October 1, 2008And I am glad that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo got the snub of her life when she tried to do a lil brown nosing in New York a couple of months back. Just goes to show he DOES have principles and preconditions to uphold before meeting with certain foreign leaders.
Dear Friends,
I appreciate the opportunity to join the Filipino American National Historical Society and its friends in celebrating Filipino American History Month. This celebration is a wonderful opportunity to honor the values and traditions of Filipino Americans, and your role in the story of America.
America's greatness lies in our nation’s ability to embrace and integrate different cultures into our national character. Filipino Americans nurture and maintain important social, cultural and business ties between America and the Philippines. As you celebrate your Filipino heritage and your American identity, I hope you remain inspired to make our country as great as we know it can be.
The stories of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders are very personal to me. I first became acquainted with the diversity and richness of Asia and the AAPI community as a child growing up in Hawai'i and for a few years in Indonesia. Members of my family are of Asian descent and it is a community that I became a part of while living in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
Filipino Americans have participated in the triumphs and struggles along our road to a more perfect union, from farm workers who helped found the United Farmworkers Union, to the soldiers who fought bravely in World War II, to the thousands of nurses who have saved and improved countless lives, Filipino Americans are an integral part of our country. That’s why I support policies that will honor your sacrifices, like the Filipino Veterans Equity Act.
As President, I will work to ensure that you have access to affordable, accessible healthcare that will also reduce the language and cultural barriers that limit access to our medical system. We will make sure the economy works for you by fixing our financial system, rebuilding public education, and making sure that schools have the resources they need to educate all of our children, regardless of the languages they speak or their family’s income. And we will provide a path to employment by creating a $4,000 annual college tax credit, a new Community College Partnership Program and new training opportunities for workers, and helping minority-owned small businesses.
Many Filipino families rely on family reunification policies to help them build better lives in the United States. However, AAPI families have some of the longest immigration backlogs. That’s why I’ve fought to improve and pass a comprehensive immigration bill. I introduced amendments to put greater emphasis on keeping immigrant families together and to revisit a controversial new points system that would dramatically alter U.S. immigration policy.
The Philippines and the United States have long enjoyed a special relationship, and I am committed to building on our strong ties. We can create the changes we seek in America, but only if ordinary people rise up to demand change. Please accept my best wishes for a joyous celebration. I wish you all continued success and blessings in the years to come, and I thank you for your contributions to America.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Friday, October 3, 2008
Barack Obama Honors Filipino-American History Month
Full Text of a letter from Barack Obama (via Filipinos for Obama dot org):
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3 comments:
What The VP Debate Accomplished: The debate brought back to national attention the "heartbeat away "issue.
Joe Biden reassured the American people that he is most qualified to be Vice President .He was effective in making his campaign's case against John McCain and avoided looking condescending towards Palin.
The Delaware senator reaffirmed that Barack Obama chose the very best possible successor( in case,God forbid, something happens to him as President.)
Sarah Palin clearly projected that she is good enough to be a Governor of Alaska or mayor of Wasilla.But she clearly admitted that her "five weeks of national exposure" have not given her enough time to have firm positions on national issues.
Palin confirmed that McCain was unwise in choosing a former mayor of a town with 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience as his presidential successor.
Both apparently did much better than lots of people expected. But I was glad Joe Biden didn't put his foot in his mouth. The polling seems to indicate that Sarah Palin did Sarah Palin a lot of good, but whether she helped McCain much seems to be in doubt.
Comment from this site:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×7299780
“I have been told today (not at DU, but in person) that I need to stop being so sensitive and toughen up with respect to my reactions to Sarah Palin. Apparently it is my fault I find it inappropriate when a woman resorts to playing the sex kitten in order to hide the fact that she hasn’t a clue what is going on in this world.
As a woman I am way beyond appalled when flirtatious folksy behavior is cited as holding one’s own in a debate. If Joe Biden had winked at the American people and spoken to us in such a manner he’d be tarred and feathered in the press this morning as a condescending prick.
I take comfort that the man in my life was equally offended. His comment, once he picked his jaw up off the ground, was “Does this brainless twit really think I’m going to vote with a beer in one hand and my dick in the other?”
Exceeding low expectations is not success. It’s an indication of how our political discourse has sunk below basement level and how positively bankrupt the Republican party has become in terms of ability and talent.
I am simply aghast.”
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