Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zeta1961 who wrote (1997)	4/19/2007 11:26:03 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 149317

Obama: Stop mentally ill from gun buys ____________________________________________________________ By NEDRA PICKLER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER Last updated April 19, 2007 1:55 p.m. PT WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that laws should be strengthened to prevent the mentally ill from buying guns. Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman who shot 32 people at Virginia Tech Monday before killing himself, had a history of mental health problems but still was able to buy two guns that he used in the rampage. "If we know that he got mental health services, then there should be some way of preventing somebody like that from buying any kind of weapon," Obama said in an interview on "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," syndicated on radio stations nationwide. Federal law prohibits the mentally ill from purchasing guns, but most states have privacy laws barring such information from being shared with law enforcement. Some advocates for the mentally ill and gun-rights groups have opposed legislation in recent years that would include the information in computerized record-keeping. Obama said gun laws have to be changed to prevent the type of killings that happened not only at Virginia Tech this week but are persistent in urban areas across the country. "I mean, kids are getting gunned down every day," the Illinois senator said. "It's not 32 at a time, but if you look at the statistics, you're seeing that same kind of violence on a pretty frequent basis. And that's part of our culture that we've just got to be able to change with some commonsense." Obama said hunters have to be persuaded that there's a difference between buying a rifle to hunt and gun violence. "I'm respectful of people who want to hunt or sportsmen, somebody who might want to have a gun in the house to protect their home. But it's hard to imagine why you would need 19 rounds in a semiautomatic," he said. The senator also said mental health services also should be improved to identify people with serious problems who aren't getting treatment. Cho had been ordered to a psychiatric hospital but was released with orders to undergo outpatient treatment. Virginia is one of the states that provides mental health records, and it's unclear why that didn't stop Cho's purchase. --- On the Net: barackobama.com

To: zeta1961 who wrote (1997)	4/20/2007 2:10:54 AM
From: MJ	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 149317

This was a heinous pre-meditated killing of defenseless young people by Cho not by Virginians, not by all Americans and not by Americans of Korean background. Since beginning his campaign Obama has used negative words to describe America-----Obama has claimed Americans are cynical, racist and violent. This does not describe the Americans that I know. Right, He doesn't get it-----does he have anything positive to say about America and Americans. mj

To: zeta1961 who wrote (1997)	4/20/2007 4:09:17 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 149317

Lights, Camera, Action: Clinton Leads Obama in Hollywood Money By Scott Cendrowski April 20 (Bloomberg) -- Hillary Clinton has taken an early lead over Barack Obama in the Hollywood primary. Clinton raised $806,558 from the television, movie and music businesses in the first three months of the year, besting Obama's take of $661,385, according to figures compiled by the non- partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign reports. Entertainment industry donations to the two Democrats far outstripped those made to all Republicans. Among the entertainment figures who made the maximum donation to Clinton for the primaries are actress Candice Bergen, director Rob Reiner and actor Chevy Chase, federal campaign filings show. Obama supporters included actors Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller and ``Spider-Man'' star Tobey Maguire. ``The surprise is that Obama did as well as he did,'' said Lara Bergthold, 39, who coordinated Hollywood fundraising efforts for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and is not affiliated with any candidates this year. ``Hillary has a head start in this town.'' The entertainment industry has been a stalwart backer of Democratic candidates, including Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, when he ran for office. Over the last nine elections, people in the television, movie and music business have given a total of $201 million to candidates and causes, with 68 percent of the money going to Democrats and allied groups, according the center's figures. Roll the Credits Federal Election Commission disclosures filed by the campaigns at the end of the quarter include a Democratic donor list that reads like the credits of an ensemble epic. Hollywood stars Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Gene Wilder donated to Obama's campaign, joined by actress and director Jodie Foster. Obama, 45, a first-term senator from Illinois, also drew donations from Hollywood's Generation X: Maguire, actor Edward Norton and actress Jennifer Aniston were among the entertainers under 40 who gave the maximum $2,300 donation to help the freshman senator. For Clinton, 59, a senator representing New York and Obama's chief rival for the Democratic nomination, none of the widely known donors who list their occupation on FEC reports as ``actor'' are under 40. Republicans Arizona Senator John McCain, 70, did better than his Republican rivals in Hollywood, raising $239,350 from the entertainment industry, according to the center's figures. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 62, who is leading in the Republican race, took in $105,350. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 60, the Republican who raised the most money nationally in the first quarter, was a distant third with $65,900 from the industry. Among the smaller core of Republican entertainment figures, actor Kelsey Grammer and actor/economist Ben Stein donated to Giuliani. ``Pirates of the Caribbean'' producer Jerry Bruckheimer gave $2,300 to McCain, as did his wife, Linda Bruckheimer. Some entertainers are hedging their bets. Singer and songwriter Barry Manilow and director Steven Spielberg were among those who contributed to both of the leading Democratic candidates. And both candidates had supporters who split their money among other Democratic hopefuls. Rosie O'Donnell, co-host of ABC's ``The View,'' gave to Clinton and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson while Reiner split his support between Clinton, Richardson and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards. Actor and producer Michael Douglas supported Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd along with Richardson, Obama and Clinton. Hollywood icons Paul Newman and his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, also contributed to Dodd. Edwards, in third place among Democratic voters in national polls, raised $310,985 from the entertainment industry. Dodd got $102,500 and Richardson's donations from the industry totaled $91,800, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Nationally, Obama topped Clinton in money raised for the nomination race in the first quarter, collecting $24.8 million. Clinton took in $19 million. Still, Clinton had $31 million in cash on hand at the end of the quarter, compared with $19.2 million Obama reported in the bank. She also collected $6 million for the general election race and transferred $10 million from her Senate campaign account. To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Cendrowski in Washington at scendrowski@bloomberg.net . Last Updated: April 20, 2007 00:07 EDT

To: zeta1961 who wrote (1997)	4/23/2007 2:05:27 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

Obama strong on environment _____________________________________________________________ By John McCormick Chicago Tribune staff reporter April 22, 2007, 11:08 PM CDT IOWA CITY -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took his campaign to Iowa's largest university campus Sunday to pitch tougher environmental policies and an anti-war message before thousands gathered on Earth Day. "We know that we've got an energy policy that is the absence of an energy policy," Obama said under a warm spring sun on the University of Iowa's campus. "It's an energy policy that sends $800 million a day to some of the most hostile nations on Earth, that leads us to fund both sides of the war on terrorism." But Obama (D-Ill.) was not alone among leading Democratic candidates in trying to convince potential voters of his environmental conscience in a state that will hold the first presidential voting in January. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), campaigning only about 130 miles to the north at Luther College in Decorah, pushed proposals to increase renewable energy research and establish a goal of getting 20 percent of the nation's electricity from renewable sources by 2020. And former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, , who is leading in many polls of likely Iowa caucus participants, encouraged Americans to reduce carbon emissions while campaigning in Waterloo and Ft. Dodge. Edwards, however, was distracted throughout the weekend by reports that his campaign paid for $400 haircuts, an expense he has said he will repay. The topic landed him on the front page of Saturday's Des Moines Register, while one of that paper's leading columnists severely teased him in Sunday's edition. Obama, meanwhile, met with several dozen Iowa volunteers who spent the morning planting tree seedlings purchased by his campaign. Although he was scheduled to later fly by chartered jet back to Chicago, his campaign stressed that he arrived in a sport utility vehicle that burns E-85 fuel, a blend that is 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol. Speaking to a crowd that a university official estimated at 10,000, Obama said he is convinced global warming is a real threat that requires an immediate response. "The days of debate about whether or not the globe is getting warmer are over," he said. "There are about two holdouts left in the Bush White House. But everybody else across the planet knows that this is an issue that we've got to attend to." Prior to his speech, Obama told reporters that Americans are ready for tough new environmental measures and have been called to action partly by "An Inconvenient Truth," a film featuring Al Gore. "Vice President Gore, I think, deserves a lot of credit for this," Obama said. "His film captivated not just the country, but the world. But you're also just seeing mounting evidence of the severity of the problem and the urgency of us needing to take steps." Reiterating a proposal he made Friday in New Hampshire, Obama called for lower carbon emissions from fuels. His plan echoes an initiative of California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who issued an executive order this year requiring fuels sold in his state to contain less carbon in order to cut emissions. Obama essentially would impose the California plan on the nation, requiring that fuels sold in the U.S. contain 5 percent less carbon by 2015 and 10 percent less by 2020, something he said would be equivalent to taking 32 million cars off the road. "That is something we could do right now," he said. "It is well within our capacity." Obama also called for boosting fuel efficiency standards for cars to an average 43 miles per gallon, saying the nation could then "import zero oil from the Middle East." Although he has supported increased coal production that would benefit southern Illinois' economy while also potentially increasing global warming, his campaign said he also backs so-called "carbon sequestration" techniques that would capture and store carbon emissions from coal. Although the environment was his main theme, Obama spent more than 10 minutes talking about his biography, later hammering against the situation in Iraq, a topic that drew some of his strongest applause in an area considered the most liberal in the state. "There is no military solution in Iraq," he said. "Our young men and women have done their duty. It is time to bring them home." The trip was Obama's sixth to Iowa since he announced his candidacy in February. The Iowa City event followed one Saturday evening in a Des Moines suburb where he spoke to a group of progressive activists and members of the United Auto Workers. Iowa Atty. Gen. Tom Miller, who endorsed Obama even before former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack left the presidential race, said Obama is doing well in the leadoff caucus state. "He's drawn by far the biggest crowds of any candidate in either party," Miller said. "Our challenge is to harvest this big potential on caucus night." Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune