Capitalism and the Right to Rise - Jeb Bush WSJ

In freedom lies the risk of failure. But in statism lies the certainty of stagnation.
By JEB BUSH DEC 19- Wall Street Journal

Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."

Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.

But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.

That is what economic freedom looks like. Freedom to succeed as well as to fail, freedom to do something or nothing. People understand this. Freedom of speech, for example, means that we put up with a lot of verbal and visual garbage in order to make sure that individuals have the right to say what needs to be said, even when it is inconvenient or unpopular. We forgive the sacrifices of free speech because we value its blessings.

But when it comes to economic freedom, we are less forgiving of the cycles of growth and loss, of trial and error, and of failure and success that are part of the realities of the marketplace and life itself.

Increasingly, we have let our elected officials abridge our own economic freedoms through the annual passage of thousands of laws and their associated regulations. We see human tragedy and we demand a regulation to prevent it. We see a criminal fraud and we demand more laws. We see an industry dying and we demand it be saved. Each time, we demand "Do something . . . anything."

As Florida's governor for eight years, I was asked to "do something" almost every day. Many times I resisted through vetoes but many times I succumbed. And I wasn't alone. Mayors, county chairs, governors and presidents never think their laws will harm the free market. But cumulatively, they do, and we have now imperiled the right to rise.

Woe to the elected leader who fails to deliver a multipoint plan for economic success, driven by specific government action. "Trust in the dynamism of the market" is not a phrase in today's political lexicon.

Have we lost faith in the free-market system of entrepreneurial capitalism? Are we no longer willing to place our trust in the creative chaos unleashed by millions of people pursuing their own best economic interests?

The right to rise does not require a libertarian utopia to exist. Rather, it requires fewer, simpler and more outcome-oriented rules. Rules for which an honest cost-benefit analysis is done before their imposition. Rules that sunset so they can be eliminated or adjusted as conditions change. Rules that have disputes resolved faster and less expensively through arbitration than litigation.

In Washington, D.C., rules are going in the opposite direction. They are exploding in reach and complexity. They are created under a cloud of uncertainty, and years after their passage nobody really knows how they will work.

We either can go down the road we are on, a road where the individual is allowed to succeed only so much before being punished with ruinous taxation, where commerce ignores government action at its own peril, and where the state decides how a massive share of the economy's resources should be spent.

Or we can return to the road we once knew and which has served us well: a road where individuals acting freely and with little restraint are able to pursue fortune and prosperity as they see fit, a road where the government's role is not to shape the marketplace but to help prepare its citizens to prosper from it.

In short, we must choose between the straight line promised by the statists and the jagged line of economic freedom. The straight line of gradual and controlled growth is what the statists promise but can never deliver. The jagged line offers no guarantees but has a powerful record of delivering the most prosperity and the most opportunity to the most people. We cannot possibly know in advance what freedom promises for 312 million individuals. But unless we are willing to explore the jagged line of freedom, we will be stuck with the straight line. And the straight line, it turns out, is a flat line.

Mr. Bush, a Republican, was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.

President Obama Speech to Troops at Fort Bragg, NC (End of Iraq War)

For Immediate Release

December 14, 2011

Remarks by the President and First Lady on the End of the War in Iraq

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

11:52 A.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello, everyone!  I get to start you all off.  I want to begin by thanking General Anderson for that introduction, but more importantly for his leadership here at Fort Bragg.  I can’t tell you what a pleasure and an honor it is to be back here.  I have so many wonderful memories of this place.

A couple of years ago, I came here on my very first official trip as First Lady.  And I spent some -- a great time with some of the amazing military spouses, and I visited again this summer to help to put on the finishing touches on an amazing new home for a veteran and her family.  So when I heard that I had the opportunity to come back and to be a part of welcoming you all home, to say I was excited was an understatement.

And I have to tell you that when I look out at this crowd, I am simply overwhelmed.  I am overwhelmed and proud, because I know the level of strength and commitment that you all display every single day.  Whenever this country calls, you all are the ones who answer, no matter the circumstance, no matter the danger, no matter the sacrifice.

And I know that you do this not just as soldiers, not just as patriots, but as fathers and mothers, as brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters.  And I know that while your children and your spouses and your parents and siblings might not wear uniforms, they serve right alongside you.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!  (Applause.)

MRS. OBAMA:  I know that your sacrifice is their sacrifice, too.  So when I think of all that you do and all that your families do, I am so proud and so grateful.  But more importantly, I’m inspired.  But like so many Americans, I never feel like I can fully convey just how thankful I am, because words just don’t seem to be enough.

And that’s why I have been working so hard, along with Jill Biden, on a campaign that we call Joining Forces.  It’s a campaign that we hope goes beyond words.  It’s a campaign that is about action.  It’s about rallying all Americans to give you the honor, the appreciation and the support that you have all earned.  And I don’t have to tell you that this hasn’t been a difficult campaign.  We haven’t had to do much convincing because American have been lining up to show their appreciation for you and your families in very concrete and meaningful ways.

Businesses are hiring tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses.  Schools all across the country and PTAs are reaching out to our military children.  And individuals are serving their neighbors and their communities all over this country in your honor.

So I want you to know that this nation’s support doesn’t end as this war ends.  Not by a long shot.  We’re going to keep on doing this.  We have so much more work to do.  We’re going to keep finding new ways to serve all of you as well as you have served us.  And the man leading the way is standing right here.  (Applause.)  He is fighting for you and your families every single day.  He’s helped more than half a million veterans and military family members go to college through the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.  (Applause.)

He’s taken unprecedented steps to improve mental health care.  He’s cut taxes for businesses that hire a veteran or a wounded warrior.  And he has kept his promise to responsibly bring you home from Iraq.

So please join me in welcoming someone who’s your strongest advocate, someone who shows his support for our military not only in words, but in deeds, my husband, our President, and your Commander-in-Chief, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody!  (Applause.)  Hello, Fort Bragg!  All the way!

AUDIENCE:  Airborne!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, I’m sure you realize why I don’t like following Michelle Obama.  (Laughter.)  She’s pretty good.  And it is true, I am a little biased, but let me just say it:  Michelle, you are a remarkable First Lady.  You are a great advocate for military families.  (Applause.)  And you’re cute.  (Applause.)  I’m just saying -- gentlemen, that’s your goal:  to marry up.  (Laughter.)  Punch above your weight.

Fort Bragg, we’re here to mark a historic moment in the life of our country and our military.  For nearly nine years, our nation has been at war in Iraq.  And you -- the incredible men and women of Fort Bragg -- have been there every step of the way, serving with honor, sacrificing greatly, from the first waves of the invasion to some of the last troops to come home.  So, as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of a grateful nation, I’m proud to finally say these two words, and I know your families agree:  Welcome home!  (Applause.)  Welcome home.  Welcome home.  (Applause.)  Welcome home.

It is great to be here at Fort Bragg -- home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces.  I want to thank General Anderson and all your outstanding leaders for welcoming us here today, including General Dave Rodriguez, General John Mulholland.  And I want to give a shout-out to your outstanding senior enlisted leaders, including Command Sergeant Major Roger Howard, Darrin Bohn, Parry Baer.  And give a big round of applause to the Ground Forces Band. 

(Applause.)

We’ve got a lot of folks in the house today.  We’ve got the 18th Airborne Corps -- the Sky Dragons.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the legendary, All-American 82nd Airborne Division.  (Applause.)  We’ve got America’s quiet professionals -- our Special Operations Forces.  (Applause.)  From Pope Field, we’ve got Air Force.  (Applause.)  And I do believe we’ve got some Navy and Marine Corps here, too.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes!  (Laughter.)  

THE PRESIDENT:  And though they’re not here with us today, we send our thoughts and prayers to General Helmick, Sergeant Major Rice and all the folks from the 18th Airborne and Bragg who are bringing our troops back from Iraq.  (Applause.)  We honor everyone from the 82nd Airborne and Bragg serving and succeeding in Afghanistan, and General Votel and those serving around the world. 

And let me just say, one of the most humbling moments I’ve had as President was when I presented our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, to the parents of one of those patriots from Fort Bragg who gave his life in Afghanistan -- Staff Sergeant Robert Miller.

I want to salute Ginny Rodriguez, Miriam Mulholland, Linda Anderson, Melissa Helmick, Michelle Votel and all the inspiring military families here today.  We honor your service as well. 

(Applause.)

And finally, I want to acknowledge your neighbors and friends who help keep your -- this outstanding operation going, all who help to keep you Army Strong, and that includes Representatives Mike McIntyre, and Dave Price, and Heath Shuler, and Governor Bev Perdue.  I know Bev is so proud to have done so much for our military families.  So give them a big round of applause.

(Applause.)

Today, I’ve come to speak to you about the end of the war in Iraq.  Over the last few months, the final work of leaving Iraq has been done.  Dozens of bases with American names that housed thousands of American troops have been closed down or turned over to the Iraqis.  Thousands of tons of equipment have been packed up and shipped out.  Tomorrow, the colors of United States Forces-Iraq -- the colors you fought under -- will be formally cased in a ceremony in Baghdad.  Then they’ll begin their journey across an ocean, back home.

Over the last three years, nearly 150,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq.  And over the next few days, a small group of American soldiers will begin the final march out of that country.  Some of them are on their way back to Fort Bragg.  As General Helmick said, “They know that the last tactical road march out of Iraq will be a symbol, and they’re going to be a part of history.”

As your Commander-in-Chief, I can tell you that it will indeed be a part of history.  Those last American troops will move south on desert sands, and then they will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high.  One of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military will come to an end.  Iraq’s future will be in the hands of its people.  America’s war in Iraq will be over.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, we knew this day would come.  We’ve known it for some time.  But still, there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long.
Now, nine years ago, American troops were preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf and the possibility that they would be sent to war.  Many of you were in grade school.  I was a state senator.  Many of the leaders now governing Iraq -- including the Prime Minister -- were living in exile.  And since then, our efforts in Iraq have taken many twists and turns.  It was a source of great controversy here at home, with patriots on both sides of the debate.  But there was one constant -- there was one constant:  your patriotism, your commitment to fulfill your mission, your abiding commitment to one another.  That was constant.  That did not change.  That did not waiver.

It’s harder to end a war than begin one.  Indeed, everything that American troops have done in Iraq -– all the fighting and all the dying, the bleeding and the building, and the training and the partnering -– all of it has led to this moment of success.  Now, Iraq is not a perfect place.  It has many challenges ahead.  But we’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people.  We’re building a new partnership between our nations.  And we are ending a war not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home.

This is an extraordinary achievement, nearly nine years in the making.  And today, we remember everything that you did to make it possible.

We remember the early days -– the American units that streaked across the sands and skies of Iraq; the battles from Karbala to Baghdad, American troops breaking the back of a brutal dictator in less than a month.

We remember the grind of the insurgency -– the roadside bombs, the sniper fire, the suicide attacks.  From the “triangle of death” to the fight for Ramadi; from Mosul in the north to Basra in the south -– your will proved stronger than the terror of those who tried to break it.
We remember the specter of sectarian violence -– al Qaeda’s attacks on mosques and pilgrims, militias that carried out campaigns of intimidation and campaigns of assassination.  And in the face of ancient divisions, you stood firm to help those Iraqis who put their faith in the future.

We remember the surge and we remember the Awakening -– when the abyss of chaos turned toward the promise of reconciliation.  By battling and building block by block in Baghdad, by bringing tribes into the fold and partnering with the Iraqi army and police, you helped turn the tide toward peace.

And we remember the end of our combat mission and the emergence of a new dawn -– the precision of our efforts against al Qaeda in Iraq, the professionalism of the training of Iraqi security forces, and the steady drawdown of our forces.  In handing over responsibility to the Iraqis, you preserved the gains of the last four years and made this day possible.
Just last month, some of you -- members of the Falcon Brigade --

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  -- turned over the Anbar Operations Center to the Iraqis in the type of ceremony that has become commonplace over these last several months.  In an area that was once the heart of the insurgency, a combination of fighting and training, politics and partnership brought the promise of peace.  And here’s what the local Iraqi deputy governor said:  “This is all because of the U.S. forces’ hard work and sacrifice.”

That’s in the words of an Iraqi.  Hard work and sacrifice.  Those words only begin to describe the costs of this war and the courage of the men and women who fought it.

We know too well the heavy cost of this war.  More than 1.5 million Americans have served in Iraq -- 1.5 million.  Over 30,000 Americans have been wounded, and those are only the wounds that show.  Nearly 4,500 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice -- including 202 fallen heroes from here at Fort Bragg -- 202.  So today, we pause to say a prayer for all those families who have lost their loved ones, for they are part of our broader American family.  We grieve with them.

We also know that these numbers don’t tell the full story of the Iraq war -– not even close.  Our civilians have represented our country with skill and bravery.  Our troops have served tour after tour of duty, with precious little dwell time in between.  Our Guard and Reserve units stepped up with unprecedented service.  You’ve endured dangerous foot patrols and you’ve endured the pain of seeing your friends and comrades fall.  You’ve had to be more than soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen –- you’ve also had to be diplomats and development workers and trainers and peacemakers.  Through all this, you have shown why the United States military is the finest fighting force in the history of the world.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  As Michelle mentioned, we also know that the burden of war is borne by your families.  In countless base communities like Bragg, folks have come together in the absence of a loved one.  As the Mayor of Fayetteville put it, “War is not a political word here.  War is where our friends and neighbors go.”  So there have been missed birthday parties and graduations.  There are bills to pay and jobs that have to be juggled while picking up the kids.  For every soldier that goes on patrol, there are the husbands and the wives, the mothers, the fathers, the sons, the daughters praying that they come back.

So today, as we mark the end of the war, let us acknowledge, let us give a heartfelt round of applause for every military family that has carried that load over the last nine years.  You too have the thanks of a grateful nation.

(Applause.)  

Part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who fought it.  It’s not enough to honor you with words.  Words are cheap.  We must do it with deeds.  You stood up for America; America needs to stand up for you.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s why, as your Commander-in Chief, I am committed to making sure that you get the care and the benefits and the opportunities that you’ve earned. For those of you who remain in uniform, we will do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our force –- including your families.  We will keep faith with you.
We will help our wounded warriors heal, and we will stand by those who’ve suffered the unseen wounds of war.  And make no mistake -- as we go forward as a nation, we are going to keep America’s armed forces the strongest fighting force the world has ever seen.  That will not stop.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  That will not stop.  But our commitment doesn’t end when you take off the uniform.  You’re the finest that our nation has to offer.  And after years of rebuilding Iraq, we want to enlist our veterans in the work of rebuilding America.  That’s why we’re committed to doing everything we can to extend more opportunities to those who have served.

That includes the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, so that you and your families can get the education that allows you to live out your dreams.  That includes a national effort to put our veterans to work.  We’ve worked with Congress to pass a tax credit so that companies have the incentive to hire vets.  And Michelle has worked with the private sector to get commitments to create 100,000 jobs for those who’ve served.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  And by the way, we’re doing this not just because it’s the right thing to do by you –- we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do for America.  Folks like my grandfather came back from World War II to form the backbone of this country’s middle class.  For our post-9/11 veterans -– with your skill, with your discipline, with your leadership, I am confident that the story of your service to America is just beginning.
But there’s something else that we owe you.  As Americans, we have a responsibility to learn from your service.  I’m thinking of an example -- Lieutenant Alvin Shell, who was based here at Fort Bragg.  A few years ago, on a supply route outside Baghdad, he and his team were engulfed by flames from an RPG attack.  Covered with gasoline, he ran into the fire to help his fellow soldiers, and then led them two miles back to Camp Victory where he finally collapsed, covered with burns.  When they told him he was a hero, Alvin disagreed.  “I’m not a hero,” he said.  “A hero is a sandwich. “  (Laughter.)  “I’m a paratrooper.”

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  We could do well to learn from Alvin.  This country needs to learn from you.  Folks in Washington need to learn from you.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  Policymakers and historians will continue to analyze the strategic lessons of Iraq -- that’s important to do.  Our commanders will incorporate the hard-won lessons into future military campaigns -- that’s important to do.  But the most important lesson that we can take from you is not about military strategy –- it’s a lesson about our national character.

For all of the challenges that our nation faces, you remind us that there’s nothing we Americans can’t do when we stick together.

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT:  For all the disagreements that we face, you remind us there’s something bigger than our differences, something that makes us one nation and one people regardless of color, regardless of creed, regardless of what part of the country we come from, regardless of what backgrounds we come out of.  You remind us we’re one nation.

And that’s why the United States military is the most respected institution in our land because you never forget that.  You can’t afford to forget it.  If you forget it, somebody dies.  If you forget it, a mission fails.  So you don’t forget it.  You have each other’s backs.  That’s why you, the 9/11 Generation, has earned your place in history.

Because of you -- because you sacrificed so much for a people that you had never met, Iraqis have a chance to forge their own destiny.  That’s part of what makes us special as Americans.  Unlike the old empires, we don’t make these sacrifices for territory or for resources.  We do it because it’s right.  There can be no fuller expression of America’s support for self-determination than our leaving Iraq to its people.  That says something about who we are.

Because of you, in Afghanistan we’ve broken the momentum of the Taliban.  Because of you, we’ve begun a transition to the Afghans that will allow us to bring our troops home from there.  And around the globe, as we draw down in Iraq, we have gone after al Qaeda so that terrorists who threaten America will have no safe haven, and Osama bin Laden will never again walk the face of this Earth. 

AUDIENCE:  Hooah!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  So here’s what I want you to know, and here’s what I want all our men and women in uniform to know:  Because of you, we are ending these wars in a way that will make America stronger and the world more secure.  Because of you.

That success was never guaranteed.  And let us never forget the source of American leadership:  our commitment to the values that are written into our founding documents, and a unique willingness among nations to pay a great price for the progress of human freedom and dignity.  This is who we are.  That’s what we do as Americans, together.

The war in Iraq will soon belong to history.  Your service belongs to the ages.  Never forget that you are part of an unbroken line of heroes spanning two centuries –- from the colonists who overthrew an empire, to your grandparents and parents who faced down fascism and communism, to you –- men and women who fought for the same principles in Fallujah and Kandahar, and delivered justice to those who attacked us on 9/11.

Looking back on the war that saved our union, a great American, Oliver Wendell Holmes, once paid tribute to those who served.  “In our youth,” he said, “our hearts were touched with fire.  It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing.”

All of you here today have lived through the fires of war.  You will be remembered for it.  You will be honored for it -- always.  You have done something profound with your lives.  When this nation went to war, you signed up to serve.  When times were tough, you kept fighting.  When there was no end in sight, you found light in the darkness.

And years from now, your legacy will endure in the names of your fallen comrades etched on headstones at Arlington, and the quiet memorials across our country; in the whispered words of admiration as you march in parades, and in the freedom of our children and our grandchildren. 

And in the quiet of night, you will recall that your heart was once touched by fire.  You will know that you answered when your country called; you served a cause greater than yourselves; you helped forge a just and lasting peace with Iraq, and among all nations.
I could not be prouder of you, and America could not be prouder of you.

God bless you all, God bless your families, and God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)
END
12:26 P.M. EST

UN Mischief from Durban to Rio - Phyllis Schlafly

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, opening on Nov. 28, called COP-17, is one of a series of U.N. meetings working toward a specific goal. Advertising for this meeting features a long list of invited celebrities including Angelina Jolie, U2's Bono, Ted Turner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Gore and Michael Bloomberg.

Hillary Clinton Speech on International Human Rights Day LGBT

Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Palais des Nations

Geneva, Switzerland

December 6, 2011

Definition Acronym Citations in Transcript :
UN (The Abbreviation UN is replaced with the full word United Nations for clarity)
LGBT (The abreviation Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender is replaced with translation Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender)


Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and United Nations partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.

In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step, barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has been secured.

In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.

I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country’s record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs. So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender citizens everywhere.

The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not thinking about how it applied to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. They also weren’t thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a common humanity.

This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.

It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity.

The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.

Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries, there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out recently that for as long as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people are kept in the shadows, there cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well, that holds true for other challenges as well.

The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn’t cultural; it’s criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.

In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people emanate from a common source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.

The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns. No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.

Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all.

Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.

But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.

Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn’t until he went ahead and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in my country that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.

Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. We need to ask ourselves, “How would it feel if it were a crime to love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for something about myself that I cannot change?” This challenge applies to all of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater understanding.

A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to embrace human rights for all people including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. Yes, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know the names of brave Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activists who have literally given their lives for this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change.

So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the same is true with this struggle for equality.

Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus around the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. At the Human Rights Council in March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead on a resolution about violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. The delegation from South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special rapporteur.

Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to galvanize more support for the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. To the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under your laws, because let me be clear – I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a crime to be gay.

And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home – the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms, and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are.

And finally, to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face. That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United States of America and you have millions of friends among the American people.

The Obama Administration defends the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of human rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.

This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the State Department and across the government, the President has directed all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the criminalization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect vulnerable Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign assistance promotes the protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights, to enlist international organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to abuses against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons.

I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us in supporting it.

The women and men who advocate for human rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and established personal and professional relationships with people who are gay.

This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago, writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is little doubt in my mind that support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender human rights will continue to climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love.

There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery. People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and history reflects that as well.

I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before, opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Terrorists Spies and Hackers - FBI Director Robert Mueller Speech (Full Transcript)

•  
• Robert S. Mueller, III
• Director
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Commonwealth Club of California
• San Francisco, CA
• November 17, 2011

Remarks prepared for delivery.
Thank you, Mason, and good afternoon everyone. It is always good to be back in San Francisco, and to meet with the Commonwealth Club.

Two months ago, we marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The horrific events of that day were the prelude to a decade of political, economic, and cultural transformation—and globalization and technology have accelerated these changes.
Consider how different our world was in the summer of 2001.

The leaders of Egypt, Iraq, and Libya were entrenched in power. Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was just a movie actor.

Ten years ago, most Americans had never heard of a credit-default swap or mortgage-backed securities. Lehman Brothers had just celebrated its 150th anniversary.

In 2001, Mark Zuckerberg was captain of his high school fencing team. Borders Bookstores had $3 billion in annual revenue; meanwhile, “Kindle” was something you did to a fire, and a “Nook” was merely a small corner of a room.

And back then, most Americans knew little about Usama Bin Laden or al Qaeda.
At the time, I was the U.S. Attorney here in San Francisco, and I myself paid little attention to those terrorist attacks occurring overseas.

Today, our world can change in the blink of an eye—and the effects of that change are felt more rapidly and more broadly than ever before. Consider the current economic climate. When companies fail to recognize and adapt to change, they can go out of business almost overnight.

Law enforcement and the intelligence community face a similar challenge. If we in the FBI fail to recognize how the world is changing, the consequences can be devastating. Lives can be lost…our national security can be threatened…and the balance of power can tip toward our adversaries.

Terrorism, espionage, and cyber attacks are the FBI’s top priorities. Terrorists, spies, and hackers are always thinking of new ways to harm us. Today I want to discuss how these threats are evolving. And I want to share what the FBI is doing to stay one step ahead, to keep our nation safe, prosperous, and free.

Counterterrorism
Let us begin with the terrorist threat.
During the past decade, we have weakened al Qaeda due to the coordinated efforts of our military, the intelligence community, law enforcement, and our international partners.
We have captured or killed many al Qaeda leaders and operatives, including Usama Bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki. We have shut down terrorist training camps, frozen their finances, and disrupted their communications. Most importantly, we have uncovered dozens of cells and prevented attacks.

Yet core al Qaeda, operating out of Pakistan, remains committed to high-profile attacks against the West. We confirmed this with the records seized from bin Laden’s compound upon his death. And we saw this with the plot by Najibullah Zazi to bomb the New York subway system in 2009.

Meanwhile, al Qaeda affiliates have emerged as significant threats. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, operating in Yemen, has attempted several attacks on the United States, including the failed Christmas Day airline bombing in 2009, and the attempted bombing of U.S.-bound cargo planes in October of 2010.

Most recently, we have a growing concern about the threat from homegrown violent extremists. These individuals have no typical profile; their experiences and motives are often distinct. But they are increasingly savvy and willing to act alone, which makes them difficult to find and to stop.

The recent case of Hosam Smadi is one example. In 2009, Smadi was a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen living in Texas. Although he espoused loyalty to bin Laden and al Qaeda, Smadi was not affiliated with any group or other would-be terrorists. He had become radicalized on his own, through the Internet.
When Smadi expressed a clear interest in attacking a Dallas skyscraper, the FBI used undercover agents to set up a sting. Three agents who spoke Arabic began talking with Smadi, first online and later in person. He believed he had found an al Qaeda sleeper cell to assist him.
After months of planning, Smadi parked what he believed was a truck bomb underneath the skyscraper, and dialed a cell number he thought would detonate the bomb. But the bomb was a fake, supplied by our undercover agents—and the call signaled agents to make the arrest. Last year, Smadi was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Intelligence led us to Smadi. And the combined efforts of our federal, state, and local partners helped us to stop him—before he could harm anyone.

We in the Bureau will continue to enhance our intelligence capabilities—to get the right information to the right people at the right time. We will continue to build strong partnerships—for these tools have been the foundation for our success against terrorism over the past 10 years.
We must keep adapting to these changing terrorist threats, to stay one step ahead of those who would do us harm. And we must do all of this while respecting the rule of law and the safeguards guaranteed by the Constitution.

Counterintelligence
Now let us turn from terrorists to spies. Many people assume the end of the Cold War made the world of cloak-and-dagger obsolete. Unfortunately, espionage is still very much with us.
Nations will always try to learn one another’s secrets to gain political, military, or economic advantage. Indeed, the foreign intelligence presence operating in the United States is roughly the same as it was during the Cold War.

We still confront traditional espionage, such as spies working under diplomatic cover, or even posing as ordinary citizens. Consider the arrest last year of 10 agents of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Many of you may have seen TV news stories and videos covering the techniques we used in our investigation, code-named Ghost Stories. It featured the stuff of a John Le Carré novel—dead-drops in train tunnels, brush passes at night, and clandestine meetings in cafés.

Apart from the more traditional types of espionage, today’s spies are just as often students, researchers, businesspeople, or operators of “front companies.” And they seek not only state secrets, but trade secrets from corporations and universities—such as research and development, intellectual property, and insider information.

Consider the recent case of Noshir Gowadia, a naturalized U.S. citizen from India. For 18 years he was an engineer at Northrop Grumman, the defense contractor that built the B-2 stealth bomber—one of our nation’s most important strategic assets.

Gowadia decided to offer his knowledge of sensitive military secrets to anyone willing to pay for it. He sold highly classified information about the B-2’s stealth technology to several nations, including China. He also made six covert trips to China to assist them in the development of stealth technology for their cruise missiles.
Partnerships were essential in finding and stopping Gowadia before he could further damage our national security. Together with the Air Force, U.S. Customs, the IRS, and other agencies, we built a strong case against him—and this past January, he was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

Foreign spies know that military superiority is merely one factor that determines the world’s balance of power. Just as important is the kind of economic innovation we find here in the Bay Area.

So it is no surprise that spies also target the most valuable secrets of American companies and universities. They hope that stealing the fruits of American innovation will give their nations a shortcut to economic pre-eminence.

Let me give you one example of the cost of this type of espionage. Last month, Kexue Huang, a former scientist for two of America’s largest agricultural companies, pled guilty to charges that he sent trade secrets to his native China.

While working at Dow AgriSciences and later at Cargill, Huang became a research leader in biotechnology and the development of organic pesticides. Although he had signed non-disclosure agreements, he transferred stolen trade secrets from both companies to persons in Germany and China. His criminal conduct cost Dow and Cargill millions of dollars.

These two cases illustrate the growing scope of the “insider threat”—when employees use their legitimate access to steal secrets for the benefit of another company or country.
Add to this that so much sensitive data is now stored on computer networks, our adversaries often find it as effective, or even more effective, to steal secrets through cyber intrusions.
Foreign spies have increased their skill at exploiting weaknesses in our computer networks. Once inside, they can exfiltrate government and military secrets, as well as valuable intellectual property—information that can improve the competitive advantage of state-owned companies.

Earlier this month, the intelligence community issued a report to Congress stating that cyber-based economic espionage is increasingly pervasive. The report publicly confirms that other nations are using cyber capabilities to collect sensitive American technology and economic secrets.

Cyber
While state-sponsored cyber espionage is a growing problem, it is but one aspect of the cyber threat. The number and the sophistication of computer intrusions have increased dramatically in recent years.

American companies are losing billions of dollars’ worth of intellectual property, research and development, and trade secrets. Outside attackers burrow into company networks and remain undiscovered for months or even years. It is much like having termites in your house—often, by the time you discover them, the damage is done. And “hacktivist” groups are pioneering their own forms of digital anarchy. Here in the Bay Area, you witnessed their work firsthand when individuals hacked the BART website and released personal data of BART customers.

We also must consider that hostile nations or terrorist groups could launch cyber attacks against our critical infrastructure.

The anonymity of the Internet makes it difficult to discern the identity, the motives, and the location of an intruder. And the proliferation of portable devices that connect to the Internet only increases the opportunity to steal vital information.

We in the FBI cannot merely react to computer intrusions. Hackers will seek to exploit every vulnerability, and we must be able to anticipate their moves.

Let me share one example. In April, the FBI brought down an international “botnet” known as Coreflood. Botnets are those networks of virus-infected computers controlled remotely by an attacker.

To shut down Coreflood, the FBI took control of five servers the hackers had used to infect some two million computers with malware. This malware allowed the hackers to steal personal and financial information by recording users’ keystrokes.

We not only shut down the servers—we took another unprecedented step. With court approval, the FBI responded to signals sent from infected computers in the United States. We sent those computers a command that stopped the malware, preventing harm to hundreds of thousands of users.

Staying Ahead of Threats
Surveying today’s threats is somewhat like peering into a kaleidoscope, where even the slightest rotation creates new patterns of color and light. Just when it seems you understand a threat, the world turns, and the threat has changed.

As Tom Friedman has described in his book, The World is Flat, advances in technology, travel, commerce, and communications have broken down barriers between nations and between individuals. Globalization has had a flattening effect, leveling the playing field for all of us. This hyper-connectivity is empowering and engaging people around the world—both friend and foe alike.

So how do we stay ahead of terrorists, spies, and hackers?

Intelligence will continue to drive our investigations. We must ask ourselves: What do we know about these threats? What are the gaps in our intelligence? And what human sources must we cultivate to fill these gaps?

Each of us—government leaders, business executives, and everyday citizens alike—must ask ourselves what vulnerabilities we may have overlooked.

We must also place even greater emphasis on partnerships and information sharing. No single agency, company, or nation can defeat these complex, global threats alone. And in these days of tight budgets, working together is essential.

Finally, we need the right tools and capabilities to address shifting threats—for example, the foreign language skills we used to stop Hosam Smadi, and the advanced cyber capabilities we used to shut down the Coreflood botnet.
Still another critical tool is the FBI’s ability to intercept electronic communications.
Many social networking conduits—in contrast to traditional communications carriers—are not able now to produce the electronic communications we seek in response to a court order. When investigators cannot collect communications pursuant to court order in near-real-time, they may be unable to act quickly to disrupt threats or to protect public safety.

Laws covering this area have not been updated since 1994—a lifetime ago in the Internet age. So we are working with Congress, the courts, our law enforcement partners, and the private sector to ensure that our ability to intercept communications is not eroded by advances in technology.
One last, but important, point: The FBI has always adapted to meet new threats. And we must continue to evolve, because terrorists, spies, and hackers certainly will.
But our values can never change. Regardless of emerging threats, the impact of globalization, or changing technology, the rule of law will remain the FBI’s guiding principle. In the end, we know that we will be judged not only by our ability to keep Americans safe, but also by whether we safeguard the liberties for which we are fighting, and maintain the trust of the American people.
Conclusion
Our adversaries are persistent and clever, and the pressures of globalization and technology are ever-present. Change is a constant in today’s world—and we must prepare for it.
Yet change is just one constant; the other is the American people’s resolve to defend our freedom and our way of life. This same resolve drives the FBI every day. And together, we can and we will keep our country safe from harm.
Thank you for inviting me here today; I would be happy to take some questions.

California School Bans American flag T-shirts

1st Amendment Center - California Court Allows US Flag Ban on Mexican Holiday

President's Wife Meets With Hawaiin Organic Farmers - Official Transcript

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 13, 2011
Remarks by The First Lady in Roundtable with Members of Ma'o Organic Farms

Waianae, Hawaii

November 12, 2011
11:55 A.M. HAST

MR. ENOS: So, aloha, and welcome to Ma'o Organic Farms. I'll be your moderator.

MRS. OBAMA: Excellent. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: And on behalf of our organization and our community, we're really, really grateful. And we welcome you for what you do, not just because of your Office of the First Lady -- which is -- so fun.

MRS. OBAMA: It's all right. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: You've really done a lot of work to lift up the things we do and we're practicing here, so we're so honored to have a fellow comrade in arms, if you will, to visit us. And we'd like to start today's event with just an introduction.

MRS. OBAMA: Okay.

MR. ENOS: We'll just go around, and our team is going to just give a little bit more about themselves, and share some things. And we'll pick up a conversation after that.

MRS. OBAMA: Great.

MS. ABBOTT: So, aloha again. My name is Maisha Abbott. I am 20 years old, started working at Ma'o about three years ago. And the reason why I came to this program was because I heard of its college opportunities and I always had a passion to further my education. So that's why I joined. And just by being here, I just realized that it's bigger than just going to school -- it's about changing our community. And afterwards, I plan on getting a bachelor's in fashion design and getting my master's in environmental studies -- and eco-friendly design.

MRS. OBAMA: Awesome. (Applause.) Yes.

MR. KENNEY: Aloha. Welcome to heaven on Earth.

MRS. OBAMA: It is, yes. (Laughter.)

MR. KENNEY: My name is Ed Kenney. I am 43. (Laughter.) I am the chef/owner of Town and Downtown Restaurants. And we've been co-producers with Ma'o for 10-plus years. A year ago, I was asked to sit on the board of directors, and without hesitation, wholeheartedly, said yes. As a chef and a director, I am given the task to, I think, tell the story of Ma'o to 600 hungry people a day. And when you tell the story with food, and with this food, it's incredibly easy. When you taste this food, it's -- you're not just tasting a carrot, you're tasting this youthful enthusiasm, you're tasting youth leadership and mentorship -- you're tasting food security and sustainability. And you will get a chance to taste the food tomorrow.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. Awesome. (Laughter.)

MR. KENNEY: Thanks.

MS. SAMSON: Aloha, my name is Kuuleilani Samson. I was born and raised in Makaha-Waianae all my life. I attended Waianae High School. I graduated in 2008. And in my senior year, I went -- I first heard of Ma'o through one of our majors, Hawaiian studies. And as soon as I graduated, I came into the summer -- program. And there I came into the two-and-a-half-year internship, the youth leadership intern. And I just recently graduated from that program. I just got my AA from Leeward Community College in -- I'm currently at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, working on my bachelor's in Hawaiian studies. I hope to move on towards a master's in education, and I want to teach back at my high school.

MRS. OBAMA: Nice. (Applause.)

MS. SANA: Aloha, my name is Cheryse Sana. I've lived in this valley about my whole life. I'm 22 years old. I came to Ma'o after I graduated in 2007. I heard about Ma'o through my teachers at Waianae High, and also in the Hawaii -- I was just kind of, like, "Oh, what to do?" And I know that they had their college program here, and so I was like -- I always wanted to go to college, so I was like, "Ah, let me just take it." So I came here, and then three years later, I'm the farm co-manager. And I graduated from LCCU with my AA and certificate in community food security. I'm at UH-Manoa -- University of Hawaii, UH-Manoa. And I'm in -- major, and I should be graduating in about a year. So -- with my BA.

MRS. OBAMA: That's awesome.

MS. SANA: And I also want to be a professor when I grow older, or a farmer.

MRS. OBAMA: Awesome. (Applause.)

MR. MILES: I guess I'd better follow suit, then.

MRS. OBAMA: Should I introduce myself?

MR. ENOS: Yes. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: I am Michelle Obama. (Laughter and applause.) I am 48 years old. And I am honored to be here. I've heard about all that's been going on here for years and years. We have some very interesting connections to what has been going on here. So I jumped at the opportunity to come and not just see for myself, but to also allow the world to see what you all are doing. As you know, I planted a little garden in my backyard. (Laughter and applause.) And while it's a good food-producer -- we're producing about 1,100* pounds of food every year, we also have a beehive, we've got tons of honey that we're using. We use them as gifts, we give them to the community.

But one of the primary reasons we planted the garden was as a form of education. Childhood obesity is one of my signature issues. Our goal is to eliminate childhood obesity in a generation. And our view is that if we teach young people early about how to eat, and we give them a connection to the food that they eat, that they're more excited and interesting -- and interested in what's going on, and that in turn opens up a broader conversation about nutrition and health and movement -- but also deeper issues of access and affordability, which are some of the primary causes of obesity. Because many of our communities -- in underserved communities, kids aren't growing up with vegetables because there are no grocery stores. People don't have that connection.

And we're finding, through our contact with kids, that it is in fact working -- like you guys: You now eat vegetables. You actually know what arugula is. (Laughter.) And you eat it.

MR. MILES: -- favorite.

MRS. OBAMA: That's right -- my favorite, too. Arugula and steak, I like it a lot. (Laughter.) That's good stuff.

MR. PARKER: Say it, man -- it's great.

MRS. OBAMA: But we find the same thing is true with young kids, and if they get their palates adjusted to those very interesting flavors, they stay connected. So we feel like we're just a small part of what you all have been doing for a very long time. And it's important to know that it's working. It's sustaining a community, it's creating a conversation, and it's putting young people to work and giving them futures, which is the most powerful thing. And I am just proud of you all in so many ways.

So I look forward to more discussion. But that's who I am. (Laughter and applause.)

MR. MILES: Aloha, my name is Manny Miles. I'm 27 years old, grew up here in Waianae. Pretty much lived here my whole life. I've been working at Ma'o for 9 years, so, like, I'm the old fart of all the interns.

MRS. OBAMA: You're old, you're old. Old man. (Laughter.)

MR. MILES: I've been here forever. Started with Uncle William back then -- good times. The reason I joined was because I love working outdoors. Funny thing is, I told myself growing up that I'd never be a farmer, because my family, we had a little -- we had about a half-acre plot with corn; we raised chickens, sold the eggs to our neighbors. And I told myself, "You know what? I'm never going to do this -- it's too much work." Funny thing is I'm here doing it, and my dream is to one day have my own farm. I mean, I want to work here in Ma'o for a long time, but I want to be able to grow food for my community and sustain my family with my own farm -- even if it's only, like, half an acre, it's a little something to grow food.

Thank you. (Applause.)

MR. PARKER: Hi, my name is Derrick Parker. And I'm 21 years old, and I'm an organic farmer.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes!

MR. PARKER: It feels good saying that. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: "I am a farmer!"

MR. PARKER: But I joined the program, I've been here for about almost four years. I graduated from the program -- like these guys -- and now I'm attending UH-Manoa -- University of Hawaii. And I'm hoping to major in music. I want to get a bachelor's, or even achieve my master's in music -- specifically voice, and then become a voice teacher. Also, I do want to, like, stay in touch to farming, because it's a -- it should be a way of -- it's a way of life. So it should be a way of life, and not just work. All of us that are here, we don't just work. This is, like, our life.

MRS. OBAMA: Yes. So you can sing, huh?

MR. PARKER: Yeah -- look at that. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: That one escaped me.

MR. PARKER: She gets into it. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: I mean, is there -- you got a little something?

MR. PARKER: Really? (Laughter and applause.)

MRS. OBAMA: I put you on the spot.

MR. PARKER: Oh, my gosh.

MRS. OBAMA: I didn't plan it. I was just -- (laughter.)

MR. PARKER: Okay. I only know, like, my gospel kind of music, so --

MRS. OBAMA: Okay.

MR. PARKER: (Sings a song.)

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah! (Applause.) See, just in case you all thought this was about farming -- (laughter) -- you've got gospel music. Very talented crew. Thank you, thank you.

MR. KENNEY: Don't quit your day job. (Laughter.) I'm kidding.

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you.

MS. ARASATO: Aloha, my name is Miki, but my real name is Michelle. (Laughter.) I'm 21 years old, and I have been in Ma'o for three years. And I was one that was -- I didn't -- farming was, like, far, far away from my mind. Let alone was helping my community. It wasn't a thing on the list, you know? So I came here. So I came to Ma'o, then I realized, "Oh, this is important and I have to make a difference." Yeah. So after I graduate, I plan -- I want to repeat Ma'o within our community or anywhere on this island. And I plan to do that trying to get my goal, environmental studies, agriculture and Hawaiian studies.

MRS. OBAMA: Awesome. And you're going to be traveling to my home town.

MS. ARASATO: Yeah. I can't wait. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: So, yeah, Chicago in February -- she doesn't realize that it won't be that fun. (Laughter.) So what are you going to Chicago for?

MS. ARASATO: I'm going for the Kellogg Foundation, to go talk with youth and do some empowering over there -- get them hyped. Like how I do here with these guys.

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah. (Laughter.) So this is giving you an opportunity to travel the country as well. Good stuff. Just bring a sweater, long underwear.

MS. ARASATO: Okay. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: Hats and gloves. Someone who knows cold, help her before she goes. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: Thank you, Miki. Aloha, my name is Kamuela Enos. I am first and foremost honored to work for these guys. They keep me very busy. I am Ma'o's director of social enterprise. I'm also on the White House initiative on the Asian and Pacific islanders. Somehow they chose a farmer from Waianae to get involved.

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, it's not a bad choice.

MR. ENOS: It's such a wonderful experience. But I'm born and raised in this community, and my father was heavily active for many years. So sometimes I felt like I had no choice. It was like those Darth Vader scenarios, like, "You're going to do this."

MRS. OBAMA: Right. (Laughter.) "I am your father." (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: Through that, you learn about responsibility and mentorship. And I think that's what led me to where I'm at now. And I really -- like, I believe that we do this because our ancestors were organic farmers. And this gives us a way to walk in their footsteps, but still survive in the context in which we live -- a market economy, a standards-based education system. And the challenges which often face us in our community -- which is called "underserved" by the outside -- but we know the inherent value and assets: the land and the youth. So we are here to kind of show you things that we already know inside all of us. So I really appreciate you being here in Ma'o. (Applause.)

MR. DeMOTTO: Okay. Aloha, my name is Jordan DeMotto. I am 18 years old, and I've been here for about 4 months, so I'm new.

MRS. OBAMA: You're the baby. (Laughter.)

MR. DeMOTTO: Yeah. So in high school, my major was agriculture. So my passion was waking up to having -- getting dirty. So that's why I joined Ma'o. And also because of the support that you can get from your fellow interns, cool managers, and the staff -- with working, schooling, and also your personal issues. After, I want to go to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and get my master's in environmental studies.

MRS. OBAMA: Nice. (Applause.)

MR. ENOS: So I have the very daunting task to kind of take all these wonderful ideas and topics, and try to continue this conversation along. But I really wanted to start with maybe some reflections. I mean, we've -- part of their job was to study what your -- the initiatives you've put forth -- like "MyPlate", "Let's Move."

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah.

MR. ENOS: And we want to start -- maybe if you have any reflections on this, what you say today, and to share with them, as a leader, and to give them some advice, maybe, on their path.

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah. Well, I just think that the youth leadership piece is key to all of this. Because it's really about continuing to pass what you're learning on and on, because that's what happened: There was a break in that learning, in that connection. So one of the greatest tasks is to not let that break happen again, and that really falls to all of you, because you have the privilege and the opportunity, now, to learn and to carry this forward.

So taking it seriously, as you all are doing; continuing to prepare yourselves, because it's one thing to farm and to talk and to eat and to grow and to connect, but the next step to change requires your preparation. And going to school, and understanding the subject, and understanding how what you do connects to not just the rest of the nation but the rest of the world. These issues are affecting communities all over the globe, and it's important for you to have the substantive foundation to back up your passion.

So I think that that's one of the most key components of this effort, is the fact that you're educating and you're encouraging each other, and young people who will follow you, to go back to school, stay in school, get that foundation -- and then bring that knowledge back. And to continue to pass it on. Everyone here is lucky, as was I -- growing up on the South Side of Chicago, we had some similar issues. We didn't grow up in a beautiful valley, where we could look around and see the connection. But for the few of us who did have some of the opportunities to get an education and go out and learn, feeling that obligation to then reach back and bring other people along.

So the mentorship piece of this stuff is important. You now have to lift people up, whether it's your own brothers and sisters or the kids down the street, or the students that you're going to teach. It is a responsibility that you all have to embrace, to just keep reaching back. But I think you all are doing that. So just keep it up. Keep it up.

MR. ENOS: Thank you. Anybody want to respond to that, just to share some of your thoughts a little bit? Miki, please.

MS. ARASATO: Oh, with the mentoring?

MR. ENOS: Yeah. How does that work here?

MS. ARASATO: Okay. Well, for us working here, it is -- it can be hard sometimes. But, like how Jordan said, we have the support of each other. Like, it sometimes is hard being the bad guy, sometimes being like, "Oh, no, you have to work better. Oh, you got to do your homework." Like, being a good mommy sometimes is hard. But at the same time, those kids didn't have -- most of these guys don't even have that kind of role model to look to, because all around them they just see is negative -- negative things. So we just try to be that positive --

MRS. OBAMA: I mean, everybody here is so positive. You all support each other. It feels like it's easy, but I'm sure that this hasn't been easy. I would love to hear some of the challenges that you face in your own families, in your own communities. Farming is not necessarily the hot thing to do, right? (Laughter.) So what happens when you hang out with your boys and you tell them, "I'm going to farm! I like arugula." (Laughter.) How does that work out? (Laughter.)

MR. PARKER: Well, I guess that's true. It's not really the most popular job. Like, some of my friends, I told them, "I'm an organic farmer." And they’re like, "So when are you going to get out of that? When are you going just" -- because I guess, like, they haven't -- but I can't, like, blame them, or I can't, like, just say it's their fault that they're saying that, or they're trying to bring me down. But it's just that that's how we were raised up -- that's how we were brought up. Even me, like, I saw farming as like a -- it wasn't even a last resort for me. It was like, that's -- who does that? That's so old school -- not realizing the importance of it, and how we're connected to it. This is how we survive, how we -- we take for granted the foods we eat because we can -- there are so many fast-food restaurants; people just -- this easy access thing, and we don't really see the work that goes into it.

Being a farmer for me -- just being able to eat the food that you grow. I mean, you see it from every -- like a child, like your own babies. I have all little babies over here. (Laughter.) You see that seed -- you just see how that seed, and you're continually nurturing it, weeding it every few weeks, make sure it grows well. And then when you finally get the chance to eat it at an awesome restaurant -- Town Restaurant -- it's just that -- see it on the plate, that's like the final --

MRS. OBAMA: It's good, right?

MR. PARKER: The final spot.

MR. KENNEY: It makes my job easy. (Laughter.) You guys do all the work.

MRS. OBAMA: But what kind of pushback have you all gotten? And how do you deal with that? Because you're going it -- for many, you're the first, often, in your families to go to school, to pursue this. What happens when you hit that wall of, "What are you doing?" Have you all faced that?

MS. ARASATO: Oh, yeah. (Laughter.) Every single one.

MR. MILES: I think for me, like, with my family the biggest challenge was getting them to understand that eating healthy is important. I lost my father three years ago, and my family doesn't want to admit that it was due to his health.

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah.

MR. MILES: And I tried for years to try and get them to eat healthy. I mean, I grow vegetables for a living. It's not hard to take some home -- that's one of the benefits of working here, we get to take food home. And I tried so many times, like, to cook food for my family. My mom loves it. My dad, he's so stubborn, he's so used to eating, like, Spam, corned beef. But I mean, it just takes a lot to try and get it to work. And slowly it is -- I mean, last Thanksgiving I made, like, some of the beans that we were growing, just sautéed it, and they loved it. I mean, it's just taking those little baby steps. But it's definitely a challenge.

MR. ENOS: Maybe one of you guys want to share about the challenges facing the school side of it, and just the whole different culture that maybe different from what your peers think about what they do after high school.

MS. SAMSON: Yeah, definitely -- like, a lot of my -- okay, so like I said, Ma'o has been sending students to school for, like, 6 years. And I come from the third cohort -- poetry. So I've been here a few years, and our cohort initially started off a little larger than our previous cohort -- about 26 interns. And it slowly dwindled through the years, and that's because people find their own passion on other things, and farming is not for them, or schooling is not for them. Because here in Ma'o -- Ma'o is a special, unique -- it's a special blend of schooling and farming, to train you to be a good leader.

And just like Jordan said, we move off of our support that we get from our fellow workers. And sort of like having our interns and our friends drop out of the program, it's tough to want to stay there. But when we come to the realization of what the bigger mission and the bigger movement is, it is really important to really, like, be able to strive -- what you think is really important.

MR. ENOS: Maisha, you've been silent. Is there anything you want to share about some of this? We're not going to let you slide.

MS. ABBOTT: Definitely, I have faced hardships by being in this program. Just coming from a family background who suffered in obesity and diabetes, and high cholesterol and blood pressure, and stuff like that -- the symptoms that most Waianae people have. Just trying to make my mom to eat more healthy, because she's disabled, and making the decision to stay home and going to school -- yeah, so.

MRS. OBAMA: It's hard stuff, huh?

MS. ABBOTT: Yeah, it's -- but I definitely like the support -- exactly what Jordan said -- that we have here. It's because we each have our own individual stories, and we all go through struggles here, and we just lift each other up by being in this program. And just being in that organic movement -- further education, further pushing the farm to be more successful.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, you all are ahead of the curve. I just -- this -- you've been around for a bit, but this movement is growing all over the place. And the fact that you've got the training and the experience that you have -- I mean, what your families don't understand is that there are -- there will be growing opportunities in not just farming but in policy, in larger discussions in terms of technology, and a whole range of things. And there will be a lot of people catching up with where you are, because you've done this. It's not hard to -- it's not easy to convince them of that now, but trust me --

MS. ABBOTT: Yeah, later.

MRS. OBAMA: -- yeah, it's coming.

MR. ENOS: Yeah, I think that's the key that is captured in our name -- it's youth leadership training, where it's not farming or academics; the goal is that there are pathways to leadership. And maybe -- and I know that leadership and mentorship is a really big piece of the things you're promoting. And maybe some of you can talk about what leadership means to you, and especially what you've learned, and how this program has helped you to understand that. And if anybody wants to pick that up and --

MS. SANA: Leadership -- I can honestly say that when I was in high school -- well, when I was small, until I came here, speaking up was not my thing. I was scared. I was, like, nervous of what people would say because of my own opinion. But coming here, like, it's like they got me out of my shell, and I --

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah.

MS. SANA: -- I won't be stopped. (Laughter.) And, like, it's good because when you don't stop, sometimes more ideas come out -- not only from you but from other people. And this leadership, I guess, is -- what I've learned from this, being a leader in the shed and on the farm to my peers and the younger cohorts, is that it's not only me running it, it's all of us. Sometimes, like, they'll remind me, like, "Oh, aren't you supposed to do this first?" (Laughter.) I'll say --

MRS. OBAMA: It's like, "Aahhhh."

MS. SANA: Yes, you're right. Well, you're teaching me. And I tell them, "You know what? You're teaching me, too. You're backing me up" -- and, like, how I would probably say to other people. And, gosh, if you'd seen me 4 years ago, you would not even recognize me.

MRS. OBAMA: I hope not.

MS. SANA: It's like I'm a whole other person now. I actually remember -- I was the class valedictorian, and I had to give a speech, why I like the -- Hawaiian coast, which was probably like 1,000 people. And it was, like, really nerve-racking. I couldn't even speak; couldn't even understand me. And I'm here talking to you, and -- (laughter) -- enunciating, and --

MRS. OBAMA: It's good. That is good. (Laughter and applause.) Enunciating, making all kinds of sense.

MS. SANA: Yeah. (Laughter.) I make sense now. I don't even remember my speech, but I'll definitely remember this. (Laughter.) And just -- leadership to me -- to me, growing up, I always wanted to do my culture. It might not be growing taro consistently, or sweet potato, like how our ancestors did. But it's a part of what we do, and we're doing it a 21st-century way. We're respecting our land. We're trying to have that connection. And back then, like how Derrick was saying, it was a way of life -- it was a way of life. It wasn't work. It was --

MRS. OBAMA: Survival.

MS. SANA: -- survival. And I think we have -- nowadays, we have this mental block, like, "Oh, we got to grow food to survive." Back then, it was, like, to every ancestor -- all of our ancestors, it was like, "We got to grow food to just grow food." (Laughter.) It's common sense.

MR. KENNEY: What would you do?

MS. SANA: And my goal is to change that mentality to back then, because if we don't know where -- I mean, we heard it all before, so -- because if we don't know our past, it's going to happen again.

MRS. OBAMA: That's right.

MS. SANA: And we have it there -- it's all there. It's in books, it's in oral history. We have to use it. We have to use our resources and provide ourselves, to grow bigger, to expand, to farm the -- the Naval Base, hopefully someone gives it up and we can farm it and that -- (laughter and applause.) It not only provides us a farm, but it provides our community, people outside of our community. You know how much people want to be here, but just because, like, our restriction, it's just kind of building on our community first. And it's just -- we want to do so many things, but how can we do it? That's my question. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: This is the beginning.

MS. SANA: Yeah, it's the beginning.

MRS. OBAMA: It's this -- the same way that you talk about little by little changing habits and changing beliefs -- you're already doing this. I mean, just hearing about how Ma'o has grown; you started with what, how many --

MR. ENOS: Five acres.

MRS. OBAMA: You started with 5 acres. You have how many now?

MR. ENOS: We have 24, approximately.

MRS. OBAMA: I mean, that is change. And that's something -- I think that's another part of leadership, too, is understanding that -- and I say this, the President says this -- change -- meaningful change does take time. And the thing that I would urge you not to be is so impatient that you give up before you get -- right? Be patient! (Laughter.) Because oftentimes we expect things instantaneously. And this community didn't arrive here in a few years, it took generations. So it's going to take some time to wind this back down.

The key is to stay the course, and to not let the great be the enemy of the good. I mean, you may not achieve everything that you envision right away, but that doesn't mean you turn around, that doesn't mean you stop. That means you keep pushing it forward, step by step.

And that's how we're approaching this obesity initiative. That's why we set a generational goal. It would have been ridiculous for me to say, in 10 years we're going to -- or in 5 years we're going to change the way people have thought about eating and living. It doesn't happen that way. We start with kids. We start with introducing them. We start with their habits, and it's -- the impact is really going to be on their kids, and how they pass that on.

So patience is a big part of this. And the President has to deal with patience. As the leader of our country -- there are a lot of people who are like, "Why isn't everything fixed now?" It's like, he's been President for 3 years. (Laughter.) Some things take time.

And I always say, the only thing that happens in an instant is destruction, right? You can take decades to build something up -- tornado comes through, it's gone, right? So important things: Not just this movement, but your lives, right? When you become parents, raising your children, that is a forever proposition. And believe me, kids require patience. (Laughter.) They don't do anything right away. (Laughter.) So it's good to start practicing. Many of your parents will think that, too. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: That's a long way off.

MRS. OBAMA: Right -- it's a long way off. But let me tell you -- you'll be in training. So this -- you are doing it now. Change is happening. You just think of how you've changed in 3 years -- did you say 3 years? You have become a completely different person. Now, what if you had given up after the first year, when you hadn't changed right away, right? You were still shy, you were still a little hesitant, you were still a little nervous, a little insecure. But you stuck with this initiative, and now you can't shut up. (Laughter.) And that's a good thing.

MS. SANA: It's a good thing.

MRS. OBAMA: It's a very good thing. So just don't lose heart. There will be victories. The flow of change is up and down. But as long as it's -- as Barack says -- we're moving towards a more positive place. That's what you're looking towards -- you're looking towards the long term. So be patient.

MR. ENOS: And I think that arc that he refers to is, like, it's really important. And I think as farmers, we know that you can't plant something and expect to eat the next day.
MRS. OBAMA: That's right.

MR. ENOS: -- of creation, investing is key to what the program is based on. And this idea of generations, and one of the rocks of our program was Uncle William Aila, Sr. -- that they teach us this notion of what it means to work in a valley for decades, and to grow your family here, and to come back and give, and teach love, respect and willingness to work. So I think having this generational approach as well to the program is key. It's not this generation within the internship, the generation within the community that come and serve in the same space.

Maybe could one of you just quickly talk about what it was like to work under a mentor, like Uncle William, Sr.? Like, maybe Derrick.

MR. PARKER: Oh, okay. Well, I'm blessed to have the opportunity to have worked with Papa Aila -- I call him -- yeah, we call him "Papa Aila." But just because he -- it's just he's a good role model. I just thought the fact that he's lived a long time, he's lived a good life, he's -- if you've seen him working, he's unbelievable, because he's just -- like, he works faster than me. He's just -- the way he works. And you can see, he's not just, like -- he's not just working to work; he's working because there's something behind that pushing him. He has that passion -- the passion for farming, the passion for us as youth. And then that's exactly what we're learning now, is that we're not just -- I'm not just waking up at five in the morning or four in the morning to come here and work and then go home. There's more to it. There's just something that's behind us, pushing us. There's a passion that's pushing us to come to work, to do what we got to do -- to stay the extra 30 minutes, the extra 3 hours, or 2. But it's --

MRS. OBAMA: Whatever it takes to get it done.

MR. PARKER: Yeah, it's more than just us. It's not just our selfish goals or our own -- whatever we want. There's more to it. That's what -- we learned that from him.

MR. ENOS: I think at this point we're going to start wrapping down. But I want to create a space where all of us can go around and just say one last -- if there's one last thing you want to share with the First Lady, or if she wants to share with us.

MRS. OBAMA: Or if you have a question -- whatever you --

MR. ENOS: If you have a question. So we can --

MRS. OBAMA: But don't feel pressured.

MR. ENOS: Don't feel pressured. (Laughter.)

MS. ABBOTT: Starting with me? How about we start with Jordan?

MR. ENOS: Yeah, Jordan.

MRS. OBAMA: Oh, she put you back on the -- that was good. (Laughter.)

MR. DeMOTTO: I guess just, like -- because I just started, and being in Ma'o has really, like, inspired me to -- because me, too, I'm kind of shy. But then I'm here, speaking to you -- and in front of a lot of people. (Laughter.) It's really, like, helping me to be a better person.

MRS. OBAMA: That's good. That's good. And we expect big things. No pressure! (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: Thank you. Thank you, thank you very much. It was an honor to have you here, and it's an honor to work for your husband.

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. Keep it up. Michelle! (Laughter.)

MS. ARASATO: Just so you know, you're awesome. But they're reflecting on what all this -- all this knowledge you sent us. Thank you so much for doing that. And now I know, like, pushing these guys, I have all this -- all I can share with them, all this -- and you're such a beautiful -- thank you for coming. Thank you -- thank you so much.

MRS. OBAMA: My pleasure.

MR. PARKER: Well, I have a question, so --

MRS. OBAMA: Yes!

MR. PARKER: Well, where -- like, the elementary I went to, it was -- elementary, and we had a farm there. That's kind of like -- I feel like I'm going back to my roots, where I was at. And some of the things that I'm learning here, I learned previously, and I remember them when I was younger. And I was just wondering, like, how could we incorporate farm -- like, I know -- I agree with gardens, and I have a garden in my own house. But I just like the concept of farming. Like, when you think of -- when I think of farming, you think of producing food to feed people, and like it's -- more than like -- yeah, just, when I think about that. So I wonder, like, how -- maybe how could we have more farms, and in our elementary schools? Like, across the world?

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, yeah. Well, that's something that we're really encouraging through "Let's Move" and the Department of Agriculture, HHS -- there are a bunch of departments that are giving grants to schools and communities to promote gardening. And one of my hopes is -- this isn't -- but I want to work on developing more resources that we can use to give out to encourage and support. There are nonprofit organizations that do it, but I think one of the first steps is really just lifting it up. And we're seeing that change. There are more -- I get so many letters. We have so many wonderful stories from community groups and local schools that are planting their own gardens, they're changing the way they eat, they're incorporating nutrition education into every aspect of the curriculum. The Department of Agriculture has something called U.S. Healthier Schools, and we're trying to encourage schools to become sort of gold-standard rated, which means that they're making changes in their curriculum, they're changing the nutrition levels in their cafeterias, they're incorporating community gardens -- they're doing a whole range of things. And we've doubled the number of U.S. schools, which was our goal for one year. We've already surpassed that, and we're going to keep pushing.

So we're starting, and I think that you all are ambassadors in that respect. That may be another outreach effort that you all can do as part of your youth leadership, is identifying some schools, working with them, being the mentor -- because many schools don't do it because they don't have the knowledge base or the resources. And you all have all of that. So wouldn't it be wonderful to pick some of the key schools in the area that have the potential, raise some money, and share that knowledge. That's how it happens.

MR. KENNEY: Yeah, passing the torch.

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, passing the torch. That would be great to do. And I would love to come visit some of those schools. I come here regularly. So --

MS. ABBOTT: Visit more often.

MRS. OBAMA: I would love to! (Laughter.) Let me tell my staff -- put Hawaii in the rotation; once a month. (Laughter.)

MR. PARKER: We'll have -- arugula for you. (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA: It's a great idea. But I'd love to see you all do more of that. You can lead it up -- you can head it up there. You got it. No pressure! (Laughter.)

MR. MILES: I guess for me, I have a kind of a similar question to Derrick. Because, like, for me -- I've been married for a couple of years, had a child --

MRS. OBAMA: You just sound like you're such an old man. (Laughter.)

MR. MILES: Around them I am.

MRS. OBAMA: Like, 26, married -- (laughter.)

MR. MILES: I know what you mean about the patience. (Laughter.) But my wife and I, we made a decision to buy a home instead of buying farmland, because farmland is so expensive here in Hawaii. I mean, a half-acre of land costs more than buying a three-bedroom house. And I guess my question is, how does someone like me -- and not even -- I know a lot of people. Like, people usually don't want to be farmers, but I have friends that do want to be farmers, and how do people like us go about doing that? How do we get the funds? And because my goal is eventually to have Waianae be the hub of all organic agriculture here in Hawaii. I mean, we're in the middle of the ocean, 2,000 miles away from California -- we need to somehow figure out how to grow our own food. And I'd like to be a part of that.

MRS. OBAMA: Well, developing some policy groups that are thinking about how to finance that; getting government officials to sit down with you all and think through financing. Thinking about co-oping, coming together, pooling resources together. I mean, the truth is land in Hawaii is incredibly expensive. But again, starting small and growing from there.

And Gary, who is the founder here, I'm sure he's got some knowledge to bear on -- how do you replicate this model is essentially what you're talking about. But that's a good topic to form some discussion groups, get some other young people, some business leaders -- pull folks together and start thinking it through.

MR. MILES: We'll form a working group, and we'll keep you apprised on your next visit, next year.

MRS. OBAMA: Sounds good. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: Actually, we got this sign, though, that we’re going to wrap things up.

MRS. OBAMA: What, we got a sign?

MR. ENOS: We got a sign.

MRS. OBAMA: Who’s giving signs? (Laughter.)

MS. SAMSON: Can I ask my question?

MRS. OBAMA: Yeah, yeah, we’ve got time. Go ahead. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: Okay, if we have time from the First Lady, go ahead.

MS. SAMSON: I really wanted to ask my question.

MRS. OBAMA: Uh-oh, I’m getting the stink-eye. (Laughter.) Ask it quick, before I get in trouble. I don’t seem them.

MS. SAMSON: I love what you’re doing with the “Let’s Move”. But then, I guess, my question is, what’s after “Let’s Move”? It’s in schools now, but what’s after we may leave the schools, when they go back into their community and they have to fight that? Where is the -- how do we build on opportunities to build -- to keep going up, and not to -- they have this hope and then -- it’s sad to say sometimes they just go straight back down. And that’s how it is --

MR. ENOS: Continuity? Like, how do you continue the --

MS. SAMSON: -- yeah, for us. And, like, that's what I brought up in previous conversations, and it’s kind of going off now, is the idea -- a lot of people like to use pipelines. I’m using the idea of an -- is like a stream that comes straight down. But then in the -- thinking on -- like, I was just thinking, like, what I guess my ancestors was like challenging me. And I was just thinking, like, real -- like, back in the day, like, you know, it wasn’t just -- it wasn’t -- first of all, it wasn’t a pipe; it was a stream the water went down into the ocean. The water went up into the air, and it somehow comes back and it revives the whole land of the air that we breathe and it’s part of who we are. And I just want to keep that going. How is it that we get people from two-year college to four-year college; four-year college to getting their M.A., and providing, in the same sense, food -- access to good food from their elementary health to the intermediate health to high school health.

And college, people have more options now and there’s a lot of good food at college.

MRS. OBAMA: But you still have to have the knowledge base to make the choices.

MR. ENOS: Yes, you still have to be educated to make those choices and to maybe even have that support. I know for us it’s a lot more easier because we all -- we are educated. But I guess it just falls back in replicating this model in other places to --

MRS. OBAMA: Well, with “Let’s Move,” we’ve really had to think about it in a multipronged approach, because while we focus a lot on schools, “Let’s Move” is really about galvanizing a community. I mean, the goals are much bigger than just schools -- because we know that kids can’t make choices if their parents don’t have information and if they don’t have a -- and parents can’t make good choices if they don’t have a community feeding into those choices, again. So you can’t tell a mother, "Add more fruits and vegetables to your kids’ plates," and then the nearest grocery store is 10 miles away and requires a cab ride, a bus ride. It’s just not practical. So that mother may want to make the change, but if she doesn’t have the resources and she doesn’t have a community supporting them, it’s all just talk.

So that’s why we have to look at accessibility and affordability. We’re working with mayors and local elected officials, in trying to get them to be a part of what we call “Let’s Move Cities and Towns," where mayors and local officials start making commitments, affordable commitments, because it’s tough in these economic times when all cities and towns are squeezed economically.

But how are we building our communities to make them healthier? What kind of playgrounds and walkways and bike paths are we utilizing? We’re calling on chefs. We have “Let’s Move Chefs to Schools." We’re calling on chefs all around the country to adopt a school and to work with them on changing their menus and getting kids involved.

So we -- this isn’t a one-shot deal, and it’s not -- again, it’s not an instant goal. It’s a generational goal. And I would urge you to think big. Because it is true, you can’t make change in a vacuum. You can’t ask a child to make a change and then plop him down in a community that’s not supporting that. It is true -- you’re just setting them up to fail. So the goals do have to be big. And that can be daunting, especially when the little stuff is already hard. But you don’t do this alone. You have to have a coalition of people that represent so many different factions of a community.

You have to -- just like Ma’o farms wouldn’t be successful if it plopped down here and it didn’t have connections, and you weren’t talking to people, and local residents didn’t feel some ownership -- it wouldn’t survive. And the same thing is true for this initiative: pull other people in. You’ve got -- buy in your local elected officials. Find the foundation leaders out there. Find the businesses that are -- that can help support this. It takes a community to make this happen.

So it’s a heavy lift, but one step at a time. One stays -- yeah. And you talk good. (Laughter.)

MR. MILES: Yeah, you're new.

MRS. OBAMA: You can convince anybody to do anything now. (Laughter.)

MR. ENOS: So we would like to honor you with -- to close, like, all of our -- we didn’t have an opening protocol, but we have a brief Oli Mahalo for you, and we would like to share it at this time. So thank you for your time.

END
12:43 P.M. HAST