Change & Experience: The Hillary Blog

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2009-02-23T13:35:00.001-06:00

Photo: Alaska's Mount Redoubt Erupts???

2009-01-30T15:07:00.005-06:00

Before photo:

Digg it.
Photo Courtesy: USGS

Backup seismograph link:

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http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

2009-01-23T18:34:00.007-06:00

http://gillibrand.senate.gov/

Kirsten Gillibrand's Senate website has just gone up but currently redirects to the official Senate.gov website. It is unknown when the full website will be in place.

Talk about it: Hillary's Village
Visit: gillibrand.senate.gov

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http://www.gillibrand.senate.gov
gillibrand.senate.gov

New York Governor Paterson names Gillibrand to Senate

2009-01-23T11:57:00.005-06:00

ALBANY — Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. David Paterson today, a pick that elevates the two-term Democrat to the national political stage and makes her the first senator from upstate in 40 years.

Gillibrand succeeds Hillary Clinton, who resigned after her appointment this week as Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

"I aspire to follow in her footsteps, knowing her shoes I can only hope to fill," the Greenport Democrat said.

Gillibrand attempted to steer aside complaints from fellow Democrats who say she is too conservative.

"I will represent the many diverse views and voices of New York state," said Gillibrand, adding that she would work with Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, a Long Island Democrat who has criticized Gillibrand's A rating from the National Rifle Association. "I will look for ways to find common ground between upstate and downstate."

Paterson said his selection had nothing to do with Gillibrand's gender or geography, factors that some observers say could strengthen the Democratic Party's statewide ticket in 2010, the year Paterson is expected to run for governor.

"We have reached a decision that brings us our best candidate," said Paterson. "This decision was made on who the best candidate would actually be."

They met during the Blackout of 2003, when Paterson said he was trying to convince Gillibrand to run for the state Senate.

Paterson ended his two-month hunt for a new junior senator after weighing several other candidates, including one-time front-runner Caroline Kennedy, who dropped out of the race on Thursday.

Source: Times Union

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Confirmed: Kirsten Gillibrand Chosen to Fill Clinton's Senate Seat

2009-01-22T19:47:00.007-06:00

PIX NEWS is being told that Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the reported choice of Governor David Paterson to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Two Congressional sources say members of the New York delegation have been invited to join Governor Paterson for the announcement in Albany at noon tomorrow.

Two members of that delegation, agreeing to speak without attribution, confirmed to reporter Marvin Scott that the Governor has telephoned New York's Democratic members of Congress for their views after Caroline Kennedy withdrew herself from consideration. One of the contenders, longterm Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney canceled a scheduled appearance on "PIX News Closeup" tomorrow because of a "conflict," which she did not disclose. She too will be in Albany. According to the sources, Gillibrand, now in her second congressional term, was favored by Secretary of State Clinton herself. Paterson has been under pressure to select a woman.

With most Democratic leaders in Albany coming from the New York City area, one source said this would be an important move for the Governor to have a Senator from upstate. Sources say Gillibrand would be an asset to Paterson in any bid for election in 2010.

While some insist Gillibrand is the Governor's choice, another New York Congressman cautioned tonight that "It's not a done deal." He claims there is some political in-fighting and ongoing conversations with the Governor. There appears to be some challenge to Gillibrand's voting record. She's now serving her second term. Reached for comment, the Dean of New York's Congressional delegation, Charlie Rangel, would say nothing more than that he's been invited to join the governor for an announcement tomorrow morning.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is considered the candidate with the most experience for the Senate seat, had been considered a frontrunner. But the Congressional sources told Scott, "appointing him would present the Governor with a problems in the selection of a successor," one that could lead to a potential political battle in Albany. Combative Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the legislature would have to approve the state's next Attorney General.

As one source noted, "in politics you never know," but based on the information they have heard and shared with PIX News, Governor Paterson is poised to name Kirsten Gillibrand as New York's next Senator at a noon news conference Friday in Albany.
Gillibrand was sworn into office in January 2007 and serves as U.S. Representative to New York's Twentieth Congressional District, which stretches across the upstate counties of Saratoga, Dutchess, Columbia, Rensselaer, Washington, Warren, Delaware, Greene, Essex and Otsego.
Gillibrand, who resides in Hudson, New York, is married and has two children, a four-year-old and an infant.

Source: PIX News
Talk about it: Hillary's Village

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Photos: Hillary Clinton's first day as Secretary of State

2009-01-22T11:01:00.003-06:00

Press Release: Caroline Kennedy withdraws Bid for New York Senate seat

2009-01-22T01:42:00.002-06:00

Caroline Kennedy abruptly ended her bid to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate early Thursday morning amid increased friction with Gov. David Paterson’s office and after an evening of confusion among her aides and supporters.

“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she said in a statement emailed to reporters by her spokesman at 12:07 a.m. Thursday.

Discuss this article at Hillary's Village.

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9/11 Families Outraged by Obama Call to Suspend Guantanamo War Crimes Trials

2009-01-22T01:38:00.000-06:00

Family members of people killed on September 11, 2001, and in other terror attacks say they are outraged by Obama's draft order calling for the suspension of war crimes trials of prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay.

"To me it's beyond comprehension that they would take the side of the terrorists," said Peter Gadiel, whose son, James, was killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. "Many of these people have been released and been right back killing, right back at their terrorist work again."

Obama's request on the first full day of his presidency came as a draft order was being prepared ordering the closing of the Guantanamo prison within a year. A judge responded by halting the case against a Canadian detainee accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, issuing a 120-day continuance in the case.

"I see no reason why we should delay these proceedings. Let justice be served," said Jefferson Crowther, whose 24-year-old son, Welles, was killed in the Twin Towers after he saved the lives of several others.

Critics blasted Obama's decision, which they said would delay justice in cases that have already been waiting for the better part of a decade.

"There is no need to suspend [the military tribunals]. There is no reason why [Obama] can't conduct a concurrent review at the same time that the military commission process is moving forward to render justice for the terrorists that have murdered thousands of people," said former Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who lost 17 sailors during a suicide bombing attack on the USS Cole in 2000. A suspect in the case is being held at Guantanamo.

"It demeans their deaths because we seem to be more concerned with the rights of detainees than we are with the justice that is being denied to my sailors that were killed," Lippold told FOXNews.com.

Source: FOX News

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Photos: Hillary Clinton at Times Square - 2009

2009-01-01T16:31:00.009-06:00

Video: Frank Sinatra - Silent Night, Holy Night

2008-12-24T09:22:00.001-06:00

Video: Frank Sinatra - Silent Night, Holy Night

Video: Silver and Gold

2008-12-24T09:18:00.003-06:00

Video: Silver and Gold

Video: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

2008-12-24T09:14:00.000-06:00

Video: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Video: Frosty the Snowman

2008-12-24T09:11:00.000-06:00

Video: Frosty the Snowman

Video: A Soldier's Silent Night

2008-12-22T18:12:00.002-06:00

Video: A Soldier's Silent Night

Women in 2008: “Two Steps Forward, Still Ten Paces Behind?”

2008-12-15T18:15:00.001-06:00

In a recent article, NOW asks a question and makes a request:

Obama Administration: Feminist or Sexist? Is Barack Obama the new “feminist in chief?” Our jury is still out.

Let Obama know you’re paying attention. Contact his transition team to tell them that the focus on women is great, but can’t be half-hearted. A rebuke of Favreau is one way to show that the President-elect will put women’s issues at the front in practice, not just in words. You can also call them at 202-54… (Press option #2 for a live person).

I appreciate your article, however, I think it’s too little, too late.

Many of us who flew the Puma Flag during the election did so because we recognized the blatant sexism coming from not only the MSM but also from the Obama Camp against Hillary Clinton and also Sarah Palin.

Favreau’s actions and the silence from Obama is appalling and an indication that the President-Elect only voted for women’s issues because it was politically expedient. He hires people on his staff who harbor a backwoods attitude about women and he pays his women staffers less than the men. His recent administration appointments indicate that he will have a male-dominated team. I’ll never forget how he smiled in the debate when John McCain brought up the T-shirts with the “C” word on them that his supporters were wearing or that he made the “Lipstick on a Pig” remark.

I want to take a moment to talk about Sarah Palin. While you could hardly classify me as a “conservative”, I think its an outrage that organizations like NOW will not stand up for every woman regardless on her views on abortion.

There are women who are Democrats who are also Catholic or Baptists who struggle with the Party’s platform on abortion. And to these women, “the right to choose” is not the same thing as the right to an abortion. There are many women who have had abortions in the past who are now advocates against abortion because they know what it did to their own lives. Women are not all of one collective mindset.

Women of all views are entitled to a voice and a seat at the table. They need to have the power and opportunity to sit down and work out viable solutions. We need to realize, in this day in age, young women who are out there having unprotected sex face bigger problems than just an unwanted pregnancy. This isn’t the 1970s.

What about the blatant sexism in media? What about the women who think being a woman means parading around in a bikini contest, or gyrating on top of some rap singer? Why would any women tolerate another women questioning a woman’s ability to hold high office just because she has a family.

NOW and other women’s organizations need to realize what many PUMAS realized months ago: its no longer about Party or about one issue, its about respecting women as equals and recognizing that diversity is good. Aren’t liberals supposed to be tolerant of other people and their views?

My challenge to NOW and to my other sisters is to hold President-elect Obama to task; otherwise his rhetoric will indeed be “just words”. Yes, Favreau needs to be fired. He needs to be sent to a sexual harassment class. Would you put up with a male employee in NOW’s offices groping an image NOW’s CEO?

Meanwhile, we need to find real solutions for women with unwanted pregnancies and educate young women to respect their bodies and themselves and to not feel pressured to have sex just because they think it makes them more attractive to some man. We need to work with our young sisters to help them set goals for their lives. We need to work with pro-life women to establish these alternatives while at the same time limit the government’s involvement in our lives and in our choices and over our bodies.

As a woman, my biggest concern during this election is that while we took two very important steps forward this year we took about ten steps back. I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend to walk ten paces behind any man.

MaryKay ©

Source:
The Hillary's Village Blog

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Biography: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

2008-12-08T15:56:00.007-06:00

In 1993, Texans elected Kay Bailey Hutchison to the United States Senate in a special election, making her the first -- and, to date, the only -- woman elected to represent the state in the Senate. One year later, she was re-elected to a full six-year term. And in 2000, she received more votes for her re-election to a second full term than any other statewide candidate had ever received. In 2006, she was again re-elected by an overwhelming margin. She serves in the Senate leadership, having been elected by her colleagues to be chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the 110th Congress, making her the fourth-highest ranking Republican senator and the highest ranking Republican woman. Sen. Hutchison also serves on the Republican National Hispanic Assembly (RNHA) National Advisory Committee.

Defense and Foreign Policy

Senator Hutchison has played a vital role in shaping America's defense policy and fulfilling our nation's promises to our veterans as former Chairman and now Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense . She introduced and passed legislation creating an Overseas Basing Commission, which conducted a comprehensive review of the U.S. military's global footprint to help ensure that our Armed Forces are prepared to meet 21st century threats. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Homeland Security

The senator worked to secure funding for an additional 1,500 Border Patrol agents to strengthen enforcement of immigration laws. In 2004, she helped pass the National Intelligence Reform Act, which included provisions she authored to ensure greater screening of air cargo. That legislation instructs the Transportation Security Administration to establish a database of known shippers, develop facility security plans, and mandate use of worker identification cards.

During her term as Chairman of the Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Aviation, she played a major role in drafting the airline security bill passed by Congress after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Tax Relief and Family Support

Senator Hutchison has consistently championed tax relief for working families. In recent years, she has led the fight to provide relief from the marriage income tax penalty and to reestablish the deduction for state and local sales taxes for Texans. Senator Hutchison has worked to reduce marginal income tax rates, eliminate the death tax, and lower taxes on capital gains.

Early in her Senate career, she was lead sponsor of a bill to create the new Homemaker IRA. It allows spouses who do not work outside the home to save for retirement through an IRA.

Education and Science

Senator Hutchison has authored legislation to help recruit mid-career professionals and retirees into teaching positions. A provision included by Senator Hutchison in the No Child Left Behind Act requires "report cards" that give parents regular updates on the performance of their child's school. Senator Hutchison was also able to allow parents to place their children in a single-gender school or classroom by removing barriers that prevented local school districts from offering this choice.

Senator Hutchison was instrumental in establishing The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST). It is the centerpiece of her effort to support research and development while promoting Texas as a science state. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Texas has moved to third in the nation in receipt of federal research and development expenditures.

From January 2005 to December 2007, Senator Hutchison served as Chairman, then Ranking Member, of the Science and Space Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee, overseeing NASA and the National Science Foundation. In December of 2005, the president signed into law the Senator's five-year blueprint for NASA's exploration and research initiatives.

Transportation

In December of 2007, Senator Hutchison became Ranking Member of the Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee, having led efforts in 2006 to repeal the anti-competitive Wright Amendment, which limited flights out of Dallas Love Field Airport. Originally intended to encourage growth at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the harmful provision artificially inflated air fares at both airports. At the Senator's encouragement, airlines and airport owners reached an historic agreement -- now enacted into law -- that will remove unfair barriers and restrictions at Love Field.

Senator Hutchison became the Ranking Member on the Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation in July of 2008.

Personal History

The senator's Texas roots run deep. Thomas Rusk of Nacogdoches was the first Texan to hold the U.S. Senate seat she currently occupies. He and Senator Hutchison's great-great-grandfather, Charles S. Taylor, were friends and both signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Senator Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas and UT Law School. She was twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In 1990, she was elected Texas State Treasurer. In June 2000, she and several colleagues coauthored Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate, and in 2004, she released her second book, American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who Shaped Our Country. Sen. Hutchison published her most recent bestseller, Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers, in October 2007.

The senator lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their two children, Bailey and Houston.

Awards And Recognition (Partial List)

Air Force Association Distinguished American Award, 2008
Sewall-Belmont House and Museum's Alice Award, 2007
Connie Mack Lifetime Achievement Award from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, 2007
National Guard Association of Texas Charles Dick Medal of Merit, 2006
Association of the United States Army Outstanding Legislator Award, 2006
American Legion National Commander's Distinguished Public Service Award, 2006
Forbes Magazine's 2005 World's 100 Most Powerful Women
Deep East Texas Council of Governments 2005 Legislator of the Year
Named "Mr. South Texas" by the Washington's Birthday Celebration Association for 2005
Women's Foreign Policy Group Inaugural Congressional Leadership Award, 2004
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Leadership Award, 2002
National Military Family Association Award for Service to Military Families, 2001
CLEAT Award for Support of Law Enforcement, 2000
Texas Women's Chamber of Commerce 100 Most Influential Texas Women of the Century, 1999
Texan of the Year, Texas Legislative Conference, 1997
Inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, 1997
Republican Woman of the Year by the National Federation of Republican Women, 1995
Outstanding Alumna, University of Texas, 1995

Visit the Official Website:
http://www.hutchison.senate.gov/

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Who is Anh "Joseph" Cao?

2008-12-07T10:31:00.007-06:00

Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao, 41, was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, the fifth of eight children. He grew up in Vietnam during the most turbulent years of the Vietnamese Civil War and can vividly remember bombs exploding next to his elementary school. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Joseph fled Vietnam for the safety of the United States. His father, an Army officer committed to the freedom of South Vietnam was imprisoned by the Communists, leaving his mother to singlehandedly raise the five remaining children.

At the age of eight, Joseph and two of his seven siblings arrived in the United States. He spent his first four years in America where he attended primary school and learned the English language and culture. Eventually, he settled in Houston, Texas, where he graduated from Jersey Village High School and in 1990 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

After graduation, Joseph entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), finally arriving in Louisiana for the first time to begin his religious training at Grand Coteau. During his first two years in the Society, Joseph was sent by his religious superiors to various parts of the world to minister to the poor and indigent. Joseph was then sent to New Orleans in 1992 to study theology and philosophy, furthering his training for the priesthood. He subsequently was accepted to Fordham University in New York, where he earned his Master of Arts degree in philosophy in May 1995. He returned to New Orleans to teach philosophy and ethics at Loyola University. The following year, Joseph left the Society of Jesus and taught at a local parochial school in Virginia.

While in Virginia, Joseph volunteered at Boat People S.O.S., Inc. (BPSOS) to assist poor Vietnamese in their quest for social justice and enculturation and to lobby the U.S. Congress on issues concerning civil and religious rights. He eventually became a board member of BPSOS and served in that capacity from September 1996 to March of 2002.

In September of 1997, Joseph returned to New Orleans to study law at Loyola School of Law and subsequently resumed teaching philosophy at Loyola in 1998. In May of 2000, he obtained his Juris Doctorate from Loyola and began his legal career as an associate at the Waltzer Law Firm. He left Waltzer & Associates to become in-house counsel for BPSOS, opening a New Orleans office seeking social and legal equity for the many refugees in the city. During his time as BPSOS in-house counsel, Joseph initiated programs to help victims of torture and to provide social and cultural developments for poor minorities.

Joseph is married to Hieu “Kate” Hoang; they have two daughters, Sophia and Betsy. He opened his private law practice in 2002, which he continues to operate. Also in 2002, he was selected by Archbishop Alfred Hughes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to be a member of the National Advisory Council to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which addresses many pressing issues, such as women’s rights in the U.S. Church, social justice, pedophilia and children protection, the Catholic response to Hurricane Katrina, and education.

Like many in New Orleans, on August 28, 2005, Joseph and his family fled from their home in Venetian Isles (located in New Orleans East) as Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans. Returning in early September, Joseph saw that everything he possessed was destroyed, including his home and his law offices. Joseph would once again have to rebuild his life.

Determined to return and rebuild, in October of 2005 he moved his family to Westwego and began the rebuilding of his Orleans home and law office. His office would take three months to repair, his home a year and a half. Like the people of Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes who were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, Joseph has endured struggles against insurance companies and the political leadership and has proven to be a leader in rebuilding the Vietnamese community. He assisted the residents in New Orleans East in their successful fight against a landfill that threatened to change the social fabric of their community. He fought energy and telecommunication companies to have basic necessities restored in a timely fashion.

In 2007 Joseph ran as an independent for the State House of Representatives and carried Orleans Parish. He presently serves as a board member of the MQVN Community Development Corporation which is responsible for many programs such as charter schools, medical clinics, and retirement centers. Last year he was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to the Board of Elections for Orleans Parish. He was also elected to the Republican Parish Executive Committee and the State Republican Executive Committee where he continues to serve. In 2008 Joseph was elected as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Joseph Cao understands the struggles of the rebuilding process and shares the hopes and desires of the people of New Orleans. His is a life of determination -- to never submit to adversity and to always seek social improvement and justice.

PERSONAL HISTORY • Law degree from Loyola University • Former Jesuit seminarian • Vietnamese refugee • Small business owner • Fluent in English, Vietnamese, French, and Spanish • Married with two daughters • Member, Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church

MAN OF ACTION • Opened local Boat People SOS Office to help local refugees • Has worked at local, state and national levels to ensure equal rights of legal minorities in the U.S. • A former secondary school teacher • A former university professor • Appointed by the Archbishop of New Orleans to U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops National Advisory Council

KATRINA SURVIVOR • Helped restore energy and telecommunications service to New Orleans East in timely fashion • Rebuilt his home and law practice from scratch • Helped protect neighborhoods from illegal and hazardous dumping of Katrina debris • An involved volunteer in rebuilding greater New Orleans

Visit the Official Website:
http://www.josephcaoforcongress.com/

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Who is Representative Kirsten Gillibrand?

2008-12-04T16:38:00.006-06:00

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand was sworn into office on January 4th, 2007 and is serving her first term as U.S. Representative to New York’s Twentieth Congressional District, which stretches across the upstate counties of Saratoga, Dutchess, Columbia, Rensselaer, Washington, Warren, Delaware, Greene, Essex and Otsego.

In her first term in office, Congresswoman Gillibrand has established herself as an independent leader in Congress. She was the lead sponsor of legislation that would implement the bipartisan 9/11 Commission Recommendations, which will help protect our borders and keep America safe. She has been an advocate for decreased federal spending, and introduced legislation that would require the federal government – just as all New York families do - to balance their budget every year. Finally, she has made tax cuts for Upstate and North Country families, one of her highest priorities. She has authored legislation that would double the tax credit for child care expenses and make up to $10,000 in college tuition tax deductible.

Congresswoman Gillibrand has taken unprecedented steps to make her office accountable and transparent to her constituents. She was the first Member of Congress to publish their public schedule online at the end of each day, and as a strong proponent of earmark reform, she voluntarily released every earmark that she requested that would invest in Upstate and North Country priorities.

Congresswoman Gillibrand serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee . On the Armed Services Committee, Representative Gillibrand serves on the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities subcommittee and the Seapower subcommittee. On the Agriculture Committee Representative Gillibrand serves on the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee, Conservation Credit Energy and Research subcommittee and the Horticulture and Organic Agriculture subcommittee.

In addition to her committee assignments, Congresswoman Gillibrand founded the Congressional High Tech Caucus with Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) with the goal of ensuring that the United States remains at the forefront of emerging technologies and high tech industries.

During the administration of President Clinton, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Cuomo. At HUD she played a key role in furthering HUD's Labor Initiative and New Markets initiative, working to strengthen enforcement of the Davis-Bacon Act and drafting new markets legislation for public and private investment in building infrastructure to revitalize lower income areas across the nation. Following federal service, Congresswoman Gillibrand entered the private sector, joining one of the Country’s premier law firms. As a partner in the firm, she worked on a wide range of legal and policy related issues, requiring the knowledge and ability to negotiate on the highest levels, skills which serve her constituents well as a Member of Congress.

Kirsten Gillibrand is a firm believer that those in a position to do so have an obligation to "give back" by serving their community. In addition to her responsibilities at the law firm, she maintained an extensive pro-bono practice for clients whose voices are seldom heard and needs seldom addressed. Her service on behalf of abused women and their children, and tenants seeking safe affordable housing without lead paint hazards has been tireless. At the heart of Representative Gillibrand's core values is the inspiration of her grandmother, Dorothea (Polly) Noonan, who was a founder of the area's first Women's Democratic Club and was a pioneer for women's rights in the region.

Congresswoman Gillibrand has hit the ground running in her new position as the Representative for New York's 20th Congressional District, she commits herself to deliver her best efforts to serve the people of the entire district regardless of political affiliations. She embraces her responsibilities with gratitude to the many thousands of voters who put their faith in her, and promises, to never forget where she came from or whose interests she seeks to serve – the people.

Raised in the Capital Region, Congresswoman Gillibrand attended the Academy of the Holy Names and Emma Willard High School. She received a Bachelors Degree in Asian Studies from Dartmouth and a Juris Doctorate from UCLA.

The Congresswoman is married to Jonathan Gillibrand and they have two children, four year old Theo and infant Henry . The family resides in Hudson, New York.

Talk about it at: Hillary's Village

Photo Caption: US Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) (R) leads a group of congresswomen, including Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (L) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) (C), to deliver a statement in support of US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on her pro-choice record, at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, May 14, 2008.

Talk about it at: Hillary's Village

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The Hillary's Village Blog launches

2008-12-02T08:54:00.004-06:00

The Hillary's Village Blog was launched overnight on December 1, 2008.

The first posts have yet to be seen.

Visit Hillary's Village.
Visit The Hillary's Village Blog (still under construction).

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Hillary's Village: "The Winter of Our Discontent"

2008-11-30T14:00:00.006-06:00

A light snow fell last night and as I looked out over the landscape it occurred to me that I might be looking out over the coming winter of our continuing discontent. The remnants of the the fallen leaves were strewn around, memories of events that had come before. The life that might have been, the promise that was not fulfilled.

I look to the faces of many in whom there is hope. But is a cheap hope to me, false in the same way reality can never be fully captured on film by Hollywood. It is a counterfeit but one that serves to satiate the masses hungry for anything because substance is not available. And we have lost our desire for anything real, we have given over the reins to not only our entertainment but our inspiration as well, to those who would seek to profit from what would have otherwise been a meaningful enterprise.

In that emptiness, the hollow echo that sounds across the landscape, keeping hope alive never seemed so distant a possibility. A cheap victory, commemorated by trinkets on the the QVC channel, only $19.95 on networks that spin our dreams over the airwaves. We are without substance and at the mercy of those who see profit where we see our principles cast aside.

It was always about something bigger. Bigger than we are in every way. Bigger than a person or a Party or a policy. But the ache that will not go away for me is that it, the grand machine that consumes everything in its way, has now become bigger than the Principle. And the villain is no longer merely the ghost in the machine. Because that ghost has been made real and given life and visceral and is taking no prisoners. It is no longer a covert "them" because it became the people, out in the open and willing and complicit. They gave themselves over wholesale, not even to an idea but merely to the image of an idea. And for them it seems to be enough. There is no "them" or "there" anymore because it is here and now and in our homes.

When I was growing up, I would sit in rapt attention as my parents kept us engaged with stories of their adventures. There was always a meaning to the telling and a sense of purpose in the accounts. It was always about having a place in history but it was the substance of the history that mattered. It was always about justice and right and wrong and where events fell within that metric.

Some of the first stories I heard were about Brown vs the Board of Education and the question about whether or not separate could possibly be equal. But underlying all of the logic that those on both sides of the issue put forth, at the heart of all of their lessons to our eager minds, was the unavoidable reasoning that had to imbue any argument one might make. And the foundation to all the reasoning was the fact that there was a humanity, a living breathing person who would be on the receiving end of whatever justice was dispensed. And that "might" never made a whit of difference when one was considering what was "right."

Martin Luther King was my hero. I would listen to his fine baritone, sounding out across the upturned faces of hope in the crowds, the cadence, the humility, the heart and the soul. I knew I was in the presence of greatness, I knew I was hearing the truth for it shook me to my core and resonated in that place where I knew , where I found and recognized something pure. He called us all to the truth and to what was noble. It was always about the ideas and the people they affected. It was never about him. For it was in forgetting himself that he truly was cast into immortality.

My favorite movie was "To Kill a Mockingbird". I could think of nothing finer than Gregory Peck, standing before a courtroom, holding aloft a sense of right and wrong and making the choice. His words struck a chord so deep within that there was no choice but to do the right thing. My father told me that worth was measured not in what you had but in what you gave. Not in what you were but in what you recognized in others and the possibilities that might be. Not in following the dictates of the petty but in honoring the principles that respected the dignity of everyone.

I've carried these soul-stirring notions with me my whole life. They are my greatest treasure, something that can never be taken from me no matter how impoverished I am because they are a sense of right and wrong and purpose and connection to not merely justice but most importantly, to the people for whom it has been held out of reach.

So, we come to a place now , where I see a great fraud, a great counterfeit having been committed using the very hopes and dreams of those for whom dignity and respect have been withheld. And it has been done while engaged in the destruction of the great other, the woman. And I again, feel shame for those who have done it. A deep sense of shame for them that is so great, I can barely set my eyes upon them, for I know, that they know and they do not care. They are not thinking justice, they are thinking victory by any means. They are not thinking about what is right , they are thinking revenge at any cost. They are seeking the prize, without any accounting of the cost and the besmirching of honor it cost to get there.

So here in the winter of our discontent, as the days roll inexorably into days and the wheels of justice move not at all or even backwards, I saw a great injustice occur this year but no one noticed because it was just more of the same. Because it is unremarkable to destroy a woman's dream, it is unremarkable to hold woman to an impossible standard, it is unremarkable to demand justice for a black man while simultaneously calling a woman a cunt, hanging her effigy, ridiculing her mind and body, calling for her gang rape and having the audience laugh and laugh and laugh.

And thus we teach our little girls, our daughters, to laugh and laugh and laugh along. As they see their own kind, themselves, their own hopes and dreams, defiled and denigrated. The only hopes of a hero they ever had, made a mockery and a joke; national pastime and a sport. I am ashamed. For I see a deep sickness in the hearts and minds of an entire nation that will use and abuse for their collective pleasure while simultaneously congratulating themselves for their great moral progress.

It is such a betrayal of the truth to proclaim that we have achieved the ideals laid out in the documents of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution just because we elected Senator Obama while at the same time publicly treating the women who ran against him as objects of scorn and ridicule. The fact that he has been elected President is just as much of a testament that we have not achieved these ideals of equality than that we have, because so much injustice was committed in its pursuit and as the means to achieve it.

I am undone by the deep wound that is in my soul for Martin Luther King's words still stir me and I know that a terrible illness still infects our nation. And it occurs to me that we are only just beginning to restore sight where we have always been blind. So blind even our forefathers were not able to see. A vision even my hero, Martin Luther King could not see. For even in his world, the people who were held in the highest esteem and for whom the great fight for honor was fought were the brothers but not the sisters or the daughters or the mothers. They were not named in the fight, they were not named in the speeches. To be unnamed is to remain unknown. Women are not merely the shadow cast by the substance of man. They are not merely an echo of the words spoken by men. They are voices that have not been heard but they have much to say. There is no symphony without the violin and there is no great opera without the soprano. There is no justice without all the members of the family of man and woman equally sharing the ideals of freedom we claim define our nation.

Source:
http://www.hillarysvillage.net/showthread.php?t=2725

Updated:
This article has been published on the Hillary's Village blog.

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HillarysVillage.net to go Temporarily Offline Tonight

2008-11-24T07:53:00.008-06:00

HillarysVillage.net will go offline temporarily tonight due to routine maintenance. The outage is to last from 9 p.m. PST to 3 a.m. PST.

Source:
HillarysVillage.net

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HillaryClintonForum.net Closes its Doors, Another Door Opens

2008-11-13T16:23:00.003-06:00

HillaryClintonForum.net has closed its doors for the time being. In the meanwhile another door, HillarysVillage.net has opened as an outlet for Hillary Clinton supporters and McCain-Palin supporters.

Sarah Palin's Family

2008-11-05T03:25:00.002-06:00

Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn were Community Organizers

2008-11-01T20:01:00.038-05:00

Barack Obama isn't the only community organizer in Chicago. It turns out that Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dorhn were members of Students for a Democratic Society.

In the above FBI wanted poster, the caption reads: "The persons shown here are active members of the militant Weatherman faction of the Students for a Democratic Society - SDS".

Oddly enough Barack Obama's message of bringing "Change" to America is not new.

Here are two "campaign" buttons created by Students for a Democratic Society:

The button reads: "students for a democratic society THERE'S A CHANGE GONNA COME"

Updated:
Bernardine Dohrn had served as Inter-organizational Secretary for Students for a Democratic Society from 1968-69.
Bill Ayers had served as Education Secretary for Students for a Democratic Society from 1969-70.

This book about the SDS reveals more information.

Another book reveals this information:

Bill Ayers was later to remark: "We were talking the other night and we realized that all our heroes are dead. Wow, what a trip! Ch, Nguyen Van Troi, the Vietnamese who tried to get McNamara. We're running their pictures in our paper with the line 'Live Like Him!' and they've all been killed. Outtasight, man. We've got a new slogan for the people that are going down to help with the sugar harvest: 'Cuba is for the Living!' " Ayers' remarks typify Weatherman's tendency to define its situation in terms of extremes.

Building socialism in Cuba is for the living; overthrowing American imperialism is a death trip. Weatherman, as early as the action in the streets of Chicago, already had begun to live in the shadow of death. Not long after the "Days of Rage," Weatherman would compensate for its death trip mentality with hedonistic orgies. Like a pendulum, moving from one extreme to the other, Weatherman swung from death trips to life trips to death trips.

Bill Ayers is quoted in an article by John Kifner, "Vandals in the Mother Country," New York Times Magazine, January 4, 1970.

Added Archived Documents (discusses Ayers and Dorhn):
The New Left
Diana, the Making of a Terrorist

77
Thursday night, November 13, Bill Ayers and two other Weathermen went to the headquarters of the Moratorium (an organization of former McCarthy people particularly detested by young revolutionaries) and, in effect, tried to shake down the group for $20,000. In return for this token of "fraternal solidarity," Ayers said. Weatherman would make no attempt to turn Saturday's rally into a blood bath. The demand was never presented in so many words, and Sam Brown never acknowledged it by refusing it outright, but those present had no doubt they were witnessing a shakedown attempt. At one point during the vague but threatening conversation Ayers was asked what the Weatherman program was.

"Kill all the rich people," he answered. "Break up their cars and apartments."

"But aren't your parents rich?" he was asked.

"Yeah," Ayers said. "Bring the revolution home, kill your parents, that's where it's really at."

...

The vision of the Weathermen was almost messianic in its intensity. Like Christians who can see the hand of God in history, leading inevitably to the Judgment, the Weathermen could see the unfolding of Marxian dialectic, leading inevitably to the revolution. The necessity of revolution is rooted in the natural order, they felt; it's as much a part of the way things are as the life and death of men, or of planets.

Source: Diana, the making of a Terrorist

Photos

Bill Ayers (center in shorts and checkered shirt) joins in the singing of the "Internationale" at the 1968 national convention of SDS held at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Bill Ayers, one of the three national officers elected by the Weatherman faction of SDS.

Bernadine Dohrn, shown here addessing a rally in Chicago in September of 1969.

SDS Convention, June 1969. Bernardine Dohrn speaks to the anti PL delegates prior to official split with PL.

Archived Documents:
Students for a Democratic Society - SDS guide to Community Organizing (PDF File)

* Port Huron Statement
* You Don't Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blows (NLN, June 18, 1969)
* Toward A Revolutionary Women's Militia By Cathy Wilkerson (NLN, July 8, 1969)
* Fire! - Volume 1, Number 3, December 6, 1969
* Weather Communique Number 1
* Weather Communique Number 2
* Weather Communique Number 3
* Weather Communique Number 4
* Osawatomie Number Two
* Weatherman Wanted Poster
* FBI Files: Diana Oughton (part 1 - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Diana Oughton (part 2 - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Diana Oughton (part 3 - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Diana Oughton (part 4 - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 1a - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 1b - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 1c - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 2a - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 2b - pdf, FOIA release)
* FBI Files: Weatherman (part 2c - pdf, FOIA release)

New SDS and Other Resources:
* Bernardine Dohrn on Homeland Imperialism
* SDS/WUO Archive at Revolt dot org
* The Weather Underground - PBS Documentary

The Weatherman Songbook

Red Party (page 204)
(to the tune of "Dream Lover")
Every fight we lead astray
With no Red Party to show the way
With a line that we can use
To organize the fighting youth

Chorus:

Because we need a party to lead the fight
We need a Red Party
So we can learn to struggle right
Red Party fights to win
When we off pigs we wear a grin
We know from where the power comes
And the Party is the gun

Chorus

Someday from me and you
A Red Party will rise again
Someday I know it's true
It'll lead our RYM
When the Party needs some bread
Another banker winds up dead
Red Party likes to loot
But then again we prefer to shoot

Chorus

Spoken:
In 1902 Vladimir Illitch Lenin said that
The Social Democratic parties of Western Europe
Were like radishes red on the outside
And white on the inside

Oh, Chicago (page 205)
(to the tune of "Oh, Donna")

Chorus:

Oh Chicago, Off the Pig
Oh Chicago, Off the Pig
There once was a town, Chicago was its name
Since we went there, it's never been the same
Cause we offed that town
Chicago, brought it down
To the ground
Down to the ground

Chorus

Red Party's coming soon
We kicked the radish out last June
And now we know the time is near
When our Red Party will be here

Chorus

Red Army brought Chicago down
When we were just gettin' off the ground
Now Washington has shown the way
The Red Army is here to stay
Because we need a Red Army to win the fight
We need a Red Army
So we can lead the struggle right
When the Action started, Elrod's face was red
When it was over, the town had lost its head
The jails were all freed, the pigs were on their knees
Beggin' please
Please don't off me

Chorus

Chicago, now that you're through
In November, DC it went too
And as the panic hits the Kys and the Thieus
The ruling class will know its days are few

(Repeat first verse with Chorus.)

Developing...

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The Khalidi Tape: Putting the Bits and Pieces Together with New Details

2008-10-28T09:48:00.087-05:00

Updated

Here's another Socialistic Friend.
Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the attendees of the event, who serves as the Arab American Action Networks executive director is also a Socialist, or is at least highly supportive of Socialism.

His writings appear on the Socialist website, FightBackNews.org, originally FRSO.org (Freedom Road Socialist Organization) earlier in 2000. FRSO on its website states that, "FRSO is a Marxist-Leninist organization in the United States."

A more detailed description states:

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a revolutionary socialist and Marxist-Leninist organization in the United States. Freedom Road is very active in the peoples' movements, particularly in labor, oppressed nationality, anti-war and anti-imperialist, and student movements. Freedom Road is characterized by our understanding of national oppression in the United States. Freedom Road was founded in 1985 with the merger of 3 groups that were born in the New Communist Movement of the 1970s, and in later years other groups have joined our ranks.

Wikipedia Article
The New Communist Movement.
One of the New Communist Movement's leaders was Michael Klonsky, a former University of Chicago professor.

Hatem has periodically sent list serve e-mails to other members and Socialists.
[Marxism] Fwd: Fight Back! News
Included within that e-mail are links to other Socialistic websites, and Labor Party websites.
[A-List] MODEL OF LABOR ORGANIZING, VENEZZUELA REFERENDUM, BOLIVIA OLIGARCHY

His e-mail at the time is confirmed in a public website, and another. The ID's match in each e-mail.

You can do a quick search on the FightBackNews website to bring up at least 50 items.

Samples of his archived writings on FRSO:

"Sharon the Butcher" (Spring 2002)
"The Real Terrorism: Made in Israel" (Winter 2002)

Controversial Quotes:

On the death of Yasser Arafat in 2004, Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of AAAN, announced: “Arafat was a great man. Yes, Arafat was an icon. … We’re saddened by his death, but we don’t ignore the fact that this is not an issue of individuals, it’s an issue of a people who have been oppressed and occupied for 55 years.”

In a July 2006 interview, AAAN’s executive director, Hatem Abudayyeh, referred to the

“Israeli government and its military killing machine.”

Developing...

Updated:
Sean Hannity has found a video tape from June 13, 1998, and has been broadcasted over FOX News. Sean Hannity has also come across a book by the title Prairie Fire by Bill Ayers, and Bernadine Dorn.

Updated:
This is video from a June 13, 1998 speech by Khalidi.

Updated:
A December 15, 1998 audio from a radio interview has been found by this blog. Rashid Khalidi discusses U.S. foreign policy, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Likud party. Khalidi jokingly suggests that Netanyahu has to be finished off like finishing off a vampire with a stake.

Here's the YouTube clip:

Original article:

There is a lot of discussion about a Khalidi tape in the political blogosphere as of lately.

Here is a YouTube video of Sean Hannity discussing the background behind Rashid Khalidi and his association with Barack Obama.

Here is a secondary YouTube video from FOX News:

The so-called Khalidi tape is made reference to in a LA Times article dated April 10, 2008.

From that article, we can begin to break down the who, what, when, and where questions of the event and try to answer them.

The first question is who attended the event? We can gather some of the information from that LA Times article and also from an archived NY Sun article dated February 4, 2005.

The LA Times article mentions that the following people attended:

1. Rashid Khalidi (is the main reason this event was held)
2. Barack Obama (who gave a special tribute)
3. Mona Khalidi (Rashid Khalidi's wife)
4. Local Palestinian Leaders
5. A poet

Possible guests alluded to within the LA Times article:

1. Edward Said (a late Columbia University professor)
2. Michelle Obama
3. Ali Abunimah (a Palestinian rights activist in Chicago who helps run Electronic Intifada)

The NY Sun article mentions that the following in its article:

...In Chicago, the Khalidis founded the Arab American Action Network, and Mona Khalidi served as its president. A big farewell dinner was held in their honor by AAAN with a commemorative book filled with testimonials from their friends and political allies. These included the left wing anti-war group Not In My Name, the Electronic Intifada, and the ex-Weatherman domestic terrorists Bernadine Dohrn and Bill Ayers. (There were also testimonials from then-state Senator Barack Obama and the mayor of Chicago.)

From this we can verify and gather that the following attended the event:
1. Arab American Action Network (AAAN, founded by Rashid Khalidi)
2. Mona Khalidi
3. Not In My Name (left wing anti-war group)
4. The Electronic Intifada
5. Bill Ayers (ex-Weatherman domestic terrorist)
6. Bernadine Dohrn (ex-Weatherman domestic terrorist)
7. Barack Obama
8. Richard Daley (Mayor of Chicago)

From this information we can gather more clues from a list serve e-mail.

Fri, August 1 - Arab American Action Network.
Fundraising Dinner to Honor Mona and Rashid Khalidi for over 15 years of service to our communities in Chicago. 6 pm reception, 7 pm dinner and program, at the Burbank Manor, 6345 W. 79th St. Tickets: $50. The program will include statements of appreciation from State Senator Barack Obama, NPR personality Jerome McDonald, long-time community activist Camilia Odeh, and others; and performances by Gihad Ali, a Palestinian spoken word poet, and the Sanabel debka troupe...

And interestingly...

Fri-Thu, August 1-7
Film: "The Weather Underground." Music Box
Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Sam Green's & Bill Siegel's documentary on
1960s resistance group...

This expands the guest list:

1. Rashid Khalidi (is the main reason this event was held)
2. Arab American Action Network (AAAN, founded by Rashid Khalidi)
3. Barack Obama (who gave a special tribute)
4. Mona Khalidi (Rashid Khalidi's wife)
5. Local Palestinian Leaders
6. Not In My Name (left wing anti-war group)
7. Ali Abunimah (a Palestinian rights activist in Chicago who helps run Electronic Intifada)
8. Bill Ayers (ex-Weatherman domestic terrorist)
9. Bernadine Dohrn (ex-Weatherman domestic terrorist)
10. Gihad Ali, A poet
11. Richard Daley (Mayor of Chicago)
12. The Sanabel Debka troupe

Possible guests:
1. Edward Said (a late Columbia University professor)
2. Michelle Obama

From this we can confirm the poem that was alluded to in the LA times as "Eye to Eye" by Gihad Ali:

Palestine is our land and there we'll remain until the day our homeland is secure.   And if that time shall never come,  then you will never see a day of peace.

LA Times article snippet:

At Khalidi's 2003 farewell party, for example, a young Palestinian American recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, "then you will never see a day of peace."

We can also conclude that the Sanabel Debka troupe was the group who gave a dance and music performance as alluded to in the LA Times article:
Sanabel Debka troupe archived schedule.

From the Sanabel Debka troupe's website, we can find a photo of the group alongside with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Expanded Research
Debbie Schlussel has expanded research into the Sanabel Debka Troupe. The "Sanabel Debka Troupe" might actually be the Sanabel AlQuds Dabka Troupe which has its own controversial documented performances.

The Sanabel AlQuds Dabka Troupe, also known as the Sanabel Club has been around since November of 2002 based upon Tax Exemption data found on the internet.

Developing...

Other leads:
On the Electronic Intifada's website, Ali Abunimah posts a 1998 photo of Edward Said with Barack and Michelle Obama.
The photo caption reads: "From left to right, Michelle Obama, then Illinois state senator Barack Obama, Columbia University Professor Edward Said and Mariam Said at a May 1998 Arab community event in Chicago at which Edward Said gave the keynote speech. (Image from archives of Ali Abunimah)"

Another photo of Michelle Obama and Barack Obama at the 1998 dinner.

VIDEO: Ali Abunimah on Senator Barack Obama

Rashid Khalidi was a professor at the University of Chicago prior to being recruited by Edward Said at Columbia University. A New York Sun article describes Khalidi's problems at the time.

Verified Information

Location:
Burbank Manor, 6312 W 79th St., Burbank, Illinois

Photo courtesy of Google Maps (Street Version)

Time:
Friday, August 1, 2003
6pm - Reception
7pm - Dinner and Reception

Photos from within the Burbank Manor:

Those who attended (the guest list):
1. AAAN (Arab American Action Network)
2. Not In My Name
3. Ali Abunimah (a Palestinian rights activist in Chicago who helps run Electronic Intifada, who met Obama in 2000)
4. Bernadine Dorhn and Bill Ayers
5. Barack Obama
6. Mayor of Chicago Richard Daley
7. Rashid Khalidi
8. Mona Khalidi
9. Gihad Ali, a Palestinian spoken word poet
10. NPR Worldview host Jerome McDonnell (not McDonald as written in the e-mail)
11. Camilia Odeh (director of SWYC Southwest Youth Collaborative)
12. Sanabel Debka Troupe (traditional Palestinian dance group)
13. Hatem Abudayyeh (AAAN’s executive director)
14. Others - Up to 50 to 500, possibly 600 guests (based on Burbank Manor's seating capacity capabilities)

Possible attendees (unconfirmed, and undocumented):
1. Michelle Obama
2. Toni Rezko (Rezko was a donor to one of Rashid's University programs)
3. Edward Said
4. Louis Farrakhan
5. Nation of Islam (NOI)

Research Notes:
It appears that this event was "off the cuff" in the sense that it conveniently does not appear on the City of Chicago's Mayors Office August 2003 press release section. Daley's presence at the event is suggested otherwise by the photo posted by the traditional Palestinian dance group. The event also does not appear on Barack Obama's old State Senate website calendar:

Friday, July 4 (2003) – Obama participates in various Independence Day parades throughout Illinois. To volunteer, please email ntamarin@obamaforillinois.com.

Saturday, July 19 (2003) – Olympia Fields – South Suburbans for Obama Campaign Picnic. Sergeant Means Park. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

(Event occurred on August 1, 2003)

Wednesday, August 13 (2003) - Springfield -- Governor's Day (Democrat Day) at the State Fair. Barack to speak at rally.

Article from the Jewish Press:

OBAMA SERVED ON BOARD THAT FUNDED PRO-PALESTINIAN GROUP

JERUSALEM - Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama served as a paid director on the board of a nonprofit organization that granted funding to a controversial Arab group that mourns the establishment of Israel as a "catastrophe." (Obama has also reportedly spoken at fundraisers for Palestinians living in what the United Nations terms refugee camps.)

The co-founder of the Arab group, Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, is a harsh critic of Israel who reportedly worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization when it was labeled a terror group by the State Department.

Khalidi held a fundraiser in 2000 for Obama's failed bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 2001, the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based nonprofit that describes itself as a group helping the disadvantaged, provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network, or AAAN, at which Khalidi's wife, Mona, serves as president. The Fund provided a second grant to AAAN for $35,000 in 2002.

Obama was a director of the Woods Fund board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002, according to the Fund's website. According to tax filings, Obama received compensation of $6,000 per year for his service in 1999 and 2000.

The $40,000 grant from the Woods Fund to AAAN constituted about a fifth of the group's reported grants for 2001, also according to tax filings. The $35,000 Woods Fund grant in 2002 made up about one-fifth of AAAN's reported grants for that year as well.

Read more.

Developing...

The Domino Effect
Free Republic has picked up on this blog article.
This article has been Dugg by a reader. Feel free to Digg it.
HillBuzz has picked up on this blog article.
Michelle Malkin has picked up on this blog article.
Little Green Footballs has picked up on this blog article.
The Cleveland Leader has used part of this blog article.
Deathbya1000papercuts has blogged this article.
Debbie Schlussel has expanded research into the Sanabel Debka Troupe. The "Sanabel Debka Troupe" might actually be the Sanabel AlQuds Dabka Troupe which has its own controversial documented performances.

Note & Request:
If you happen to find the video through use of this research, please track back to this article. Thanks.

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