Salam Barakah (A Presidential letter from the US President)

President Barack Obama

date   May 27, 2009 8:16 AM     subject   My Supreme Court nominee to me

“Barakah — I am proud to announce my nominee for the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor. This decision affects us all — and so it must involve us all. I’ve recorded a special message to personally introduce Judge Sotomayor and explain why I’m so confident she will make an excellent Justice. Please watch the video, and then pass this note on to friends and family to include them in this historic moment. Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream. Born and raised in a South Bronx housing project, she distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney. Judge Sotomayor has gone on to earn bipartisan acclaim as one of America’s finest legal minds. As a Supreme Court Justice, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years. Judge Sotomayor would show fidelity to our Constitution and draw on a common-sense understanding of how the law affects our day-to-day lives. A nomination for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land is one of the most important decisions a President can make. And the discussions that follow will be among the most important we have as a nation. You can begin the conversation today by watching this special message and then passing it on: http://my.barackobama.com/SupremeCourt

Thank you,

President Barack Obama”

The presidential letter above was emailed to me last month by White House staffers handling his email: info@barackobama.com

In my first email communication (way before he was elected) to US President Barack Obama, I refer myself as Barakah, by the way. I did not get to respond to his email immediately but indirectly in this post of mine, I simply stick to my very silly opinionated viewpoint that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination as the Justice of the United States’ Supreme Court is and will always be the one huge and biggest mistake in any presidential decision-making of the highest executive order! But then again who am I to judge?

However, I couldn’t agree more with President Barack Obama’s historical speech in the Al-Azhar Cairo University, Egypt,  last week — http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/ , in which he concluded with these words:

“All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort — a sustained effort — to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

It’s easier to start wars than to end them.  It’s easier to blame others than to look inward.  It’s easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.  But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path.  There’s one rule that lies at the heart of every religion — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  (Applause.)  This truth transcends nations and peoples — a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian or Muslim or Jew.  It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world.  It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Koran tells us:  “O mankind!  We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.”

The Talmud tells us:  “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”

The Holy Bible tells us:  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  (Applause.)

The people of the world can live together in peace.  We know that is God’s vision.  Now that must be our work here on Earth.

Thank you.  And may God’s peace be upon you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END”        

TOUCHE, MR PRESIDENT!

PLK