As a senator, I receive countless invitations to address these newest Americans, where I am often quizzed on my foreign policy views – where do I stand on Cypress, say, or the future of Taiwan? They may have policy concerns specific to fields in which their ethnic groups are heavily represented – Indian American pharmacists might complain about Medicare reimbursements, Korean small might lobby for changes in the tax code.
But mostly they want affirmation that they, too, are Americans…
…my message is simple, for what I've come to understand is that my mere presence before these newly minted Americans serves notice that they matter, that they are voters critical to my success and full-fledged citizens deserving of my respect.
Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.
-----In his own words......
This guy wants to be President & Head the US government. Pay close attention to the last comment!!
Below are a few lines from Obama's books " his words:
From Dreams of My Father: "I ceased to advertise my
mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to
suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to
whites."
From Dreams of My Father : "I found a solace in
nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity
against my mothers race."
From Dreams of My Father: "There was something about
him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself,
maybe. And white."
From Dreams of My Father: ; "It remained necessary to
prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to
the black masses, to strike out and name names."
From Dreams of My Father: "I never emulate white men
and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It
was into my father's image, the black man, son of
Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought
in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm,
DuBois and Mandela."
From Audacity of Hope: "I will stand with the Muslims
should the political winds shift in an ugly
direction."
Publication history for "From Dreams of My Father"
New York: Times Books; 1st edition (July 18, 1995); Hardcover: 403 pages; ISBN 0-8129-2343-X
This printing is now very rare. Only a few signed copies are known, and are estimated to be worth up to $5,000 (depending on condition).
New York: Kodansha International (August 1996); Paperback: 403 pages; ISBN 1-5683-6162-9
New York: Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition (August 10, 2004); Paperback: 480 pages; ISBN 1-4000-8277-3
New York: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (May 3, 2005); Audio CD; ISBN 0-7393-2100-5; Includes the senator's speech from the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
New York: Random House Large Print; 1st Large print edition (April 4, 2006); Hardcover: 720 pages; ISBN 0-7393-2576-0
New York: Crown Publishers (January 9, 2007); Hardcover: 464 pages; ISBN 0-3073-8341-5
New York: Random House (January 9, 2007); Format: eBook; ISBN 0-3073-9412-3
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