We Must Join the Fight for Reasonable Gun Control Laws!

"This is our first task as a society, keeping our children safe." President Barack Obama

Today, the President signed executive orders and set forth his plan for gun control. His proposal has the following components: universal background checks for anyone seeking to purchase firearms, ban on military style assault weapons, ban on high capacity gun magazines, more police officers and harsher sentences for people who sell guns to criminals.

During the press conference, the President declared that "the only way we can change is if the American people demand it." We must demand that change. We must demand that our members of Congress support the President's reasonable gun control proposal. We must stand up to the NRA and their puppets in Congress. They have gone after the President and his children. So the gloves are off and the fight is on!

President Obama Discusses Gun Control

Good morning. Yesterday, President Obama laid the groundwork for new gun control legislation. During his press conference, he responded to questions regarding the so-called fiscal cliff.

#DNC2012, Day 3:"Four More Years! Four More Years!"

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Good morning everyone. Here are a few highlights from the Democratic National Convention. President Obama, we have your back. Four more years!!! Four more years!!!

VP Joe Biden Gets A Standing Ovation at the NAACP National Convention

When Vice President Joseph Biden walked on to the stage to address the NAACP National Convention, he received a long standing ovation like a rock star. Unlike Romney, Biden did not have to bus in house negroes to cheer for him.

Biden began his speech by stating that he is a lifetime member of the NAACP. Then, he proceeded to praise the nation's first African American President, Barack Obama. He talked about how President Obama saved the financial system from total collapse. He talked about how Obama saved the American automobile industry from bankruptcy. He proclaimed that President Obama made the right call to go after Osama bin Laden. Biden touted the historic passage of healthcare reform. With each line, the crowd gave him a thunderous applause.

After discussing the accomplishments of the Obama Administration, Biden went on to mention important civil rights issues as racial profiling, equal pay, the right to choose, fair taxation, and affordable healthcare. Then, Biden asked the crowd to imagine what the Department of Justice and the United States Supreme Court would look like if Mitt Romney won the election. That thought was frightening.

When the speech was over, the NAACP crowd gave him a standing ovation. Then, Biden walked down the line, shaking hands and talking photographs with supporters. The crowd cheered for Biden because the Obama Administration supports the issues that matter to African Americans.

This morning, I saw a Morning Joe tweet that read "Scarborough on Biden's NAACP Speech: It's Not 1963." I watched the Morning Joe video. If I had access to a PC, I would post the video. On the program, host Joe Scarborough and Michael Steele essentially asserted that Joe Biden was exaggerating the problem of voter identification laws.

The sense of urgency cannot be exaggerated.  According to several news reports, over 750,000 people, in Pennsylvania alone, may be disenfranchised as a result of voter identification laws.  According to the Brennan Center, approximately 11 percent of the US voting age population does not have government issued photo identification. Voter ID laws disproportionately impact African Americans. Twenty-five percent of African Americans do not have government issued photo identification. So, this is not some trivial issue.  I salute Biden for raising that issue.

On Morning Joe, Michael Steele mentioned that the Obama Administration has failed to address the problem of high unemployment in the black community. Black unemployment hovers around 14 percent. The national unemployment rate is approximately 8 percent. Clearly, the problem of high unemployment in the black community must be specifically addressed by the Obama Administration. We must continue to press the President to address the issue.

However, other than de-regulation and lower taxes for the rich, the GOP has no real plan to address the problem. Frankly, they do not care about the black community at all. So, black Republicans have no legitimacy with respect to that issue.

Finally, many critics have asked why the President did not address the NAACP National Convention. Attending an event is far less important than supporting and passing laws and policies that protect the interests of African Americans. Although the President did not attend the NAACP National Convention, his administration supports the legislative priorities of the NAACP. In addition, unlike during the Bush Administration, Obama's Department of Justice has made civil rights enforcement a top priority.

However, the question about Obama not attending the NAACP National Convention is legitimate. The President did not attend the Convention in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Why not, Mr. President?

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.

The Uprising in Egypt Exposes America's Hypocrisy

The uprising in Egypt has exposed America's hypocritical foreign policy.  The United States claims to be the beacon of light for the rest of the world to follow.  America asserts that it is the leader of the free world, the proud protector and promoter of democracy and freedom. 

Contrary to those purported democratic values, the U.S. has overthrown democratically elected governments. Here are a few examples.  In 1951, the U.S. overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh. In 1960, the United States overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba. Arguably, the United States overthrew democratically elected former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. 

For decades, both Democratic and Republican administrations have supported brutal and repressive dictatorships in Egypt, Zaire (Mobutu era), Saudi Arabia, Chile (Pinochet era), Iran (Shah era), Iraq (Saddam era, pre-Desert Storm) and Cuba (pre-Castro era), to name a few.  For approximately 30 years, the U.S. has supported Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship.  The U.S. has invested billions of dollars in Egypt's military. 

This contradiction is further evidenced by the Obama administration's evolving response to the situation in Egypt.  Initially, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people."

As the Hill reported, when asked if Mubarak was a dictator, Vice President Biden said, "Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he's been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region, Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing the relationship with Israel ... I would not refer to him as a dictator." 

As reported by the Washington Post, here is the most recent another statement from the White House,

"It is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now," Obama said he had told Mubarak in the phone call.

"That suggested Mubarak's concession was not enough, but Obama left the point dangling. He was careful not to say that Mubarak should have left immediately, and he stressed that it was not up to the United States to pick Egypt's leaders."

"Furthermore, the process must include a broad spectrum of Egyptian voices and opposition parties," he said. "It should lead to elections that are free and fair. And, it should result in a government that is not only grounded in democratic principles but is also responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."

If America truly believes in democracy, it must universally demand more democracy at home and abroad.  America must insist that all countries, allies and adversaries alike, implement democratic reforms.  Democracy is the future. Dictatorships, oligarchies and monarchies are outdated forms of government.  The U.S. should urge Mubarak to immediately resign.  I am glad that Obama finally called on Mubarak "to immediately begin the process of transitioning the country to new leadership."

I salute the Egyptian people for standing up to the Mubarak dictatorship.  I hope that one dictatorship is not replaced with another dictatorship.

Making History: President signs Health Care Reform Bill

After a century long struggle, President Obama signed the Health Care Reform Bill into law. I commend the President and the Democrats for a job well done. We witnessed history. In the plain words of Vice President Joe Biden, "this is a big f***ing deal!" Although this legislation is imperfect for the sound reasons articulated by progressives such as U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Ralph Nader on Democracy Now, this legislation provides major tangible benefits to the American people. As stated in Tara Siegal Bernard's New York Times article entitled "For Consumers, Clarity on Health Care Changes":

The legislation .... provide[s] coverage for as many as 32 million people who have been shut out of the market — whether because insurers deem them too sick or because they cannot afford ever-rising insurance premiums.

[Within] six months .... many plans [will] be prohibited from placing lifetime limits on medical coverage, and they [cannot] cancel the policies of people who fall ill. Children with pre-existing conditions [cannot] be denied coverage.

And dependent children up to age 26 [are] eligible for coverage under their parents’ plans — instead of the current state-by-state rules that often cut off coverage for children at 18 or 19.

And within three months ....., people who have been locked out of the insurance market because of a pre-existing condition [will] be eligible for subsidized coverage through a new high-risk insurance program.

That special coverage [will] continue until the legislation’s engine kicks into a higher gear in 2014, when coverage [will] be extended to a wider part of the population through Medicaid and new state-run insurance exchanges.

Those exchanges, or marketplaces, [will] provide much more competitive, consumer-friendly online shopping centers of private insurance for people who are not able to obtain coverage through an employer.

In 2014, people with pre-existing conditions [can] no longer be denied insurance, all lifetime and annual limits on coverage [will] be eliminated and new policies [will] be required to meet higher benefit standards.

While this landmark legislation is a major accomplishment, it must viewed as a single step toward the ultimate goal, free universal health care for all citizens.

Obama's Dilemma

After giving his famous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama emerged on the national political scene. During the speech, he said:

We are all connected. There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a Latino America and an Asian America. There is the United States of America.

Many people embraced Obama as a symbol of the new post-racial era. That image made Obama appealing to a large segment of the white community. He was not another threatening, angry black man like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton or Min. Louis Farrakhan. People have described him as the Tiger Woods of politics.

During the Presidential Election, the Obama campaign avoided discussing issues of race. They constantly reminded the American people that Obama was not running to be the President of Black America. He was running to be President of the United States of America. When then Senator Joseph Biden referred to Obama as the first clean, bright and articulate African American Presidential candidate, Obama avoided directly addressing the issue. Later, Obama stated that he did not take the comments personally and that Biden’s statements were inaccurate. Eventually, Obama was forced to address the issue of race because of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy.

Obama’s strategy of avoidance helped him win the Presidency. Therefore, it is not be surprising that Obama rejected former President Jimmy Carter’s statement about racism.

It is obvious that Barack Obama is under attack in part due to his race. This is apparent when one sees the teabaggers’ protest signs. Some of the signs depict Obama as an African witch doctor, a terrorist and Adolf Hitler. One protester's sign read, “We came unarmed (this time).” Some of these protesters actually came to town hall meetings armed. At one of the town hall meetings, one deranged protester carried a sign threatening the President and the First Family’s lives. One preacher actually prayed for the President’s death. With their racially divisive remarks, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are inflaming the situation. For example, Limbaugh said, “In Obama’s America, white kids get beat up with the black kids cheering right on, right on, right on.” Furthermore, the birthers claim that President Obama is not even an American citizen.

In the face of all this ugly racism and hatred, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs asserted that “the President does not believe that criticism comes based on the color of his skin.” On Meet the Press, President Obama said, “This debate that is taking place is not about race. It is about people being worried about how our government should operate.”

I understand the Administration’s reasoning. The President is attempting to pass health care reform. He does not need any unnecessary distractions. It would be illogical for him to jeopardize long term goals for the sake of posturing. Politics is like a game of chess. One may have to sacrifice lesser pieces or even important pieces in order to win. Although I understand, I wish the Obama administration had the courage to speak the truth about race. Since Obama is silent, the progressive bloggers, activists and organizations must continue to speak out.