Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20130121

Africanamerican president , barack obama kicks off the second term on Martin Luther king day. Today and Inauguration Day special. We will air highlights from last ides peace ball including naacp president benjamin jealous. The challenge for our country is never to see the day when a person of color would be president , nor the challenge for our country was to ensure that it would be safe for it to have happen again and again. Well also hear from the legendary poet son the sanchez, ralph nader, sweet honey and the rock, and angela davis. Let me say this time around we cannot subordinate our aspirations and our hopes to president ial agenda. We will look at big money behind the inauguration. Four years ago president obama refused to accept corporate donations, but this year exxonmobil, at t, christoph are among the biggest backers of todays festivities. Microsoft are among the biggest backers of todays festivities. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The teenage gunman is in custody after allegedly killing five members of his family in new mexico on saturday night. Police say the 15yearold killed his parents and three siblings, each suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect was armed with several weapons, including an assault rifle. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the u. S. Since the newtown massacre over a month ago. The shooting came on the same day opponents of gun control held rallies across the country to oppose the white house effort to reform the nations gun laws. At demonstrations in pennsylvania and ohio, gun owners pilloried calls for stricter gun control. No law put on law abiding citizens h crime. Theyre going to take my gun so i can get shot. My thoughts is, tell the leftwing liberal idiots in washington to leave our guns alone. Were not hurting anything. It is the criminals. Deal with the criminals, not the law abiding citizens. The progun rallies also coincided with a series of nationwide gun shows where at least five people were wounded when their firearms accidentally went off. In North Carolina, three people were injured when a shotgun accidentally fired as its owner removed it from its case. Another gun owner accidentally shot himself in indianapolis, while an ohio a gun show attendee was injured by stray bullet. President obama is set to publicly take the oath of office today at his second term inauguration in washington. Obama gathered with his family sunday in the blue room of the white house to privately recite the 35word oath read to him by Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Barack Hussein obama do solemnly swear. I Barack Hussein obama do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States, so help me god. Congratulations, mr. President. 3 activist groups have received permission to protest president obama along the route of the nrk parade. The antiwar group answers says it expects we will have more on the inauguration after headlines. Alice four people have been killed in u. S. Drone strike inside yemen. Yemeni government says the attack of four militants but the claim has not been independently verified. The attack comes one day after those of anger of the drone attacks blocked a main road linking the targeted town with the capital. The Obama Administration meanwhile reportedly has decided to exclude cia drone strikes in pakist from new legal oversight for targeted killings overseas. The Washington Post reports counterterrorism adviser and cianominee john brennan has signed off on a plan to exempt the drone attacks in pakistan from a list of operations that would be covered under newly enacted rules. Areas covered in the socalled play book include the process for adding names to kill lists, the principles for killing u. S. Citizens abroad, and the command chain for authorizing cia or u. S. Military strikes outside war zones. The exemption of drone strikes in pakistan would allow the cia to continue carrying them without tearing them without a Legal Framework for a to two years. The hostage standoff in a jury of his ended in the deaths of dozens of people, including up to 48 of the captured workers. Algerian forces say they recovered at least 25 bodies after storming the militant held gas complex saturday, bringing the confirmed death toll to least 80. Witnesses say the hostages were brutally executed. The toll could have been worse as hundreds of hostages had earlier managed to escape. A will on islamist fighter has claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of the al qaeda. The militants who took the complex claimed there were doing so to seek an end to the French Military intervention in neighboring mali. The french Army Continues to advance on no. Rally in its effort to wrest control from islamist rebels. Earlier today, French Forces into the key town on the ground after a week of air strikes. The rebels apparently fled the town after vowing stiff resistance. At the united nations, a spokesperson for the u. N. Refugee agency said the fighting in mali continues to this place up to 700,000 people. We believe there could be in the near future up to 300,000 people additionally displaced inside mali and over 400,000 additionally displaced in the neighboring countries. Many also fear the strict application of sharia law. Their report having witnessed executions, amputations, and say that large amounts of money are being offered to civilians to fight against the malian army and its supporters. Disturbingly, also, were hearing accounts there are children among the rebel fighters. Fighting erupted in afghanistans capital earlier today after suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of the afghan traffic police. At least eight people were killed, including three officers and five militants. It was the Second Attack on an Afghan Government building in kabul in five days. A new u. N. Report says the torture prisoners in afghanistan is not only continuing, that may be on the rise. Investigators say theyve uncovered ongoing abuses in afghan prisons including the beating of detainees with cables and hanging them by their wrists. More than half of prisoners interviewed said they had been tortured, higher than the previous rate of 24 in 2011. The report also cites an unnamed afghan official confirming prisoners are being held as a pretension sides to avoid international scrutiny. Last week, the u. S. Military said it had halted the transfer detainees to some afghan prisons over ongoing torture. The Israeli Military has forced forcibly removed another palestinian protest encampment in the path of the expanding settlement. Palestinian residents of the village had set up three tents and a mobil building on friday to stop israel from seizing parts of their land. The demonstrators named their site bab alkarama. The activists said they tore up the order in the faces of its release soldiers. The in camera was raided and dismantle by its release soldiers earlier today. Another palestinian encampment was removed earlier this month. Rebels in colombia have announced an end to a twomonth unilateral ceasefire declared peace talks with the government. Revolutionary armed forces, or fork, said they would have extended the truce had the government and willing to sign an accord. A columbia rejected the pact saying farc did its ceasefire pledges multiple times. Military attacks against the far can continue even after rebels and the colombian government began meeting for peace talks in cuba late last year. Back in the u. S. , the interior department has again delayed a regulation that would require the disclosure of chemicals used in the oil drilling process of hydraulic fracturing known as fracking. It is the second time the rules implementation has been delayed since it was first proposed in may. In a bid to draw attention to the Environmental Impact of fracking, the musician and activist yoko ono has joined with her son, musician sean lennon, for a tour of impacted areas in northeastern states. The actor and activist Susan Sarandon joined yoko ono and sean lennon for a part of their trip. Fracking is such a major, major decision because it is forever. You cannot undo the damage. All of that stuff is still emitting even after they leave. Fracking is dirty. There is no way to make it clean. The industry knows it is dirty and that is why theyre spending so much money on the pr campaign to spread the information and tell people it is going to save their economy, when actually it devastates local communities. Hundreds of people gathered in new york city on saturday for a Public Memorial Service honoring and schwartz, the Internet Freedom activist who took his own life earlier this month. He was weeks before trial date for downloading millions of articles provided by the Nonprofit Research service jstor at mit. Swartz was facing 35 years in prison, a penalty supporters called excessively harsh. At the memorial, aaron swartzs partner, taren stinebrickner kauffman, called for prosecutors to be held accountable. On last friday he face the prospect of yet another three months of uncertainty of ups and downs of being forced by the government to spend every fiber of his being on this damnable, since this trial. With no guarantee could exonerate himself at the end of it. He was so scared and so frustrated and so desperate and more than anything, just so weary. I think he just could not take it another day. Aarib would have loved to have been here because of the last week, phoenixs are already rising from his ashes. The best possible legacy for him is for all of us to go out from here today and do everything we can to make the world a better place. A thousand flowers are blooming in his name already. Some of the most important and will be fighting, david siegel, and many others, are organizing around u. S. Attorneys office that must be held accountable for its actions. Taren stinebricknerkauffman speaking at the public memorial for aaron swartz. Democracy now livestreamed the memorial. You can go to democracynow. Org to watch it in full as well as our interview with taren. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from washington, d. C. , today, where president barack obama is set to publicly take the oath of office for a second term after becoming the first africanamerican u. S. President four years ago. As many as 800,000 people are expected to attend this years celebration smaller than the nearly 2 Million People who crammed into washington to witness his 2009 inauguration, but still the largest second inauguration in history. President obama first gathered with his family sunday in the blue room of the white house to privately recite the 35word oath that was read to him by Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Barack Hussein obama, do solemnly swear 9 i barack obama and do solemnly swear that i will execute the office of the president of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States, so help me god. Congratulations, mr. President. Thank you so much. President obama being sworn in sunday by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts during a ceremony at the white house. He will repeat those words when he raises his right hand at todays public inauguration, while laying his left hand on two bibles one owned by Abraham Lincoln and the other owned by dr. Martin luther king, jr. Afterward, obama will deliver a speech laying out his plans for the next four years. The nro ceremony will include music from singers james taylor, beyonce, and others which will carry live during our extended fiveour inauguration special. After our regular broadcast ends, we will continue to bring you coverage until 1 00 p. M. Eastern standard time, including the swearing in ceremony. Some stations will run the whole five our special, for others you can go to democracynow. Org. This year, the inauguration also comes on the federal holiday in honor of dr. Martin luther king, jr. , who delivered his i have a dream speech 50 years ago, not far from here at the lincoln memorial. Later in our special coverage, we will air excerpts of some of dr. Kings less often played speeches, including beyond vietnam. Why he opposed the war in vietnam. But first, we turn to some of the voices of hope and resistance from sunday nights piece ball. Not affiliated with any Political Party, the celebration at the mead center for American Theater paid tribute to the continuing struggle for peace and justice here in the United States and throughout the world. We begin with naacp president benjamin jealoin. This is the place to be tonight. The challenge for our country was never to see the day when a person of color would be president , know the challenge for our country was to ensure that it would be safe for it to happen again and again. We knew it could be condoleezza rice. It could be colin powell. But we got barack obama. We got a man who was a product of a progressive movement. As we stand here tonight ever so humble, reminiscing about ancestors who did not see this day, about people like medgar evers who gave their lives so we would see this day, let us walk out of here tonight talking to our children as members of a movement that is triumphant. I want you not to forget what happened last year or two years ago when they said we could never be where we are right now. When they tried to teach our children that the tea party was not a group of people who started the war for democracy against the king, but rather a group of people who started the war against democracy for would be kings. And they said that we organized people would be run over by organized money. They said that we cannot organize people, would never turn out like we did in 2008. They said that they could attack womens rights, lgbt rights, students rights, workers rights, voting rights, and we would vulcanize. And then something funny happened on their way to victory. We came together like we have never come together before. [applause] they said that we could not pass Marriage Equality in one state on the ballot, and we won victories in all four states. [applause] they said that we could never say comprehensive immigration reform, and now sean hannity says that he supports it. They said that they were going to steal our democracy from us, and we took it back. So here is the challenge. The challenge to us is to remember what we learned when we first entered this movement, that you never elect someone to make change happen for you. You elect somebody to make it a little easier for your movement to keep on making change after. And so, brothers and sisters, i implore you tonight, have a good time, party caressed well, then get right back on the battlefield Tuesday Morning because we took our democracy back and we aint giving it up to nobody. Thank you and god bless. Fire it up. Fire it up. Fire it up god bless you all. That was president of the naacp, benjamin jealous, speaking at the peace ball, voices of hope and resistance come here in washington, d. C. On sunday night. We will be back with more from the peace ball couldnt angela davis, Sonia Sanchez and others in a moment. [music break] sweet honey in the rock performing at the peace ball last night. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from washington, d. C. , bringing you special coverage of todays inauguration as hundreds of thousands gathered here in the capital. As many as 800,000 people are expected to attend the celebration smaller than merely to lead people who crammed into washington to witness the 2009 inauguration, but still the largest second inauguration in history. The first, by the way, four years ago was the largest event ever to take place in washington, d. C. After our regular program ends, we will continue to bring you coverage until 1 00 p. M. Eastern time, including the swearing in ceremony. This year the inauguration also comes on january 21, the federal holiday in honor of dr. Martin luther king, jr. Later in our special coverage, we will air excerpts of some of his less often heard speeches. But now we return to some of the voices from the peace ball last night, voices of hope and resistance. At the arena stage of the mead center for American Theater, a Cultural Center here in washington. This is renowned author, educator and political activist angela davis who spoke last night, founder of the Group Critical resistance, a grassroots effort to in the prison industrial complex. Davis voiced support for president obama, the said much work needs to be done. Let me say this time around we cannot subordinate our aspirations and our hopes to president ial the agendas. Our passionate support for president barack obama and it is wonderful that we can say for the second time, president barack obama, and we support him and are passionate about that support. But that support should also be expressed in our determination to raise issues that have largely been ignored or not appropriately addressed by the administration. And let me say that we are aware that we should be celebrating, critically celebrating the 150th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation. [applause] there should be massive celebrations this year. What has happened other than the film lincoln . And of course with 2. 5 Million People behind bars today, the prison system, the immigrant detention system are terrible remainders and reminders of slavery. Mass incarceration has devastated our communities. It is a false solution to problems that have persisted since the era of slavery. We should be addressing the fate of our schools, the continuing crisis of over incarceration, over punishment. We should be addressing the part played by private prison corporations in pushing for repressive legislation designed to incarcerate ever increasing numbers of immigrants. Last year, some 500,000 half a Million Immigrants were detained. That of course is the largest number ever. The past still haunts us. It goes strides the echoes of our lives. To overcome poverty, to overcome racism, we must also overcome the xenophobia, homophobia, justice for African Americans is organically linked to justice for palestinians. The struggle goes on. As in june at jordan said, we are the ones we have been waiting for. Thank you. The renowned author, educator, founder of the critical Resistance Movement angela davis speaking at the peace ball, voices of hope and resistance sunday night. Here in washington, d. C. , just before heading to the peace ball, i ran into rev. Ben chavis, member of the wilmington 10, former assistant to dr. Martin luther king, jr. , former executive director of the naacp. When we last spoke on democracy now it was in december when he and others for making a last ditch push for the North Carolina governor bev perdue to pardon him and nine others known as the wilmington 10. It was 1971, the city of clinton was in the midst of a civil rights struggle. After what and restored a black neighborhood was firebombed, Police Officers and firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames but came under gunfire. An africanamerican teen was killed by police that night, a white man was shot and killed the next day. The National Guard moved in. Nine black men and one white woman were rounded up, hustled off to jail for their alleged involvement. The young defendants, the majority Just High School age, were collectively sentenced to a total of more than 280 years in prison. Rev. Ben chavis served more than five years in prison. Shortly after he appeared on democracy now last month, Governor Perdue issued pardons of innocence for the wilmington 10. The move came after newly surfaced documents revealed the prosecutor in the case made racially biased notes next to potential jurors, writing comments like kkk good. I asked rev. Chavis last night what it felt like to be attending president of the inauguration on dr. Martin luther king day, after finally being pardoned. This is a 40year case of injustice. 40 years. Better late than never. And i want to thank the movement. This would not have been possible without millions of people weighing in. Here to celebrate the second inauguration of president barack obama, also an occasion of Martin Luther king, jr. s birthday. We feel so happy to be finally vindicated. But we must reaffirm our support for the continuation of the movement for freedom, justice, equality throughout the world. In this exoneration the government published governor issued, what most affected you in what she said . What most affected as was a quote a case of naked racism. Southern governor, democratic governor, a female governor to make that statement on her last day of office shows how powerful the movement of freedom can be when elected officials in Southern States say, we must right the wrongs. Have you spoken with the other survivors . Yes, we had a big celebration. When i finally got the piece of paper with the governors signature on it, i said, this paper feels very heavy. It is 40 years of weight. How long did you serve in prison . Rex five and a half years. How you get those years back . I cannot get those years back, but im going use what time i spend in prison to rededicate ourselves. It is hard to restore the years youve taken away, but we will wear them as a badge of honor and pride and encourage young people to learn from the Civil Rights Movement so we dont have to go back and repeat history. Why do you say this was a movement victory as opposed to a governor just changing the governor responded to the movement of the people. Keep in mind, we went to prison because of the movement, and the movement also set us free. Benjamin chavis, member of the wilmington 10, former assistant to dr. Martin luther king, jr. And former executive director of the naacp. We were speaking justin before i headed off to the cover the peace ball in washington, d. C. He was headed off to a hiphop ball. Next at the peace ball, voices of hope and resistance. We turn to put an activist s onia sanchez reading a poem called morning song and evening walk for Martin Luther king. And god i move imperfect through this ancient city. Quiet. No one hears no one feels the tears of multitudes. The silence thickens i have lost the shore of your kind seasons who will hear my voice nasal against distinguished actors. O i am tired of voices without sound i will rest on this ground full of mass hymns. You have been here since i can remember martin from selma to montgomery from watts to chicago from Nobel Peace Prize to memphis, tennessee. Unmoved along the angles and corners of aristocratic confusion. It was a time to be born forced forward a time to wander inside drums the good times with eyes like stars and soldiers without medals or weapons but honor, yes. And you told us the storm is rising against the privileged minority of the earth, from which there is no shelter in isolation or armament and you told us the storm will not abate until a just distribution of the fruits of the earth enables men and women everywhere to live in dignity and human decency. All summerlong it has rained and the water rises in our throats and all that we sing is rumored forgotten. Whom shall we call when this song comes of age . And they came into the city carrying their fastings in their eyes and the young 9 yearold sudanese boy said, i want something to eat at nite a place to sleep. And they came into the city hands salivating guns, and the young 9yearold words snapped red with vowels mama mama auntie auntie i dead i dead i deaddddd. In our city of lost alphabets where only our eyes strengthen the children you spoke like peter like john you fisherman of tongues untangling our wings you inaugurated iron for our masks exiled no one with your touch and we felt the thunder in your hands. We are soldiers in the army we have to fight, although we have to cry. We have to hold up the freedom banners we have to hold it up until we die. And you said we must keep going and we became small miracles, pushed the wind down, entered the slow bloodstream of america surrounded streets and reconcentradas, tuned our legs against olympic politicians elaborate cadavers growing fat underneath western hats. And we scraped the rust from old laws went floor by floor window by window and clean faces rose from the dust became new brides and bridegrooms among change men and women coming for their inheritance. And you challenged us to catch up with our own breaths to breathe in latinos asians native americans whites blacks gays lesbians muslims and jews, to gather up our rainbowcolored skins in peace and Racial Justice as we try to answer your long ago question is there a nonviolent peacemaking army that can shut down the pentagon . And you challenged us to breathe in bernard harings words the materialistic growthmania for more and more production and more and more markets for selling unnecessary and even damaging products is a sin against the generation to come what shall we leave to them rubbish, atomic weapons numerous enough to make the earth uninhabitable, a poisoned atmosphere, polluted water . Love in practice is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams, said a russian writer. Now i know at great cost martin that as we burn something moves out of the flames call it spirit or apparition till no fire or body or ash remain we breathe out and smell the world again ayeayeaye ayoayoayo ayeee ayeeeayeee amen men men men awoman woman woman woman men men men woman woman woman men men woman woman men woman womanmen. The earth has tilted, tear martin, as the wicked each morning to an internal alarm clock called hope, i count the morning stars, the air so sweet anointing the day, hope comes on warning sales and we fault ourselves in the millet men mourning. Of remember the thirst of your eyes, the hands confessing peace, peace and Racial Justice. We are the now, the history that you talked about to make on this honored walk ways. This day as the precision of your dreams. In the four corners of this country, we live inside your breath and love and try to answer the most important question of the 21st century, what does it mean to be human . What does it mean to be human . And as we try to answer that question, we cannot break across the sound of your words, not symbols and posturing, not lesions with this new president , dear martin, we hope, we hope we are inaugurating a new day come a time for all americans, we can operate like new men and women should, coming out of themselves toward peace and justice and freedom, so, come. Come with yourselves and your life, livefelive, singing eyes, and hands. We have come to celebrate life until we become seen men and women again. Come come come come in number in any way of breathing for the world, a new way of peace and justice for the world. Come and look at better. Ebay ebayeeeeee ebay ebayeeeee ebayeeeee yeee yeeee yeee ye ye ye thank you. Poet, Sonia Sanchez reading from her poem mornings on an evening walk for Martin Luther king. She read that poem last sat at the piece of honoring voices of hope and resistance. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We will be back in a moment. [music break] this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. There are many protests that are planned for today three activist groups have received permission to protest president obama along the route of the inaugural parade including the antiwar group answer, which says it expects thousands. Another group is called the park and Justice Coalition that estimates about 400 protesters will gather in a park close to the white house and march toward the parade route during the ceremony, objecting to the use of drones in military operations and social injustice. Last night, another of the people who spoke at the peace ball, voices of hope and resistance, was medea benjamin, cofounder of codepink. She recently returned from pakistan where she traveled with families of drone victims. Just remember, the drone policy is one where the u. S. Is telling the world we can go anywhere in the world we want, kill anyone we want on the basis of secret information. It is a policy that is inhumane. It is a policy that is counterproductive. It is a policy that is totally illegal according to international law, and it is something that must be stopped. [applause] so we were recently in pakistan, a group of 34 very brave americans, not only from codepink but groups like the veterans for peace, that went to say to the pakistanis, we do not support the Drone Program and we care about you and your lives. Your lives are as precious as our lives. And when we were in a meeting with hundreds and hundreds of postion men, one of them stood up and said, if you have come here to win our hearts and minds, you have done so. And it showed us that if we go around the world showing we care about other peoples lives, if we go around the world spreading compassion and kindness, we will get love back in return. So lets go out spreading a lot of love, and lets make sure that we force our congress and our president to represent the policies of kindness and compassion that we as americans hold dear. Medea benjamin speaking last night at the peace ball. Last week when the National Rifle association held its first News Conference after the newtown massacre, she was there holding a sign saying the nra has blood on its hands. She was taken out by security as one of the heads of the nra spoke. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The piece ball, which was held at the mead center for American Theater, was thought affiliated with any party. Thousands came out. The number of official balls celebrating open as an operation is down from 10 in 2009 to just two this year. This time obama agreed to except unlimited corporate funding. Donors have been offered a number of sponsorship options including the top tier of 1 million for institutions, 250,000 for individuals. In contrast, corporate lobbyists and Political Action committee donors were banned in 2009. Individual contributions were capped at 50,000. Several of the nations best powerful corporate lobbying forces are bankrolling this years festivities including at t, microsoft, southern co. Which have collectively spent almost 160 million on lobbying since obama first took office. Todays ceremony falls on the third anniversary of one of the Supreme Court Citizens United decisions, allowing unlimited outside spending on political campaigns. For more were joined here in washington, d. C. By liz bartolomeo, Communications Manager for the sun life foundation, which is tracking money and influence at the inauguration. They have a website called Political Party time that tracks all of the informal celebrations taking place in addition to the two official balls. It also features a map that shows whos fundraising and where. Liz bartolomeo, we welcome you back to democracy now tell us what is happening today in these officials balls for the youll see the pomp and circumstance. Youll see the president and first lady have a dance, lots of people and ball gowns and tuxedos. At the Convention Center in d. C. The will have the commander in chief ball as well as the lovely titled inaugural ball. The salut foundation is tracking some of these unofficial parties. Some are like the peace ball, which are people gathering together to celebrate democracy, celebrate the cause, and lead to a celebrating inauguration. Other events might be a dance party at a popular nightclub, there might be a fundraiser as well as a celebration for those groups, or they may be more corporatefunded, lobbyist funded defense. Tell us about the two official balls. Shortridge the two official balls are with the taxpayers do, as well as a president ial inaugural committee. It is a private group that has been set up by the obama ministration and theyre collecting and upwards of 50 million to throw these events. Theres the commander in chief of for military families. Those in the service. The in our robo is going to be the nro ball, there was a ticketmaster situation that not everybody got their tickets, but they will be popular events. What is the black tie event. Black tie in boots is what the Texas State Society had this weekend. It is a very popular event. It was definitely one had to go to during the bush administration, him being from texas, but the Texas Society headed across the Potomac River at the National Harbour and it features some members of congress, Country Music and also corporate sponsors. The blue shield of texas, which give an upwards of one quarter Million Dollars to sponsor it. And what is blueshield question of how significant is that . A big insurance company. Health care reform is definitely on the minds of members of congress, on the minds of the public. They have to be a big get their name out their front and center to the hundreds of people. Explain what it is pushing for in terms of health care, for example, the individual mandate. And not that familiar with what blueshield of texas was pushing, but a lot of stuff that is happening now in 2013 with the Health Care Reform will be coming up. This is just the first of many of Healthcare Industries that will be pushing their agenda in washington. The other Companies Involved with this one . Chevron, exxon mobil, the oil industry being something definitely deep in the heart of texas, so to speak, also some airlines gave money. Southwest airlines, united, they have a few hubs in the state as well. They gave it upwards of 50,000. Still, for one night for a few hours customer spending 50,000, 250,000 just to get in front of a small group of people . Whats Georgia State society . Celebrating the peach state. They had Gladys Knight as one of the honorees. They have a lot of local businesses set in the state like cocacola, home depot, kia motors as well as ups. Why them . Ups is active here in washington. They have a town house on capitol hill where they do a lot of fundraisers. Theyre not a surprising to see. Talk about the president ial inauguration committee. Pic is the acronym, is a private group. They fundraiser to help support the official inaugural balls, the parade itself. It is not inexpensive to do. What you mentioned what theyre doing this year, theyre saying yes to Unlimited Money in this post citizensunited age. They are reaching out to corporations, unions no lobbyists or Political Action committees, but last year in 2009, rather, this group raised about 53 million. This year theyre not saying how much theyre raising. We will not know until april. All they have on line is about 1000 names including members of congress, unions, some bundlers and a number of corporations. What about disclosure around the voluntary proinaugural disclosure of donors . It is weak this year, to be honest. What happened in 2009, the inaugural committee, about two months before they posted the names of their donors, how much they gave, where they were from, who the employers were. It was a great way to see real time online disclosure of who is funding these inaugural events read this year all we see is a very, very long list of names. We will not know until april what they actually gave. Which way are we going . We seem to be slowly but surely to steps toward, one step back. When president obama was first elected office, he promised to be the most transparent administration. There has been a lot of gain. There has been just some not while moving toward. It is the 30th anniversary dollarthird anniversary of Citizens United. We still have unlimited corporate and union spending, unlimited personal spending in our elections. Soft money is on the rise. There is no disclose act. The president has been fairly silent on this topic. Were curious to see how this new c4 the former campaign organizing for america, how they have promised online disclosure of who their finders are. We will see if they live up to that promise. Liz bartolomeo, thank you for enlightening us. We turned back to historical voices, another of the speakers last night was julian bond, the leading civil rights activist, former chair of the board of the naacp, helped found the student nonviolent coordinating committee, was the first esident of the southern poverty law center, a state legislator in georgia for over 20 years. He spoke about the effects of obamas election victory. We are gathered here to celebrate the reelection of president obama and in a commencement arguably astounding, if not more so, then the first. Were here celebrating the best news, the president is acting as if he won. [applause] and when he didnt, and every state that was part of the and when he did, every state the was part of the confederacy, including almost 90 in both alabama and mississippi. Similarly in this cycle, romney won the presidency of the Confederate States of america, a caring nine of the 11 rebel states. He achieved his high share of the white vote in the state with the largest percentage of black voters, mississippi. Indeed, romneys Strong National showing among white voters was almost exclusively driven by a stark support from southern voters. George w. Bush got 62 million votes in the 2004 election and conservatives said he had a mandate. Barack obama got 62 million votes in the two 2012 election, and conservatives started a secessionist movement. But the Obama Campaign took it to them and made a difference in the end. They helped create a new electorate, a coalition of concerned and they turned it out on election day. Our two Political Parties are separate and not equal. The percentage of republicans who are white has remained fairly steady since 2000 at about 87 . The percentage of democrats who are white in contrast has dropped from 64 in 2000 to 55 now. Independents have gone from 79 to 67 white since 2000. The depth of republican dependence on white voters explains a lot about the recent election. Not least about its outcome. Republican efforts to suppress minority voters back fired big time. [applause] in florida alone, 266,000 more hispanics voted than in 2008. Similarly in ohio, 209,000 more blacks voted than in 2008. Overall, while romney received 59 of the white vote, all hot obama omaha . Obama got 93 of the black vote and 73 of hispanic and asian votes respectively. Almost 90 of bronners voters were white. Obama carried 55 of womens votes. Julian bond, civil rights leader. We end today on this year of obamas inauguration coming on the federal holiday in honor of dr. Martin luther king, jr. , who delivered his i have a dream speech half a century ago, not far from here at the lincoln memorial. Coming up in our coverage, we will be playing in the five hours of coverage, whether your station broadcasts it or not, we will be on democracynow. Org. We end today with the words of dr. King himself. That if we are to get on the right side of the war revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin from a theme Oriented Society wind machines and computers, profit motors and Property Rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice ous many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on lifes roadside that will be only an initial act, one day we must come to see the whole jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make that journey on lifes highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. [applause] a true revolution of values will send look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth, with the righteous indignation it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the west investing huge sums of money in asia, africa, and south america, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countrys, and say, this is not just. It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of south american said, this is not just. The western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, this way of settling differences is not just. This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nations homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. [applause] america, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing except a tragic death wish to ravenna us from reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. Dr. Martin luther king, jr. , speaking at 04, 1967, a year to the day before he was assassinated in memphis. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ] for those staying with us, we will continue our broadcast for four more hours including the inauguration. If your station is not running as, you can go to democracynow. Org