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A sit-down with Sen. Barack Obama, By John S. Adams Tribune Capitol Bureau
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

BUTTE — On the biggest night in Montana Democratic politics Saturday, Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York addressed a capacity crowd at the Butte Civic Center. After his address to the crowd, Obama sat down for a brief interview with the Tribune Capitol Bureau.
Sen. Clinton's campaign did not respond to a request for a similar interview.

Q:Here in Butte you've probably seen the Berkeley Pit. Butte is home to one of the worst environmental disasters in the country. Here in Montana we've also got the Libby asbestos mine. It's caused hundreds of deaths and cost millions of dollars to clean up. What would you do as president to make sure these companies are held responsible for their actions, and would you fight to properly fund federal agencies responsible for cleaning up these messes?

A:We've got to make the Superfund work.
Look, I've got a lot of Superfund sites in Illinois.
This is a program that, because of special interest lobbying, resistance, the lack of a strong commitment on the part of the (Environmental Protection Agency), has been withering on the vine. We've got to restore it and hold corporations accountable for the messes that they made.
They took these profits out of these communities and the least they can do is restore some sort of environmental balance. This is something that I've already been fighting for and it's something I will continue to fight for and actually implement when I am president of the United States.

Q:When you look at making appointments for heads of agencies such as the EPA, what will be your top priority?

A:My top priority is number one, excellence and a commitment to science — something we haven't had.
When you've got a president who thinks global warming is a hoax, that sends a signal that you are appointing political cronies instead of people who understand the science behind it.
So I want excellence, I want integrity. I don't want to just bring people in from industries who are industry lobbyists who are now going to regulate those same industries. And I don't want people cashing out of my administration and going to work for industries that they used to regulate. I want them to be committed, and have shown a commitment to public service.
And the third thing is independence. I want people who are willing to stand up not just to industry, but also to me, and say if I'm wrong on something, I want them to let me know. That's a top priority of mine.

Q:You talked about creating a high-level position at the White House for a representative from Indian Country to help you address Native American issues. Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, has sued the federal government for the government's mismanagement of Indian trust lands. Do you have a position on the federal government's responsibility in the Cobell vs. Kempthorne lawsuit?

A:You know, I haven't looked at the lawsuit carefully. It's something that I want to find out more about.
But the basic principle is that we have to have somebody not just in the Bureau (of Indian Affairs), but somebody in the White House, who has my ear, directly, to communicate the needs of native populations, and a commitment for me to meet, at least once a year, with tribal leaders and hear directly about their concerns. That, I think, is what's needed right now.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has become sort of a backwater. It doesn't have a lot of clout in the administration. I want to put it front and center, along with other agencies, because on every indicator, Native Americans are having a much tougher time than the population at large.

Q:You recently talked about a fellowship program where you will train some of the young grassroots activists that have joined your campaign. Can you talk more about that?

A:Basically what we've done is we've been attracting so much volunteer talent, so many young people who have gotten involved in the campaign, that we wanted to give a handful of them an opportunity to have some more intensive training. So we've asked them to apply for fellowships. I think they're called Obama Fellows. They will get intensive training, and they will be put on staff and will have an experience, starting in June.

Q:The nomination may not be decided by then, are you sure you're going to be ready to set those grassroots volunteers loose in June?

A:We're still going to be interested in training. Even if I'm not the nominee, I'm still going to be somebody who cares very deeply about the Democratic Party winning in November, and still will hopefully have a little bit of influence on the process.

Q:In Montana, we have a tremendous amount of public lands. What will be your top priority when appointing heads of federal land management agencies such as the Forest Service and the National Parks Service?

A:Similar priorities to what I talked about on the environmental side: integrity, independence, competence and expertise. My overriding philosophy on these issues is sustainability. I believe that we can balance environmental interests with commercial interests and economic interests in a state like Montana.
But guiding that balance is, is what we're doing sustainable so that we are passing on to the next generation just as beautiful, air that is just as clean, water that is just as drinkable? Will timber still be there? Are forests still going to be there? Or will it have been decimated and denuded.
If something is sustainable, whether you're talking about salmon stocks or you're talking about forests, then jobs can be created, money can be made, but we know we're being good stewards for the lands.

Q:One of your biggest applause tonight came when you talked about getting out of Iraq. But you also talked about the importance of protecting America if military action is needed. What is your position on the doctrine of preemptive war?

A:I'm not a doctrinaire. I think each situation is different.
Here's my basic principle: That in each circumstance you weigh the costs and benefits of military action. You don't hesitate to take military action if that's what's required to keep the American people safe, but you understand that there are costs to military action — that unless there is a direct and imminent threat to the United States that has to be dealt with rapidly, that it is important for the president to help guide a discussion with allies and with the American people around good intelligence, and an understanding of all the ramifications of any action.

I think a great example of good decision-making was the first Gulf War. When George Bush's father had good intelligence, took the time to build the alliances, gained legitimacy, and by the time we acted, we had the power to do it quickly, do it efficiently and actually enhance U.S. power. What his son did in Iraq is the complete reverse.


April 6, 2008 | 12:32 PM Comments  0 comments

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MDG's making their way into schools
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

The Positive Vibrations Always foundation (PVANGO), a UN supported NGO, has started its year round awareness-in-action campaign promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) in the town of Danbury Connecticut, USA on March 1st, 2008.

The effort consists of incorporating the town’s school system along with government organization and local business leaders to come together and raise a targeted goal of 100 tons of non-perishable foods to be donated to local food banks and organizations whose shelves are getting scarce. So far kids from the Western Connecticut Adult Education Center (WERACE) - a program created for kids who have chosen less suitable lifestyle and got involved with certain types of crimes – have come together and collected the first 500 pounds of food to be donated. This group of volunteers has formed a committee to decide key points related to the effort such as researching which shelters have the greatest need, the number of people using them, sorting out breakfast foods from lunch and dinner foods, helping with posters and flyers, reaching out to super markets for donations, asking business to allow for “drop-off” boxes to be place onsite, weigh and sort the food by expiration date and help with the distribution.

On April 7th the Danbury High School will run its week long food drive. A committee of students ranging from various nationalities and backgrounds was selected to be in charge, and the responsibilities included giving out posters and flyers throughout the school, making morning announcements, gather the food in specific rooms for later collection, decide where the food will be distributed and volunteer with the distribution. Some students will also contact their local churches and social groups for their co-operation with this movement. This Committee will also work with PVANGO in creating the second phase of the project.

Throughout the months of May and June Different schools will follow the same protocol, but because some of the schools are not kindergartens committees will not be elected, instead PVANGO will supply the teachers with take home flyers for parents to read about the MDG’s and do their part in participating.

As a thank you to all the kids and closing the first phase, a Musical event will be held on June 28, to reward the effort of everyone involved. The participation of Slick the Misfit, a rapper from NY City and several local student bands will be invited to showcase their talents. Dancers and any kids with talent will be allowed to also be part of the event. It will be of free admission to the public with the intention of asking spectators to donate one pound of non-perishable food. Prizes such as iPods will be given to students in a contest of knowledge about the MDG’s, and the kids with the best answers will receive the prizes.

The second stage will run though June until September as a community involvement. Partnership with the City Center Danbury will allow PVANGO to collect non-perishable goods at every city related event. All city events will emphasize the need to donate a pound of non-perishable food which will be collected by the PVANGO MDG van. More about this in later Blogs.

And finally the third stage for the year will involve the Schools again and involve the parents.

Even though PVANGO is getting food for local shelters and families in need, another goal is to create awareness. Get the community involved; unite the people for a cause. "Kids working with adults, all races working together", that is an important aspect of this project.

To all that know anyone in these parts be so kind as to spread the word and invite them to participate. Our Website is currently under construction but you can reach me through carlos@pvango.org. To all our greatest thank you goes out and if you’re interested in starting similar programs in your town we can help, don’t hesitate to ask.

“Love Yourself, Respect Others and Enjoy Life…”

Zin

April 4, 2008 | 9:47 AM Comments  0 comments

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Question Everything? Mmmm…..
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

When I was a child growing up in a small town in Portugal, I often wondered about certain aspects of life than didn’t quite make any real sense to me…and of course it was practically impossible to obtain any meaningful and true answers.

When my mother would send me to catechism and I would ask questions like “if Christ died for our sins why do we still have to suffer?” - Let me tell you that you can really get a priest pissed off with a question like that. - I would get sent home with a note saying that I was disruptive and unsubordinated in class and that I should get punished, and my mother would gladly oblige the request with a piece of rubber hose about 3ft (1 meter) long to teach me a lesson.

Although the pain was enough to convince me to stop, I could not resist the temptation of always looking for answers to things that would not make any sense to me. Plus I would also enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces when a question would come out of left field and stop them on their tracks, especially teachers that would brag about all their achievements and accomplishments, etc….

Even though I was pretty smart as a child my mother would always answer with “shut up you idiot”, so questioning everything is great but came with a heavy burden, especially from those uneducated scholars, whose beliefs and credence’s come from others like them, the controlling and power hungry entities, whose sole purpose seems to be to antagonize and making sure that knowledge only reaches those that need it to further whatever cause is being politically addressed.

Today at my current existence it’s easy to see why authority figures wouldn’t want the youth to ask questions, or rationalize a thought or a law, even research as to why some countries give more rights to their people than others, why do colored people get treated different than white, what does sexual orientation have to do with your character, why do so many religions exist and who is right?

I believe that deep inside people have and know the answers to life’s important questions, but because of mere convenience and whatever situation we are currently going through we favor blindness and avoid concentrating on the man behind the curtain. It’s so much easier to pick up a book that was written thousands of years ago and believe that whoever wrote it was absolutely right and honest, without prejudice or belligerent agendas. The truth is that we allow ourselves to be influenced by crippling information, and let it consume our thought and ideals, shaping our personalities into cloned robots.

As much as I urge every single person I meet to think for themselves and question everything around them, a warning is also given, because the powers that be do not want you to know the real truth about life, or why countries go to war, or how is t that some parts of the world have so much and others can barely find any food. Diplomacy was invented for that purpose, so things can be clarified and questions can be answered in ways that the person giving the answer does not feel threatened.

April 3, 2008 | 10:19 PM Comments  0 comments

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Livelyup Muic For Solidarity Tour
Related to country: United States

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

As a first step towards implementing awareness-in-action for the Millennium Development Goals in the City of Danbury CT, the Western ct regional adult education center has agreed to join The Positive Vibrations Always Foundation in the signing of the first official Memorandum of Understanding that paragraphs the plans of the program.

This marks the beginning of a tremendous youth led movement, to implement and nurture the irradication of extreme poverty and hunger in our neighborhoods. With the efforts of all involved in the program and also in the community, students will be able to bring people of all races and religions to help run the biggest food drive in the history of its town, restock presently diminishing food banks and implement committees that will focus on preserving the effort initiated.

The Effort will be called the Livelyup Music for Solidarity tour, and it will run from March to September 2008. The plan is to encompass the Danbury school system, city center and the Ives concert Park. The students along with the help from PVANGO will be involved in releasing a broad amount of information to their peers, parents and other groups they associate with, to raise and hopefully reach the targeted goal of 100 tons of non-perishable foods.

Different groups associated within the project will also determine which food shelters are the most affected by a food shortage, and PVANGO with its team of volunteers will deliver the donations to the different locations.

PVANGO has been running these types of grass roots, community integrated programs successfully for over three years in Brazil, and although the success rate is impressive with 560 tons of non-perishable foods collected and distributed within the communities, it realized a existing need here in the founder’s home town of Danbury CT, USA, after seeing a report published by the CT food policy council, The University of CT and the Hartford food system, http://www.hartfordfood.org/pubs/cfs_connecticut.pdf, which after a series of 38 indicators it talks about Danbury being in the bottom 25% of the worst cities currently being affected by food insecurity in CT.

This alarming report triggered action from PVANGO to demonstrate how important it is for a community to come together to work for and tenably address issues that are directly impacting the neighborhoods of this town.

With great pleasure and admiration we thank our good friends at WERACE for working in support of the United Nations Millennium Goals but more importantly, show how easy it is to Save the World by Helping a Neighbor.

"Love yourself, Respect Other and Enjoy Life..."

Zin

April 3, 2008 | 2:36 PM Comments  0 comments

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Kids in America
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Can’t help to feel brokenhearted when I hear people say that American kids don’t care for world events, or what’s going on around them. In a world where Information and communication technologies are forever molding our young minds, perhaps a culture dived is being created by those unwilling to reach out to the younger generation.

I can’t help but laugh when I hear someone say they can’t use a computer, obviously if you leave in a remote part of the world I would not be surprised, but the United States does not seem to me as a remote part of anything.

Through the course of several years I have been involved in getting students to come together and work towards a cause, in this case the awareness creation of the Millennium Development Goals, especially the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. We picked that first goal because of how easy it is for everyone to be able to be part of it by doing a simple and tangible action. Let me give you an example…

When you leave your house think about your neighbors, some might not be obvious but others are just standing on the corner, well pick up a piece of bread and give it to him or her. It’s that Simple.

The great thing about such a simple and selfless action is that you not only gave that person something to eat you might have averted him or her from going out and killing someone just to get some food.

This year is the first year that we’re running programs here in the United States about the MDG’s and the result is amazing. Every student we speak to is eagerly interested to get involved and participate, kids from Middle schools to High schools are going out making their own art, writing music about the MDG’s and talking to everyone in the community.

I see a great potential with students that maybe are not so popular also, the ones that have been marginalized, for whatever reason, unfortunately their sense of direction has been misaligned and it’s up to us to realign it, not with powerful words or threats but with words of kindness and giving them a task that they would enjoy to participate in.

Even though I’m 32 years old, my heart feels like a teenager, and because I was not able to actively seek out and help younger kids before, I hope you understand that my goal is to get everyone involved and making sure their future is not left to chance. The Millennium development goals is a great way to start learning about the worlds issues and in turn incorporate them into our daily routine, and once we can see with our heart and listen with an open mind to what people have to say, everyone will be surprised at exactly how far we can go and what can be achieved.

Thank you

Zin


March 31, 2008 | 3:32 PM Comments  0 comments



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