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Friday, November 11, 2011   Good afternoon, Happy Veterans Day. To those brave women who have worn the uniform, and to all of the many military families out there – thank you for your service and your sacrifice. We wanted to let you know ASAP about a great piece that just went live, authored by Senior Advisor to President Obama and Chair of the Council on Women & Girls, Valerie Jarrett, and featured on the Huffington Post. We've reprinted the full piece below. And finally, in case you missed it, please be sure to check out the video of the President’s remarks at the National Women’s Law Center earlier this week. Women's Issues Are America's Issues By Valerie Jarrett, Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls On Wednesday evening, President Obama addressed a dinner hosted by the National Women's Law Center, and delivered a powerful speech on the importance of continuing the fight for equality for women and girls. The dinner honored women Freedom Riders, who put their own lives in jeopardy in order to fight for the end of segregation in the South. It was an honor to spend an evening with these courageous women, and it was a moment when our nation's past and present were truly woven together. One Freedom Rider whispered to the President Obama that on the day he was born, August 4th, 1961, she was in jail in Mississippi. The Freedom Riders' stories should remind us all that change is hard. Very hard. It takes time. But with conviction, determination, and sacrifice, change is always possible. And when it comes to securing equal rights and opportunities for America's women and girls, our country has made great progress in just a few short years. Change is the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the very first bill President Obama signed into law, which strengthens a woman's right to equal pay. Change is health care reform that makes it illegal to deny coverage for women with pre-existing conditions such as breast cancer or being a victim of domestic violence, and requires insurance companies to cover preventive care, including mammograms and contraception. Change is investing in STEM education for girls, so that America's women can be equally represented in the next generation of scientists, researchers, and engineers. Change is nominating two women to the Supreme Court, so that for the first time in American history, three of the nine justices are women. Change is creating the White House Council on Women and Girls, which focuses every federal department and agency on working together to improve the lives of women and girls, recognizing that the issues that primarily affect women are not just women's issues. When a woman is paid equally for equal work, her family is better off, her community is healthier, and our economy grows. When women succeed, America succeeds. I could not be prouder to work on behalf of a leader who truly understands the importance of these issues. President Obama has worked tirelessly to make sure that women and girls live in a country where, as he put it, "there is no limit on how big they can dream or how high they can reach." Yet, President Obama recognizes that we still have a long way to go. Women continue to trail men in science and math, subjects that will be absolutely critical for the jobs of the future. Women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. And like every group of Americans, women have been hit hard by the economic crisis, and the recession that followed. As President Obama pointed out, there are those in Congress who don't seem to understand the urgency of these challenges. Republicans in the Senate have blocked the American Jobs Act, which would cut taxes for nearly 80 million women. They voted down a measure that would have put hundreds of thousands teachers - about three-quarters of whom are women - back in front of the classroom, where they could help prepare our kids for the future. The President will continue to urge Congress to put politics aside, and do the right thing for American families. And if Congress refuses to act, he will continue to take steps to improve the economy without them. Because if we harness the potential of every American, there is no question that we will out-compete the rest of the world for the jobs and industries of the future. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago, when the winners of the Google Science Fair were announced. Over 10,000 young people submitted projects, from 90 different countries. In many ways, this competition was a metaphor for the global competition that will define the 21st century. Citizens and countries will compete for the jobs and industries of the future, and as they do, STEM skills will be absolutely critical. So President Obama was thrilled when he heard that this year's winners were three teenage girls from America. After the announcement, President Obama invited all three girls to the White House, so he could personally congratulate them on their achievement. I had the chance to meet these young women, and they were extraordinary. Not only were they very smart, they were full of passion and enthusiasm about learning so that they could contribute to society. As President Obama said on Wednesday, they demonstrate that America is still "a place where ideas are born, where dreams can grow, and where a student in a classroom or a passenger on a bus or a legal secretary in an office can stand up and decide to change the world." Continuing our journey toward a more perfect union won't be easy. It never is. But as women throughout our country fight for change -- for equal rights and equal opportunity -- the White House will be a partner in their work. Get Updates If you received this email from a friend or colleague and aren’t already receiving our email updates, sign up for our newsletter using this form. We would like to send you updates and engage with you in other ways. Please fill out this contact form in you are interested. Stay Connected   Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr iTunes   This email was sent to sasdebosque@yahoo.com Manage Subscriptions for sasdebosque@yahoo.com Sign Up for Updates from the White House Unsubscribe sasdebosque@yahoo.com | Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

(6) The MAYOR calls the...

Please Read the following Letter.  It tells me we are missing a great opportunity and I find it, frankly, honest and touching.  See my comments after the letter.  


AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF OAKLAND FROM THE OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION

1 November 2011 – Oakland, Ca.

We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.

As your police officers, we are confused.

On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.

Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in – to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.

To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.

That’s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against “the establishment.” But aren’t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City’s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?

It is all very confusing to us.

Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.

The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.

All of these mixed messages are confusing.

We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling – we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead – not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.

Sherry's comments: 

I would say that Occupiers in Oakland might consider STOPPING THE VIOLENCE, STOPPING THE FIRES, STOPPING VANDALISM, and other threatening behavior. That All Occupiers should keep in mind that Police and Firefighters should have our full support and cooperation, as they are part of the 99%. Police in several cities have been confused about the agenda of the Occupiers, combined with confusion of orders coming from above. Occupiers should support, reassure, affirm, and educate........... Sherry