Obama's speech reflects Mike Ghouse Republic Day Message

Obama is one of the all embracing individuals in the likes of  Pope Frances, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and a few other great men and women.
  

The first time I read Obama's speech was in 2007, a friend forwarded his speech he gave to the Illinois State Senate, it was pluralism in all its glory. Since then I have followed almost all of his speeches, been critical of some of his policies but mostly written his pluralistic side in some 60+ articles.

President Obama’s speech is a reflection of my essay written a week before his address, “Republic Day’s pluralistic Message to Modi and Obama.” Invariably, some of what I write comes out in his speech a few days later. I am delighted with this and here is a challenge for the youth, particularly Indian Youth to find the commonalities, thoughts and ideas between his speech and my article. 

I am glad it happened that way. I guess if you are inclusive and don't have a bias towards others, similar thoughts and actions flow out of you. Most of the articles can be found by Googling Mike Ghouse Barack Obama and some of the links are included on the left panel of this site www.TheGhousediary.com 

Now I wrote the Republic Day's Pluralistic Message to Obama and Modi, published a week or two before his speech was delivered. Here we go again, to my delight it is a reflection of what I wrote.

So, I have set up a challenge to youths of India in particular. Find me ideas, thoughts, points, and suggestion in Obama's speech in my article.

REWARD

Its $100 reward to the one who can find most commonalities between the speech and the article and  $50 for the second most commonalities. The deadline for the entry is Friday, February 13, 2015 and the length can be from 600-1000 words, more is ok if it makes sense. Please use common language, and not the words that require repeated references to the dictionary. 


We will publish both the pieces here at www.TheGhouseDiary.com, www.foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com and possibly at Saddahaq.com

Both Obama and I believe in building a cohesive America/India where no individual has to live in apprehension or fear of the other.

Please send  your writings to : 1) _________________ and 2)MikeGhouse@aol.com

Here is the article at Saddahaq - https://www.saddahaq.com/humaninterest/republidaysmessage/republic-days-pluralistic-message-to-modi-obama-and-fellow-indians

  

Here is Obama's speech from 29th Minute onwards - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sGFUPEtNAg

Thank you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk

...............................................................................................................................Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie "Americans together" is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. 

Modi's Nakshatras are not in his favor, he needs to save the embarrassment.

Narendra Modi's Nakshatras (stars) are not in his favor, and the Grahan (eclipse) is hovering over him like a dark shadow casting its Rahu Kala (inauspicious times). His run for the Prime Ministership is ashubh (unlucky) for the 2014 elections. We recommend him to withdraw from the race, finish the current term as the Chief Minister of the state and lay a solid foundation for the next run.

What good is the prosperity when fellow Gujaratis live in apprehension and fear of the other?  What good was the prosperity of Germany when everything collapsed anyway?  Like Modi; they focused on growth rather than the social structure.


A handful of Hindus may rejoice killing Muslims, and similarly a few Muslims may cherish killing Hindus, shame on them. Unchecked, these act will do more harm to the fabric of society in the long haul than the economy.  Do Indians have to live in fear of the other; is that the India we want? There is a dire need for truth and reconciliation in India. Modi has not done what it takes for the head of a state to do; to give hope and a sense of justice to the people of Gujarat.  

Continued at: Op-Ed News |  http://www.opednews.com/articles/Narendra-Modi-s-Nakshatras-by-Mike-Ghouse-Anti-christian_Bharatiya-Janata-Party_Business_Congress-131227-999.html
  
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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. He believes in Standing up for others and a book with the same title is coming up. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News; fortnightly at Huffington post; and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes all his work through many links.
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Israel Iran crisis is Netanyahu Ahmedinejad issue

I came across this cartoon today and felt it is very descriptive of the situation in the Israel-Iran conflict.  Leaders are the real problem and not the public.  Instead of finding solutions, they talk about bombing. If we can zip up the mouths of Ahmedinejad and Netanyahu, most problems will fade away.  

Prime Minister Netanyahu genuinely wants peace for his people, but he does everything opposite of the goal, so is Ahmedinejad, wants the best for his people, but his foul mouth messes up everything.

Both men need to learn about setting a goal, and achieving it with least damage. Their methodology has not worked. Netanyahu’s ideas will not bring security to the people of Israel, the kind of security where the Israelis can be free from apprehension, and can drop their guards and enjoy the life.  Do these men know that, they are the problem?

The radical politicians like Santorum and Gingrich, among several others are a major problem. From one mouth they talk about security of Israel, but from the other they do everything to make it worse for Israel. Men like Horowitz, Spencer and whole lot of them are bent on making it all worse for Israel and other nations. It is not Israel they care about; it is the gain they can have in the name of Israel. Remember Madoff?

The Jewish people and the Israelis need to be aware of them, they don’t need duplicity, they need genuine peace makers who have brought security to Israel and through that the region. Men like President Carter and President Clinton who had the foresight to see and deliver peace to the peoples, and I hope Obama will have the balls to stand up to Netanyahu, do the right thing and leave a legacy of goodness to the people of Palestine and Israel. 

Instead of finding solutions, they talk about bombing. These two will destroy Israel and Iran and more than that, they will mess up American for another decade if they have their way and weaken America in fighting their wars that are not necessary.

As Americans, we need to know that the Israelis are speaking up, which we don’t see on our Television networks, but they show it on the Israeli and European media. This needs to change and we need BBC, Israeli TV and Al Jazeera for Americans to have another perspective. How many Politicians and ordinary citizens among us are capable of giving another perspective to the issue? We are too brainwashed to even know that there is another point of view. 

Should we give currency to the rhetoric of Netanyahu and Ahmedinejad, or should the public demand them to perform in bringing peace? Should the silent majority encourage wrong doing by their silence or should they speak up and take charge of their long term security.  

  

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he writes weekly at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, The Smirking Chimp and several other periodicals. www.TheGhousediary.com is Mike's daily blog.

Hannity, Horowitz & Ghouse on Brotherhood

April 9, 2012 at 4:00 on Sean Hannity Radio 

Check your local stations at www.hannity.com/stations
and www.hannity.com/guest/ghouse-mike/10804

TALKING POINTS - DEALING WITH THE BROTHERHOOD

First of all, I want to make this unambiguously clear; First of all, I want to make this unambiguously clear;I don’t like the policies of the Brotherhood,  looking at the practical side of it –They are the elected representatives of the people, and if the President Obama rejects them, he will be emboldening them and getting them to dig in their heels – that would be disastrous

We have done that with Hamas, and we should not repeat it with Brotherhood.  

If you work with people, even the rogue elements, I am not saying they are rogues, we have a chance of turning things around that are good for all the parties…. If we reject them, we don’t have a prayer.

It is in our interests, the interests of the Egyptians people and certainly in the interests of Israel’s security, we have to make this work.

Remember the Peace deal was between the people of Egypt and Israel and we cannot afford to piss off the Egyptian people. The deal was not between Mubarak and Netanyahu, Mr. Netanyahu made a major mistake by telling the US to support Mubarak – his intelligence was wrong, so was ours. I am glad the Egyptians are not going to hold it against him or the Israelis.  That was the dumbest move by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Relationship is with nations and not individuals, individuals do drive the accords, but if they do not represent the will of the people, their words are as good as the dust.

Brotherhood has proposed an alternate Candidate Mohammad Moris – it is a good news, it shows that  the democracy has meaning and there is a process in place– the possibility of disqualifying the primary nominee El-Shater or the others; Sulaiman or Amr Mousa.

Mr. Horowitz called Obama a liar – I jumped on him, Obama is not a liar, he is sharing what he reviews. Calling Mubarak to go was the right thing. "The people on the other side call you a liar Mr. Horowitz, are you?

We need to tie the $1.5 Billion aid to Egypt to maintain peace and prosperity.

Mr. Horowitz said that the brotherhood charter calls for destruction of Israel – I told him that I have not read it, if it is fact, then it needs to be condemned.

They said, the first act of Brotherhood was to declare Israel as enemy, I need to verify that, but if they did, I condemn it, otherwise it is the not the truth.

I asked Hannity, what are the choices we have? Let the brotherhood do what they want, or work with us? He said, shall we say, please please be friends with Israel – I said, no, "this financial aid is for maintaining peace in the region, and we need you to work on that. No preconditions."

Horowitz was jumping form topic to topic – claiming that 80% of females are mutilated genitally – wanted to ask him, if brother hood issues that order, or if it was his assumption and how is this connected with the topic of $1.5 billion aid?

President Obama is right in taking a cautious approach, we have a choice to mess up the situation or make it better. Rejecting brotherhood amounts to telling them stick with their position, working with them is acknowledging who they are and asking them to be with us and respect the peace treaties. Peace comes through dialogue.

 Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he writes weekly at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, The Smirking Chimp and several other periodicals. www.TheGhousediary.com is Mike's daily blog.

A Muslim’s take on Mr. Subramaniam Swamy

URL: http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/12/muslims-take-on-mr-subramaniam-swamy.html

First of all, the dearest person in God’s book Quraan is the one who forgives and secondly Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has clearly set up a model of behavior for Muslims; to pray for the ones who throw rocks (Taif story)  at you or harm you. We simply cannot go wrong following that guidance to create better societies.

I welcome the reform Mr. Subramanian Swami has espoused, and his decision to teach tolerance. Indeed, King Ashoka was a reformed man after the Kalinga war and proved it by preaching and practicing non-violence. His character was defined by who he was rather than what others were not.  

Mr. Swami has the freedom to teach what is in his heart, but if he has made that transformational announcement to teach tolerance, he will have to prove that to himself through his actions and we have to give him the benefit of doubt. I hope Muslim groups take the initiative to invite him to speak and let him have a chance to change, if he does, it is good for India, if he is the same, he cannot do more harm than he has done to harm the fabric of India’s cohesion. But please give him the due respect for making that effort, even if he fails.  Let the public judge and refrain from judgment. Only God knows what is in one’s heart and all we can do is nurture good will, which is more powerful than aggravating the fragile balance.

The first lesson for him to learn in tolerance is that he cannot demand from others, what he  himself does not have. He has got to let go of the baggage.

The second lesson to learn is grasping the full meaning of the wisdom embedded in the idea of “Vasudaiva Kutumbukum” – when you embrace the idea, you will act and treat the world as one family. If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

In invite him to join me in becoming an Ambassador of freedom and peace, where a human can eat, drink, wear or believe what one chooses.  We don’t have to emulate those whom we love to condemn, let them emulate us and let’s change the world with you and me first changing.

In the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), I pray for Mr. Subramanian Swami to become a teacher of tolerance. May God give him the same energy and zest to do the right thing.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies where no Indian has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net and his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

Originally published at Op-Ed at Indian Muslim Observer:
http://www.indianmuslimobserver.com/2011/12/latest-editorial-muslims-take-on-mr.html

Quoted in  India Abroad as well:http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20111216?pg=6#pg6

# # #

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/Swamy-preaches-tolerance-after-Harvard-drops-him/Article1-779323.aspx

Tony Powerz and Mike Ghouse on Fox Radio, South Carolina

It was a delight to be on Tony Powerz Radio Show this afternoon, a conservative popular talk Show Radio host in South Carolina. The live conversation went on  air between 3:30 PM EST and 4:00 PM on Fox Radio AM 1380.  The topics sequenced from President Obama’s speech, Taxing the rich, Middle East, foriegn policy and aid to Pakistan.

It is a great news for the moderates around the nation to hear one among them is speaking assertively.  Tony Powerz was an incredible host in framing the questions to get the best out of his guests.  Tony was indeed open to hearing a moderate point of view where President Obama was not only criticized but praised on the things he has done well.  For disclosure purposes, I am a Republican, a moderate one and firmly believe that my loyalty to America comes first and then to the party. The statement I made in 2007 and was also articulated by Congressman Ron Paul this week.

President Obama’s speech in Missouri yesterday had the elements of us vs. them; there was no need for the President to deepen that chasm.  Instead, he should have stuck to his usual self, building a cohesive society.  I was critical of the President on his take.

It was a pleasure to share my proposal on taxation policy. Instead of the feds receiving funds through taxing the rich and re-spending, the ideal situation would be to let the rich keep their money and create the jobs.   Give them an equal amount in tax incentives to spend on hiring people and expanding economy and creating jobs, which will generate payroll taxes as well as the income taxs directly from Americans to the IRS. I trust the individual to create the jobs rather than the fed (pun intended). All will gain and no one will be discouraged from making money. The rich should make the money and invest responsibly back in job creation rather than the government.

On the Middle East, President Obama has blundered as well as made some good decisions. The good decision was to stick with the people of Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen, had he supported the damned dictators’ that come and go, we would have lost the people, they would have looked down upon us for supporting the tyrant rulers.

The biggest Obama blunder is rejection of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations. The Jewish people have endured a long history of suffering, and now they are enduring another pain, the pain of sacrificing their principle of Justice for  security. They wanted to be free and get over the anxiety and sit down and discuss with the Palestinians as two legal entities. Obama blew that opportunity. Justice to Palestinians and security to Israel would have put the world on a new tract of co-existence; it would have weakened the Iranian argument as well. Injustice to the Palestinians is the mother of all conflicts in the Middle East. The right refuses to see it, the Muslim majority nations would agree with that analysis. Iran would sit down and work with us for a better Middle East. I hope the policy makers open their eyes to it.  We don't really support Israel, we support those who make money in the name of Israel. The Israelis don't need our duplicity, they need a genuine lasting security.

Buldozer Netanyahu erred  by siding with Dictator Mubarak. The peace treaty was between the people of Egypt and the People of Israel and NOT between Mubarak and Netanyahu, lasting peace happens with acceptance from the people and not the dictators’ who are here today and gone tomorrow.

The same goes with the US Aid to foreign countries. Why are the Pakistani people not with us? The answer is simple, the money we gave to Egypt, Israel or Pakistan did not go to benefit the people of those nations, it went to the people who made their lives miserable.  I am kind of supportive of Governor Perry's idea of Zero Budget.  Let all the foreign aid budget be reworked based on tangible and sustainable goodwill towards us, the Americans.

We have wasted our monies giving to the dictators and oppresses, it was a piss down the drain. Why should people, the public hail us when our monies are used to beat them up?

The foreign policy needs to start from scratch, if America does not have a benefit from the good we do, then why do it? If the work does not yield lasting goodness for the recipients and the benefactors, drop it. Don’t waste our resources.

I thank Tony, Fox and AM 1380 for giving a voice to sanity.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is embedded in 30 some blogs and a few websites and all is indexed at www.mikeghouse.net