As Promised: FCNL Interns Respond to Cairo Speech

How did the young people working at FCNL respond to president's speech last week? Find out in this podcast:

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The Speech

Did you see it? Maggie and I are going to sit down with Kate and (hopefully) Trevor next week to hash out what the president said, but in the meantime you can read our analysis. Or, if you're in a rush, you can simply chew on Kate's response to my request for her to talk with us:

"THIS IS THE BEST US PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH EVER

I mean it. (I mean sure man on the moon speeches are good too but they don’t have influence over war & peace, people living or dying)"

Get excited for our podcast.

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Muslim World: All we've got for you is tanks

Ahead of President Obama's speech tomorrow in Cairo I read this short piece on the United States' messed up relationship with the Muslim world. I think the image below (credit: Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings) says it all -- that the vast majority of what we give to the middle east is military aid. You should read the article for yourself however, and tune in tomorrow to see what our fair leader has to say.

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Green Schools and Fuel Efficiency...The Earth Wins this Week

In the last few weeks, climate change, energy and the environment have been front-and-center in the news. While the climate change bill that is moving through the House is not as good as it should be, there has been progress on a couple other key related issues.

A couple weeks ago, on May 14th, the House passed a "Green Schools" bill to provide $6.4 billion annually for the next five years to fund green school building and renovation projects. The bill passed 275-155; now it is up the Senate to pass a similar bill. To make this even better, the House bill has provisions to make sure that the money is focused especially on schools with low-income students.

I agree with Ben Chandler, a Democrat from Kentucky: "It will give much needed money to our schools struggling with huge budget deficits and deteriorating facilities while encouraging energy efficiency and creating jobs for Americans that cannot be shipped overseas."

Funding education, the environment and jobs with one program--how could anyone oppose it during this time of crisis? Some argue this spending just adds to the deficit. This reminds me of a study by the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities which shows where the U.S.' budget deficit really came from: tax cuts (especially for the rich) and increases in military spending (especially the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Check this out in the most recent issue of FCNL's Washington Newsletter.

The good news is that this bill is likely to pass in the Senate, and Obama will most certainly sign it, especially considering that his childhood middle school was named one of the top ten greenest schools in the country in 2007.

To top off this good news, Obama announced tougher fuel efficiency standards on Tuesday, May 19th. The new energy standards will finally match the fuel efficiency standards that California fought with the Bush Administration about for several years. According to NPR: "The new standards would cut greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and light trucks 30 percent by 2016. Cars would have to get 39 mpg, light trucks 30 mpg." It's about time that the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House was more concerned about the environment than corporate interests!

I hope these new initiatives by the Federal Government start a trend of continuing environmental progress.

Lobby your Representative to make sure that this progress continues by improving the climate change bill that is in the House of Representatives.

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Barack Obama makes me feel: a) very happy b) happy

There have been many many articles written about how ordinary Americans look up to the Obamas in a way that they haven't looked up to a first family in a long while. In my humble opinion they are perfect role models -- educated and successful, yet down to earth, healthy and fashionable, but not unattainably so.

Last week in the E-news FCNL asked that people take a survey reflecting the president's first 100 days in office. Overwhelmingly, people said that they were happy with the beginning to the presidency. I concur with that assesment! Why? Because I'm happy that our country has good role models to look up to, to consider as our neighbors and countrymen of course! This is is reiterated in a story about high school students in New York state who use the term "baracking" as a synonym for doing well. Now that's inspiring.

So, cheers to the first family -- may they continue to hold up under the strain of the most challenging moment to be in power we've seen in a while!!

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It's not enough to just be against the Iraq war.

If you've been keeping up with the intern blog for the last few months, you know that FCNL has been putting a lot of time and energy into protesting the increase of troops in Afghanistan.

I have noticed that conversations with my friends and neighbors around my work and peace activism has shifted since President Obama has come into office. "But President Obama wants to get the US out of Iraq!" people tell me, "The administration that got us in these wars is long gone." However, even when I point out that redistributing troops from Iraq to Afghanistan is not the same as bringing them home, I am confronted with the fact that even among some people in the peace movement, the war in Afghanistan is seen as the 'good' war, and dissent has fallen out of fashion again.

So, imagine how excited I was to read this in The Nation today:

There is significant discomfort with the expansion of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, and opposition has been expressed by political leaders abroad and at home (including Democrats and Republicans in Congress). This is a time when genuine anti-war groups could be expected to harness that discomfort and build a stronger movement to shift U.S. policy.

So, folks, lets build that movement! After the election, we frequently heard that President Obama was the first president that won on a peace platform. If that's true, then the peace movement has an obligation to tell him that Afghanistan needs diplomacy and development, not more troops.

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Obama makes a speech, Congress hires diplomats: Podcast

This week we present a very special hybrid podcast. We wanted to talk with deadly conflict prevention specialist Trevor Keck so much that we chucked half of our agenda and brought on his.

Enjoy as we share reactions on Pres. Obama's speech and get excited about more diplomats and other civilians sent abroad. Listen in!

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It's Official--Obama's War Funding Plan

The numbers we have been waiting for and have been speculating about for months are finally out...and I am disappointed. Obama's first budget includes a 4% increase in the Defense budget. It also includes $130 billion to expand the war in Afghanistan and continue the war in Iraq and is topped off with a $75.5 billion war supplemental to continue the fighting.

Now it is up to Congress to help the President reprioritize.

You can see the full budget at the White House website.

You can also go to FCNL's website to find a preliminary analysis of Obama's budget.


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While the President Addressed the Nation

I posted this on our immigration blog--Immigration: It's our community--this morning, but I thought I would cross-post it here as well:

Last night President Obama addressed the joint chambers of Congress laying out his administration's priorities for the next year. The entire speech focused on the economy, but emphasized energy, healthcare, and education as the top three areas of focus.

I was disappointed that President Obama failed to mention immigration even once during his address.

I was even more disappointed that on a day when he calls for the U.S. to take responsibility for its future once more, for its people to join in rebuilding their country, the first worksite raid of the Obama administration took place in Bellingham, Washington.

In their usual militarized and heavy-handed fashion (including the helicopter), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided Yamato Engine Specialists arresting 28 undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

As it appears now, they are attempting to charge these individuals with identity fraud, which--unlike "unlawful presence" or "entry without inspection" --is a criminal offense. This is the same tactic ICE piloted in Postville, Iowa last summer, a tactic that's legality is currently being reviewed by the U.S Supreme Court.

But the first worksite raid of the Obama administration is especially disappointing given that during the campaign last summer Obama said:

"When communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids, when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing, when people are detained without access to legal counsel, when all that is happening, the system just isn’t working, and we need to change it."

At that moment back in July, he seemed to get it. Yet the raid that took place yesterday was no different, three mothers with young children were among those arrested.

And I can't say that Obama doesn't get it now. As I posted last week, when he was on the radio show El Piolín por la mañana, Obama clearly spoke of the need for immigration reform precisely in light of the current state of the economy.

I think he does get it. But as his address to the nation last night showed, it is not currently a priority of the Obama administration. This is problematic for two reasons:

1. Without reform, raids like that the one that took place yesterday in Bellingham will continue to terrorize our communities, tearing mothers from their children, separating families, placing hardworking members of our communities in detention centers with inadequate standards, and even placing further strain on local economies.
2. By not prioritizing humane immigration reform, immigration will continue to be a divisive issue used to derail critical initiatives of the administration like healthcare and education.

As we've seen in congressional debates over SCHIP and the Recovery Act, immigration has been an issue which almost causes their failure. What will happen in a debate over universal healthcare if we have not already rectified the status of undocumented immigratants? What about education when hardline anti-immigrant advocates say they don't want money going to schools if it will fund ESL programs?

How will we move forward in what is best for our country without finding a way to include and recognize core members of our communities?

I wish Obama would answer that. Even President Bush left the Whitehouse saying one of his biggest regrets was that he did not push for immigration reform first, before social security reform. I don't want the Obama administration to leave with such regrets. I want change.

But I can say that I am left hopeful by the continued and growing efforts of communities around the country to speak out on the issue of immigration. As we saw last week, over 150 communities nationwide held prayer vigils calling for Congress to act on humane immigration reform. And in April, another national grassroots effort will take place in the form of "Neighbor-to-Neighbor" in-district visits with Congresspeople.

May theirs be the winds of change that move us forward.

Good news for Obama!

Obama's speech last night to Congress was one of the most hopeful, promising speeches in a long time. As one of my coworkers said, it is great to know that we have a leader who is incredibly intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful and insightful.

Recognizing that energy, health care and education are absolutely essential in this time of crisis is quite impressive and very promising.

It is also important to recognize that we are going to have to take money from somewhere in order to accomplish these goals. Well we have good news for Obama: We found the money--the $537 billion that he is going to propose for the military budget and the $80 billion war supplemental that he will soon send to Congress.

Much to our chagrine, last night Obama said, "To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines." This is another one of his campaign promises that Obama should reconsider. In the months preceding Obama's election, we encouraged people to Make Peace an Election Year Issue, to point out that even though both parties support an increase in the size of the military, most Americans didn't support this increase.

The good news is that the conversation in DC has begun to change. Yesterday I attended a meeting called by Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, where he, along with several other representatives, proposed cutting the military budget by 25%. Frank put the argument for cutting the military budget simply: "Either we reduce what's project for military spending, or we will not be able to respond to domestic needs." Rep. Lynn Woolsey reiterized that the "federal budget is an expression of our vales and priorities as a nation."

One of the key policy wonks that advised Frank on this issue, Dr. Gordan Adams from the Woodrow Wilson International Center, said that Obama's proposed troop increase represents an "utter absense of strategy" because we this the new troops won't be ready until the time when Obama is supposed to be drawing down the forces in Iraq. He also pointed out that increasing troops will "increase military costs all the way around."

When asked where the leadership stands on cutting the military budget, Frank assured the room of activists and congressional staff that the Democratic leadership has been talking about it. Critically, he also pointed out that it will take the effort of voters all around the country to lobby their members of Congress to actually make it happen. Obama and our members of Congress need to be pushed to cut the military budget, and we have to be the ones pushing them!

Take Action!

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What are the interns thinking? The "Chat about Obama" Podcast

And we're back! After the inauguration hoopla, illness, and some icey days, Maggie and I have returned on the mic to chat with Stephen and Christine about the inauguration, Barack Obama, and torture. Enjoy!

Also - Here is my nomination for best op-ed of the month. It follows on the tails of my "ode to D.C." post.

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Dust Off Our Country: Post- Inauguration Reflection

During the last moments of Barack's Inauguration, I picked up one of the flags that had been given out and dusted it off. This was a powerful symbol for how I feel about these amazing times. I feel like we have a tremendous opportunity to take Barack's challenge and dust ourselves and this nation off--wiping away years of hopelessness and bad policy. I am very excited to embrace the changes Barack is proposing that will result in a better country and a better world. I am also ready to continue to do my part, responding to his call for responsibility and service.

It is a good time to be alive.

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