Obama is looking good!

January 31st, 2009

January 26, 2009

Dear Friends:

I had the pleasure of responding to an invitation from Greg Nelson and participating this morning as PSR’s representative in a White House ceremony at which President Obama announced his initial steps on energy and the environment. The content of his announcements were covered this morning in an anticipatory piece on the front page of The New York Times and I am sure will be in tonight and tomorrow’s news.

The invitation came at the last minute, yesterday, Sunday afternoon in fact but an audience of 80-100 folks appeared, mostly good friends of ours from the national environmental community. This group rarely has occasion to be together in the same room and the mood was celebratory. Members of the President’s energy and environment “team” were present including: Steven Chu, John Holdren, Carol Browner, Lisa Jackson, and others.

The President spoke for 10 minutes and was very business-like. The President’s tone sent a clear message. He opened with the urgent need to respond to the financial crises and linked his remarks on energy independence, CAFE standards, green house gas emissions to job creation and economic stabilization. He spoke of global warming as a matter of fact that we all understand and want action on. He spoke of the importance of science-based policy.

His presentation was low-key, as if he were saying: “I’m not telling you anything you don’t know… and here is what we are going to need to do…” I found listening to him a remarkable experience, like a light coming on after 8, or has it been 20, years in the darkness. Unlike previous White House events there were no photo ops; there will be no signed photographs of me with the President. He greeted a few of his own people in the front row and left the room. I am impressed.

I hope we see an event like this on nuclear weapons in the near future. This is a moment both to celebrate and to redouble our efforts.

Mike McCally's
Mike McCally, MD, PhD

test Filed under Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Carol Browner, Global warming, John Holdren, Nuclear weapon, Steven Chu, The New York Times Company, White House | Comment (0)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

About

Stuffed into an 8 pound flesh covered space suit in Southern California in 1944, Barbara Ann Moore was born at a very early age. Her uneventful childhood, with a yarn-spinning Alabama father and Virginia Virgo mother, two humorous older brothers and a singing beagle, was full of love and laughter. As a professional student with no particular profession in mind, Barbara attended several colleges and universities on the undergraduate as well as the graduate level. Briefly married (also at an early age), Barbara worked as a lab tech in the hospital before she became an academic adviser at Iowa State University and later, in California, at the State University at Chico. Her life took a distinct 180 turn in the '70's when she met a colorful psychedelic artist who wanted to “score” a chick and move to Hawaii. Since her multiple Scorpio phoenix bird reincarnations in Hawaii, Barbara has primarily been crafting the Healing Arts Center (see About Us on www.dragonflyranch.com) called the Dragonfly Ranch--begun in 1974. Along the way, Barbara studied with a number of respected kahunas who taught her Hawaiian lomilomi (a sacred rejuvenation treatment), ho’oponopono (a method of "setting things right") and Hawaiian healing herbs. With the help of quality assistance from her Ohana (adopted family), three dogs and one cat, Barbara hosts discerning travelers looking for an authentic Hawaiian experience, enjoying Healthy Pleasures. Elected president of Hawaii Island Wellness Travel Association (HIWTA.org), Barbara is learning how to interview members for youTube "webasodes". Besides loving her life at the Dragonfly, Barbara’s present personal passion is to finish her screenplay called, “To Die Laughing”, a romantic comedy about death.

dragonfly ranch blog

Obama is looking good!

Recent Posts

Blogroll

About

Archives

Meta