That also includes voter rights. It also includes that. So just because you are a dream activist doesnt mean you can be advocating for brothers in mr. Zukin about because we are voting for that. My vote counts five times for four dreamers they can though. We have to build coalitions and everyone is making a difference and talking about that and i think its right that the candidate level. [applause] it is really repetition. There is no magic to this. We have to continue to tell this story ever a single year even if we are not just them saying it and over, we have to make sure it is the great equalizer. That is real. And so, in doing that, my good friend Christine Pelosi said in some of her training if you dont respect me, dont expect me. And for a lot of communities of color or a lot of poorer communities, they dont feel like folks whove been elected to office care about them or their issues. That is the bottom line. In order to get people into the process we have to energize and remind
Lined of the aleutian chain, and then another insert covers the rest of the aleutian chain, and adak was in the second insert. Suffice to say my fiancee at the time was not too pleased. However, afterwards after going tout adak i think it got us off to a great start in terms 0 our marriage, and she is with me 39 years later so it probably was a good experience. I learned a lot about being a sailor in alaska. First of all you have to deal with what i call the tyranny of time and distance, and were still challenged with that today. Going back to my coast guard position, the nearest air station that goes that can fly helicopters for search and rescue in the north slope is 850 miles away in kodiak alaska. That tyranny of time and distance, and when youre sailing ships up there when you have to refuel and the nearest port is 800, 900 miles away you can get to for a fuel it causes you to be cautious and concerned and then the weather you have to deal with up there. I have seen the worst sust
Were going to emphasize exercising the Marine Oil Spill preparedness and Response Agreement executed by the eight Arctic Circles countries and then another a number of other projects that will move forward. The second category is improving the economic and Living Conditions of the people of the north. A series of projects that go from renewable energy, all the way too to a review of telecommunication capabilities within the arctic. The third is adapting to Climate Change. Very important. Were not going cure Climate Change if within the Arctic Council, but we need to draw attention to the effects of Climate Change, and also come up with ways to mitigate and adopt to adapt to it, to hopefully protect the environment of the arctic to demonstrate to the rest of the world that what goes on in the rest of the world affects the arctic and what goes on in the arctic affects the rest of the world. Anymore boston, massachusetts and people in washington dc probably dont need to be reminded that s
Of the sanctions it was a cig nif event for the United States as well. I would be happy to entertain questions on that when we get into it. So, theres been an awful lot of listening thats gone on. And what i would say is its broken down into a couple of themes. The first theme being this theme of balance finding the sweet spot. As ive said ive spoken to an awful lot of groups similar to this diverse groups, brookings tends to have a very balanced view of things more centrist so perhaps this program resonates. Weve tried to make it a balanced program, to try to reflect all the needs that are going on up there. But the second comment that i get most constantly when i brief this to groups, to the press and in particular to the other seven countries is almost the Immediate Response is wow. Thats rather ambitious. And it is. I will lay claim to our United States program probably being the most forward leaning, most Ambitious Program thats ever been proposed during a chairmanship of the Arct
In the United States, the United States government does not own industries. Now, some of the industries that are represented within the aec from other countries are at least partially or wholly owned by if state. Theres a state interest in having those countries in there to be able to develop things within the arctic. We took a different approach. First of all, because of our culture, once again, our government does not own industries. Secondly, if we start getting too close with industry, you start running into federal Advisory Committee rules that have to be complied with. So our choice, whether you like it or dont like it, our choice early on was to turn this over to the chamber of commerce in alaska. And the chamber of commerce selected three alaskan companies to be our representatives to the aec. And the aec has only just had its first meeting. So i think there are going to be some disputes on how the aec should be used. There will be questions about how we employ it. There will b