The President of the United States, Barack Obama, is always a relaxed, comfortable and effective speaker; last night’s State of the Union Address was no exception.
Tangible and incontrovertible was the precedent-setting seating arrangement, wherein the barricades to productivity were for a time lifted. As Democrats sat with Republicans, as liberals shared armrests with conservatives, none could fail to note the new hope established.
The President entered and, moving through the welcoming crowd, he turned right and left, greeting those there assembled on a one-to-one basis, recalling pending matters, and putting the guests at ease in discussing things important to each of them.
In the speech, he recalled the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, and reminded those present that we are all a part of an American family. We are, he said, a “part of something greater,” and he expressed hope for a new era of cooperation. He asked for America to continue to be the “light of the world.”
If there was a main unifying thrust to the President's words on domestic issues, it was a call for education and an emphasis on technology. He said we must devote ourselves to an investment in the future; an investment in the students of science and mathematics; a dedication to clean energy, and ever advancing technology, and to the further development of as yet undiscovered technology, including advancement in the technologies that allow people to share knowledge. In that regard, he said a fireman at a fire site should be able to view the internal structures of the burning facility on a hand-held device.
He called for 100,000 new teachers and said we should reward innovation. He said the student who excels at a science fair should be as praised as is the student on the sports field. He called for a familial investment in learning, wherein parents applaud their studious, hard-working, and dedicated children. In the area of technology, he called for one million electronic vehicles to be on our roadways by 2015.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - jaske lake
what the f is he talking about
2 - fabiola
good article
3 - John Lake
NB: as of two PM, 991 reads, very few comments.
4 - roger nowosielski
Since you asked for it, John, here's an incisive appraisal of the State of the Union address, and I totally concur.
5 - pablo
3 John Lake
What's to comment on here? There is no substance, nothing of interest, and this article is nothing more than you blindly, and blandly approving of the biggest hypocrital president this nation has ever seen.
Most of what is left of the real left, is completely disgusted by Snobama, as he has backpedeled and outright lied about what he was going to do. His complete embrace of the the Wall Street thugs is so atypical of who he really is. Geitner, Summers, Daley, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs. Yeah he is a real Statesman that Obama.
We still have Guantanamo, national security letters instad of warrants, the sanctioning of killing usa citizens that are suspected of terrorism abroad by the state, and I could go on and on an on. The truth is John, you have no backbone, why don't you just admit it?
6 - John Lake
Obama's leaning toward the corporate "thugs" is an attempt at centrism, brought about by an aire of obstructionism from certain quarters in recent months.
The promoters of the obstructionism also have formed an alliance which prevented the closure of Guantanamo Bay, despite all the Presidents efforts. Our President has however set up a review board so that the confinees there are not left in complete obscurity. Obama has favored the fairer civil trials. Unfortunately the public outcry against the terror suspects, and this is no ones fault, has made it difficult for them to receive fair treatment.
I am unaware of any sanction of killing U.S. citizens accused of terrorism abroad.
7 - pablo
"I am unaware of any sanction of killing U.S. citizens accused of terrorism abroad."
That is because John Lake, you are politically unaware of what your government is up to. You would rather spend your time touting a president that has not kept his word to the american people on numerous issues of great importance.
A few examples. Obama promised to review and change NAFTA, to close Gitmo, to stop wiretapping americans without a warrant, end no-bid contracts above $25,000, forbid companies in bankruptcy from giving executives bonuses, allow five days of public comment before signing bills, continuing to use signing statements after legislation has been passed, when he said it was a violation of the constitution, failed to recognize the Armenian genocide, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on.
Here are a few links for your political education Mr. Lake regarding the us government sanctioning the assassination of americans abroad that are "suspected" of terrorism, which is not only reprehensible, unlawful, repugnant, illegal (the is a distinct difference between unlawful and illegal), it is high treason and he should be impeached for that alone. Yes Mr. Lake you are indeed unaware.
CIA - Obama approves License to KILL Americans
Dennis Blair: U.S. Can Kill Suspected American Terrorists Abroad
U.S. assumes right to assassinate American citizens abroad to safeguard it
8 - Ruvy
Pablo, nice job disemboweling and deboning - a fillet.
9 - pablo
Thanks Ruvy, I find those on the so-called left such as the author of this pandering piece to the Kenyan usurper blind in the extreme. I cant stand the right, because they are more often than not bigoted, racist, arrogant, and love their corporate masters. However this new breed of the left, the wolves in sheep's clothing I find even more reprehensible. No backbone, no independence, and almost all of their publications are either creations of the Agency, or funded by fascist foundations, such as the Rockyfellers, the Ford Foundation, Soros, etc.
The fact that Mr. Lake has the gall to actually pretend that he knows anything about politics, as shown so clearly by his lack of knowledge of us sanctioned killing of innocent americans (yes John in our country a peson is innocent until proved guilty in a court of law) abroad. The Kenyan usurper should be impeached on that fact alone, but he won't be because he was in point of fact created by the Ford foundation and the agency.
10 - John Lake
If they were to impeach the "Kenyan usurper" (Obama is American born), you would find the likes of Senator McCain, currently making a maximal effort to appear centrist and involved considerable less concerned about legal, lawful, moral interests.
11 - pablo
Another example of John Lake's ignorance can be found over on his blog site, where he wrote an article on the theory of human caused global warming entitled "Global Warming: Fact, or Fraud? and Stranded Polar Bears!" In the first paragraph he says:
"I'm concerned actually about all these polar bears, with nothing to stand on. I'm sure you've noticed. Daily, without fail, on television, photos, video clips, of desperate polar bears, who, because of global warming, the plague of the twenty-first century, are mere inches away from tumbling into the frozen ocean, the block of ice they had occupied, now shrinking, soon to nothing! Oh, the anguish!" It is common knowledge and I do mean common, that polar bears can swim up to 100 miles at a time.
Some people will stoop to anything including outright falsehoods to promote an agenda. Oh those poor poor polar bears!!
12 - Jordan Richardson
You think that's "common knowledge," Pablo? You have a weird idea of the concept, I'm sure, but how many people do you really think know that polar bears can swim up to 100 miles at a time?
I know this isn't about polar bears, of course, but I think a few facts are in order.
The real problem with respect to the "poor poor polar bears" is due to habitat loss, actually. Because the rising temperatures are causing the sea ice to melt earlier, the bears are driven to the shore before they can store enough fat reserves. This means that their chances of surviving the food scarcity in the late summer/early autumn go down considerably.
This article is from 2005 and it discusses the polar bears having to swim "up to 60 miles in the open sea to find food." Guess what's happening, Pablo? They're drowning because they've adapted to swimming closer to shore.
Some people really will stoop to anything to promote an agenda.
13 - John Lake
Speaking from memory, I also mentioned in a response to a comment on that or a similiar article I wrote that those polar bears, who have our full sympathies, would likely without hesistation, lop of the head of the nearest do-gooder, given the opportunity.
14 - pablo
Jordan,
In that case the esteemed Mr Lake might have used a different reason than the one he used. I myself love most animals, and nature in particular. However when you quote an articl which uses the World Wildlife Fund as a source, forgive me while I gag. The WWF is nothing more than a globalist group in point of fact founded by Prince Bernhard the founder of the Bilderberg Group, and Queenie's husband. I would be happy to provide you with reams of dirt on them should you ask Jordan, but I know you won't. And speaking of some people will stoop to anything to promote agenda that fits the WWF to a fucking Tee.
15 - Jordan Richardson
You can dismiss whatever sources you want to suit your agenda, Pablo, but don't expect me to keep a straight face when you accuse others of doing the same.
All you've done is cite the introduction to a random article. It's far from the sole reason John used, but it's hard to see things properly when your goal is to paint your "opponent" in whatever dark colour you're dreaming of.
Also, I've seen your "reams of dirt" on a host of topics around here. Not impressed.
16 - Alan Kurtz
pablo (#11), in your zeal to disembowel and debone another fillet for Ruvy, you've misread and misrepresented John Lake's "Global Warming: Fact, or Fraud? and Stranded Polar Bears!"
Far from "stooping to outright falsehoods to promote an agenda," Mr. Lake is actually rather noncommittal. Subtitled "An Insightful Look at Global Warming," his article briefly surveys different points of view without strongly endorsing either side in the climate change debate. And his reference to polar bears is clearly tongue in cheek.
At the risk of contradicting Jordan, I think some people don't have to stoop to promote an agenda. They're already as low as they can get.
17 - pablo
Alan the first paragraph of the polar bear article speaks for itself. You're still trying to put your two cents in politically when you should be back where you belong doing Brady Bunch reviews, that's your forte and your very good at it.
18 - Jordan Richardson
the first paragraph of the polar bear article speaks for itself
No, it actually doesn't.
19 - pablo
I assume John lake you can no longer claim ignorance regading Obama's illegal, unlawful assasination squads against fellow americans eh bro?
20 - pablo
No comments about death squads from any of ya eh? Polar bears are so much nicer and cuddlier to talk about. Typical on this site, all bluster, and no substance.
21 - Jordan Richardson
You brought up the polar bears, Pablo. If you wanted to focus on substance, you shouldn't have been in such a scattershot rush to defame the author's credibility.
22 - pablo
big yawn for ya jordan
23 - Alan Kurtz
all bluster, and no substance.
You've been looking in the mirror, pablo.
24 - pablo
Credibiliy of Lake? You would think that a guy who writes contemporary political articles would know about us sanctioned assassinations of americans abroad. That is not trivial, the fact that he did not know about it, and said so speaks reams about his lack of political acumen, and I said as much.
I am still waiting for his comment about that particular subject, but I doubt he will say anything, as he is too busy pandering to the Kenyan usurper. :)
25 - pablo
Oh Alan I see its Brady Bunch time again!