Saturday, January 15, 2011

President Obama's Tucson Memorial Speech

Listening to him is coming home to me, its being at peace and being a part of the energy that surrounds one. The goodness in him brings tenderness to the heart.  He is all about an inclusive America, an America that is good for every one of the 301 Million Americans.
 
His speeches are inclusive and you can his stamp in everything he does. He praised Republicans in his speech and talks about Phyllis Schnae the gifted quilter who put both jets and Giants on the quilt, a republican came to see democratic Congresswoman Gabby's speech.  I had gotten away from TV for over two years except watching the clips and Super Bowl, but last night I watched the 34 minutes video with joy.

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO, YOU MAY FEEL AT HOME AS WELL, MEANING AT PEACE:

Had we not gone to war in Iraq and Afghanistan and blew billions in destruction, we would not have faced budget deficits, unemployment and the difficulties we are facing today. Obama would have had an opportunity to restore America’s dignity around the world and become a catalyst to unite Americans. He has a difficult task and uphill battle.

I am still a Republican, a moderate one for that matter and have not changed the parties, and I sincerely wish to see at least a few among the Republican leadership to talk about peace, free themselves from hate for others and take Benadryl to stop itching for war and destruction.

I have written over a dozen articles and I find myself in tune with Obama, and there was a time, I was monitoring his speeches, and invariably I write and a week later Obama was using similar thoughts and words in his speeches. http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/  and even wrote in advance that he will use similar words and he did.

You can watch my new site www.AmericaTogetherFoundation.com and you will see similar words of inclusion and cohesiveness, I need to listen to him more often.

Last night I watched this video… darn it some of the words on the 17th minutes and 18th minutes were exact identical in my speech some ten years ago, five years ago and in my press release at www.unitydayusa.com

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO, YOU MAY FEEL AT HOME AS WELL, MEANING AT PEACE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztbJmXQDIGA&feature=player_embedded
  
17th Minute- sense out of chaos
18th Minute- talking that heals
23rd Minute- what small part we have played in making other peoples life better
24th Minute - part of our family, American family 300 Million
28th Minute the civil discourse
28th Minute- question each others ideas without questioning the their love for the country
29th Minute- how we treat each other is all about civility
31st Minute- unadulterated by hate
31st Minute- America to be as good as she imagined children’s expectations
 # ##

 Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator, organizer and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India, peace and Civil Societies.

Mike Ghouse runs the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.

Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice Saturday, at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars or conferences. 

He is committed to working with media and the leadership in offering insights and solutions to effectively managing the multi-religious, multi-ethnic and pluralistic societies in the making. 

He is a regular commentator on the TV, Radio and Print media offering pluralistic solutions to the issues of the day. 

Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at
http://www.MikeGhouse.net/

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Muslims with Jews against Anti-Semitism


Congresswoman Gifford
 We express our sympathies to the family of Congresswoman Gifford who is recovering from gun shots by a right wing extremist, Anti-Semitism seems to be one of the motives and her support for the health care reforms is another one.

Years ago,  a council man in Dallas addressed a Jewish councilman as "you people" and I was enraged at the "you" version to address a fellow American and thanks to Dallas Morning news for publishing my outrage. Last year Pastor Fred Phelps set up his road show to show his hate for Jews and Gays and lesbians. I went from place to palce, from the Holocaust Musuem to the Jewish Post to the Akiba academy standing in solidarity with the Jews and GLBT community. The Muslims have taken one more initiative; to commemorate holocaust for four years in a row to tell the Jewish community that you are not alone, we are with you in your tragedy. In December we announced holding a series of educational programs to build a cohesive America and one of them was the the Anti-Semitism in America.
Anti-Semitism, Islamophobic and other phobias are a product of insecure people, as Americans together we have to bring them all in our fold and find solutions. Americans together will stand with Jewish people against Anti-Semitism. God willing we are planning on having a conference on the topic.


 Mike Ghouse for a cohesive America

Courtesy of
JTA News Alert
January 9, 2010

Memo notes Giffords' Judaism in motives of alleged attacker

(JTA) -- A U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo reportedly notes that Gabriel Giffords is Jewish in describing the motives of the Arizona congresswoman's alleged assailant.

The memo, obtained by Fox News Channel, says that Jared Lee Loughner mentioned American Renaissance, an extremist anti-immigrant group, in some of his own postings.

"The group's ideology is anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational Government), anti-Semitic," says the memo sent to law enforcement, which also notes that Giffords, a Democrat, was the first Jewish congresswoman from Arizona.

Loughner was arrested after Giffords and at least 16 others were shot Saturday at a meet-your-lawmaker event at a Tucson shopping mall. Six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge, John Roll. Loughner was tackled and arrested. Giffords, a Democrat in her third term, remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.

Loughner, who is being held by the FBI and has been described by authorities as "unstable," reportedly listed "Mein Kampf" and the "Communist Manifesto" as two of his favorite books on his MySpace page. Several hours before the shooting he reportedly left a "Goodbye friends" message, which also said "Please don't be mad at me."

Giffords was outside one of her signature "Congress at your corner" events outside a Safeway in Tucson, part of her congressional district, when the gunman approached and shot her. A Giffords staff member, Gabe Zimmerman, 30, the organizer of the event, was among the six casualties.

A suspected accomplice whose image was captured on a surveillance video camera outside the shopping center also is being sought, according to reports.

Dr. Michael Lemole a surgeon at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz. said Sunday morning at a news conference that Giffords was responding to doctors' commands. During a two-hour surgery on Saturday, doctors removed bone fragments from her brain in order to help reduce swelling. The bullet went through the left side of her head, he said.
Giffords was elected to Congress in the Democratic sweep in 2006. She made her Jewish identity part of her campaign.
“If you want something done, your best bet is to ask a Jewish woman to do it,” Giffords, a former state senator, said at the time. “Jewish women -- by our tradition and by the way we were raised -- have an ability to cut through all the reasons why something should, shouldn’t or can’t be done, and pull people together to be successful.”
Giffords, 40, was raised "mixed" by a Christian Scientist mother and Jewish father, but said she decided she was Jewish only following a visit to Israel in 2001. She attended services at a local Reform synagogue.
In a recent photo, she posed with the new U.S. House of Representatives speaker, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), at her swearing-in with her hand on the Five Books of Moses.
Giffords fought a hard re-election battle last year against the national anti-incumbent, anti-Democratic mood. She tacked to the right of her party on immigration, saying border security was of primary consideration.
The election was called in her favor weeks after the vote.

Giffords' office had been vandalized in March after she voted for health care reform. Friends said she had received threats for her positions on health care and for opposing her state's new law allowing police to arrest undocumented immigrants during routine stops.

The National Jewish Democratic Council suggested that the heated rhetoric of the last year contributed to the climate that led to the attack.

"One suspect, now in custody, may be directly responsible for this crime," the group said in a statement. "But it is fair to say -- in today's political climate, and given today's political rhetoric -- that many have contributed to the building levels of vitriol in our political discourse that have surely contributed to the atmosphere in which this event transpired."

 
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