US First Lady Michelle Obama visits Russian Orthodox HIV/AIDS programme in Moscow

[Gxg (G²)]

Thought this was interesting when it came to the First Lady interacting with Russian Orthodoxy--as seen here.

 

[Dorothea]

I think that's wonderful! It's nice to see her coming there and showing her support and concern and care.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I think that's wonderful! It's nice to see her coming there and showing her support and concern and care.

Had to give her mad props on that. While there, she stressed the need for more information and education to reduce stigma and raise awareness about how to care for people living with HIV. That she would take the time to honor the Russian Orthodox workers/hospital is significant, IMHO, as it reflects her desire to address issues that many often want to ignore due to being fearful of the AIDS/HIV Crisis. Ms. Obama, who worked previously as an executive for University of Chicago Hospitals, also shared her experience in the health care field and noted the importance of the work...and it's cool to see the ways she essentially said that Orthodoxy needs to be considered when it comes to medical treatments.

It seemed to give a good picture of the ways that Russian Orthodoxy has jumped into helping others via social activism and is very much involved. Sister Olga, project coordinator, emphasized that many more people, including youth and children, need the kind of support that the First Lady gave. “Our sisters are helping families with HIV-positive members as well as HIV-positive children living in orphanages,” she said.

I am so thankful that UNDP works to prevent the spread of HIV and reduce the impact of AIDS.....helping countries put HIV at the centre of national development and poverty reduction strategies while building national capacity to mobilize all levels of government and civil society for a coordinated and effective response to the epidemic...and protecting the rights of people living with HIV, women, and vulnerable populations. I wish others had paid more attention over the last 3 years when the First Lady sought to do as she did since HIV is a worldwide issue and people need to know of how UNDP supports these national efforts by offering knowledge, resources and best practices from around the world.

 

[Thekla]

 

[ArmyMatt]

good stuff!

 

[Gxg (G²)]

good stuff!

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Back at ya. Although I may not like her at all points, Michelle Obama is one cool First Lady

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Rush Limbaugh will probably say she's going there to help re-instate the Stalinist Soviet regime, some kind of underhanded motivation LOL....a community organizer for Soviet sympathizers who want Russia to have the hammer and cicle again!

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Rush Limbaugh will probably say she's going there to help re-instate the Stalinist Soviet regime, some kind of underhanded motivation LOL....a community organizer for Soviet sympathizers who want Russia to have the hammer and cicle again!

Rush already had his credibility shot with me after making a string of racist comments and being called out for the ways that he misquoted the president and others dozens of times. That said, I'd not be surprised if he did just what you note since it seems many extreme/far right folks have tried to note the same as well as claiming that the Presidential family are "Marxists"/Communists and yet they don't have a remote clue as to what the terms means historically......and if he did, I'd laugh saying that other powerful political figures worked with people in the USSR as American patriots (Dr.Martin Luther King being one of them). Of course, if he pulls the "Anything Soviet is evil!!!" card, I'll laugh and say "Whatever, Bump it" at that point.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Racism is rampant in the GOP right now. The obsession with "Hussein" in the President's name, the statements by Gingrich last week that "Obama isn't a REAL president. He needs to go play basketball. He's lazy and a welfare-monger." No negative stereotyping there! We see a lack of outrage when tea-partyers display their posters of Obama as a primitive jungle native or a "take my country back" (gee, what does that mean?), or some kind of Obama looking like a mullah from Iran thing. I live in a real redneck area of California. It's a GOP paradise here. And the stuff people say....wow...Mississippi Burning.

Ever see that movie? Dang that movie rocked....

Rush already had his credibility shot with me after making a string of racist comments and being called out for the ways that he misquoted the president and others dozens of times. That said, I'd not be surprised if he did just what you note since it seems many extreme/far right folks have tried to note the same as well as claiming that the Presidential family are "Marxists"/Communists and yet they don't have a remote clue as to what the terms means historically......and if he did, I'd laugh saying that other powerful political figures worked with people in the USSR as American patriots (Dr.Martin Luther King being one of them). Of course, if he pulls the "Anything Soviet is evil!!!" card, I'll laugh and say "Whatever, Bump it" at that point.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Racism is rampant in the GOP right now.

I'd say it has BEEN rampant or a long time, with much of it hidden/coded in language so that it's not as obvious as it used to be. Of course it has never been the case that all parties within the GOP have ever been racist, especially seeing the reality of how many Black Republicans there are...and more was shared on that elsewhere that Sister Thekla and I were involved ( here )...but it is indeed the case that others in the GOP party have been very off the wall.

Some things that were hidden haven't been able to remain as such in this term. The way things have been going has led to it simply coming to the surface strongly and people seeing a lot of the rhetoric for what it is. One of my friends noted to me that it seems what has many frustrated is the presence of a black president who is articulate/intelligent and not fitting a lot of stereotypes sending people into a frenzy. Even for others disagreeing with him strongly, many of them have often noted that the level of accusations/the desperation at trying to find anything to stick and the lengths at which people go to even fabricate things to make him look bad would NEVER have occurred with other presidents....and that's seen predominately in how many of the same presidents that critics of President Obama love did the exact things Obama did/offered---and while they were celebrated for it, the President was hated for it.

The same thing goes for the First Lady--and in light of all the humanatarian efforts since has done throughout the term, to hear people say dumb things on her like claiming she's an "angry black woman" to someone who's "ugly" and hates the U.S...frankly, I'm sick of it.

The obsession with "Hussein" in the President's name, the statements by Gingrich last week that "Obama isn't a REAL president. He needs to go play basketball. He's lazy and a welfare-monger."


No negative stereotyping there!

Yep...that's racist. And idiotic at that. The same thing goes for the obsession of "Hussein" as if that proves anything remotely related to a negative....and of course, by that same logic, everyone named "Jeffery" or "Joseph" would need to be suspected of being evil simply because of the actions of Jeffery Dahmer or Joseph Stalin. But no one wants to go that far in exposing the foolishness in tatics..

I'm actually glad that we have things as they are, as it really has done a good job at pointing a flash light at all the junk and racial evils that have been present in the U.S for a long time....with people no longer being able to hide from it (on any side) or others being able to not really address the reality of racism being one of the inherent sins that has aided in establishing America as it is today. At least the presidency has forced people to be honest with seeing how messed up others are----and having the opportunity to address it rather than hiding behind things.

We see a lack of outrage when tea-partyers display their posters of Obama as a primitive jungle native or a "take my country back" (gee, what does that mean?), or some kind of Obama looking like a mullah from Iran thing. I live in a real redneck area of California. It's a GOP paradise here. And the stuff people say....wow...Mississippi Burning.

Ever see that movie? Dang that movie rocked....

Haven't seen Mississippi Burning, although I've heard of it. I know of a film similar called "Murder in Mississippi"--and I just got done talking to someone from Mississippi recently who noted that in many counties the atmosphere/set-up isn't that drastically different than how it was after segregation.

In the South (Georgia) where I'm at, it's a different world....and the Bible Belt has sure enough been showing what happens when values of the Bible are tested/tried against corrupt ideologies which others use the Bible to support.

 

[Fotina]

Racism is rampant in the GOP

I'd say it has BEEN rampant or a long time, with much of it hidden/coded in language so that it's not as obvious as it used to be.

Both your remarks are racist and political and out of place in the Orthodox forum.

 

[Thekla]

Both your remarks are racist and political and out of place in the Orthodox forum.

Why ?

 

[Fotina]

IMO racist/political remarks are not of Holy Orthodoxy.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Racism is rampant in the GOP right now. The obsession with "Hussein" in the President's name, the statements by Gingrich last week that "Obama isn't a REAL president. He needs to go play basketball. He's lazy and a welfare-monger." No negative stereotyping there! We see a lack of outrage when tea-partyers display their posters of Obama as a primitive jungle native or a "take my country back" (gee, what does that mean?), or some kind of Obama looking like a mullah from Iran thing. I live in a real redneck area of California. It's a GOP paradise here. And the stuff people say....wow...Mississippi Burning.

Ever see that movie? Dang that movie rocked....

Racism is rampant on the left as well, Louis Farakkan and Al Sharpton both come to mind, and let's not forget Joe Biden's many race based gaffs. or some Black Panthers standing in the way of voters.

Planned Parenthood has also been caught allowing you to fund abortions for specific races to give your kid a better chance (ie there are too many blacks in my hometown, can this money be used to abort a black baby so that my kids have a better shot?).

both sides have their racism and ignorance.

 

[Monica child of God 1]

Just wanted to say: Louis Farakhan is so irrelevant in the 21st century. No one listens to or cares about him. The so called Black Panthers that you see on tv are 5 or 6 guys that show up to make headlines. Thats not a movement and is also irrelevant.

M.

 

[inconsequential]

I know I've been called racist numerous times because I'm not an Obama supporter. Heck, I've been called racist for pointing out a logical fallacy in an Obama supporter's argument while slamming politicians in general. But then I've been called racist for asking people to comply with clearly posted rules at my job. Quite ironic considering how militantly antiracist I truly am.

I think falsely drawing the race card should be considered a hate crime.

Anyway, good on Mrs. Obama for her humanitarian work. The world needs more people who DO things like that.

 

[Dorothea]

Racism is rampant in the GOP right now. The obsession with "Hussein" in the President's name, the statements by Gingrich last week that "Obama isn't a REAL president. He needs to go play basketball. He's lazy and a welfare-monger." No negative stereotyping there! We see a lack of outrage when tea-partyers display their posters of Obama as a primitive jungle native or a "take my country back" (gee, what does that mean?), or some kind of Obama looking like a mullah from Iran thing. I live in a real redneck area of California. It's a GOP paradise here. And the stuff people say....wow...Mississippi Burning.

Ever see that movie? Dang that movie rocked....

Newt really said that?! Wow! That IS terrible! It has gotten bad in the GOP, and every election year, both sides get nastier.

 

[rusmeister]

I know I've been called racist numerous times because I'm not an Obama supporter. Heck, I've been called racist for pointing out a logical fallacy in an Obama supporter's argument while slamming politicians in general. But then I've been called racist for asking people to comply with clearly posted rules at my job. Quite ironic considering how militantly antiracist I truly am.

I think falsely drawing the race card should be considered a hate crime.

Anyway, good on Mrs. Obama for her humanitarian work. The world needs more people who DO things like that.

I don't think there should be a category of "hate crime" as such. It creates a subjective concept that can be interpreted as whoever is in power sees fit.

 

[inconsequential]

I don't think there should be a category of "hate crime" as such. It creates a subjective concept that can be interpreted as whoever is in power sees fit.

Indeed. I fear how it will soon be used to ingrain the precepts of Newspeak into society. Oops, too late.