Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 9-1-15 Edition

Thanks To President Obama: Mt. McKinley Will Be Called Alaskan Name ‘Denali’ Again
Nuclear Deal With Iran Now Has 31 Senate Votes
WASHINGTON - President Obama's 3-day trip to Alaska this week will literally change the map of the na- tion's 49th state.
Mount McKinley - the 20,237-foot mountain and the tallest in North Amer- ica - has been renamed Denali, as it was originally known by Alaska Natives before it was renamed to honor President William McKinley.
The mountain, which sits in the 6 mil- lion-acre Denali national park, has been known as Denali in Alaska since 1975. Under an order signed by Interior Secre- tary Sally Jewell, the Denali name will also take effect for all federal usage and, therefore, on all official maps.
The order was signed Friday, but the White House asked that it be announced
Mondayaspartof PresidentObama's trip to Alaska to highlight the effects of cli- mate change in the Arctic. The White House said the name change "recognizes the sacred status of "Denali to generations of Alaska Natives."
Denali, meaning "the great one" in the Athabaskan language of Alaska natives, was the original name of the mountain. But when European Americans discov- ered it in the 19th century, they renamed
it Densmore's Mountain and, later, Mount McKinley in an effort to boost the presidential candidacy of Republican William McKinley.
But as Jewell noted in her order, "President McKinley never visited, nor did he have any significant historical connection to, the mountain or to Alaska."
The name became official with the Mount McKinley National Park Act in 1917. The Obama administration's action breaks a 40-year impasse over the name of the mountain. Alaska has been peti- tioning for a name change since 1975, but a bipartisan effort by Ohio's congressional delegation has blocked the effort by intro- ducing bills requiring it to be named after McKinley, who was born in Niles, Ohio
and buried in Canton.
Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, said on Sun- day he would support the nuclear deal with Iran, moving President Barack Obama a step closer to having sufficient backing to ensure the deal stands.
"I believe the agreement, titled the Joint Compre- hensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is the best avail- able strategy to block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," Merkley wrote in a statement published on Medium.com.
The President needs 34
Sec. of State John Kerry speaker to Reuter newsmakers recently.
votes in the Senate to en- sure lawmakers cannot kill the deal. Thirty-one sena- tors, all Democrats and in- dependents who vote with Democrats, have now said they will support it.
Congress must vote on the deal by Sept. 17.
President Obama Meets The People Most Affected By Hurricane Katrina During Visit
Nearly 2,000 people died in 2005, most in New Orleans, during the worst storm in his- tory to hit the U.S....Hurricane Katrina. Video of residents seeking refuge on rooftops, in- side the Superdome and at the convention center dominated news coverage as Katrina came to symbolize government fail- ure at every level.
In his speech on Thursday, President Obama said Kat- rina helped expose inequalities that long plagued New Orleans and left too many people, espe- cially minorities, without good jobs, affordable health care or decent housing and too many kids growing up in the midst of violent crime and attending in- efficient schools.
The President marked the 10th anniversary of the storm with a speech that highlighted the work that residents, local officials and his administration have done to help New Orleans recover from one of the worst disasters the nation has ever faced.
At the same time, he ac- knowledged that the rebuilding is not over, and it won’t be until problems directly attributable to the storm, as well as those more deeply seated in inequal- ity and racism, are dealt with.
“Because of you, the people of New Orleans, working to- gether, this city is moving in the right direction and I’ve never been more confident that together we will get to where we need to go,” President Obama said at the Andrew P. Sanchez Center in the Lower 9th Ward.
The president’s speech touched on major federal proj- ects that were launched after the storm, including levee im- provements and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mid- City, as well as the city’s unique character and place in America.
“If Katrina was an example
of what happens when govern- ment fails, the recovery has been an example of what hap- pens when government works together,” he said.
Excerpts from His Speech:
“As soon as I land in New Orleans, the first thing I do is get hungry. When I was here with the family a few years ago, I had a shrimp po-boy at Park- way Bakery and Tavern. I still remember it -- that’s how good it was. And one day, after I leave office, maybe I’ll finally hear Rebirth at the Maple Leaf on Tuesday night. I’ll get a chance to “see the Mardi Gras,” and somebody will tell me what’s Carnival for. But right now, I just go to meetings.
Your efforts inspire me. And no matter how hard it’s been and how hard and how long the road ahead might seem, you’re working and building and striv- ing for a better tomorrow. I see evidence of it all across this city. And, by the way, along the way, the people of New Orleans didn’t just inspire me, you in- spired all of America. Folks have been watching what’s hap- pened here, and they’ve seen a reflection of the very best of the American spirit.
As President, I’ve been proud to be your partner. Across the board, I’ve made the recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast a priority. I made promises when I was a senator that I’d help. And I’ve kept those promises.
We’re cutting red tape to help you build back even stronger. We’re taking the les- sons we’ve learned here, we’ve applied them across the coun- try, including places like New York and New Jersey after Hur- ricane Sandy.
If Katrina was initially an ex- ample of what happens when government fails, the recovery has been an example of what’s possible when government
works together -- state and local, community -- everybody working together as true part- ners.
All of this progress is the re- sult of the commitment and drive of the people of this re- gion. I saw that spirit today. Mitch and I started walking around a little bit. Such a nice day outside. And we went to Faubourg Lafitte, we were in Tremé, and we saw returning residents living in brand new homes, mixed income -- new homes near schools and clinics and parks, child care centers; more opportunities for working families.
We saw that spirit today at Willie Mae’s Scotch House. After Katrina had destroyed that legendary restaurant, some of the best chefs from the country decided America could not afford to lose such an im- portant place. So they came down here to help -- helped re- build. And I just sampled some of her fried chicken. It was re- ally good. Although I did get a grease spot on my suit. But that’s okay. If you come to New Orleans and you don’t have a grease spot somewhere -- then you didn’t enjoy the city. Just glad I didn’t get it on my tie.
We all just heard that spirit of New Orleans in the remark- able young people from Roots of Music. When the storm washed away a lot of middle school music programs, Roots of Music helped fill that gap. And today, it’s building the next generation of musical tal- ent -- the next Irma Thomas, or the next Trombone Shorty, or the next Dr. John. There’s a Marsalis kid in here somewhere. How you doing?
And I saw it in the wonderful young men I met earlier who are part of “NOLA for Life,” which is focused on reducing the number of murders in the city of New Orleans. This is a
program that works with the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative to make sure that all young people, and par- ticularly our boys and young men of color who so dispropor- tionately are impacted by crime and violence, have the opportu- nity to fulfill their full potential.
In fact, after the storm, this city became a laboratory for urban innovation across the board. And we’ve been tackling with you, as a partner, all sorts of major challenges -- fighting poverty, supporting our home- less veterans. And as a result, New Orleans has become a model for the nation as the first city, the first major city to end veterans’ homelessness -- which is a remarkable achieve- ment.
You’re also becoming a model for the nation when it comes to disaster response and resilience. We learned lessons from Katrina. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed stricter standards, more ad- vanced techniques for levees. Here in Louisiana, we built a $14 billion system of improved levees and pump stations and gates -- a system that stood the test of Hurricane Isaac.
Our work is not done when there’s still too many people
who have yet to find good, af- fordable housing, and too many people -- especially African American men -- who can’t find a job. Not when there are still too many people who haven’t been able to come back home; folks who, around the country, every day, live the words sung by Louis Armstrong, “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?”
But the thing is, the people of New Orleans, there’s some- thing in you guys that is just ir- repressible. You guys have a way of making a way out of no way. You know the sun comes out after every storm.
If we stay focused on that common purpose, if we re- member our responsibility to ourselves but also our respon- sibilities and obligations to one another, we will not just rebuild this city, we will rebuild this country. We’ll make sure not just these young men, but every child in America has a structure and support and love and the kind of nurturing that they need to succeed. We’ll leave be- hind a city and a nation that’s worthy of generations to come.
That’s what you’ve gotten started. Now we got to finish the job.
Thank you. God bless you.
White House News
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015