A few weeks ago the people of Boston were beginning to welcome 27,000 people who were taking part in the annual Boston marathon. It was a glorious national holiday and there was a lot of excitement around as people from across the world woke up to a day that would change their lives for many years to come. This day would not change their lives for the better, it would change it for the worse, but it would give people the strength to keep calm and carry on.

Today Americans go to the polls to decide who they want to have the honour of serving as President of the United States of America. Will they choose Mitt Romney the former Governor of Massachusetts or will they decide to give Barack Obama a second chance and a second term in the White House?

The key themes of this election are jobs and the economy. Millions of Americans are struggling to find work, put food on the table and pay their bills. The polls are tight and Obama hasn’t got this election in the bag; he has to prove to Americans that he has the right plan to take America forwards. I may be biased but it isn’t just America that needs Obama, the world needs him too.

Mitt Romney simply isn’t Presidential. Look at his recent visits aimed at boosting his foreign and diplomatic credentials, he couldn’t even remember Ed Miliband’s name! How can we have a man such as Romney as the post powerful man in the world?

Obama may not be perfect – no leader is. But he has stuck to his word; he has withdrawn troops from Iraq and is bringing troops home from Afghanistan. In a country where tens of millions of Americans can’t afford basic healthcare, he has given them hope of healthcare. That isn’t socialism; it’s about doing a human duty and helping those in genuine need. Obama has invested in new jobs and as a result there’s more money in the economy.

We have to ensure Barack Obama is elected, we need him to be the leader he is, and we need him to act in Syria. It isn’t necessarily a war with no purpose; it’s a war where people are being massacred by the Syrian government.

Obama is a world leader. A man who isn’t afraid of taking tough decisions. He is unlike Romney a man who wants to help Americans swim not stand by and let them sink. On the day that Bill Clinton the comeback kid was re-elected in 1996, we need to ensure that today we have another democrat victory.

Use your vote, vote to move the USA forward, vote for Barack Obama.

It does not seem like ten years ago that the September 11th attacks happened – I remember coming home and on every single channel the twin towers were alive with fire, tragedy and terror. Today we remember like everyday all those who were killed on 9/11 – we remember the heroism of the emergency services, of the men and women who tried to fight back on United Flight 93, and we too remember those who so tragically lost their lives. No matter how many times one looks at the footage or images of the attacks in New York, the Pentagon or of the field in Pennsylvania they are still incredibly chilling. Today the world remembers the attacks that claimed nearly 3000 lives including 67 from Britain.

Lest we forget.

The attempt to assassinate a democratically elected politician and to deliberately murder innocent people is something that shocks us all. No matter what political party we are from, whether activists, elected, or members of the public, we are united in condemning this act. Yesterday Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at point blank range, several others were injured and at least six have died including a Federal judge and a nine year old child. The motives of the assassin are not yet known, but the suspect, Jared Loughner has been arrested and is being questioned. President Barack Obama called the incident “a tragedy for our entire country.” On his Twitter page he wrote “I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Rep. Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.”

Earlier reports had indicated that Rep Giffords had died, however they were not true. She was shot in the head, but surgeons are confident she will survive. The comments by Speaker of the House, John Boehner really sum up the general feeling; “I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff.  An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve.  Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society.  Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families.  This is a sad day for our country.”

It has also been revealed that the nine year old child who was killed was born on 9/11 and went along to hear Rep Giffords as she wanted to learn more about the political process.

TSF

Picture from A.P

The memoirs of former American President George W. Bush are about to go on sale across the world. The memoirs are being serialised in The Times newspaper as the memoirs of Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson were. Bush who ended his 8 years as President in 2009 has revealed that he had ordered the pentagon to plan an attack on Iran and Syria. Just imagine the consequences if it happened, it could have been the start of a very different war and ‘war on terror’.

The memoirs are going to be particularly interesting as Bush was President during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, snippets from the book have revealed that Bush authorised water boarding of terrorist suspects which foiled plots including here in Britain, Bush says that water boarding terrorists meant an attack on Heathrow was stopped. Bush says that the war in Iraq was the right thing to do despite him having some regrets at not finding WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). He also reveals that he did give former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair the chance to stop British troops from joining in by invading Iraq.

There is a campaign to move the memoirs in bookshops to the crime section, something which happened in some cases with Tony Blair’s memoirs. There’s no doubt the memories of the worlds once most powerful man are going to be an interesting read.

TSF