Adieu Adieu To You and You and You!

Good bye! Its been really great writing this blog. We'll miss always being on the look out for little blog bits. Hope the feelings mutual. We love you!

XOXO HEN

Snack-food for Thought

Senator Ted Stevens has (finally!) been defeated! He was only one of the most officials in the country...

Michelle and Barack are getting ready to move into the White House, both mentally and physically. They are hoping to bring energy and spirit to the government and were both delighted and nervous as they spoke about it on 60 Minutes a few evenings ago.

Obama was compared to Roosevelt by the cover of Time magazine, who created a photoshopped image of him second only in brilliance to the picture of him on "Dancing with the Stars". Think about it: the similarities are uncanny between the President-Elect and Roosevelt: an economy in ruins, a popular, charismatic personality, an unlikely victory....

xoxo heN

What Would (Will) Clinton Do?

Recent rumors have surfaced regarding the possible appointing of Hillary Clinton to the position of Secretary of State. However there is no confirmation either way on whether or not she will accept the offer. She is still debating over the decision says a source. It is reported that she is conflicted over whether to join the cabinet or to stay in the senate and preside over a broad range of domestic issues. There is also concern about the possibility of her husband's The Clinton Foundation, which supports the eradication of disease and poverty in Africa, interfering with her title. It is predicted Obama will not make a formal offer until he is sure that the foundation will not with Clinton's role. Hillary, it is reported, also does not want to seem like she is under Obama's "rule" now. "Everybody wants to be perceived as being in the driver's seat," said a top Democratic official. "She's no different."

xoxo Hen

Islamophobia continued

At the Islamophobia workshop last night, there was a variety of different types of people. This was conducive to a very opinionated atmosphere. Of course, as previously mentioned, the recent election was on everybody's mind. What really stuck with me from the discussions was when a young Middle-Eastern looking man shared his personal experience with the election. He spoke of how excited he was about Barack Obama and he wanted to do all he could to help. He then said that because of all the controversy over the rumors about Obama being Muslim and the negative reaction, he felt like he shouldn't "advertise" for Obama because he didn't want to "turn off" any possible voters; just because he was Muslim. "Yes, you have the freedom to vote, but what happened to your freedom for advocacy?" I had never even thought about a situation where people can't express their opinion on the election because of their nationality or beliefs. Of course, I know this is occurring all over the world but to hear about it on such a relevant and recent topic. It made me sad that this young, intelligent man didn't feel comfortable supporting his candidate of choice, especially during such a historic election. 

xoxo Hen

Islamaphobia

In the afternoon workshop at the Amnesty Conference today, there was a large group that met to talk about American stereotypes of Muslims and the Islamic community in the United States. We talked about general misconceptions and unfair portrayals of Arabs (who are not all Muslims) in Disney, Drama TV like the show 24 and adult comedy. The leaders were really cool, and they showed a lot of stand up comedy to that makes fun of all ethnicitys. It also came up the "accusations"that Obama was Muslim. i say "accusations" because i really don't see what would be negative about it. We talked about how the roomers will effect the Islamic community in the US after he comes to office. The way that Barack had to denounce the stories with such verve during the campaign worries me. Without coming to any conclusions, we worked with the topic a lot. We will have to see what will develop once he comes to office.

xoxo hEn

Amnesty International's Obama Intentions

Here at the Amnesty International conference, there is a shocking amount of talk about the recent Presidential campaign for it being an "international" "non-partisan" organization. As one might imagine, most of the people here are delighted about Obama being elected. They even have a special campaign called "100 days" that outlines the goals that Amnesty would like to see come out of Obama's first 100 days in office. These three are:
1. a plan and specific date for closing Guantanamo
2. Issuing an executive order to ban torture and ill treatment as defined by international law
3. Ensuring that an independent commission to investigate abuses commited by the US in "the war on terror" is set up.

These seem like wonderful and worthwile goals to me, and I don't mind AI being a teeny bit partisan if it means that they will help bring them about.

What an amazing conference this is--- so eye opening! Go to www.amnestyusa.org, seriously, thier work is AMAZING!!!

xoxo heN

Awkward Duck

With an incredibly unpopular lame duck President sitting awkwardly in the White House, and his young energetic successor all lined up to go, there is an interesting feeling surrounding the executive branch at the moment. Obama as the President-Elect has no official power, and yet in actuality he commands greater power over the nation than Bush. Still, the current President has to be careful to maintain some semblance of control. He is still the one who attends all of the meetings and foreign policy discussions--- without the President-Elect. And yet at the same time the two men have to be sure to meet in order to discuss the nation that they both care so much about. They must find a way to transition power smoothly and with as little transition period as possible. It's a steep task in a nation so impatient for change.
xoxo heN