RIP Dr King. You did well. May your dream live on

The last part of Martin Luther King's last speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8

Robert F Kennedy's speech on the death of Martin Luther King
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gigsZH5HlJA

For me 9/11 is a deeply painful, traumatic and heartbreaking anniversary. This may sound a bit weird since I am not American and have lived in America. But let me try and explain….

Even while not American, I have always deeply and profoundly felt a deep kinship and affinity with every aspect of the American nation –its history, its culture, its people, its politics (well, OK, not with the right-wingers and Freepers who are totally incomprehensible and represent the worst extremes of what America has to offer but you get my gist) and its lifestyle. Don’t ask me why that is, it has always been so. America is a nation that has captivated my heart since childhood and I have a deep love for its people

When 9/11 happened, therefore, it felt like my immediate family was under attack. It represented an attack on everything that I valued and cherished from the core of my being. Reading through the names of the people affected, it really felt like I had experienced a deep personal loss even though I didn’t know any of them. I deeply grieved for their families and for their unfulfilled lives in a way that I never have for any other event around the world. I used to go to bed at night and wake up in the mornings thinking about the victims I had read about and their stories.

When I was in Canada in 2003, I purchased a book that was essentially a compilation of all the New York Times “Portraits of Grief” articles that it had published. It had biographies, photos and personal anecdotes from family members for most, if not all, of the victims. And looking at them, they could have been any of us. There were wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters of every colour, creed and nationality. I look at it at this time almost every year and that deep personal sense of loss and tragedy hits me almost as hard as it did when it first happened.

I live in Australia. I reflect on and grieve for the Australians who lost their lives on 9/11 in the World Trade Centre and on the planes. One was a left-wing political activist who had a bright future ahead of him. Another of them, a woman who died on one of the hijacked planes, was a retiree enjoying the big holiday that she had planned for. And there were so many more heartbreaking stories of victims from back here in Australia that I remember

I remember hearing the agonized calls of loved ones contacting their families, many of them knowing that they were going to die and wanting to say their final goodbyes. Those stories will always haunt me.

But 9/11 haunts me for another reason as well. It symbolized to me the loss of the hope, idealism, optimism for the future and the faith in humanity that I once had

Yes, of course I study history and know how evil people can be. But you’ve got to remember that I belonged to a generation whose earliest memories were of the Berlin Wall and statues of Lenin falling and Nelson Mandela walking free from prison. We were too young to remember the Reagan years and most of our formative years had been spent under the peace and prosperity that the Clinton era had provided. It was hard not to get caught up in the feeling that the world was becoming a better place and that humanity was improving for the better. Call me spoilt, naïve, idealistic and whatever else but that was how I truly felt. Seeing a group of terrorists commit such a barbaric, evil, callous and heartless act on such an unprecedented scale just really struck at the heart of everything I believed in. It has changed me as a person. I no longer have the hope, optimism and idealism that I once had (although Obama has helped somewhat). I sunk into a deep depression after 9/11 from which I have yet to emerge and which may have played a role in altering my life’s course to an extent that is still haunting me to this date. I will never be the same person that I once was.

So that’s why the day has so much significance for me and why I will mourn and grieve (although some part of me still wants to try and forget about it). It is still immensely painful and I wasn’t even close to what happened. I can only imagine what it must be like for those who lost loved ones or who were in the vicinity of New York

I agree with all that you said about the way that Bush and Republicans used and abused 9/11 and the dreadful consequences that it has had for this world. There was a tremendous amount of goodwill and sympathy toward the US after 9/11 –there were vigils in Tehran, for goodness sake! I will neither forgive nor forget what Bush or the Republicans for what they did after 9/11 and what they have used it to get away with. But that doesn’t detract from the sense of deep personal loss and sadness that I and many others feel for the events of that day and the countless lives and families that were destroyed and nor should it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/824533...

US President Barack Obama has delivered a speech to American schoolchildren, broadcast live to classrooms across the country.

The BBC News website asked one audience member - 11-year-old Claire O'Donnell - to write about the speech.

And one that more than adequately adequately sums up my feelings and emotions about the whole situation

I posted this on an excellent thread by Omega Minimo but I'm going to post it here again because I think it's relevant to this thread. I've altered it slightly
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I was a child growing up in the 1980s. For me and my friends growing up, Michael Jackson represented the epitomy of "cool". We loved his songs, danced to them at our birthday parties, watched in awe at his music videos and I for one had a Michael Jackson poster in my room for the longest time. I read his autobiography when I was 11. I got a Michael Jackson CD for at least one of my birthdays and I remember how much profound respect and admiration I had for him growing up. I'd say he was probably the No. 1 music influence in my life and I think he influenced my life in other ways I can't adequately put into words. I know this sounds terribly cliched but it was honestly how I felt. To me he represented and (and still represents) many of the happy memories from my childhood. Particularly during a time when my life is not so good, he reminded me of the good times and the fun I used to have when I was younger

I always loved his music and retained a deep sense of affection for him, despite his flaws. And today it feels like a part of me has died. I feel a sense of loss and sadness that I don't usually feel for these type of news events/celebrity deaths. Throughout the last few days, I have goneYouTube and listened to a whole lot of my favorite Michael Jackson hits, even though to some extent I now find it emotionally draining to do so. I still can't believe he's gone.

I wasn't alive when either John Lennon or Elvis Presley died but I guess I'm experiencing some of the same feelings and emotions as some of their fans did. It has hit a little too close to home for me

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I'll add something further to my original post as well. As you can testify, his music DOES transcend generations. When he died, my Facebook page was flooded with posts from friends and relatives much younger than I am (quite a few of whom only came of age during an era where Jackson's influence had well and truly declined and he was fading from the scene) genuinely mourning and grieving for his loss and expressing their deep and profound love and appreciation for his music. And one of my friends posted that he'd taught his 3-year old nephew to dance to a Michael Jackson tune and that his nephew already loved his music at such a young age. And, like you, I know that I'll be sharing his music and videos with my young niece when she's old enough

RIP Michael Jackson. Thanks for the memories and thanks for the music. You deserve to find the peace that you never knew in life.

I have some disagreements with some of his appointments but that doesn't mean they were necessarily the wrong ones to make. He's doing a better than wonderful job and is restoring America's prestige both domestically and around the globe. I couldn't be prouder of President Obama

Also click on the other sites there -there are a lot of worthy causes such as child health, literacy, rainforests and of course The Hungersite. They are usually listed on the top of the page where you click to donate for the Breast Cancer site and they operate in the same way as the Breast Cancer site does.

I click on all the sites listed -including the Breast Cancer site -every day. Thanks for reminding everyone of a worthy cause

I was eleven years old when Bill Clinton assumed the presidency. I remember the 1992 presidential election well –it was a choice between the tired old status quo and a fresh change and a new direction exemplified by a 46-year old saxophone playing baby boomer who could inspire hopes, dreams and visions through the power and magic of his words. I remember listening to his speeches and being absolutely mesmerized and inspired in a way that I never had been before. I remember the afternoon he was elected, I watched the live coverage from the news stations and I remember watching Tom Brokaw declare Clinton the winner. I was so excited, so enthused and so delighted. I had never felt that way about politics before, even as interested as I was in the subject from a young age

Over the next two years I watched as Clinton bumbled and stumbled through a whole range of domestic and foreign policy issues and grew disillusioned with him. He had let me down in my hopes and my expectations for him, although I still respected him and deep down I knew he was still the best choice for President. But then the Republicans won the 1994 midterm elections and that gave me a rude jolt of reality. I remember watching Gingrich and his sneering, condescending, arrogant extremism on television and remember being extremely disgusted with it. I also took a second look at Clinton and he won me over again. I never looked back from that point onward –at least not until the 2008 primaries.

Clinton was a passionate visionary in foreign policy. He thought it possible to bring peace to Northern Ireland and he took the steps to ensure that outcome was achieved. During the Clinton presidency, Israel and the Palestinian territories enjoyed seven years of relative peace. Clinton refused to allow the obstacles to peace in the Middle East to daunt him. There were several times during his presidency when the Mid-East peace process threatened to collapse but Clinton invested the necessary amount of personal diplomacy and conflict resolution skills to bring all the parties involved back to the negotiating table. He showed an interest in third world poverty and resolving conflicts in places in the rest of the world that we had never heard of

Bill Clinton inspired many of people of my generation (or should I say our generation since you think it has apparently befallen upon you to be a spokesman for those born in the 1980s). I went to university here with people the same age or younger than me from the 1980s and they spoke glowingly of Clinton and his policies and how much they respected the United States during his presidency. So no, Bill Clinton and everything he represents is not anathema to those of our generation. I hope that President-elect Obama will be even better and I think he will be but I certainly don’t think President Clinton is the embodiment of everything that I detest and I can assure you I’m not in the minority here

Now to the second past of your post –trashing baby boomers. Sure, there is a lot to criticize some members of the baby generation for –i.e. George W Bush, Joe Lieberman, Ted Bundy, Dick Cheney and likewise and sure many of them did lose their idealism during the 1980s and sell out and support Ronnie Raygun and the like. But is our generation any better? So far we’ve produced the Columbine killers, the Virginia Tech killer, the Young Republicans who think dressing up and lampooning African-Americans while denying global warming is hilarious and Paris Hilton. Should we be condemned and stereotyped on the basis of that then? Can we already conclude that our generation is inferior to those generations before us, a bunch of right-wing selfish ideologues who care more about their MySpace accounts than saving the world?

Or alternatively should we recognize that each generation has its good and bad? Where would our generation be had baby-boomers such as Bill Clinton and, yes even Joe Lieberman, not gone down to the South to protest against the racist policies and discrimination that had been imposed on African-Americans by their ancestors? Where would our generation be had it not been for the baby boomers who protested for greater rights for women, immigrants and the environment during the 1960s and many of whom have never given up the fight. Where would our generation be had it not been for people like Jesse Jackson, Paul Wellstone and yes even that evil old tail-end of the baby-boom generation President-elect Barack Obama? Just as how for our own generation we can look with pride at the fact that we voted in the largest numbers for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2004 and for Obama in 2008. We can look with pride at the large number of progressive young Democrats who were inspired to give their hearts and souls working for Barack Obama during this election campaign. We can recognize the immense good that exists in our generation while valuing the immense good that existed in the Baby Boomer generation, as well as learning from the mistakes that our generation and the previous generation made. And we can only move forward by recognizing the good that exists in both our generations and working together to make a better world for future generations

Clinton was a wonderful President. I miss him immensely, especially when you consider all that we've lost since his presidency. He lit up my world and ensured that my teenaged years were an era of hope, optimism, idealism, peace and prosperity. My life has never been better than it was during his Administration. I so wish that he could have run again -I'd love to have him back

While I am not an American citizen and have lived overseas for all of my life, I have nevertheless followed US politics closely since childhood.

Clinton was actually the one responsible for changing my views on American politics. Before Clinton came on the scene, I was quite sympathetic to the US Republicans. I considered George Bush Senior to be somewhat of a father figure and fervently supported his Administration. I supported the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court (keep in mind the past tense in that above statement) and I really wanted Bush to win re-election in 1992

Then Clinton came on the scene. Initially I didn’t know what to think of him –my first memories of the Clinton were from the whole Gennifer Flowers saga. But as I listened to his speeches and to him on the campaign trail, I found myself greatly awed by him. I greatly admired his passion, the sincerity in his voice and the fact that he seemed to have such a clear vision of how to make America and the world a better place. I had never felt so inspired and passionate about a candidate before and I was overjoyed when he won the presidential election.

During the first year he did much to make me disillusioned with his presidency –the “don’t ask, don’t tell” saga, Somalia (which was actually left to him by the previous Administration but I didn’t realize it at the time), Haitian refugees and a few other issues. I was drifting away from him but the Republican takeover of Congress quickly brought me back to my senses. I saw Gingrich and his cronies pursue their agenda of ideological zeal and hate and Ken Starr with his perverted witch-hunt against the Clintons and it truly disgusted me and increased my sympathy for, and affiliation with, President Clinton. I also saw how President Clinton deftly outmaneuvered the Republicans on the budget shutdown and showed Gingrich for the inflated ego that he was. And he kept exposing the Republicans for what they were during his presidency and I really admired him for the way that he did that. I also admired the way how, despite all the obstacles and ideological politicking that the Republicans threw at him during his presidency, he managed to accomplish so much in domestic and foreign policy

Clinton was a passionate visionary in foreign policy. He thought it possible to bring peace to Northern Ireland and he took the steps to ensure that outcome was achieved. During the Clinton presidency, Israel and the Palestinian territories enjoyed seven years of relative peace. Clinton refused to allow the obstacles to peace in the Middle East to daunt him. There were several times during his presidency when the Mid-East peace process threatened to collapse but Clinton invested the necessary amount of personal diplomacy and conflict resolution skills to bring all the parties involved back to the negotiating table. While I agree that his inaction to the crisis in Rwanda was deeply regrettable and a key mistake of his presidency –something even he now acknowledges –his subsequent interest in combating poverty and conflict resolution in the African region was taken to an extent that had never been seen before by an American President.

Clinton restored America’s image around the globe and took it to new heights. Believe me, as a foreigner I know. I personally witnessed people who had been hostile to America and American foreign policy for decades speak glowingly about Clinton and his foreign policy. I went to university during the final year of the Clinton Administration and I can testify that people of my generation –who spent their formative years growing up under a Clinton presidency –harbored none of the prejudices and negative attitudes toward the US that many of their parent’s generation (who had witnessed the Vietnam War, Nixon and Reagan did). The Clinton Administration fostered an amazing amount of goodwill and warmth toward the US

I remember when President Clinton visited Australia in 1996. Australia was at that time undergoing a period of underlying racial tension at that time and our right wing Prime Minister (who is unfortunately still in power but hopefully for not much longer) was engaging in his subtle encouragement of the racism and intolerance toward immigrants. During his visit President Clinton addressed a crowd in Sydney and he delivered one of the most passionate, eloquent and heartfelt speeches defending immigrants and pointing out how much they had benefited Australian society that I have ever heard. His speech was so beautiful that many people in the audience were moved to tears. I will never forget that speech and indeed the other speeches he made in Australia vigorously denouncing racism and how much that meant to me and a whole lot of other Australians at the time

Sure, Clinton committed mistakes during his presidency –DOMA, some of the bills he signed to appeal to the Republican Congress, the whole Monica Lewinsky thing and the like –but he did a whole lot of good and restored America’s reputation around the globe to an all-time high. I am profoundly thankful for him for allowing me to spend my teenage years in an environment of peace, prosperity and hope and idealism for the future and for showing me what a great President could be like.

She had been receiving treatment for a long illness overseas from where I am living (I reside outside the US) but I was nevertheless by her side when she passed away. While the prognosis for her was not considered to be good, her passing at that particular time was unexpected and anyway I think that nothing could have prepared me for the loss of my mother.

She was 61 years old and, although that is not a particularly young age, it nevertheless is young considering that our family has a history of longevity in terms of age. She was always so vibrant and so full of life and energy –she was the life of any party –and even up to the final days of her life, she was optimistic and upbeat and put on a brave face despite her illness and the toll that it had taken on her. It just seems beyond belief that she is no longer with us. She had so much to live her and was enjoying life so much when this illness struck her down

I will miss her immensely –beyond what words can even adequately begin to convey. It’s going to be difficult to adjust to a life without her by my side and without her loving and comforting presence.

There is another DU’er on here – my cousin Shireen –whom my mother helped raise when she was a child and who also feels the deep loss and sadness of her passing. We will both miss her immensely

preceding 9/11 than you and your entire team of morons are capable of doing even now Ms Rice. Remember how you and your husband spent the first eight months of his presidency pussyfooting around and trying to re-start the Cold War instead of concentrating on imminent national security threats? Clinton and his advisors warned you and warned you and warned you again about Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden and suggested numerous national security recommendations -some of which had been blocked by YOUR party in congress-all of which you ignored. You dropped the ball big time Condi

Condi's concerned because Clinton has come out with all guns blazing to defend his record. And she knows that the truth will prove her to have been an incompetent, inept, bumbling and arrogant buffoon who has consistently proved ineffectual and unable to do her job properly -although in fairness this seems to be a character requirement for employment in the current Administration

DEMOCRATS
SENATOR EVAN BAYH
Will run and will most likely do quite well –he has the potential to do well in the primaries and may even secure the nomination. I can’t help feeling, however, that he’ll probably end up as a potential VP nominee

SENATOR JOE BIDEN
Essentially yesterday’s man. Biden’s big chance of winning the nomination was during the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries –in the aftermath of his excellent work as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in vetoing some of Reagan’s key judicial appointments and when his profile was at its highest –and he blew his bid big time. He hasn’t had a high profile since Republicans took control of Congress and he doesn’t really have that much appeal to the core constituencies of the Democratic Party. I expect him be like Gephardt –his candidacy will fizzle out early in the campaign season

SENATOR BARBARA BOXER
Won’t run. I’ve read that she was actually intending to retire from the Senate in 2004 but reconsidered and ran for another term. I think she’d actually do much better than many people expect if she did run but I’m pretty sure she won’t

EX-SEN BILL BRADLEY
Won’t run unfortunately

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK
Most likely will run and definitely has a chance of winning. I think his chances of securing the nomination depend on (1) whether he runs a better campaign than he did in 2004 and (2) the national security situation we are in during the immediate prelude to and during the course of the election year. If the quagmire in Iraq continues and/or * gets us into a mess with Iran/North Korea/Syria/whoever else he can antagonize, I definitely see Clark as having a very serious chance of gaining the nomination. I also see him as a possible Sec of Defence in a future Democratic Administration if he doesn’t win.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON
Will probably run and has a good chance of winning. I think her prospects may depend on whether the early momentum for her campaign and her status as the frontrunner hurts or hinders her during the primary season and whether she can build up a viable candidacy.

CONGRESSMAN RANDY CROW
Whoever he is, I don’t see him having much of a chance of winning unless it’s a Jimmy Carter sort of year where an unknown emerges in front

CONGRESSMAN LLOYD DOGETT
See Randy Crow

SENATOR DICK DURBIN
Won’t run and will probably be overshadowed by speculation surrounding Obama

SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS
Will run and will definitely win a few primaries. I think he has a good chance of winning the nomination

SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD
Dark horse. I think he’ll do very well in the primaries and has a very outside chance of securing the nomination –particularly if McCain is doing well in the Republican primaries

AL GORE
I don’t think he’ll run but, should he decide to do so, I see him having a very real chance of winning the nomination

SENATOR MIKE GRAVEL
(See Randy Crow)

SENATOR JOHN KERRY
Will most likely run but I don’t think he’ll get the nomination. His big chance was in ‘04’ –when he actually had the nomination –and I think that he’ll be unlikely to gain as much support as he did then. Having said that, I do think he’ll perform well in some of the primaries

DENNIS KUCINICH
May run but will only do as well as he did in ‘04’

SEN MARY LANDRIEU
Won’t run. Even picking her as VP would be problematic because of her senate race –although perhaps we can get Mitch Landrieu to replace her in the Senate

SEN BLANCHE LINCOLN
Won’t run. An outside chance for VP

JANET NAPOLITANO
Won’t run. A very possible VP choice though

SEN BARACK OBAMA
Possible VP pick but won’t run

GOV BILL RICHARDSON
Will run but I actually don’t think he’s in serious contention for the nomination –controversy seems to engulf him wherever he goes. I see him as a future Secretary of State though

GOV KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
Won’t run but may be a potential VP candidate. Perhaps the Democrats should field her as Brownback’s senate replacement in 2010

GOV BRIAN SCHWEITZER
Won’t run and even a VP pick would be problematic because it coincides with re-election year in Montana. I think his chances are much more likely in 2012 if the Democrats lose in 2008 (and I’m desperately hoping they won’t)

REV AL SHARPTON
May be under pressure to defer to Hillary. Even if he does run, he won’t come anywhere close to what Jesse Jackson did

GOV TOM VILSACK
May very well decide to run and may win in Iowa but I don’t see him gaining the nomination

GOV MARK WARNER
Will most probably run and I see him as the most likely to gain the nomination.

Republicans
SEN GEORGE ALLEN
In with a serious chance for the nomination unfortunately. I think he’ll almost certainly run

GOV BARBOUR
Not inconceivable that he will run. Dark horse but I don’t think he’ll come close to gaining the nomination. Possible VP pick

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
A former Democrat who has a somewhat liberal reputation and is Mayor of one of the most liberal cities in America? Forget it. Won’t run and, if he did, he’d have no chance of gaining the nomination

SEN SAM BROWNBACK
Will run and won’t do well

GOV JEB BUSH
Probably won’t run but too early to tell. I think he’d be crazy to run immediately after his brother was President and particularly since his brother hasn’t been a particularly good President (and I don’t see this changing over the next two years). Possible VP pick but my guess is that * will have become even more of an embarrassment than he is now and the new Republican nominee won’t want to be tied too extensively to the * legacy

NORM COLEMAN
Hopefully he’ll face too competitive a senate race to run but I think he wants to run for the White House and he’s such an expedient opportunist that I think he’ll probably do quite well.

ELIZABETH DOLE
May run but I doubt she’ll win.

SEN BILL FRIST
Will run and will engage in enough dirty tricks to be considered as a serious contender for the nomination.

NEWT GINGRICH
Will run but his ego exceeds his popularity. Besides he’s like Biden –his day has long gone.

RUDY GULIANI
Will run. Has the potential to do well but won’t win the nomination

CHUCK HAGEL
Will possibly run. Will not do well in the Republican primaries but may do better if he runs as an Independent. Possible VP pick if McCain wins

MIKE HUCKABEE
Will run and has a good chance of being either presidential or VP nominee

JOHN MCCAIN
Will run and will be a serious contender for the nomination. But despite all his slavish devotion to * over the last six years, I get the impression that it won’t pay off and that the White House will be working behind the scenes to undermine his candidacy

GOV GEORGE PATAKI
Will run and may do well in isolated primaries in the Northeast but nowhere else

TIM PAWLENTY
More likely a VP choice


GOV BILL OWEN
Will probably run but I think his momentum is fading. Nevertheless he still has a shot of winning the nomination

CONDOLEEZA RICE
Probably *’s choice but I don’t see her winning the nomination even with White House support. There are too many Trent Lott types in the White House

MITT ROMNEY
I’ll spare you my personal opinion of this guy but I think he may actually do much better than expected among moderate GOP voters. I don’t expect him to win the nomination but I do consider him a potential VP

TOM TANCREDO
Will do well here and there on his anti-immigration platform but has no hope of winning either the presidential or VP nomination

My top 5 most likely for the Democratic nomination are:
1. Mark Warner
2. Evan Bayh
3. John Edwards
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Al Gore (if he runs)

Republicans are:
1. George Allen
2. Bill Frist
3. Mike Huckabee
4. John McCain
5. Mitt Romney

I see a Warner-Bayh ticket most likely on the Democratic side and perhaps an Allen-Coleman ticket on the Repug side. Or perhaps an Allen-Huckabee ticket or vice versa. Either way

of peace, prosperity and hope for the future. I thank him for that. It was easy to be idealistic and to reach for the stars during the Clinton Administration and it is a feeling that I wish the generation growing up today under a moronic and idiotic Chimp-in-Chief could experience. He gave the youth of that time a reason for hope, a reason for optimism and a reason to think that the United States of America was a great nation. I'm speaking from the perspective of a non-American DU'er who lives overseas. During the Clinton Administration, I saw many people who had held life long grudges against the United States because of their role in Vietnam/Latin America/whatever suddenly speak glowingly of the United States under Clinton. I don't think I'll ever feel the same kind of idealism, hope and optimism for the future that I felt under Clinton and I miss him.