Lost_Hwy's Blog

Since this site is closing down soon, I wanted to leave everyone with a final post about the history making first day in the Obama administration. And for those who've already joined the new site, I'll be seeing you there!

President Obama went right to work in the Oval Office, and summoned advisers to begin dealing with war and recession and ordered new lobbying rules for "a clean break from business as usual."

He froze salaries for top White House staff members. Obama stated "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington."

He placed phone calls to Mideast leaders and had aides circulate a draft executive order that would close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year, to send a signal to the world that America does NOT condone torture.

Obama devoted quick attention to the Mideast turmoil, preparing to give former Democratic Senate leader George Mitchell, a top diplomatic post for the region.

Obama said that "the way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable." The rules are needed "to help restore faith in government, without which we cannot deliver the changes that we were sent here to make."

Obama's new lobbying rules will ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted. The rules also ban lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration. The new rules also stipulate that anyone who leaves his administration cannot try to influence former friends and colleagues for at least two years. These rules followed pledges during his campaign to be strict about the influence of lobbyists in his White House.

Obama stated "The new rules on lobbying alone, no matter how tough, are not enough to fix a broken system in Washington. That's why I'm also setting rules that govern not just lobbyists but all those who have been selected to serve in my administration."

In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public, not to look for reasons to legally withhold it, an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.

Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.

Obama said "For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city. But these historic measures do mark the beginning of a new era of openness in our country. And I will, I hope, do something to make government trustworthy in the eyes of the American people, in the days and weeks, months and years to come."

Earlier Wednesday, the president called the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan following the Israeli military assault on Gaza.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mentioned "He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership. The president emphasized his determination to work to help consolidate the cease-fire by establishing an effective anti-smuggling regime to prevent Hamas from rearming, and facilitating in partnership with the Palestinian Authority a major reconstruction effort for Palestinians in Gaza."

All this, in one day........Way to go Mr. President! You have made the country proud!

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Robert+Re
dford+spanks+George+Bush+greets+Obama/1181963/story.htm
l

Robert Redford says he's got no argument with the incoming administration, and that he's cautiously optimistic conditions for arts and culture in the United States will improve once president-elect Barack Obama takes charge. But he's not expecting any miracles given the current economic crisis.

"I'm happy to see (the Bush team) get out of there, and the sooner the better. Things can't get much worse," said Redford, addressing journalists Thursday, the opening day of the 25th Sundance Film Festival.

"This current president may be a lame duck, but he's been doing a lot of quacking in the last while," said the film actor, director and Sundance founder.

Redford said there's a latent fear about art among many right-wing Americans who see free and open cultural expression as a threat to more conservative values.

These fears have taken a toll on the overall climate within the artistic community, he says. They've also led to the disemboweling of government funding organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, an organization he says has been reduced to the point of being redundant.

Redford referred to the Bush administration as the "gang that couldn't shoot straight."

I  couldn't agree more.....

http://www.shallownation.com/2009/01/17/obama-train
-video-photos-obama-express-whistle-stop-train-inaugura
tion/

President-elect Barack Obama took a  whistle-stop train trip from Philadelphia, PA to Washington, DC on January 17, 2009.  See video and photos of the symbolic trip; rallies and speeches and transcripts,  which kicked off the four day Inaugural celebration.

The 137 mile Obama train route retraced part of the trip Abraham Lincoln took before his inauguration in 1861. As did Lincoln before him, Obama used the trip to galvanize the country and bring a feeling of renewal and hope as his incoming administration and the nation face major challenges.

Accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia and 200 preselected supports, he took part in a departure ceremony at the historic Philadelphia 30th Street Station.

From there, the train travelled to Wilmington, Delaware where Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden and numerous family members joined the Obamas in a rally and boarded the train which made its next stop in Baltimore for another rally.   Wilmington is the adopted home town of Biden who throughout his tenure in the Senate never moved to Washington, and famously opted to commute via Amtrak.

“It’s not everyday you get to do your daily commute with the next president of the United States of America,” Biden told the crowd, with an introduction of Obama billing this trip as “the beginning of another longer journey for our country…

“The weather’s cold,” said Biden, wrapped in a red scarf and black overcoat. “A deeper chill of worry and concern have gripped the nation… Millions of Americans have been knocked down. Our economy is struggling. We’re a nation at war. Sometimes, it’s difficult to believe we’ll see the Spring again. But I tell you, Spring is on the way with this new administration…

“This is more than an ordinary train ride,” Biden told his hometown audience. “This is a new beginning.”

Riding a 1939-vintage, royal-blue “Georgia 300” rail-car which presidents and candidates before him have used, Obama drew crowds along his path on a frigid winter day’s journey.

Source: Obama’s train ride: Lincolnesque imagery

Hundreds of people gathered alongside the track, at train crossings, in backyards and on rooftops, waving homemade signs and small American flags at the train. Those who came to witness the moment, even to catch only a peek of the train, stood in single-digit temperatures, which the wind chill pushed below zero. […]

The route was scripted with echoes of history in mind, with the trip beginning in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written, and continuing to Delaware, where the Constitution was first ratified. At each stop, the 10-minute speeches from Mr. Obama were imbued with a sense of history, particularly as he called on Americans “to reach for the promise of a better day, and to do the hard work of perfecting our union once more.”

For all the pomp and celebration surrounding the slow-motion trek to Washington, a two-hour journey that stretched into more than seven, the underlying mood was a far more serious one than on most days of the presidential campaign. He has often delivered similar speeches with lofty tones, but the moment took on more gravity with the presidency less than three days from being his.

“We recognize that such enormous challenges will not be solved quickly,” Mr. Obama said, speaking to a crowd of about 40,000 people in a downtown Baltimore square. “There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments. I will make some mistakes, and we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency.”

I hope Mr. Obama makes sure Bush didn't make a copy of the White House key!

I also see some are spewing their racist comments fast and furious lately, and the old debunked claims about Obama being born in Kenya and being a Communist are flying high.  The only "end that's near" as some call it, is the end of Bush's facist imperialistic presidency that's done it's best to ruin the country.

May God bless Obama and his family. It's way past time the Democrats got down to the business of fixing what the Republicans have screwed up.........

This post is also a "NO WHINING ZONE." All comments resembling whining will be promptly deleted.

Just to clarify something so there will be no confusion, a "Last_Hwy" has been posting blogs while using my name on the actual post. Why? Heck if I know, you'll have to ask him. To avoid any confusion, merely click on the name at the bottom of the post, and you'll see who's actually posting the blogs.

This has been a public service announcement. Back now to our regularly scheduled program......