Obama Archive

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  Parliament condemns killings in Syria - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Yesterday I moved a motion in Parliament on Syria, which was passed unanimously. It read: “That this House condemn the shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Hama and other Syrian cities and call upon the Syrian Government to enter into a serious national dialogue to chart a transition to democratic government.” New Zealand now joins the [...] read more
  August 4, 2011 4:54 pm - 4 Comments
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  Multi cultural Eid celebration in Mangere - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It was a pleasure to be able to celebrate the Eid yesterday with members of the Muslim community at a big event in Mangere. It was a very multi-cultural event. There are 27 nationalities represented in the Auckland Muslim community. read more
  September 13, 2010 11:12 am - 2 Comments
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  Jon Stewart on the BP oil spill - by frog

  
  
  
  A look at history puts Obama’s latest speech into context. Funny and sad at the same time. read more
  June 24, 2010 10:56 am - 8 Comments
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  Lloyd’s 2 Business: oil crunch coming fast - by frog

  
  
  
  One of the world’s biggest insurers is telling business that the two biggest risks they face are peak oil and climate change. It seems Lloyd’s has gone a bit green, or has started reading frogblog. read more
  June 17, 2010 6:49 am - 25 Comments
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  Finally, an answer - by frog

  
  
  
  Geniuses at Oil Sciences have come up with a novel idea about how to stop the millions of barrels of oil from billowing into to Gulf of Mexico. And, you guessed it, they’ve put it up for sale to the highest bidder on Trade Me. read more
  June 14, 2010 10:37 pm - 11 Comments
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  Déjà vu in Iran - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Many moons ago Barack Obama confronted a warmongering President, George W Bush, saying he would be willing to sit down and talk to the Iranian leaders. read more
  May 20, 2010 11:42 am - 7 Comments
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  Obama makes liveability central to transport funding - by frog

  
  
  
  President Obama’s administration has recently announced progressive new changes to the way future transport projects will be funded. Obama’s administration is now adding “liveability” to the measures used to evaluate new transport projects. “We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities, and how it [...] read more
  January 27, 2010 9:13 am - 9 Comments
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  Copenhagen Diary: It is a disgrace - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  Tonight’s outcome in Copenhagen is a tragedy for humanity. It is  widely recognised as a failure papered over with some fine sounding words by Obama. The purpose of the meeting was to agree on a second commitment period for the Kyoto  protocol. That has not been achieved. We came here wanting an ambitious, fair and [...] read more
  December 19, 2009 1:03 pm - 76 Comments
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  A video message from Green MPs in Copenhagen - by frog

  
  
  
  As the COP15 climate summit draws to a close, Jeanette Fitzsimons and Kennedy Graham offer their views on what is, and isn’t, happening at this most important of international meetings. Jeanette discusses the lack of emissions reduction targets thusfar offered by rich nations, and the $100 billion pledge from the US that will begin in 2020 to [...] read more
  December 18, 2009 11:14 pm - 1 Comment
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  Bring SAS troops home from Afghanistan! - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s good that New Zealand won’t be sending any more troops to Afghanistan. However, that’s not because John Key has just seen the light. With its existing troop commitments – in Afghanistan, the Solomons and East Timor – the NZ Defence Force simply doesn’t have any troops to spare. I’m asking John Key to look [...] read more
  December 3, 2009 9:58 am - 17 Comments
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  NZ Govt risks apostrophe war in archipelago - by frog

  
  
  
  Someone wise once said that the word is more powerful than the sword, and today’s Government statement could be seen as a desperate and venal attempt by the New Zealand Government to provoke Indonesia. read more
  October 18, 2009 5:39 pm - 12 Comments
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  Bill Moyers on Obama and the US Healthcare Debate - by frog

  
  
  
  Many Kiwis won’t be familiar with Moyers, who has had a long career in US journalism. In the 1960′s he worked for JFK, founding the Peace Corp, and later as Johnson’s press secretary. Moyers then played a key role in establishing the Public Broadcasting System which has been his home almost ever since. Bill is [...] read more
  September 12, 2009 7:07 am - No Comments
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  Bill Maher vs the “Obama Birthers” - by frog

  
  
  
  This frog has always appreciated Bill Maher, the host of HBO’s Real Time, for his political analysis and biting wit. Here he takes on the “birthers”, whose campaign to expose Obama as not an American citizen has taken on nearly cult status. No PC zone is Bill’s show. Enjoy. read more
  August 2, 2009 7:32 am - 10 Comments
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  Green Party pulls plug for planet’s sake - by frog

  
  
  
  In a bold move to combat global warming and the Government’s indifference to New Zealand’s Kyoto commitments, the Green Party is leading from the front and will immediately stop using most electrical appliances in its Parliamentary offices as of today. “The current Government’s laissez-faire attitude to carbon emissions means that more needs to be done. [...] read more
  April 1, 2009 4:11 pm - 16 Comments
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  Obama: the days of building sprawl forever are over - by frog

  
  
  
  President Obama summed up the Green party position on transport pretty well during a press conference in Florida yesterday. (at minute 55) I would like for us to invest in mass transit because potentially that’s energy efficient. And I think people are a lot more open now to thinking regionally… The days where we’re just [...] read more
  February 12, 2009 10:24 am - 72 Comments
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  Gitmo is going, going, almost gone - by frog

  
  
  
  It was with great pleasure this morning that I awoke to the news that President Obama has formally ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year. Within hours of his swearing in, his chief of staff had executed his order suspending all military trials at Gitmo for 120 days while he worked [...] read more
  January 23, 2009 9:34 am - 48 Comments
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  President Obama - by frog

  
  
  
  At last the transition is complete. It was with more relief than pleasure that I watched Bush´s helicopter leave Washington with the Obama and Biden families waving him goodbye. I couldn´t help waving goodbye myself. I think this quote from Obama´s inaugural speech summarises my distaste for the Bush presidency: Our Founding Fathers, faced with [...] read more
  January 21, 2009 7:54 am - 39 Comments
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  60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration - by frog

  
  
  
  On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The rights seem so simple and so obvious that we in New Zealand quite easily take them for granted. The document is not legally binding in the way a treaty is, but it does formally [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 10:58 am - 34 Comments
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  Leadership - by frog

  
  
  
  Obama telling it like it is and as we have always said it is: My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process. That will start with a federal cap-and-trade system. We’ll establish strong annual targets that [...] read more
  November 25, 2008 4:30 pm - 39 Comments
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  Super Duper Tuesday - by frog

  
  
  
  The big political event tomorrow in New Zealand will be Waitangi Day, but I get the feeling that political science junkies have all got one eye overseas on the United States Super (Duper) Tuesday Primaries – and especially the Obama-Clinton race. To many New Zealand eyes it’s fascinating that political parties would let this messy, [...] read more
  February 5, 2008 12:01 pm - 38 Comments