2004 Billboard in Times Square, photo by brian glanz uploaded on Flickr Here is an excerpt of the speech Obama gave on election night, November 4, 2008:
To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright --tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope."
Here is an excerpt from the open letter to Obama in today's New York Times:
"With your historic inauguration as the 44th President of the United States, we share our sincerest congratulations and hope that you will uphold your commitment to change.
"As American citizens we are deeply concerned that our nation's one-sided approach to the Middle East crisis compromises America's ability to act as a fair negotiator. Our foreign policy has upheld the interests of Israel, but has failed to do the same for the Palestinian people. Israel the fourth largest military power in the world has devastated a population of 1.5 million people, one without an army, navy, or air force.
"As the attacks in Gaza demonstrated, the outgoing administration chose to defend Israeli aggression even though the violence resulted in the disproportionate deaths of more than 1,300 Palestinians, including 300 children, as compared to 13 Israelis. Indeed, the loss of all of these lives cannot be justified."
The letter continues with solutions for ending the violence and concentration camp-like conditions the Palestinians have been forced to live in for so very long.
The signatories of the letter include prominent Muslim and Jewish groups such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Jews Against the Occupation, L.A. Jews For Peace, Pax Christi Metro New York, U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, United for Peace and Justice, the Muslim Finance Professionals Association and the Muslim Bar Association of New York.
This is what I am talking about, an open dialogue. Dialogue and diplomacy, not bombs and destruction. And you know Obama and his team have read this letter. I am posting a URL for the full page ad. If that doesn't work for you, just type in google "Open Letter to Obama in NY Times," and you should be able to find it.
http://files.e2ma.net/2785/assets/docs/ny-times-ad-obama-gaza.pdf
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