Click on arrow below for introductory remarks by Hank Parker
The Challenge of Change in America
November 2008
by
Henry E. Parker
The election of President-Elect Barack Obama is a monumental institutional
change that evidences historic growth in the American political system.
As a child of the great depression approaching my 81st birthday, I have
disengaged from active political participation. At the same time, I am thankful that
Almighty God has given me the opportunity to witness this magnificent moment in time
when America is more than many of us thought it could be.
The magnitude of the joy of hope generated by this political victory appears to be
worldwide with no visible end in sight.
In many families, mine included, the victory was enthusiastically greeted with
prayer, tears of joy, embracing each other, shouting praise to Obama, and lifting glasses
of wine and champagne to acknowledge this historic victory. The emotional impact of
this moment was elevated when I saw the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a face in the crowd,
with tears of joy streaming down his face. I imagined that his friend and leader Martin
Luther King, Jr. was on his mind and as a civil rights leader he was exceedingly pleased
by this historic political victory.
President-Elect Obama campaigned the last two years to bring Americans
together to meaningfully address a myriad of quality of life initiatives that have
negatively impacted middle class Americans. Currently he is giving priority to staff
selection and the construction of an economic stimulus program to address the most
severe financial crisis in a century. An effective resolution to this economic crisis will
permit him to meaningfully address severe unemployment, early child education and
Parker-2
higher pay for teachers, middle class tax relief, infrastructure renewal, regulation of
financial institutions, energy exploration and health care improvement and cost reduction.
With respect to the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think President-Elect
Obama will bring our soldiers home from Iraq and remove the obstacles to Veteran’s
proper care, treatment and honor.
It appears that Afghanistan will be a more difficult task. Its military forces will be
increased and I am hopeful that strategic special forces will be assigned to confront and
defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban organizations, and capture the international terrorist
leader Osama Bin Laden.
The election of President-Elect Obama redefines America as the world’s most
diverse and powerful nation with the capacity and will for world leadership. His speech
in Chicago after winning the presidency made it clear that world leadership is one of his
priorities when he said:
“to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular but, our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.”
World leadership is vital to American survival and indeed the proper and
unthreatened growth of other nations. While America is up to the challenging demands of
world leadership, it will be our most formidable challenge of the 21st century.
Nonetheless, President-Elect Obama’s victory is an unending joy of hope that
strengthens our commitment to his concept of “one America, not blue or red.” It is
inherent in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln
Memorial in 1963. He said: “America has the potential to be a great nation if indeed it is
inclusive.” President-Elect Obama’s historic victory is indicative that his “one America”
is indeed inclusive, and as such King’s standard for America being a great nation has
been achieved.
We are a great nation with monumental quality of life problems. In the words of
Charles Dickens:
“It is the best of times; it is the worst of times.”
It is the worst of times because there is a litany of evidence of unfair and
unnecessary human suffering among our nation’s poor people, in general and more
specifically African Americans.
It is the best of times because the historic victory of President-Elect Obama holds
forth the promise of a new beginning to solve the problems of our nation’s suffering
people.
From this “defining moment” it would be wise to collectively embrace the notion
that in President-Elect Obama’s “one America” our strength is our ethnic and cultural
diversity and our capacity to live and work together in operational harmony. From this
new level of involvement ethnic groups will have the opportunity to:
. revitalize and strengthen our institutions to become 21st century change agents;
. improve communications technology to service quality of life problems; and
. “join in the work of remaking this nation” because “we rise or fall as one nation,
as one people.”
Henry E. Parker
Former Treasurer of the State of Connecticut
315 Eastern Street Apt D1512
New Haven, Connecticut 06513
The Challenge of Change in America
November 2008
by
Henry E. Parker
The election of President-Elect Barack Obama is a monumental institutional
change that evidences historic growth in the American political system.
As a child of the great depression approaching my 81st birthday, I have
disengaged from active political participation. At the same time, I am thankful that
Almighty God has given me the opportunity to witness this magnificent moment in time when America is more than many of us thought it could be.
The magnitude of the joy of hope generated by this political victory appears to be
worldwide with no visible end in sight.
In many families, mine included, the victory was enthusiastically greeted with
prayer, tears of joy, embracing each other, shouting praise to Obama, and lifting glasses
of wine and champagne to acknowledge this historic victory. The emotional impact of
this moment was elevated when I saw the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a face in the crowd,
with tears of joy streaming down his face. I imagined that his friend and leader Martin
Luther King, Jr. was on his mind and as a civil rights leader he was exceedingly pleased
by this historic political victory.
President-Elect Obama campaigned the last two years to bring Americans
together to meaningfully address a myriad of quality of life initiatives that have
negatively impacted middle class Americans. Currently he is giving priority to staff
selection and the construction of an economic stimulus program to address the most
severe financial crisis in a century. An effective resolution to this economic crisis will
permit him to meaningfully address severe unemployment, early child education and
Parker-2
higher pay for teachers, middle class tax relief, infrastructure renewal, regulation of
financial institutions, energy exploration and health care improvement and cost reduction.
With respect to the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think President-Elect
Obama will bring our soldiers home from Iraq and remove the obstacles to Veteran’s
proper care, treatment and honor.
It appears that Afghanistan will be a more difficult task. Its military forces will be
increased and I am hopeful that strategic special forces will be assigned to confront and
defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban organizations, and capture the international terrorist
leader Osama Bin Laden.
The election of President-Elect Obama redefines America as the world’s most
diverse and powerful nation with the capacity and will for world leadership. His speech
in Chicago after winning the presidency made it clear that world leadership is one of his
priorities when he said:
“to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular but, our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.”World leadership is vital to American survival and indeed the proper and
unthreatened growth of other nations. While America is up to the challenging demands of
world leadership, it will be our most formidable challenge of the 21st century.
Nonetheless, President-Elect Obama’s victory is an unending joy of hope that
strengthens our commitment to his concept of “one America, not blue or red.” It is
inherent in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln
Memorial in 1963. He said: “America has the potential to be a great nation if indeed it is
inclusive.” President-Elect Obama’s historic victory is indicative that his “one America”
is indeed inclusive, and as such King’s standard for America being a great nation has
been achieved.
We are a great nation with monumental quality of life problems. In the words of
Charles Dickens:
“It is the best of times; it is the worst of times.”
It is the worst of times because there is a litany of evidence of unfair and
unnecessary human suffering among our nation’s poor people, in general and more
specifically African Americans.
It is the best of times because the historic victory of President-Elect Obama holds
forth the promise of a new beginning to solve the problems of our nation’s suffering
people.
From this “defining moment” it would be wise to collectively embrace the notion that in President-Elect Obama’s “one America” our strength is our ethnic and cultural
diversity and our capacity to live and work together in operational harmony. From this
new level of involvement ethnic groups will have the opportunity to:
. revitalize and strengthen our institutions to become 21st century change agents;
. improve communications technology to service quality of life problems; and
. “join in the work of remaking this nation” because “we rise or fall as one nation,
as one people.”
Henry E. Parker
Former Treasurer of the State of Connecticut
315 Eastern Street Apt D1512
New Haven, Connecticut 06513
Comments
Sit tight, man. Haven't you ever heard of co-optation? As the Don said, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
out Eric Holder and the rest of these clinton crooks background.