Catching Up on Recent Events

• A lot has been going on since we last met!  We've got a new Governor of Illinois, peaceful elections have taken place in Iraq, war has broken out in the Gaza Strip, the American military continues deadly drone attacks in Pakistan, Iran's launched a satellite in space, the economy continues to take a nose dive, the RNC has appointed its first African-American chariman, and what else... oh, we also have a new administration in Washington with new agendas for the environment, the arts, the military, and much more!   Obama has already signed initiatives to make Presidential Records public property,  close Gitmo end torture-interrogations, overturning Bush's tactics in the war on terrorism (althogh he has decided Not to End Extraordinary Rendition Program), set high standards on fuel efficiency, provided $21m in relief aid to Gaza,  repealed the Mexico City Policy Gag Rule, signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, set a policy of an open and transparent government and more.  While everyone in the administration seems to be looking ahead with enthusiasm, they are also making sure that crimes of the past adminstration do not go unpunished.  (for more on the pursuit of Bush administration crimes, check out this editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle.)

Take a look at the "agenda" section on the new White House Website.  It gives a pretty frank, straight-forward overview of where Obama plans to focus his efforts in the coming weeks and months.  There is a whole variety of topics addressed including civil rights, iraq, the environment, education, as well as the new Office of Public Liason (fostering "participation" and "changing the way Americans engage with their government" ) as well as the general  "contact us" section on the webiste, where you can tell the White House what you think about their policies.

Here are a few excerptsfrom Obama's agenda that you might find interesting:

• Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.
• Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

• Arts

  Our nation's creativity has filled the world's libraries, museums, recital halls, movie houses, and marketplaces with works of genius. The arts embody the American spirit of self-definition. As the author of two best-selling books —Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope — President Obama uniquely appreciates the role and value of creative expression.

   ===========================================

  For more info and commentary about Obama's new initiatives for Arts Policies, there is some great informatoin in the most recent edition of F News Magazine (click here)

There have been a lot of great F News articles, including "Crisis of Democracy in America" and "Prop 8 Protests."

===============================

Also,  DemocracyNow.org continues its excellent coverage concerning Obama's Continuation of Bush's Policy of Deadly Air Strikes in Pakistan, the failure of international diplomacy to combat the gruesome violence in the Gaza Strip, and much more.  Check it out!

====================================

There's lot to keep track of, and a lot to consider.  What do you think?