goverment

Friday, October 9, 2009

E-mail from President Obama about the Nobel Peace Prize

Photo: file picture of the White House A few minutes ago, I got an e-mail from President Barack Obama about the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m on an e-mail list handled by the Democratic National Committee. Here is the president’s e-mail, which is similar in tone and text to his comments earlier at the White House.   This morning, Michelle and I […]
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Burbank City Council, Falun Gong, and a new lawsuit against the city

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove A human rights issue in China stirred up the Burbank City Council meeting last night. I was there for the first public comments section and heard some passionate supporters of the Chinese health and spiritual movement Falun Gong speak out. They attempted to bear witness to the persecution of the practice by China, which considers Falun Gong a cult. During a 10 […]
Thursday, April 23, 2009

President Obama’s Earth Day challenge

Photo: Pete Souza/White House   President Barack Obama spent part of Earth Day in Newton, Iowa touring a wind tower production facility. In his Earth Day speech, the president described a major challenge facing our nation: “Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy.  The choice we face is between prosperity and decline.  We can […]
Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A close finish in the Burbank City Council race

  Photo: FLLewis/A Writers Groove I dropped by Burbank City Hall last night to see the returns come in for the General Municipal Election. The only names on the ballot were the six candidates running for three seats on the powerful Burbank City Council. Around 10 p.m. when the numbers were in for all of the city’s 42 precincts and the winners elected, I felt like I’d just watched […]
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Day 28: President Obama signs $787 billion stimulus bill into law

It’s a done deal. Less than a month into his new administration, President Barack Obama signed that massive and much fought-over $787 billion economic stimulus bill in Denver, Colorado today. President Obama reportedly used as many as 10 different pens to sign the measure. Earlier, the media event was on the verge of becoming bogged down in speeches, when President Obama finally stepped […]