Greetings From Nancy Pelosi
August 29th, 2008 at 4:21 pm | posted by Virginia SimmonsSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi just sent along this submission for us at the ONE Blog.
Greetings from the Democratic National Convention in Denver! I am excited to be here this week for the nomination of Barack Obama and Joe Biden to be the next President and Vice President of the United States. This week is the culmination of an historic race that has brought millions of voters to the polls - many voting for the first time.
The ONE Campaign knows firsthand about how to energize people for action. They are building a global movement, inspiring millions of people - both young and old - to raise awareness for the challenges facing Africa. We know that inside maneuvering cannot be successful without outside mobilization. The ONE Campaign is a model of effective mobilization to support the cause of ending extreme poverty and disease in the poorest countries of the world.
Young people all over the world are making their voices heard - through conversations, emails, and blogs - about their hopes for a brighter future - of their desire for peace and prosperity. They are weary of war, poverty, and disease. They are demanding a brighter future for themselves and all the citizens of the world. It is the impatience of youth that gives me hope.
Everywhere I travel, the call is clear: the world needs America to lead. We must reclaim our rightful place in the community of nations, with a sustainable foreign policy that reflects American values. We must have goals as ambitious as the risks we face. We must be at the forefront of the fight against the long-term conditions that breed poverty, disease, instability and environmental degradation.
The moral case is reason alone to act, but as we have seen in the cases of Afghanistan and Sudan, failed states can become fertile grounds for terrorism and conflict. In a world of accelerating globalization, we have a more urgent responsibility to address poverty and disease so that the “fury of despair” does not provoke more violence and suffering. We know from experience that it is much easier to address these problems now than to reconstruct a state after a conflict.
Across the developing world, the AIDS pandemic has destroyed the very fabric nations, devastated the most productive members of these societies, discouraged economic development, and orphaned 13 million children. Few crises have called out more for sustained, constructive America leadership. In recent years, the U.S. made great progress in fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. We have helped:
- provide life-saving anti-retroviral treatment to almost 1.5 million people;
- support care for nearly 6.7 million including more than 2.7 orphans and vulnerable children; and
- support prevention of more than 150,000 infant infections.
One of the most important initiatives of the new Democratic Majority in Congress was passing the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act.
The legislation authorizes $48 billion to fight global AIDS, TB, and malaria, and will move us from the emergency phase to the sustainability phase in our efforts. Our leadership in fighting the global AIDS pandemic is our compact with developing nations across the globe. It says that America stands with them in this fight, that our commitment will not waver, and shows them America’s true face of compassion.
Our next President must go further in addressing the fight against poverty and disease in the developing world. As the Speaker of the House, I look forward to working closely with the new administration in this fight. The ONE Campaign will be a key participant in as we move forward to build a brighter future for the poorest people in the world.
-Nancy Pelosi
August 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Thank you Speaker Pelosi!
Although others here are more experienced than I am, I know that ONE is excited at your involvement and engagement.
Your commitment to working closely with the new administration in the fight against global poverty and preventable disease is exciting indeed to hear, and I thank you for your message.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I would just like to remind Speaker Pelosi that ONE is a VERY DIVERSE coalition of over two and a half MILLION Americans.
We are young AND old, male AND female, straight AND Gay. We are from EVERY ethnic background, from every spiritual background and from every poltical persuasion.
I heard her mention “youth” several times in her piece but I just didn’t want her to forget the rest of us out here too.
Some of the rest of us are part of the reason WHY this organization is as strong as it is.
AS ONE, debbie
www.mpwn-uganda.org
August 30th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I’m a conservative “right winger” and have never had much respect for anything Pelosi says,
but the goals of One.org are the same as mine, to hell with politics! The world needs American leadership and assistance, and for once, I can say “Amen” to everything Pelosi just said - thank you Rep Pelosi for supporting us in ONE as we go to save the poorest of the poor -
and for “Ben” - I join these “liberals” in concern for global poverty and disease - and I don’t care what your “top of the concern list” is - you just proved that you are a cold-hearted slug!
I’d rather work with these “liberals” in helping the most needy in the world then ally myself with one such as you who cares nothing ! Please forget our website here and don’t return.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:13 am
Ben
Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.
August 31st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I’m a conservative Republican and I welcome Speaker Pelosi just as I welcomed Senator Daschle and Senator Obama and Senator Biden. I just wish my liberal friends had been as welcoming to Senator Frist when he first came on board. The beauty of One is that we can act as a world community toward a goal that every human should want - to end world wide poverty. Ben, I hope you don’t pay much attention to Dougman, I think you are welcome here, but I also hope you rethink what you wrote and consider the advantage of having people of all political persuasions involved. When I first started visiting this site, and even sometimes now I worry that the people of One are liberal democrats and perhaps I should find another organization, but then I remind myself of the objectives of One and I get over feeling overwhelmed.
September 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I am ONE in myself and after having seen politcal adds on this site, I have become very skeptical of ‘The ONE’ and their true mission.
Try putting politics aside to become a true ONE. Then get back in touch with me.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 am
Thank you Speaker Pelosi for this great message of support! I know you have been a great supporter of effective global health and global poverty reduction programs going back to your days on the House foreign aid appropriations committee. As an active One volunteer in San Francisco I am very proud that we have over 8,000 people signed onto the One declaration in your 8th Congressional District. You are exactly right that that the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act was a truly amazing achievement by Congress. We here in San Francisco look forward to working with you and the entire Congress in the future to make sure the entire $48 billion authorized to fight global AIDS, TB, and malaria gets fully appropriated and delivered in future annual budgets. It is great to be represented by someone who really knows that ending extreme global poverty is at the root of the gravest challenges facing our world and its elimination will achieve a better future for everyone.