Will Guam Adapt To Climate Change?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 24th, 2011
Good morning!
First of all I want to say Merry Christmas to all my readers from Guam! And my international readers as well! - I HOPE the holiday is bringing lots of joy and love.
This one’s for you, my Guamanian friends…
Will Guam adapt to climate change?
Imagine Gov. Eddie Calvo, Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio, and our 15 senators suiting up in scuba gear for the next Guam Legislature meeting. A couple years ago, the first underwater cabinet meeting took place in the Maldives, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. Maldives’ President Nasheed and the nation’s ministers communicated through hand signals and passing around an agreement while fish and coral surrounded them at 13 feet underwater.
About 80 percent of the Maldives is less than a meter above sea level, and the president wanted to bring awareness to ordinary people around the world by demonstrating the urgent need to address climate change and the rising sea levels, as their islands may become uninhabitable within the century.
Nauru, the world’s smallest independent nation, also is seeking global action to address climate change and the correlating rising sea levels. Nauru is located about 34 miles south of the equator. Many islands in our region are vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons, tsunamis, flooding and earthquakes, but with only eight square miles, Nauru is experiencing elevated threats. The island’s highest elevation is just over 200 feet above sea level, so with rising waters and flooding, the eight square miles can quickly become contaminated or diminished.
This island, the size of Barrigada, maintains its language, customs, and lifestyles that date back 3,000 years.
The president of Nauru shared some information with The New York Times regarding human activities that have significantly affected his nation.
“Phosphate mining, first by foreign companies and later our own, cleared the lush tropical rainforest that once covered our island’s interior, scarring the land and leaving only a thin strip of coastline for us to live on. The legacy of exploitation left us with few economic alternatives and one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, and led previous governments to make unwise investments that ultimately squandered our country’s savings.”
Although Nauru is notably smaller and a much-less-developed country than Guam, many islands in the Pacific and several areas of Guam are susceptible to similar conditions. Researchers predict a sea level rise of three feet by the end of the century. That, coupled with erosion, could mean drastic changes to many islands in our region and some islands could no longer be habitable.
Some of you might be thinking, “This is just some tiny island, nothing’s going to happen here.” Or, “We have high ground, there’s nothing to worry about.” Guam does have higher ground, but also think about all our beaches and villages that are in the low-lying areas, such as Merizo, Umatac, Agat, Asan, Piti, Hagåtña, Tumon, Tamuning, Ritidian and parts of Chalan Pago, Talofofo and Inarajan. All the places that need to be evacuated for tsunami warnings would have to be permanently evacuated due to eroded shores and higher sea levels.
“The stakes are too high to implement these measures only after a disaster is already upon us. Negotiations to reduce emissions should remain the primary forum for reaching an international agreement,” The New York Times reported on July 19.
The droughts, floods, heat waves and other natural disasters that have recently gained global attention have disturbed every continent and are predicted to happen more often and with more intensity. Low-lying areas worldwide already are experiencing some of the consequences from climate change and rising sea levels. Nauru President Marcus Stephen addressed the United Nations regarding threatened existence. While countries disagreed on what kind of issue this is, many of them have a national mitigation plan to reduce the effects of climate change. The United States couldn’t contribute a national plan but tends to have significant influence on worldwide issues.
As time and land dwindle, it is imperative that action is taken before catastrophic events materialize. Both the Maldives and Nauru have been committed to reducing their impact on global climate change and urging organizations to implement immediate plans.
Finding a solution to climate change heavily depends on the priorities within our communities and governments. Although Guam might not experience noticeable changes in your lifetime, these nearby island nations are examples of what could happen to our low-lying areas within your children’s or grandchildren’s lives.
How will Guam adapt to the potential impacts of climate change?
Kim O’Connor is the communicator for the University of Guam Sea Grant Program.
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Peace & Love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
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michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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December 24th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Thank you Michelle for thinking of Guam again. We love you here. In the spirit of Christmas I would like to share how most Guamanians believe and celebrate this time of the year.
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Blessing: Christmas in Guam is about community and inafa’maolek
All across Guam today, families and friends are celebrating Christmas. Each family has its own way of doing it, its own traditions.
Some go to Midnight Mass, while others wait for morning services. Some open presents at midnight, others wait until the sun comes up.
Some make a big breakfast spread or go out to brunch, while other families have a huge feast for lunch or dinner. Some have small gatherings, others pack homes with extended families.
Many will spend the day together, but there are many mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters who work today, in both the public and private sectors, including those who strive to keep us all safe –
police, corrections and customs officers, firefighters and amublance crews, doctors and nurses.
Today, on Christmas, let us all be thankful for the many blessings in our lives.
Let us also remember that not everyone or every family is so fortunate; that many have to struggle to get by, and not just during the holidays, but throughout the rest of the year as well.
Let’s also be thankful for the many individuals, businesses and nonprofit groups in our community that step up to help the less fortunate, at Christmas and all other times.
This holiday season we’ve seen so many examples of the inafa’maolek spirit — initiatives to ensure underprivileged children would get presents for Christmas, drives that enabled needy families to put food on the table.
In Guam, that truly is what Christmas is all about — not just family gatherings and presents and religious observances, but a strong sense of community and looking after one another.
A very merry Christmas to all of Guam. And, in the words of Charles Dickens’ Tiny Tim: And God bless us, everyone.
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Merry Christmas to all and I hope everyone will have a very Happy New Year.
December 24th, 2011 at 9:49 am
The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick
Why is it that some people hardly ever get sick? I wanted to learn their secrets. Some of these secrets, I discovered, are a bit unusual, but they have a basis in scientific fact…
BREWER’S YEAST
Barbara Pritzkat, age 84, hasn’t had a cold in decades. In 1983, at age 56, she started her second career as an archaeologist.
She’s still surveying archaeological sites, most recently in the Syrian Desert, where temperatures can reach 110°F.
She credits her good health to brewer’s yeast, which she takes in powder form dissolved in water every morning.
She first learned about the health benefits of brewer’s yeast in the 1940s when she attended a lecture by Adelle Davis, a pioneering nutritionist.
The science: Most commercially available brewer’s yeast is extracted from the yeast that is used to ferment beer or wine. A single tablespoon contains the recommended daily allowance for most of the B vitamins, including folate.
Folate is one of the most important B vitamins because it breaks down and eliminates homocysteine, an amino acid, from the blood.
Reducing homocysteine has been linked to a reduction in risk for stroke and heart disease. Folate also is thought to reduce the risk for a variety of cancers, including colon cancer.
Other B vitamins are needed for the maintenance of blood cells, nerves and the immune system.
Brewer’s yeast also contains a variety of minerals, including chromium, a trace mineral that reduces blood sugar and improves glucose tolerance.
In addition, a single two-ounce serving provides eight grams of protein, more than the amount in a large egg.
What to do: Take one to two tablespoons of brewer’s yeast daily. You can dissolve it in water or sprinkle it on your cereal or yogurt.
Some people may suffer adverse gastrointestinal reactions at first. Start by taking a small amount and increase it gradually.
Any brand should be fine—even buying from bulk bins. But look for a kind that’s debittered—the taste is more palatable.
COLD SHOWERS
They’re not very pleasant, but your shivering body may thank you.
Nate Halsey, age 38, got hooked on cold-water hydrotherapy a decade ago, when one of his friends explained that cold showers were the reason that he never got sick.
Nate, who had been getting sick fairly often, gave it a try—and hated it. He still hates it, but he likes the energy boost. He also appreciates that he never gets sick anymore.
The science: Researchers have found that cold-water submersion increases levels of disease-fighting white blood cells.
In one study, scientists found that people who took cold showers daily for six months had fewer colds than those in a control group.
In another study, year-round swimmers in Berlin, who took regular dips in freezing-cold water in the winter, suffered half as many chest infections as other people.
Exposure to cold water also may increase glutathione, one of the body’s main antioxidants—the study of Berlin swimmers found that they had elevated levels of glutathione.
What to do: Ease into it. Turn on the cold water for 30 seconds or so. With the shower running, stick your head in to wet your hair.
Turn off the water, shampoo your hair, then turn the water back on to rinse off the lather and get your skin wet.
Turn off the water again, soap your body, then turn the water back on to rinse off. The entire event should take about five minutes.
Caution: If you have a heart condition, Raynaud’s disease or blood pressure issues, talk to your doctor first.
GARLIC
Even people who do their best to take care of themselves aren’t immune to colds and flu.
That was the experience of Susan Brown, age 51, a shiatsu massage therapist and former owner of a health-food store.
She got the flu year after year—until her boyfriend recommended garlic.
Now she cooks with garlic every day, adding it to every dinner, which often consists primarily of vegetables and some kind of starch, such as rice or pasta.
She also squeezes raw garlic on top of the dish. If she feels like she’s coming down with a cold, she eats garlic three times a day, and within 24 hours, she’s fine.
She hasn’t gotten the flu since she started her garlic regimen more than six years ago.
The science: Garlic has antibacterial and antiviral properties.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia found that people who began using garlic were able to reduce their sick days by more than 50%.
Some of the active ingredients in garlic inhibit the ability of platelets to form clots in the arteries—important for preventing heart disease and stroke.
People who eat garlic regularly can have drops in blood pressure of about 10 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury).
What to do: Chew a clove of garlic whenever you feel a cold coming on or you want to give your health a quick boost.
It’s best consumed raw, as cooking may destroy some of its health benefits. Most scientific studies are done with garlic supplements.
However, some experts believe that the process of making the supplements destroys some of the health benefits.
Caution: If you’re on a blood thinner or have a bleeding disorder, such as hemophilia, talk to your doctor before consuming large amounts of garlic.
PROBIOTICS
Tony Japour, MD, age 51, is a molecular virologist and pharmaceutical researcher. His impressive credentials didn’t keep him healthy.
He would get a nasty cold every year. The colds stopped six years ago when he started consuming a yogurt drink that contains live bacterial cultures.
The science: Many of the bacteria that live in the digestive tract have beneficial effects.
Known as probiotics, these organisms have been shown to relieve many gastrointestinal conditions and to boost the body’s immunity, reduce blood pressure and decrease cholesterol.
Probiotics that live in the intestine make it harder for disease-causing germs to take up residence.
People who have low levels of probiotics—after taking antibiotics, for example—get infections more often than those with healthy probiotic levels.
How to do it: Eat one or more servings of probiotic-rich foods daily.
These include yogurt with live cultures, fermented soybean pastes (such as miso or tempeh), sauerkraut, probiotic-fortified soy milk and fermented cheeses, such as cottage cheese.
If you’re not eating probiotic-rich foods, you can take a supplement.
Look for one that has a blend of probiotic organisms, such as Lactobacillus (L.) acidophilus, L. rhamnosus and/or L. bulgaricus, and follow directions on the label.
pH BALANCE
Until about eight years ago, Thomas Appell, age 56, got a cold or the flu along with a sore throat at least two or three times a year.
One of his healthier friends explained his own secret—no sugar, no meat and a lot of vegetables. Appell followed the diet and found that he stopped getting sick.
He investigated why the diet was working and discovered that the foods he was eating were predominantly alkaline.
The traditional American diet is highly acidic. It’s possible that diseases thrive when the body’s pH—a measure of acidity/alkalinity—is out of balance.
The science: Proponents of the pH theory of health argue that our shift away from a plant-based, low-protein diet, which naturally keeps the body’s pH at “neutral” levels, created epidemic levels of disease.
Several recent books, including one from medical anthropologist and certified nutritionist Susan E. Brown, PhD, have linked disease to metabolic acidosis, which can occur when the kidneys don’t process acids fast enough.
What to do: Before you can achieve an optimal pH, you have to know your baseline. You can buy pH test-strip kits at pharmacies and health-food stores.
Basically, you hold a strip in your urine stream, then look at the color. Most experts recommend testing the first urine of the morning. A pH chart that comes with the kit explains the reading.
Most people will find that they’re slightly acidic. To balance your pH, you will want to eat highly alkaline foods.
These include most vegetables, legumes and olive oil. You also want to avoid foods that make your body more acidic, such as meats and processed foods.
Thomas routinely checks his urine pH after a meal to see the food’s effect on his balance.
Even critics of the pH balance theory agree that eating more vegetables and fewer processed foods is important for good health.
Personal interviewed Gene Stone, a health journalist based in New York City who, in the process of writing about health, has undergone dozens of treatments, from hypnotherapy to Rolfing.
He interviewed more than 100 healthy people for his latest book, The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick (Workman). http://www.SecretsOfPeople.com
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December 24th, 2011 at 9:53 am
December 22, 2011
Dear Friend:
After nearly a year in the majority, the House Republican Leadership has yet to address the number one priority of the American people – job creation.
Instead of working to put the American people back to work, their time as leaders in Congress has been marked by missed opportunities.
In order to protect tax breaks for the wealthy and those that ship jobs overseas, they have failed to bring forth a jobs agenda and have focused on proposals that undermine programs working to preserve the health, education and well-being of all Americans.
This past spring, House Democrats stood united against the Republican effort to end Medicare as we know it.
Their plan immediately raises costs for seniors, cuts funding for Medicare and forces many vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities to buy private insurance with a voucher that decreases in value each year.
My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to initiatives that promote job creation, strengthen the middle class, and reduce our deficit.
Over the last three months, I have met with over 50 San Francisco small businesses to get their perspective on how we can best foster the creation of jobs and aid our economic recovery.
Our “Make It In America” initiative, working alongside President Obama’s American Jobs Act, will invest in innovation and technology, level the playing field with China and other trading partners, and rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
Our big, bold, and balanced plans include extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, measures that put money in the pockets of working families, create jobs and spur economic growth.
It is a privilege to represent San Francisco in Congress. This year, I was proud to help secure a Choice Neighborhoods grant of $30.5 million to redevelop and reinvigorate Alice Griffith and Hunters Point and to pass into law the America’s Cup Act of 2011 to ensure the success of the 34th America’s Cup, hosted by our beautiful city.
As we celebrated the long-overdue end of the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy and the 20th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Grove this fall, I was pleased to lead my colleagues in filing an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court arguing against the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.
Just last week, we marked the official end to the war in Iraq, bringing our troops home in time for the holidays and ending a war that has cost the American people too much in lives, in dollars, and in our reputation around the world.
In the new year, my colleagues and I will continue our efforts to reignite the American dream by building ladders of opportunity and tearing down barriers to success for anyone willing to work hard, play by the rules, and take responsibility.
We are committed to strengthening the middle class, empowering our entrepreneurs and creating well-paying jobs. As always, I look forward to hearing from you on this and other issues of concern to you.
Best regards,
Member of Congress
December 24th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Now that the Americans have left. The men who wanted so desperately to get them out are wondering what will happen to preserve the security of our neighborhoods.
December 24th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Here in Syria bombs are going off almost everywhere. Shortly after the latest one an AlQaeda leader in one video said to jihad against the Syrian government.
I am so tired of these murders. They seem to have jihad against almost every government!
December 24th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
I fled the West Bank to Lebanon. Now Israel is bombing the hell out of this place. The hezbollah is marching around swearing death to Israel.
They are trying to recruit suicide bombers from the women here. I will not only not cooperate with these insane sick men but I will tell you what I learn about there bombing attempts.
Many of the silly girls here are being conned into blowing themselves up for these con artists. You hear the young uneducated girls say their hearts race when they hear the men promise death to the dogs Israel.
I try to tell them have you read hezbollah’s charter? They pledge the destruction of israel and all non-muslims, and promote violence towards pro-western arab governments.
They are denounced by the government of Lebanon and the UN, who say they must be disarmed.
How can you sit and negotiate with a group of people who promise you in the negotiations that they will kill you once they get what they want?
We should not support these animals. They will turn their anger and wrath towards us as soon as they get what they want from Israel.
I say tell Israel of any bombing attempts you know about.
Fadwa
December 24th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Growing up on the island of Guam was challenging during the Christmas season. I used to dream of how it would feel to have a “White Christmas.
” The island was either too hot or raining buckets during this time of year and snowflakes would have been a nice reprieve.
Mom would give us a piece of our dream by allowing us to purchase cans of fake snow to spray onto our fresh Christmas tree. Somehow our tree never looked as nice as the ones on TV with real snow.
A common Christmas dilemma facing the kids of Guam is the infamous chimney. My daughter Liezl and son Nicolas used to get worked up thinking Santa would not be able to leave presents due to the absence of the chimney.
“How can Santa drop us presents if we do not have a chimney?” was heard every day in December leading up to Christmas. I am sure the same question was asked this very day!
On Christmas Day 1993, my brother-in-law, Tony Pangelinan (deceased) devised a plan. He dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit complete with black boots and a large red bag stuffed with presents.
In the middle of the night, he had us videotape his arrival to the front door and his eventual entrance into our home. The short film showed him hovering over the kids while waving goodbye as he dropped off their presents.
He did the same thing to his kids Calvin, Leilani and Darrin. Can you imagine the look of excitement when the kids viewed Santa Claus entering the home the following morning?
There was some commotion among the kids about Santa not needing a key to unlock the deadbolt and keyed entry lock. The common theme of Santa not needing a chimney was finally put to rest!
There was one point in the video clip that almost busted our perfectly planned Santa Visit recording. My son Nicolas had viewed the clip numerous times and noticed Santa did not eat or drink the cookies and milk he left for him.
When he went back to the plate where he had left the treats, he noticed quite a few cookies and the milk missing. Of course everyone looked at me like I was the cookie culprit! Hey, you can’t blame a guy for eating a few cookies, can you?!
Christmas these days are different. We live in Washington State where we have been fortunate to have a real “White Christmas.” My dreams have changed, though.
These days I wish for a Christmas where I could wear shorts and a t-shirt instead of long johns and a sweater. A pair of zories instead of heavy winter boots would be a nice change, too.
I wish I was back home on Guam with my siblings and their families to share this special time of the year.
From my familia to yours, Have a Blessed and a Very Merry Christmas!
Ed S.N. San Gil was born and raised on Guam and relocated to Washington state in 2001. His parents are Roberto C. and Dolores San Nicolas San Gil (deceased).
He has three sisters and seven brothers. Both of his parents have 10 siblings and Ed happens to have a staggering 105 first cousins! His wife of 24 years is Luz Galendez San Gil.
They have four beautiful children: Liezl, Nicolas, Kayla and Kathleen.
December 24th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Fadwa, how can you not support Hezbollah? Israel is bombing our neighborhoods without regard to the innocent they are maiming and killing.
Israel must win the hearts and minds of the world and not just the support of the U.S. and its jewish lobby. Increasingly the rest of the world is seeing Israel as the problem.
Ikram
December 25th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Ikram;
I am not happy with the bombing by Israel but some of it is the fault of our men.
If the Hezbollah would keep away from civilian homes and stop hiding or storing weapons in schools and religious shrines, there would be less carnage.
Blame the terrorists for depending on human shields.
Israel makes the best use of its weaponry to make “surgical strikes”.
If innocent civilians are killed or injured, blame Hezbollah and those who support them — not just Israel!
I am not so ignorant that I cannot think for myself. I see what is happening around me. I hear the constant propaganda aimed at influencing me and the rest of the women to blow themselves up for the aims of men who will maim and kill us for showing an ankle.
I WILL NOT DO IT. and I WILL INFORM ON THOSE WHO DO.
You make up your own mind. But remember these times when the men turn on us. And they will!
The same religion they are using to convince ignorant girls who cannot read will be used to force us to return to the medieval times when that religion was formed to fight the crusaders.
I for one don’t want to be told what to do my males. I certainly don’t want them to tell me when to die for their causes.
Fadwa
December 25th, 2011 at 12:20 am
Peace is not the absence of war. It is the absence of fear.
There should be only one question asked about Israel:
“Do you believe that Israel should continue to exist?
if yes, do you have conditions for our continued existence in your space.
If no, do you offer an alternative?”
————————————-
If the answer is “Yes, but….”, we can listen,and who knows,
learn something.
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If the answer to should Israel continue to exist is ‘No and No’ what can be done?
You don’t want us here, so what should we do, disappear?
That we will not do. I am a soldier and I will defend Israel’s right to exist here. Either you like with that or you or I die trying to change it.
Dafne
December 25th, 2011 at 12:26 am
I live in Tel Aviv, Israel.
I guess people who keep blaming Israel don’t really understand the conflict in the Middle East.
Neither do they understand what is really going on in Lebanon and Israel at this moment.
December 25th, 2011 at 12:48 am
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Air Force Intelligence Officer Ginger Wallace told the Washington Blade earlier this month.
Colonel Wallace entered the military in 1990, and for the vast majority of her career, she knew that because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” she could be fired at any time, just for being a lesbian.
But times have changed. As Colonel Wallace prepares to deploy to Afghanistan in the spring, she can serve the country she loves, without hiding who she loves.
In fact, when she was recently promoted, she invited her partner Kathy to pin her new rank to her jacket in a ceremony at the Pentagon — without risking her career, or facing an investigation.
It’s been exactly one year since President Obama signed the law repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and when we hear stories like Colonel Wallace’s, we are reminded that when we work together, we have the power to change our country for the better.
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To this I must add. It takes leadership that is willing to help change become a reality for those oppressed by the will and vote of the majority. Here President Obama was willing to fight for the right of gay citizens to serve honorably without the fear of prosecution.
Others will look back and take credit for this man’s stand. Remember the other 43 looked the other way and basically said what other presidents had said to the OTW, when they asked to be treated as equals.
They to a man up until Johnson said wait, you are not ready yet, What they meant what those types always mean is they are not ready for the OTW to gain equality.
Today, a President stepped forward and said Gays are ready for equality in the military. Today because of that President’s courage we have it.
Those of you would make like of by claiming that “when we work together, we have the power to change our country for the better.”
That is a bald face lie! It wasn’t the working together. It was the visions of some and the courage one President. A President of ALL the American people who made it happen.
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When it came time to end discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military, President Obama showed true leadership, the Pentagon completed a thorough and transparent planning process, a broad coalition of advocates made their voices heard, and Congress acted.
Because they did, lesbian and gay service members will no longer be required to live a lie in order to help protect our country.
In his remarks at the signing ceremony one year ago, President Obama spoke about one of his visits to Afghanistan.
“A young woman in uniform was shaking my hand,” he said, “and other people were grabbing and taking pictures. And she pulled me into a hug and she whispered in my ear, ‘Get ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ done.’
And I said to her, ‘I promise you I will.’” To me, that story encapsulates President Obama’s compassion, conviction, and determination.
Over the past year, the Pentagon implemented the new law, yet again demonstrating the professionalism and class that we have come to expect from the world’s finest fighting force.
Because they did so, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was completely repealed in September, and we are hearing more and more inspiring stories.
For example, there’s Captain Matthew Phelps, who blogged about bringing his date Brandon to this year’s Marine Corps Birthday Ball.
And on the White House web site, we’ve compiled many more stories about what this day means.
As President Obama has said, “Change has never been quick. Change has never been simple, or without controversy.”
But when we see pictures of Colonel Wallace and Kathy, or Captain Smith and Brandon, we know what change looks like.
Of course, ending DADT is only one part of an ongoing commitment to keep our nation safe and staying true to our values.
This month, President Obama brought the war in Iraq to a close. As our troops come home, we are determined to serve all our veterans as well as they’ve served our great country.
And today, we’re reminded that when we work together to make our union more perfect, change is not just possible, but inevitable.
On this historic anniversary, we look forward to continuing to work with all those who love our country, and seek a more perfect union.
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Michelle, I agree with you. WHAT WOULD THIS COUNTRY BE LIKE WITHOUT THIS MAN?
I am white, but the truth should be told and acknowledged. 200 plus years of white men only, has been eclipsed by the leadership, compassion, and courage of one non white man.
I am proud to serve in the US military and to call him Commander In Chief.
Thank You Obama