Last Sunday’s edition of the New York Times, has an op-ed column from (RED)’s founder Bono. Called ‘Rebranding America,’ Bono highlights these 36 words from President Obama:
We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year’s summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.
Excerpts from the piece are below. You can read the full piece here.*
They’re not my words, they’re your president’s. If they’re not familiar, it’s because they didn’t make many headlines. But for me, these 36 words are why I believe Mr. Obama could well be a force for peace and prosperity — if the words signal action.
The millennium goals, for those of you who don’t know, are a persistent nag of a noble, global compact. They’re a set of commitments we all made nine years ago whose goal is to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Barack Obama wasn’t there in 2000, but he’s there now. Indeed he’s gone further — all the way, in fact. Halve it, he says, then end it.
Many have spoken about the need for a rebranding of America. Rebrand, restart, reboot. In my view these 36 words, alongside the administration’s approach to fighting nuclear proliferation and climate change, improving relations in the Middle East and, by the way, creating jobs and providing health care at home, are rebranding in action.
These new steps — and those 36 words — remind the world that America is not just a country but an idea, a great idea about opportunity for all and responsibility to your fellow man.
*registration may be required by NYT for viewing full article
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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1 comments:
Here is my reply to Bono's op-ed last week in the NY Times. Since they did not print it, I thought that I would share it here. I hope you like it.(smile)
Take good care, dear friends at (RED). Blessings always. I remain..
ALWAYS (RED) AT HEART, debbie:)
www.mpwn-uganda.org
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I would like to add MY SUPPORT FOR BONO & THE END TO EXTREME POVERTY, most ably to be accomplished through the fulfillment of the Millenium Development Goals. I would also like to thank the NY Times for giving this issue the attention that it deserves on this STAND UP weekend.
The simple fact is that the U.N. adopted the Millenium Development Goals a decade ago, signed by all of the world's leading economic countries, which brought a sense of real hope to MILLIONS of people around the world that finally we, as an international community would unite around these goals and, in the process, establish a more equitable & peaceful earth for all of us to inhabit.
The sad fact is that we are falling fast behind the scheduled date to accomplish the MDG's (2015) due mainly to the obscene amount of money which has been "redirected" from programs like the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org)& other development programs focusing on education, health care & clean water in the world's poorest areas in order to supplement the overblown egos & budgets of failing multinational corporations on Wall Street.
We have literally taken food out of the mouths of poor women & children in Africa and Asia in order to give that very same money to Wall Street CEO's who haven't shown our country the simple fact that they will use their "stimulus" money in a way to benefit the American People.
In the meantime, MILLIONS of us around the world have banded together AS ONE in the whiteband movement. (www.whiteband.org). This weekend around the world, we are attending events that demonstrate our commitment to the MDG's.....and we show no sign of giving up our goal of the end to extreme poverty in our world.
Thus, THIS MOVEMENT IS NOT ABOUT BONO, IT IS ABOUT US - standing together & speaking in one voice in support of the MDG's and to let our elected politicians know that we are still here, still active & that we will continue to watch them and how they attend to our issues.
THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY - and I am proud to be part of this movement. I encourage all who read this to JOIN US AS ONE and become a part of a movement that has produced REAL RESULTS in lives saved (over 4 MILLION Africans are alive & productive citizens of their countries due to U.S. efforts to end extreme poverty).
THANK YOU, BONO, for always being willing to take the hits which come from speaking the truth in our world. May you continue to walk on "the journey of equality" for a long time & gather more support for our movement. The poorest people in our world deserve no less than our best efforts on their behalf and you could be no better public face for our movement.~
ONLY LOVE, debbie:)
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