We have an Auto Industry that is about to die off. I read a report this morning that a potential death of the Auto Industry will cost 2.3 Million jobs. He will also have to deal with those of us who have begun to speak up and will support him when appropriate and will speak up when he is wrong. I take comfort in his stance on Afghanistan, for instance. I wrote about it earlier in my daily commentary whereby I saw how he understood the nature of the government and the need to have a change in strategy. I will be assessing who is going get the top appointments. I think this will set the tone on how he is going to govern.

The work begins. The experiment we all call America is about to enter a new era. America will renew yet again. All of us in America must do our part. I intend to do mine.

The Need For Grown-Ups.....

The United States has been through a traumatic period over the past 10 or so days. Over a trillion dollars in wealth has disappeared overnight. Many of us are worried about the future. Many of us wonder if all we have worked for is going to be in fact there. The whole world seems to have grinded to a halt. Loans are hard to come by, jobs continue to be lost, the shooting wars are continuing and brave souls are dying.

In the midst of all this misery, we have to be faced with another thirty days of attacks and counter attacks by the Presidential Candidates. The latest one was Governor Palin's attack on Senator Obama. She discussed that William Ayers was a member of the weathermen and called him a "domestic terrorist". This particular attack is dangerous because it will open up a whole pandora's box of issues which will simply serve no one. Governor Palin herself said that we ought to look to the future, not the past. She said it at the debate. Yet, she brought it up at a rally in Carson California Yesterday.

The need for grown-ups and a true sense of realitycheck by all is pivotal if we are to get out of this paralysis we are in. Many opposed the bailout. It may well be that Main Street was not helped in this go-around. But, we had to make a start. Furthermore, this notion of the entire $ 700 Billion being spent is simply not true. Something had to be done. The political leaders in Washington understood they had to act. To their credit, they did act.

We as a people must act as grown-ups and truly start living within our means and "live poor" as a colleague of mine once said so that we can in turn force our leaders to act like one. Nothing less than our future, our children's future and our standing in the world is at stake here.

May we live in interesting times!!!!

To this "ordinary face", the amazement of how the world works takes my breath away. I do yearn for a time where leaders truly care, tell me the way it is and will not look for the own interests to perpetuate their own power and privilege. We in the United States are blessed because our political leaders are subject to so much scrutiny. The prosecution of Bob Ney and the indictment of Ted Stevens are just one example. As the week of the Democratic convention begins, there will be a lot of talk about the ordinary folks who are suffering. All speakers will claim to speak for us. As I listen and reflect, what I will look for is simply whether they will truly live up to their rhetoric or not. The two Presidential candidates, in my view, represent what is best about America. One can be passionate about either one. The pundits will continue to analyze their every move. Whatever the pundits say, it will be that simply ordinary guy in the voting booth that will make the call. We must remember it, respect it, nurture it and fight for it. As I see it, that is our obligation.

An Interesting Week...Yet Again...

We saw off an interesting week. The economic slowdown is continuing which is a bit of good thing due to a change in demand. The Dollar is starting to strengthen yet again. Oil has falling almost 25%. Commodities are starting to fall rapidly. Gold has fallen below $ 800. The Fed seems to be the hero right now. The question in my mind is whether the potential free fall in the economy may have been averted and we would look forward to a period of reasonable growth.

The Presidential Campaign continues to be in full swing. Barack Obama and John McCain talked to Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. The questions Pastor Warren had were not "softball" at all. I talked about it at length in my current affairs blog, http://www.outsiderviews.com. It was a civil discourse, although Senator McCain seemed to be more prepared and direct. Senator Obama seemed more deliberative in his thoughts. It was a discussion that I enjoyed. It was a discussion that was necessary.

The party nominating conventions will start in about a week. The pundits are continuing their analysis of who is going to be VP, how will the Clintons play their cards and how the campaigns will fare after the elections. The Saddleback Forum proved to me the reason why the election is so close. It will be quite fascinating to watch and write about.

As for the world, Georgia and Russia went at it. The foolish move by the President of Georgia continues to baffle me. Iran, of course, surprised me yet again. The country launched the delivery mechanism for the delivery of a satellite. It has entered the space age. This is just one image I have noted that was broacast by the Iranian State Broadcaster: (source: http://www.irna.com, retrieved August 17, 2008):

We certainly do live in interesting times....

John Edwards: A Personal Sense of Shock and Disappointment

When John Edwards burst on the national scene, I became a fan!! He was eloquent, he was a "fresh" face and was in fact in the position Barack Obama was now. Making the "right" moves gave him an opening to launch his bid for the Presidency in 2004. He ended up as John Kerry's running mate. They did lose the elections to George W. Bush. But, John Edwards resurrected himself as a populist and began his campaign to combat poverty in America. He talked about two Americas. He was ridiculed by conservatives, but his message went to the core of where this country was to go. He understood that there were many who were not as fortunate and needed the opportunity. That's why he went to the country and reminded the country of it.

I heard him speak at the California Democratic Convention in San Diego last year. I could sense his passion and his committment. I was a proud contributor to his blog because the forum exercised that sense of democracy that other campaigns (including Senator Obama's) have learnt from and have adapted. When he withdrew and subsequently decided to formally endorse Senator Obama, I remember driving and had to pull over to listen to it. It was one of the most eloquent speeches I had heard. It clearly laid out a compelling case for Barack Obama to be elected President of the United States. Little did I know how he was to betray all that he had done.

I read his statement, briefly listened to his interview on ABC and read Mrs. Edwards' statement. It is a tragedy for him and his family. I do hope that Mrs. Edwards realizes how profoundly disappointed those of us who believed in Senator Edwards were because of his sin. It showed a total lack of judgement. If he was the Democratic Nominee, the Democrats would have been doomed. On this very fact, I agree with the Pundit Corp (which is my new term for the punditry that are on television every day and every week). I would be extremely surprised if Senator Edwards comes back on the National Scene. I only hope that he would at least work feverishly to redeem himself by the work he has continued to do to elevate the level of discourse on Poverty. I wish him well.

May we live in interesting times.......And This week was no different!!!

We had a shortened week in the United States. This is the week that we in the United States celebrated Independence day. There is not to celebrate, though. We are fighting in two major wars half-way around the world with no end in sight. People continue to die for an objective that seems to change. The word we get out of the Administration is that we have to "win". But the definition of winning has never been made clear to me at least. The only people who are sacrificing are the people on the front lines who are fighting and dying every day.

The Presidential campaigns are in full swing. We are subject to the "build-up" of a brand as if we're trying to decide between Coke and Pepsi. The McCain campaign just changed the management of its' campaign. The new guy is the guy who navigated the successful re-election of the Present Governor of the State of California. Whatever the "message", we're looking at four more years of George W. Bush. We're looking at more tax breaks for the rich, market-based solutions for health care (under the so-called guise of choice) and more military spending. Whether Senator Obama is able to insure that the people of the United States understand that suffered a bit of a blow this week when he had to "clarify" his remarks on refining his Iraq policy. I sense and understand the pragmatism of this statement. He has to be steadfast and insure that he is not swiftboated either by his supporters or opponents. It is a tough thing to do.

Moving down South, Ingrid Betancourt was freed along with 14 other hostages by the Colombian Army. President Uribe of Colombia pulled off a master stroke, with the support of the United States. But, some of the underlying problems in Colombia remain. Kidnappings continue. The drug trade continues to grow unabated. There has to be a different way. There has to a way that will insure that the average person can work to grow and evolve. According to what I have read, things are getting better in Colombia. But, being better is still not good enough. The people deserve a lot more.