>> next, president obama's statement on hurricane irene. then, hurricane preparations. after that, republican presidential candidate, mitt romney, holds a town hall meeting in new hampshire. this morning, president obama said he is in close contact with members of his federal response team along with governors and mayors along the east coast about preparations for hurricane irene. the storm is on track to make landfall in north carolina saturday. for that obama spoke from martha's vineyard where he and his family had been vacationing. he returns to washington tonight.

>> i have spoken this morning with governors and mayors of major metropolitan areas along the eastern seaboard to let them know that this administration is in full support of their efforts to prepare for the storm and stands ready to respond to their efforts. we will continue to stay in close contact with them. i cannot stress this highly enough -- if you are in the projected path of this

hurricane, you have to take precautions now. do not wait. do not delay. we all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst. all of us have to take this storm seriously. you need to listen to your state and local officials. if you are given an evacuation order, please follow it. just to underscore this point, we ordered an aircraft carrier group out the sea to avoid the storm yesterday. if you are in the way of this hurricane, you should prepare now. if you are not sure how to prepare your families, your home, or your business for a hurricane or any other emergency, you can visit ready.gov or listo.gov. since last weekend, fema has been deploying its assistance teams to staging areas up and

down the coast. fema has millions of liters of water, millions of meals, and tens of thousands of cots and blankets along with supplies pre positioned along the eastern seaboard. the american red cross has begun preparing shelters in north carolina and other states. these resources are being coordinated with our state and local partners. they stand ready to be deployed as necessary. but again, if you are instructed to evacuate, please do so. it will take time for first responders to begin rescue operations and to get the resources positioned to people in need. the more you can do to be prepared now, making a plan, making a supply kit, knowing your evacuation routes, following the instructions of your local officials -- the quicker we can focus on those who need help the most after the storm. to sum up, all indications point

to this being a historic hurricane. although we cannot predict with perfect certainty of the impact of irene over the next few days, the federal government has spent the better part of last week working with officials in committees that could be affected by the storm to see to it we are prepared. now is the time for residents of these committees in the hours that remain to do the same fem. fema will be keeping people closely posted in the next 24 to 48 hours. thank you very much. >> can you talk about the economic impact, sir? >> earlier today, homeland security secretary, janet napolitano, fema director, and other officials discussed the government budget preparations for hurricane irene. the storm is expected to hit the north carolina border and to

north to new england. from fema headquarters in washington, this is 20 minutes. >> i would like to make a few larger points. this is a serious hurricane. it has already cost sink -- caused seen the damage in pr and elsewhere. we are taking the storm very seriously. i know our state and local partners or as well. in fact, we have seen a number of states declare emergencies even ahead of the storm. we are in the preparation stage. if you can divide this into three phases. preparation, response, and recovery. the window for preparation is quickly closing. if you are in the projected path of the storm, please listen to your state or local officials. please listen to emergency radio

or television. if you are told to evacuate, please do so. those in the path of the storm should make sure that you are also taking necessary and common sense precautions, such as having an emergency plan, having some emergency supplies, some food, water, a flashlight with batteries in case you lose power. if we do anticipate a significant amount of power outage with this particular storm. there are all kinds of common- sense things you should do. you should do them now because, as i said before, the window of preparation is quickly closing. with respect to all our own preparation, the federal government is moving forward ahead of the storm. we have mobilized significant assets. the president has directed us to ensure that all immediate resources or available and that we should coordinate closely with our state and local

partners who are the first responders in this storm situation. we are doing just that. i have been in touch with the mayors and governors in the storm passed. we are also in touch with all of the first responders in the storm's path along the east coast. fema has its national incident management teams already located in a number of states. we will not have to wait for them to get there. they have been embedded of the last few days. that will make sure we are seamless in our response and recovery. commissioner fugate will give you details. this storm has moved in. it has moved east and west. it is the category three and category two. given the amount of rain associated with the storm and the likelihood of flooding, however, i would encourage you

not to focus too much on whether it is a category two or three. if you are in the storm passed, if you will not be able to tell much difference. let me add traduced bill read of the national hurricane center. -- let me introduce bill reed of the national hurricane center. then we will turn it over to administrator fugate. >> right now irene is a classically shaped hurricane except for one feature. has that well-defined eye. the reason we are not seeing higher wind speeds that we are -- this points out very clearly why we have evacuation's ahead

of a hurricane. there are tropical storm conditions around the course. -- r.l. the coast. this is why your emergency officials were in evacuating people yesterday. it has been steadily moving towards the coast. this imagery highlights some of the features in the atmosphere. you probably heard us and others talking about the track of the storm. an area of low pressure moves through new england yesterday. we have another system back here passing through the plane's that may or may not have an impact. not much has changed. somewhere in the carolinas, we

will have the impact today. new england on sunday. here is the current official forecast. i do not anticipate significant changes. this represents the likelihood of the center passing through. we are, the debt through sunday morning that the center of the hurricane will pass through that area. there are hurricane warnings extending from north carolina to sandy hook, new jersey. [unintelligible]

all along the coast, there will be coastal issues. let's talk about the wind. if you have been falling the last several days, we have gotten closer in the storm as the ground. that has led to the possibility of tropical storm force winds. there is a good chance in the interior of new england. this is another part that we used to impress upon them the danger.

this gives the chance to ascertain the wind changes. pcs have a chance of exceeding 12 feet. that cuts off some of the evacuation routes. the yellow and orange represent the probability of occurrence. the numbers farda [unintelligible] we cannot say precisely where the hurricane will be until right before landfall.

the rainfall has not changed much. there will be a huge swath of five or 10 inches of rain in the northeast corridor. there has been to 1% normal rain in the last few days -- 200% range in the last few days. the high winds could bring the trees down more readily than at the ground was dry. fame of will talk about the impact of their operations. quite good morning, everybody we already have our teams linked in with the government gains in the merged the operations centers. we are primarily focused on the back which in support now, but also preparing for the immediate impact in the aftermath.

well as well as the forecast has been, it does not mean there will not be damages. it does not mean that power will not go out over large areas or that it will take some time to get things back to normal. it is important for people to prepare. the one thing we can change the outcome of its loss of life. that is like the evacuation orders or key. people need to leave early, travel a safe distance, to get somewhere safe, not wait for another forecast. all the planning and preparation will be in vain if people do not heed those evacuation orders. we have a whole of government approach. that means all federal budget -- federal agencies have been working together to support the governors and their teams. it is not just about government. it is about our volunteers, the private sector, as well as the public. all of light to enter does the

president of the american red cross. -- i would like to introduce the president of the american red cross. >> thank you very much, gregg. let me acknowledge the wonderful partnership that we had with fema and with secretary napolitano and administrator seagate. if you are going to do to do with mother nature, you could not ask for a better set up -- toe-to-toe with mother nature, you could not ask for a better set of partners. i am not going to repeat what you have already heard about the storm. it is a very big one. it is going to cover a large amount of area. while he cannot exactly predict what curveball mother nature is going to throw at you, i do feel that the american red cross is better prepared, more prepared

than ever. we have forced a number of partnerships with the state based organizations like the national baptist convention, like the southern baptist convention, a lot of the ngo's like the naacp and a whole host of other faith based organizations and non-profit organizations. we are anticipating that it will be a huge geographical area with lots of people enacted. from a time perspective, this could take weeks, maybe even months to be able to respond. let me give you a curfew quick numbers. we have over 200 emergency response vehicles and we are sending to the east coast. these vehicles can drive around and through neighborhoods, get out meals, relief items, things like buckets, mops, pails, etc.

we are sending 60,000 ready-to- eat meals into richmond and another 60,000 into massachusetts. we are working with the southern baptist to bring in the kitchens. we think we can save 250,000 meals per day eventually. the weekend put that up to 100 -- 1 million meals per day at necessary. our local chapters that volunteers already on the ground. we have already deployed 1000 highly skilled volunteer specialists, a number of whom were part of our response during the spring storms. we have the ability to get over 60,000 additional volunteers in the area if need be. we have opened up shelters already in north carolina as well as opened up a few shelters in long island. we have 15,000 potential shelter

sites through the affected area. if any of your listeners or viewers need to know whether shelters or, they can find it on our website, redcross.org. phone apphen i ph as well. we urge everyone to get ready. headache yet, at the papers that you need, supplies for food, at the right clothing that you need. you can get a very robust list of what you can put into one of redcross.org. at have a plan for what to do when and if you are asked to evacuate. if you are asked to evacuate, please do so that will be responsible for reducing loss of life. you can also go to redcross.org

to register and tell your family you are safe and well. as administrator fugate says, getting ready for a disaster like this takes a whole team. we are hoping the american public is part of that team. have your red cross is ready and prepared to help in any way necessary. thank you. >> we will take a few questions. >> can you give us a worst case assessment for york city? some models show there could be significant portions of lower manhattan, even long island, facing considerable flooding, especially given the high tide. overnight, someone said that one

of the greatest nightmares is having a hurricane go up the east coast. >> i will turn it over to craig to talk about new york city. i taught him a year bloomberg yesterday about preparations in new york city. -- i talk to mayor bloomberg yesterday about reparations in new york city. a hospital is being evacuated. we will be working with them today. there were ambulances being repositioned to help move people out of the way. this is another reason why we urge people who are able-bodied to prepare to evacuate if you are asked to so we can, at the governmental level and the red cross, focus on those who need special assistance. we are watching the storm as it hits all the major metropolitan areas heading up the east coast. you have washington, d.c., you're of wilmington, you have new york city, possibly boston. we have been in touch with all other states. one of the concerns in new york

city is the subway system. those decisions will be made by the mayor and his staff will be prepared to support them. craig, do you want to suggest that at all? >> bill, can you talk about the tools you have to show if that might occur? >> in the eastern part of north carolina -- we have not talked about the tidewater area. we are dependent on it the storm goes to the west or to the east of there. we will be focusing on that very closely.

we have run a simulation. [unintelligible] they use those for the planning of the evacuation. after the storm hits, the single track line shows people where to go in for water rescue. >> i was talking to someone to work in my office building. she was talking about getting prepared. one thing she did say -- this is in regard to the uncertainty of

the storm -- everybody is the prepared for this like this is a hurricane katrina. i do not think this will be that bad. could this be the east coast hurricane katrina? >> i take what people think of katrina, they think of the homes were destroyed with the flooding. that may be something we see in the storm surge areas on the coast. here in the district, here is what you need to be prepared for. power outages that could be days or longer. it could be a week or more. a lot of rain and flooding. strong gusty winds. again, those and that's away from the coast are going to be things you need to prepare for, particularly the flooding and flash flooding that could occur here. people always want to put this in the context of what it means. think of this -- strong

sustained winds, tropical forest, a lot of trees down, a lot of power lines down, heavy rain, localized flooding, and along the potomac, you'll have a storm surge potential. we may see some of those levels flood. we are telling people, not just along because, but well inland to be prepared. >> can you address the money that has already been spent from january through today? what happens now? >> first of all, the disaster relief fund -- we are going to have the resources we need to respond to this hurricane. there is going to have to be some financial stuff done with the d.r.f. in terms of the immediate needs, we will have the resources made

available. gregg, the one to address that? >> as the secretary says, we had been putting money back in as of early this week. we are over $900 million in the relief fund. we are looking at making sure we have the resources to respond. we still have open disasters, including pr, as well as storms all the way back to early spring. we are continuing the immediate needs a response to those areas in preparing for this response as well. as dale told you about going to red cross, you can also go to ready.gov. m.fema.gov will link to mobile information from us as well as the hurricane center's. you can get information when you are moving and keep track of the storm and how to prepare. >> thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> secretary napolitano and other officials are expected to meet with reporters again in the morning with the latest on hurricane irene. live coverage of the briefing at 11:00 a.m. eastern time here on c-span. >> next, republican potential candidate, mitt romney, holds a town hall meeting in new hampshire. then, a luncheon honoring women civil rights leaders. after that, president obama's statement on hurricane irene. tomorrow on washington journal, bloomberg news reporters discussed federal reserve chairman ben bernanke's assessment of the economy. john crouch with americans from

divorce reform talk about the federal implications of no-fault divorce all in this country. lucy barber talks about her book "marching on washington." washington journal live on saturday at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> oscar people with little no stories. american university professor, clarence lusane, talks about who they were. >> i began to discover fascinating individuals whose mark on the presidency and whose mark on the white house were virtually unknown. except for a few scattered stores here and there, everyone kind of knew that george washington and thomas jefferson

had slaves, but most people probably do not know that eight of the first 12 presidents had slaves. >> sunday night on c-span's "q&a". republican presidential candidate and former massachusetts governor mitt romney held a town hall meeting thursday at the mcconnell kennedy center in new hampshire. this was the last in his series of campaign town hall meetings in new hampshire, which is hosting the nation was the first for the digital primary in february 2012. this is about one hour 25 minutes. >> long time no see. [applause]

good evening. that was sad. let's try this again. good evening. quite good evening. >> much better. i want to thank you for being here. this is an important time in our lives. it is an important time in our history. we appreciate to get the time to come out and do this. i would like to ask you to take a moment, take yourself off, put it on vibrate -- i had to check min. -- i had to check mine. i want to tell you why i take mitt romney should be president of the united states. [applause] i have been politically active in new hampshire for about 20 years. there are very few people i look in the eye and note this

man has what is right for our country in his heart, in his mind, in his address in may. there is no one kinder. if there is no one more thoughtful. there is no one better prepared to lead our country -- leave our country in a better economic state that it is. as you know, we are in a mess. i watched 90% of my income in real estate in this last cycle. that is tough. i want someone to put new venture back to work. i in my opinion, that person is governor mitt romney. you did not come here to hear me, so i will turn it over to captain bill simon. thank you for being here this evening. we look for to a great evening. -- forward to a great evening. [applause] >> thank you for coming i am bill simon.

when i was invited to introduce the governor tonight, i asked a staff member, could you give me a list of accomplishments and goals? she said, nope. very simply, just a why you support the governor for president. i did not have to go on line and look at anything, i knew instantly where my connection was. i fully support his position that washington needs to stop wasting our money. i liken the current in administration to the kids who visit your house on halloween. you have a bowl of candy and they come up to the door and you say, sure, take what you need. that is a good thing. instead, you have this is the shah of both parents in the bulk, fill their back, and they do not care -- shove both hands in the bowl, fill their bag, and

they do not care what they leave for others. i would rather have in new hampshire representatives to tell me where my money should be spent. i would rather have andover residents tell me where our money should be spent that was my connection on those two main points. without further ado, i would like to introduce the governor i hope in january 2013 will have to change the address on his driver's license to 1600 pennsylvania avenue, mitt romney. >> thank you. [applause] thank you. very kind. thank you. thank you. what an honor to be here. what a welcome. you are very kind and generous to spend some time with me this evening. it is quintessential new hampshire for people to come together on that evening like this when you could be out enjoying a dinner, perhaps a

movie, tv, or whatever, getting ready for a hurricane. if instead you are saying, there is a responsibility to get to know the people running for president. so you're going to spend some time getting to know me and decide if in the right one or if someone else is the right one. i want to thank matt for welcoming you and me here. he was kind enough some years ago to give me a picture, which still hangs in my home. it is a picture of president eisenhower, one of my heroes. a man who was a national hero following the world war and helped guide our foreign-policy to make sure america would be strong and safe. i appreciate that from you, max. i appreciate bill introducing me. your leadership in the committee is recognized. your kind words were touching, and i should just sit down, but

i have more i want to say. i am good to say a word or two, then i will ask you for questions you might have been embarrassing questions or fine. i'll do my best to respond to them. then we will get a little chance to say hi to each other, get some pictures taken, and shake some hands. me and you, we have something you have not seen before. this was created today by my team to illustrate something. it is a frightening thing here. he what's the tens of thousands of dollars going by sector by sector. hundreds of thousands of dollars going by in less than a minute. this is the amount of debt the nation owes. $14.60 trillion. i do not know who told politicians there was a number called 8 trillion, but a large debt and now they have borrowed it. this down here is how much each taxpayer's share of that national debt is. if you are a taxpayer, and most

of you are in this room, recognize that this is what you of. that number is a lot bigger than it was 2.5 years ago when president obama took office. that number has been added bite $4 trillion. that has been added by another $30,000. every day that president obama is in office and fails to balance our budget were put forth plans to do that, that number gets larger and larger for me and for your kids. it is unacceptable for you. it is immoral to pass along those debts to your kids. if i am president of the united states, i will get america on track to balance our budget and stop spending money we do not have. [applause] i know that not all of that will be popular. i know that some of the things we will have to stop doing and stop spending will make people

say, gosh, i wish we could keep spending that. i remember when i served as governor of the state south of here -- thank you for letting me cross the border to date -- when i served in massachusetts and we look at a budget gap by first year of about $3 billion, we took the budget and we divided our spending in two groups. since we did in the state that we liked and then those things we did in the state that we had to do. we said the things we like we are going to have to stop doing because we cannot afford it. as i look at the federal budget, i am going to go through item by item, line by line and say, do we have to do this? is this so important to us, so critical that it is worth more when money from china for our kids to have to pay to keep doing? if that is always the measure. is this something we like so much that it does work mortgaging our kids' future? in my view, we are going to have

to cut back on spending. number one on my list stop obamacare. we cannot afford it. [applause] it is bad government anyway. paul ryan and republicans and said you have to take discretionary spending and cut it back to the 2008 levels. if that takes sense as -- makes sense as well. it's to be taken away from the federal government and returned to the state. medicaid is one of those programs. a program for the poor in our nation. it gets larger and larger. take the money, give it back to the states, that the states manage the programs for the poor in the way they think is best. the federal government is too large. that number up there suggest a government that has grown to well beyond anything anyone had ever imagined, even people like jfk and fdr. even lyndon baines johnson. they would be surprised at how

big that number is and would be appalled. we have to shrink the size of the federal government and return much of what it does, if as much as we can back to the state's rickey managed for the people and people are closer to their elected representatives and can vote them out that they do not do a good job. i will do that. [applause] the fact that that number is going around like it is is a pretty clear indication of presidential failure. but there are some other reasons to be unhappy with deeper than that. that relates to the fact that we have 25 million americans that are out of work. out of work, stop looking for work, or in part time jobs. 25 million americans. you are doing better here in new hampshire. i think the president could learn some lessons from new hampshire. he could learn that if you want to attract jobs and do better than the national average, but

it is good to have a live taxes and small government. that is a lesson the good lawyer for new hampshire, but what he did instead became again as president is decide to put in place a nearly $1 trillion spending stimulus, spending more on government, adding 135,000 new government employees. the right answer was not to add government, the right answer was to shrink government and grow the private sector. if they keep focused on energy and the things he really wanted. cap and trade to raise the cost of energy. if forced immunizations. stacking the national labor relations board. he wanted dodd-frank to regulate the financial services sector. obamacare to take away from you the right to have the medical choices that you currently enjoy. in my view, his agenda is one of the primary reasons that this downturn has been so deep and has been so hard to get out of. it is one of the primary reasons

that what goes around at the rate it goes around. it has gone around pass for a long tied. president obama, when he was senator obama, calls the fact that for the bush added to that deficit "unpatriotic." of what would you consider of his own actions as president when so many people are out of work and with that number is racing around like it is. i have a very different experience. i did not spend my life is a community organizer or as a politician. i respect people in both professions. i spent my life in the private sector. i inherited some important things for my parents. by the way, what i inherited financially, i gave away. but what i inherited from a culture standpoint i hold very dear. i inherited a willingness to work hard. my mom and dad taught me how to work. i learned something about america.

when i was a young boy, my dad took me on a trip across the country with my mom, of course, going from national park to national park. he did the same thing with his grandkids. 25, 26 grandkids went on tour -- went on 30 days of trips with my mom and dad going to national parks. i knew what he was doing. he was not just showing them the beauty of america and the majesty of our mountains and the grand tour of the canyons, he was also teaching them something about the american spirit and the american character. i learned that. i inherited that from my mom and dad. that is something that does not leave me. the red meat from a book called "men to match my milton." you may not have read that book. it was written in the 1960's by someone named irving stone. i mentioned that the other night. i was on cape cod the other night and the owner of the home

the estimate, as soon as i finish telling that story, he got up and "did that point from which the title was taken. i did not know it was taken from a point. it turns out the public who wrote the point from which that title was taken was from new hampshire. his name was sam walter. "bring me meant to match might melton. bring me men to match by airplanes. -- bring me men to match my mountain. brink me men to match my plane." what was he talking about? he was not talking about covering our neighbors, but, instead, and parts of discovery,

innovation, enterprise, if any new errors as we change the world. that is what america has done. if this is the greatest nation in the history of the world. what we have done, what we have invented, how we have shared liberty around the world. it is lifted people from poverty. has brought people freedom. if it does preserve peace on the planet. a strong america is the best allied peace has ever known. this is an extraordinary land. i believe in america. i believe the principles that made us such a strong and vibrant nation in the past where restore our economy and preserve our freedom in the future. when the founders came together and formed this country, their brilliance and their vision is almost hard to overstate. they gave us political freedom, as you know. we got to choose to represent us in government. they swapped the relationship

between state and citizen because, in the rest of the world, they need the state was the sovereign and the state was the servant. the swap that. now the citizen would be the sovereign and the state would be the servant. i also gave us personal freedom and economic freedom. we had the right to choose where we want to live and what we want to do with our life. what a remarkable land. those freedoms, political freedom, personal freedom, economic freedom, brought people from all over the world here seeking an opportunity, not only for themselves, but for their children. if my wife's dad was born in wales. his dad was a coal miner. his dad said, "i have to give you away from here. we get to emigrate. if we have to get to america." like millions of others, they came to america. when they got here, it did not take them long to realize that an education was a big help to be about to realize their dreams, but they did not have enough money to send the kids to

college. they got together and that a family conference and decided they could send one. if all the kids, all four of them, would save the money from their jobs and put it in a pool, they could put that money behind one of them to go to college. they did. it was my father-in-law. they all gathered the money. can you imagine that in your family? he seemed to be the smartest, as we will send him to college. that would have ended up in a fight in my house with my five boys. they came together and sacrificed for their brother, my father in law, sent him to general motors institute of technology. he got his degree in engineering and started his business. of course, if he hired his brothers and sisters to work with them early in this enterprise. the nature of america. these freedoms brought people from all over the world and built as to what we are today. i believe in those freedoms. i believe that i have, by virtue of having spent my life the in the private sector -- in business -- and having turned

around enterprises and not just what's jobs being created, but actually created jobs -- i believe that is what the nation needs to get america back to work again and restore the values that will keep us prosperous. i believe this bill will enable me in a debate with barack obama to elected him and say, "no, mr.. , you got it wrong. you do not understand that the economy works. you do not understand at your agenda made it harder for jobs to be created. i do. i have created jobs. i know how it is done. i would do a better job of slowing down that clot and, hopefully, did it reversing a getting americans back to work." [applause] i love this country. i believe in this country. i believe in the american people. i am convinced our future is bright i am going to tell you

why as we answer some questions, but i am going to turn out to you and get your thoughts. if you have to advise, i am happy to hear it. that you have questions, i am abbey to respond let me turn to you. tell me who you are if you would like. if you want to be anonymous, you do not have to. if you live around here. give me your thoughts and your questions. with that, please. matt started things off. let's do it again. >> governor, what are your thoughts on the turns of events in libya and what would you do if your president right now? >> let's talk about libya. i hope, by the way, that the president or the state department was in touch with gaddafi before the revolution and said to him, "mr. gaddafi, if you attack your own people,

we will come after you. we will not allow a humanitarian crisis." that is the old teddy roosevelt -- speaks softly, carry a big stick. i hope that happened. when documents are released sometime down the road, i hope we will find that happen. number two, the president came to the american people and said to us we have a humanitarian mission to fulfill. we will put in place a no-fly zone. we heard the story and appreciated that. members of congress and the american people assented to our participation in the humanitarian efforts. then the president changed the mission. he did not come to the american people and describe the mission. he said we are now in favor of regime change. there was an effort to remove gaddafi. i am happy to see gaddafi give. the people of libya came together to get rid of him. i am at the the coalition, the natick team, was able to remove him.

i am happy he is gone. but i sure would like our president to come to the american people and described to us what is our mission there. once gaddafi is gone, who is going to provide security? what is the nature of the rebels? what are they going to be doing? will this become as bad or worse than it was under gaddafi? these are answers i would like to hear from our president who has the information about who these folks are and what our role will be. this is something he has not done yet. i think it is incumbent on the president to describe what our mission is there now and what the mission will be for libya. my own view is that america should be involved in actions of this nature -- meaning and balding our military troops -- were we have a substantial interest, with the mission is clear and defined, and where our exit is also the clear and defined. the questions we've not heard with regard to libya.

this budget as the american public a discussion we are grateful that gaddafi is either don or almost dawn. i think he is basically gone according to the most basic reports. now let's see what the president's budget plans are. by the way, i would like to hear a discussion about syria and egypt. libya as a population of around 7 million people. egypt has a population of around 80 million people. egypt is the big power in the arab world. trying to encourage egypt to move towards modernity and not becoming a hostile neighbor to israel is extraordinarily critical to the american people. the president has a lot to talk about. i wish we understood what his foreign policy was. thanks, matt. >> i am chris johnson. if there was one policy initiative that you could spend all of your political capital on and accomplished it before

you left office on the domestic scene, what would it be? >> that is hard to say. two.e going to give me good. one is to get us on track to stop spending more money than we take in. balance our budget. two, did americans back to work. how do you do those things? they are connected, by the way. we are not good to get americans back to work if every on japan or in every business person in this country looks at america -- if every opera nor -- ought to ignore -- about the get people back to work? you have to make sure that the taxes for our employers, not higher than that for a employers around the world. right now or for the highest in the world. number two -- regulation and

bureaucracy has to be modern, streamlined, up-to-date. regulation as to not only gets the bad guys, but encouraged the good guys. right now regulation is burdensome. it makes it harder for businesses to grow and invest. no. 3, you've got to have trade policies that work for us, not just for the other guys. with there are cheaters, like china, you have to hold them accountable and make sure they did not take our jobs by virtue of cheating. number four, yet to become energy secure, independent of the cartels. that means developing our own oil, gas, coal, nuclear, went, and sold. america needs to be energy independent from the cartels. did we need to have institutions that teach our kids the skills for the transfer century. we have to have the role law. we after the government that spends less than it takes in the as a long list.

but i had to get americans back to work. on september 6, if you had nothing to do, i will be giving a speech about the things you have to do to get america working again. it is not just working over the coming year or two that i am concerned about as important as that is, it is working over the next couple of decades making sure that our economy leads the world. that we remain the place that is home of innovation. that remain the economic powerhouse of the world. only if we are the tier 1 economy of the world can we have a military that is also tier 1 and to protect our freedoms. i am going to work very hard to restore, not just the economy short term, but to restore our ability to compete and add jobs with high incomes of long-term. that is what i know. that is what i do. business, jobs, the economy. i am going to use my skills to

get america back to work at to get that clock to slow down and stop. .hank you period [applause] >> i am dan hurley. thank you for bringing the clock. i spent my career working in the chance shot -- technology transfer field. can i get your opinion of what is going on at g e but to me, it is not a good thing. >> all the people in the room who thinks our trade policies with china makes sense, please raise your hands. that is what i thought. we have watched year after year as china has manipulated the currency to artificially hold down the prices of all goods and services coming from china. that has helped them here and abroad. it has hurt us here and hurt us

in operations abroad. it made them more competitive and has a hollowed out, in some cases, manufacturing. what else have they done? the install of our patents, of designs, are no help. they have not allard -- under our system of protecting intellectual property. when we sell an airplane, it is not just the steel and labor, as important as they are, it is also the know how that went into building the aircraft and designing it. the steel listings routinely. in china they are selling microsoft software on the streets for a couple of bucks. but are selling movies for less than that. that is our intellectual property. they are stealing those things. as they steal those things, we lose the revenue and they go out and sell them to others. then, of course, they are hacking into our computer systems. doing it to corporations and taking technology. going into our government and department of defense to steal technology and know-how.

it is unacceptable. the president said he would take china to the mat. i have not noticed that happening yet. if i am president, and i will announce this in september, i will be very clear which side about the consequences of their manipulative currency, other stealing our intellectual property. the consequences are the not enjoy the open access to our markets they had enjoyed in the past. thank you. [applause] >> nice to see you. >> thank you. >> i have a little problem. i do not know if i know what i am talking about. i had a business i started myself. i paid all my employees 50% -- 15% of their salary and their health insurance. now that i am retired, we had

the government cutting pension plans. some of my tax dollars, i am sure, are going to pay some of those pensions. i find it disagreeable that i have to take money out of my savings. maybe you can explain that. on a lighter note, this is what i would like to have you do. i would like you to get my 401k growing as fast as that debt. >> your 401k is moving as fast that debt, just in the wrong direction, it is so afraid. [applause] you are talking about support for federal employee pensions. clearly people who work in government deserve a fair wage, compensation, and a fair retirement program, and fair benefits.

at the same time, we have too many people working in the federal government. that number should be small. it does not mean we have to slash employment, but as people retire, we do not have to fill those positions. secondly, people who work for government should get as good a deal as the taxpayers get. the compensation of people in the government should be similar to the compensation that exist in the private sector. the benefits should be the same as well. the people who work for government should not get a better deal than the people who are paying their wages, namely, the taxpayers. i appreciate the work of federal employees and government workers, but i want to make sure their deal is comparable to that of the people that is paying for it. if those numbers get out of whack, and you are seeing them in some state -- even in my home state of massachusetts they are saying there are some things that are out of control and we cannot have collective bargaining anymore because it is out of line. we are going to get to be honest

with faults and not keeping for things we cannot afford. that is what leads to the plot doing what it is doing back there. i support efforts to be honest with people and make sure we have for government employees a fair deal, but not a better deal than the rest of us get. thank you. other questions? yes, sir. >> i am from barrington. if we had had success through history, we are in a much different world than we are today. with your background and your level of success, recognizing that the probability is that when you take office you are going to have to deal with an economy that is virtually at a standstill, such as it is today, are there any things that you would do differently than

this nonsense that we saw exhibited in washington in recent weeks and months? in other words, is the system broken or is it the people are not listening? how would you attack this with your expertise? >> you are talking about the debt ceiling. when you talk about nonsense in washington, it is a long list of possibilities k. [laughter] i know there are people that ay, whity didn't republic since agreed to raise taxes a little bit? there is a reason that people were for a proposal that would cap federal spending so it

could not grow faster than the federal government. government is too big. let me describe what too big is. when john f. kennedy was president, government at all levels, federal, state, local, consumed about 20% of our economy, about 1/4 of our economy. today, it consumes 37%. and it is headed towards 40% of the economy. we are inches away from no longer being a free economy. instead, being a government- dominated nation. a lot of us looked and said 37% is too much. you're spending is too much. we will not give in to give you more money to allow you to get even betigger. politicians in washington and in some states like california -- california has the highest tax rate in the nation. i think it is the most expensive state from an income tax standpoint in the nation.

they must have a balanced budget, right? no, they spent all that money and then some. to give politicians more money and higher taxes, they will spend that and keep barring more. the right answer -- there are a lot of people that disagree with me. last night, and was at an event in lebanon, new hampshire. she said, governor why it should do say that we should only spend what we take in? whynot keep on borrowing? there are people that agree with you. i am not one of them. i will do everything by growing the economy and getting people paying taxes because they have jobs and cutting that off scale of the federal government. if we had a president that is a leader. the president -- i like him. hearing him, he gives great speeches. what he said when he was campaigning about bringing the nation together, that was very inspiring. he did not do it, but he said it. but he hasn't been a leader.

a real - it's been disappointment. he is not a >> live, local, and late-breaking, presence apaa president. he's a ddd president. debt, downgrade, and the lake. we keep talking about making sure that social security and medicare are preserved, not just for current retirees but for the young people. the president says if something should be done. republicans put ideas out and the democrats a demagogue them. where are the president's ideas? whereas leadership? what will he do about that leadership? where is it? he's in nantucket, playing golf. it is time for a leader to step forward. i intend to be one of them. we will get the job done and get america working again and stop the clock. thank you. [applause]

>> hello. i had the pleasure of meeting you up the street here not too long ago. we talked little bit about the family. if the success of the society is the dependence on the strength of the family. it is my opinion that we have the focus wrong. we need to focus on family first, not all of these other issues. the product of the family is the next generation. if the next generation is to be better than the last, which i hold to be a universal truth about the world, that all mothers with like the best for their kids in the future, then we need to focus on the american family. and i ask you to make a pledge to make the family a cornerstone of your campaign going forward, i think it is by far and above the greatest issue we have in the country. if we can fix that and get a parent home during child-bearing years to raise the children with the code that they can live by

and take into kindergarten and know what is right and wrong, what is fair, what is moral, what is ethical, what breeds character and integrity, then we are on a path to turn this country around. there is no question in my mind collectively be cannot do it. it is not an issue. the fact of the matter is, we have to get together as a family. if i can make my pitch one more time to you and say, let's make a cornerstone of this campaign, because you can do it. you have a wonderful family, and people here have wonderful families. by the way, my name is bob lynch. and the family is the answer to this. if we can make that the cornerstone of this campaign, we can certainly work on these other trivial issues that we can get straightened out with a wonderful group of americans who are ready to do it tomorrow. >> my guess is you came from a good family. >> i did. >> tell me about your family. >> my father krupp in delaware,

and at 11 years old, he walked off of his home during a depression enter the keys on the ground and walked away from everything the family had. that stuck with him. and got a leighigh degree in economics. he committed in and out of new york city his entire life. that is one of the reasons i live in new hampshire. my mother was at home with us every day. i learned a great deal from her, and i love her dearly to this day. those values mean more to me than anything else we have spoken about here. and with family, with friends, with neighborhoods, with communities, with states and a government working together, we can take care of this country in a heartbeat. we can take care of this world. i would proclaim that we need a goal, may be a dream first. maybe not martin luther's but we need a drink heard from the

goals, from that come the objectives. if everybody in the world wants to make the world a better place, we can do that. i would be happy to come to work with you and help you out. it is for most of my mind. >> apparently so. >> i am watching -- writing a book carried it is called "guard rails, god and santa claus." >> important topic, critical topic. what i inherited from my parents was a set of values. a lot of this country, understanding of character. -- a love of this country. i was taught that self-esteem was earned. it did not come because i had a teacher that said, you should love yourself. i learned it -- i learned you had to work hard and achieve something, whether it is sports or school. my oldest son, i hope i can remember exactly what this was.

my oldest son and his high school on prized it was given the prize. this was at graduation. i do not remember which you're at school he was cured he was in k-12, but he was in high school. an uprising got was this -- for his unselfish concern for others. >> i could not have been more proud. character is a big part of what do self-esteem. so i love families that are able to teach kids values and principles that lift their life. i like the fact that buy large we recognize that a home has a mom and dad, and if you want to have a child, it is a good idea to get married first. [applause] my wife taught as a volunteer at the mother caroline academy in boston. is populated with at risks girls.

one day, she said, how many of you would like to go to college? almost all of their hands went up. then she said, how many expect to have a baby before you graduate from high school. almost all their hands went up. and she said, you probably cannot do both. and they were surprised. people had not told them that yet. we need to teach our kids there is an advantage to getting married and having two people share their resources. a lot of people did not have the hasrivilege -- there been divorce or death. but where there is a possibility, get married, have children, raise children, make that your highest priority. the most important thing that happened in my home, that which gives me the greatest satisfaction in life, is what my wife did in raising our five sons. i remember when my wife and i were young marrieds, and we were talking to my dad, i think he

was 80 at the time. my dad had been a person of great accomplishment, both in business and in government. and he was famous in his era. and we turned to my dad and said, what has been the most important thing in my life? he said, without question, that which gives me the greatest joy in life is what your mother did in raising our children. there is nothing like kids -- except grandkids, they are a little better. i want to tell you, if i am elected president, my wife and i will work very hard to teach our kids, not just my own five sons and their children, of which there are 16, but also to teach other kids in america the benefits of marriage and coming together. i want to make sure our programs at the federal level do not discourage marriage. if we have programs that say we will give you money, welfare, if you are single with a child, but you -- if you are married with a child, then we will not. if you do not get married, then

you do not have our responsibility to care for that child. these mistakes lead to people deciding that in some cases it does not make sense to get married. we have to make sure we do not create disincentives for marriage, but create a model, speak about it, and make sure our programs encourage people to form families that have kids. you and i are on the same page on that. i want to see your book. yes, ma'am. >> hi. this is falling on the question about values. i was raised by two physicians, and i come up early on, learned the importance of us being healthy in our lives. and i spent the last year working in kenya and uganda, working with people living with hiv who loved me because i was american and american help them get access to drugs. i am a medical student. i read a study that showed that there was a 96% reduction in transmission when people are on

hiv drugs. so that means they can have healthy and productive lives. and they will not transmit the virus to their partners. i was really proud of president bush in 2003 when he started the president's emergency plan for aids relief. and i have been disappointed with president obama who said that he was going to continue that program and has not funded at the levels that he pledged to. so i am wondering if you become the president, which i am hoping that we are starting a movement here in new hampshire, will you commit to being a president deccan and aids, another we know that there is a 96% reduction in transmission for this virus? because i think it is very important that america maintains the moral and ethical standard, even though we're fighting this deficit stuff. there are certain things we can cut more easily and more morally than other things.

and i do not think the aids program is something. anyway, i am wondering if he will commit to being a president that can end aids. >> we do a lot of wonderful things to encourage humanitarian aid around the world and to help other nations. and i applaud that effort. by and large, i look for that ever to be done on a charitable bases by the american people, meeting by people making contributions to those things that make a difference and by president matching funding or encouraging. there are some of tsunami disasters and so forth, where america's contributions are really wonderful and marvelous. in some cases, our contributions to the world held our interest and keep america in a more positive light in the world. so you have to look at each of the things we do in light of those benefits. but i also want to say this, in some cases, as we give humanitarian aid or foreign aid to other nations, but i say, gosh, we're borrowing money from

china and giving it over here and we have to pay back china. why don't we get china to make a contribution? why are we borrowing money from them to help someone else? [applause] we are a generous and charitable people, but at the same time, i did not look for our government to decide where we will apply are cheered. i look for our people to do that person by person. that is my preference. i will look at what the president is spending, but i am expecting those nations that are running huge surpluses for them to pick up the burdens of the world, as opposed to always looking to america. we as citizens will do it. we will support those things we think make a real difference. we will support those things that help our image and our values around the world, but i am going to be putting a little

bit of pressure on other people to pick up the slack. thank you. hi. [applause] >> hi,. i live in dover. i'm an educator. i'm a mom. i am curious about preparing our students with 21st century skills, getting ready for college and beyond. i was wondering if he could talk more about that. >> absolutely. let me tell you what things i've learned about education. when i came in as a governor, i wanted our schools to keep doing well so i met with people in our education department. they said, smaller class sizes would make our schools better. i said, that is expensive. or construction, hiring more teachers. what does the data show? well, we have 351 cities and towns. so we knowr kids,

which kids in which towns are doing the best. and we know the average class from size. so we can compare classicize with how the kids are doing. so we plotted that out. there was no relationship at all. as a matter of fact, the school districts that spent the most per student and with the smallest cluster size, a cambridge, their kids were performing in the bottom 10% of kids in our state. i looked at studies done by people who fall education, like the mackenzie institute, and they looked as schools around the world. they said classicize is not predict how well kids will do. they said spending does not predict terribly well how kids will do. overwhelmingly, what predicts how well the kids will do is their home, their parents, and the quality of the teacher. [applause] and those nations which are

excelling in education are those nations which say, we are going to try and hire our teachers from among the very best performers, the top 5%-10%. too often in america, we do not do that. i would like to hire the best do this. i would like to pay higher starting salaries for teachers. i would like teachers to be promoted not based upon tenure but based upon how well they do with kids. [applause] kids -- our best teachers not to aspire to become administrators, but to continue to teach and to the promotion within the teaching ranks. andme, it's about teachers incurred in the quality of education at the teacher level. we did some other things. when i say we, i am talking about my predecessors in

massachusetts as well as myself. they decided that to graduate from a massachusetts high school, you have to pass a graduation exam. and that's kind of a stick. i put a carrot in place. i said, if you take the exam and your score in the top 25% of your high school class, we will grant you a four-year tuition free ride to any massachusetts public institution of higher learning. we call the the john and abigail adams scholarship. we created incentives for kids to get a scholarship. probably know how well massachusetts schools are doing. there are four measures for testing how schools are doing. fourth and eighth graders are tested every two years in english and math. my fourth graders came out number 1 in the nation and number one in math. my eighth graders came on number one in english and number one

and math on all four measures. for the policy of choosing great teachers, of having accountability and standards and providing incentives for people to perform, those things work in education like everything else. so congratulations on being an educator. i want to make your job easier. i did not mention school choice. we of school choice in my state. 50 charter schools. i like choice in education. i like parents being able to choose the school where they think the child will do best. i want to provide that for more of our kids. thank you. [applause] >> first of all, thank you for being here. to follow on the education question, i agree with so much of what you are saying and it is a very exciting to hear as a teacher myself. does federal government played a role in the process, and what would you do when you are elected?

the idea of the federal government trying to run schools. i think schools should be run at the state and local level. of course, the federal government sends a lot of money out. and in sending that money out, it could encourage school choice, cyber learning, better compensation for teachers. there are things it could encourage. and so what role it will play has to be carefully measured. for instance, in my state, my predecessors devise a curriculum. we have a statewide curriculum. and the kids are tested according to the curriculum. i think it is working pretty well. if the federal government said, we like the massachusetts curriculum and mandate that all states use the curriculum, i would say absolutely not. that violates the constitution. it violates my impression of

what this nation is founded upon -- individual liberty and states' rights. i'm very reticent to have the federal government plays its heavy hand in education. encourage good practices and share those, make sure the money is spent well, yes, but schools should be run at the local level by parents, teachers, and not by teachers unions, by the way. we ought to put the teachers and the kids first. yes, sir? i'll give you this one. and'm the father of 2 kids, i am very concerned about their future. in june you said, i think it is important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants in greenhouse gases that may be contributors to the climate change and global warming. yesterday said about global warming, i do not know if it is mostly caused by humans. now i'll quote from the national

academy of sciences on climate change. some theories have been so thoroughly examined and supported by so many independent observations and results of that the likelihood of subsequently been found wrong is a vanishingly small. ken such conclusions and theories are regarded as facts. this is the case for the conclusion that the earth's system is warming and much of the warming is largely due to human activity. my two questions. is the national academy of science reliable? if not, what do you use for your source? secondly, do you continue to support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as in your book "no apology," through revenue neutral carbon tax or payroll tax cuts? >> payroll tax cut?

let's come back. let me tell you what i believe about the environment. by the way, my book lays out. the nice thing about writing a book is that it is all right there. so i will give you an answer in a couple of minutes. but if you are interested in digging into it, you can read what i wrote. i wrote a chapter about energy and climate. so i will give you a summary. let me tell you what it is. i think the earth is getting warmer. i know this room is. [laughter] [applause] i think humans contribute to that. i do not know by how much. could be a little, could be a lot. i do not know by how much. so i am not willing on that basis to say, let's spend trillions of dollars trying to stop, in america, the emissions of co2. so what it leads me to is an energy policy that some call, and no regrets policy, meaning he would take action you would take any way that has the

byproduct of reducing co2. so i would take as my energy policy, not a cap and trade approach, i oppose cap and trade. i would not put in place a gas tax or carbon tax. what i would do is to follow policies that get america energy secure and energy independence of the cartels. what are those policies? use more natural gas. we have in abundance. we have learned how to drill not just vertically but horizontals and to capture all sorts of natural gas. we have hundreds of years of it. natural gas emits less co2 than coal. if we use natural gas, we not only free ourselves of foreign sources of energy, but would also reduce our co2. i like nuclear power. when we build our nuclear power plan, we should not put the diesel resurgent backup level at

fault lines. i would like to see just drilling for oil, find technology from clean coal. and so i want to use the resources. i want to see more efficiency. these things will get is on track to become energy independent and secure. as a byproduct, tehyhey reduce co2. it can't hurt. i am not a scientist. i cannot tell you how much of the warm and i think we are experiencing is caused by human beings. it may be a lot, it may be a little, but again, my policy is not to impose trillions of dollars of additional costs and job-killing measures like cap and trade and carbon taxes on the american people. that is my view. thank you. [applause] thank you. i'm told i get one more

question, then you guys get to go home and watch what ever is on thursday night. what is it? the red sox. we're one game up. i have to tell you a quick story. i was speaking at the citadel, and that is a school in south carolina, military college. all the cadets sitting at attention. they look like they're were sitting at attention. i was telling jokes as i was getting my speech. when i tell a joke, there will look at the end of the aisle, they would not laugh. then i took questions from the audience. very prepared, sophisticated questions. then someone stood up and said, what you think about johnny damon have been traded from the red sox to the yankees? and everyone turned to see would ask such an important question. and i said, it proves only one thing -- we all hate yankees. that got a laugh. please. >> i'm eleanor.

if you become president, i would like to know what you do about the 12-20 million illegal immigrants in this country who are contributing to that? [applause] >> thank you. good question. it's an important question. a little story. i think it was four years ago, i was in san diego at the border with mexico. we have a big fence there, two fences, separated by a couple hundred yards. i was there with border patrol agents. i said, the people across in this area today? about 100. even with those fences. how did they do it? they come in groups. they are sitting across the border with binoculars and a watch and see where we are is agents. the storm across. they make letters of -- out of rebarb. they'll throw a ladder across,

and then there into the shopping mall across the street before we can get them. i said, how are going to stop the flow of illegal aliens into the country? he said, secure the border with a fence and border patrol agents of an adequate number. and turn off the magnet. i said, what magnet? he said jobs. where u.s. employers hire people they know are illegal and put them in jobs in the u.s. that is why they come across in large numbers. you want to secure the border with a fence and turning off the magnet. we do all sorts of things. we have cities in america that call themselves sanctuaries cities. we communicate to people who want to come here illegally that if they can find a way here, if they overstay their visas or come across the border illegally, they can go to that city and they do not have to worry. it is unbelievable. when i was governor, the legislature passed a bill saying that we should give to the children of illegal immigrants

and in state tuition break. now, there are -- their r. demint, they said the kids have not done anything wrong. and did their argument, they said the kids have not done anything wrong. the crate a bigger magnet, people come here for their kids. i understand that. if you come here illegally, that draws more people here illegally. if we want to secure the border -- a fence and crack down on employers that hire people illegally. i would give folks that come here legally upcard, their visa number. employers would be able to check that against a federal database. if they have someone without a valid identification card, because they are here illegally, and they hire them anyway, then we crack down them w- on them with fines orw

worse. we love legal immigration here. will people who come here legally. i would like to bring in people with skill and experience. i would like us to have enough so the people the skills that we need to come here. i like legal immigration. i do not want to stop illegal immigration. i welcome the cultures and the experience that comes from people from other lands, but i want to stop this president came in and said he was going to do all these things about immigration and made all these promises. for the first two years, he had a democrat house, democrat senate, and a democrat white house. what did he do? nothing. he waits until the election year and then starts bringing this up. why did he not deal with this when he had the ability to do whatever he wanted? he would rather make it a

political issue than a practical solution. if i am president, i will take on this issue, secure our borders, and make sure that our legal immigration system works for the american people. thank you. i appreciate the question. [applause] let me just close with this. i know it has become increasingly common for people to be concerned about the future. we face extraordinary challenges. that is one of them. $131,000 per taxpayer. by the way, who promises the government has made that are not funded. obamacare, medicare, social security, medicaid, unfunded promises in addition to another $62 trillion. the cost of those unfunded promises per household in america, according to usa today,

is $532,000. we face challenges. that debt, those unfunded promises. we faced radical violent jihad who want to kill us. china, becoming the new global power. iran, on the verge of becoming a nuclear power. we face extraordinary challenges, but i happen to be convinced that america has a brighter future even than our past. why is that? we are innovated, hard-working people. we are patriotic people. we love america. we place our hand over our heart during the playing of the national anthem. no other people in the world do that. fdr began that tradition in honor of the lives that were being lost in foreign places. he asked us to place our hand over our hard during the playing of the national anthem. i am convinced that based on our

patriotism and skill that we have leaders that will tell us the truth and live with integrity and who actually know how to lead, that america will rise to the occasion, remain the economic engine that has always been, and remain the hope of the earth that got indians for this great land. thanks so much. -- that got intends --that god intends for this great land. [applause] >> very nice to meet you. >> i have met you before, haven't i? i am going to be in birmingham on the 30th.

>> i appreciate that. >> how are you? thanks for the. -- thanks for the help. >> what kind of business are you starting? good luck to you. thank you.

>> the know this guy here? do -- you know this guy here? we need to get a leader. thank you, great to be here.

[inaudible]

>> look at that. that is an olympic torch. banks, and good luck to you. -- thanks, and good luck to you. wonderful, places to visit.

>> thank you, i appreciate that. >> and get a picture together? >> do you guys go to school here or you working here? [inaudible]

some say we ought to shrink the military budget. my view is, cut the waste and

continue to strengthen our air force fleet. [inaudible]

[inaudible] [inaudible]

>> are you moving permanently? congratulations. you are an empty-nester now. >> thank you so much. >> i enjoyed it a lot. you are amazing. >> thank you.

is this your daughter? there we go. >> thank you so much. [inaudible]

>> we have to run up here. we appreciate you being here this evening. is a little warm. what is particularly alarming is held back the clock is having to move. it is simply unacceptable for the american people and particularly for children to be saddled with the debt of the scale that this administration is putting in place. four trillion dollars from this administration and the president is on track to break all records of any president in american history. with that, i would be happy to take any questions you may have. >> last month you said you were

disturbed that obama talked about moving gaddafi. >> not in terms of removing him but providing an air cap. i have said the same thing time and time again. number one, the first oxidant -- the first option should be to talk to gaddafi ordered the state department and indicate if he attacks his people, we will come after him in a major way. he will know the source of america. that hopefully would have kept him from doing anything to his people and would not have resulted in the military action having to have happen. the number two option was the humanitarian issue. that is the mission i supported. no. 3 was the mission -- removal

of the regime, and that is the mission not like to have the president explained, what our objectives are going to be, what role we are going to have down the road, how that will prevent libya from becoming worse than it was under gaddafi, and that is possible. he chose the last option. [unintelligible] >> i don't think you have to necessarily be specific when you talk to him on the phone. you say you attack your people, we are going to come after you. the old teddy roosevelt saying, speaks softly and carry a big stick. instead of waiting for the revolution to repair arrive and then being drawn into an effort to protect the libyan people. >> you talk about spending on education and looking closely into the data.

you also talk about the thin spending as something that needs to be twice as large as china or russia. why not apply that same sort of approach to how much we spend on defense? >> i will look at the defense budget very carefully and look at the weapons systems we have and the amount of waste that is there. the statistics i have seen suggest we could do a lot better with the money we are spending. what secretary gates indicated, it shows there is a lot of spending that is not necessary. i don't want to count on that money to pay for social programs. my expectation is we will use those funds to rebuild our navy, to rebuild our air force, to take care of our veterans in the way they deserve to be cared for. those coming back from conflict are going to need our help. i am not going to count on reducing our military budget. military spending will come down as we exit our participation in

the conflict in afghanistan and iraq. on ust want to count reducing that. defenselook at the budget as a way to pay for social programs. >> you mentioned tonight that the massachusetts legislature passed the legislature -- it is veto the bill, and is that an issue from governor harry? >> i don't know what all of his positions are. i can tell you i vetoed that bill, and i was fortunate enough to be able to get enough democrats to vote with republicans. that was what was up held. a i have opposed credit for those who have come here illegally. as to our other people perceive those issues, you will have to take that to them. >> [unintelligible]

you have said wait and see and you will announce a jobs plan. you have been campaigning a lot. you need to share with us about jobs. >> if you have heard me describe my seven habits of highly effective copy. that is the framework upon which my jobs plan will be built. i am not putting -- are not looking to put in place a stimulus bill that is like pouring gasoline on the fire and giving it a big boost and then it goes away. sometimes it does more damage. i am not looking to grow government. a lot of people think it is don't have a jobs plan, let's make government bigger. a look at it in the opposite way. i think if you want to get the economy growing, you have to make the government smaller. i will be an bailey my plan with

specifics. [unintelligible] >> the decision on the part of this administration and the concerns about the supreme court that the epa should regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. if i am president, i will work with congress to reverse the legislation as it is interpreted by the supreme court to say in fact that the bill does not intend to regulate co2, it is not a pollutant within the meaning of that legislation. thank you.

>> you were very presidential. the fact that you are respecting the other candidates [unintelligible] >> thanks, i appreciate it. [unintelligible]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> coming up next, a luncheon honoring the late coretta scott king and other women several rights leaders. after that, president obama's

statement on hurricane irene. then homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fema director craig fugate discuss hurricane preparations. ♪

>> what's more video of the candidates. see what political reporters are saying and track the latest campaign contributions and c- span's website for campaign 2012. easy to use, it helps you navigate the political landscape with facebook updates from the campaign, candidate bios, and the latest polling data. all at c-span.org/campaign2012. >> although sunday's dedication ceremony for the martin luther king jr. memorial was postponed because of hurricane irene, other activities honoring dr. king and the civil rights movement were held as scheduled. the national memorial project foundation hosted a luncheon honoring women civil rights

leaders. included a special tribute to coretta scott king, the wife of dr. king. this is two hours and 50 minutes. [applause] >> good afternoon. good afternoon. and welcome. welcome to this is very, very special moment in history. but i especially welcome you on behalf of the mlk memorial this afternoon, to this luncheon, women who dared to dream. we have come together, my friends, to celebrate, to celebrate the contributions of so many names -- named and

unnamed women, women who struggled, who worked, and in many cases, died for us simply to have the privilege to be where we are today in this room. it really speaks to our mothers, our grandmothers, miss sadie next door, the lady down the street, those who laid the foundation for us in our communities and in the civil rights movement. whether they were the obvious sheroes, like harriet tubman, who follow the north star, or madam c.j. walker received

business opportunities that impacted future generations, or our beloved dr. dorothy haight, who said we as african american women don't always get to do what we want to do, but we always do what we have to do. and of course, coretta scott king, who kept the legacy alive. [applause] the women that we celebrate our women whom if i could stop for just a moment and call the roll, you would each have a name to put on that scroll of honor. these are the women who instilled in us hope against hope. these are the women who really

embodied the words of dr. martin luther king when he said even if i believe that the world was going to pieces tomorrow, i would still planned an apple tree. we are the fruit of that tree, and we have come together today to celebrate in a magnificent way all of those, all of those magnificent women do indeed dared to dream. and i must say, i am reminded especially today of that old negro spiritual, where it said, in spite of the storms, in spite of the storms, that we are moving on anyway. my friends, that is what we are doing this afternoon, in spite of the storms. we are moving on with this

celebration in the tradition that we know dr. king and the soldiers of the movement would have wanted us to. because rain did not stop them, storms did not stop them, and they are not stopping us today. so will you help me now get this celebration going? to do that, i am going to bring to this podium someone that i first met when she came to washington d.c. as the executive director of the congressional black caucus. but god had a very special calling for her. as he called her into his direct service, she is now of course and or deemed -- ordained minister of the progressive baptist church. i know are as my friend. i love and respect her as the

national chaplain of the national council of negro women. please welcome to this podium for the invocation the rev. dr. barbara williams scanner. >> let us settle our hearts, and ball before the lord, and let us pray. all lord, our god, who was alone is worthy of adoration and praise, we have come today to acknowledge our love for and dependence upon year. -- you.

when our world is turning upside down, rocked by natural disasters of earthquakes and hurricanes, and the man-made disasters of assaults on the court, the sick, the elderly, and the children, we have come from the hills from which comes our help, the lord, the maker of heaven and earth. you alone, god, can turn back this coming storm of heroic proportions, and as rising tide of human neglect. when too many seemed to turn back the clock on human and civil rights, remind us that no weapon formed against the hurting will prosper, and the battle is not ours, it is yours. most of all, today, my dad, we -- my god we have, nearly 50 years after martin luther king

jr. shared his dreams just to say thank you lord, for the many celebrated women of the civil rights movement. women like coretta scott king, rosie parker, and dorothy height. thank you especially for the many unheralded heroes and heroines of the movement like those we honor here today. it was there blood, sweat, tears, and thankless labor then nurtured and sustain the movement that produced the civil rights, the open doors, and the high level acts that we enjoy this day. for give the men that failed to see the hand of god was on these women who dared to dream

big dreams. we prase you for women our midst, overlooked by history, who risked their lives, and worked tirelessly for social revolution rooted in faith in a god who came to set the captives free, and deliver those that are oppressed. they his energy and power and women to make the dream they dared to dream a reality for our time. so, for their lives, their sacrifice, their service, if we give you glory, honor, and praise, and thank you for the food and fellowships whereabouts to enjoy it. we praise you and the magnificent, marvelous name of jesus the christ, and everyone who loves the lord said now amen. >> amen.

>> thank you so much, reverend. as we prepare to have our lunch, for this portion of the program, we are going to have a few of our very special sponsors greet us, but before doing that, it is really my very special pleasure to introduce a woman who is an entrepreneur or, a philanthropist, devoted to the concerns of our children. this jury that we have been on for so many years was started by harry johnson, that you will hear from later. he is been a real pioneer to

bring us to this point, he had a lot of team members on the field with him, and one of those team members is about to grace this stage. i want you to give her a very special welcome, because we as women have a lot going on, and i can't tell you this particular woman, -- can tell you in particular this woman is a devoted wife, mother, and friend to many of us in this room. we are so grateful for what she did to help make this memorial celebration possible. please welcome my friend, elc cabinet member, sheila johnson. [applause]

>> you know, it is with great pride that i stand on this stage, paying tribute to the women who dare to dream. while the contributions that women made to the movement are often overlooked, when we in this room recognize that we are here because of the indomitable will of these women, that they are not always recognized because that does not erase the fact that the strength that these women possessed to face discrimination required a spiritual and moral courage that shines forth, even today. so much of my professional success comes from the values that we have learned from these women, that of unwavering belief in excellence and success. these women donated and devoted

their lives to teach in the next generation, from the slave learning to read in the dark, and the little rock nine, our rock has been raised on the idea of learning, of being the very best you can meet. this is something that we must pass on to the next generation. in order from -- to keep the foundation from cracking, we must also remember the mantra repeated to us daily. it is not enough to be as good, you must be better, you must be the best. let us share that reality with the next generation of dreamers. so, i would like to now introduce vivian.

[applause] >> i asked sheila johnson for the honor of bringing on vivian picard. i do not know if jackie jackson is in the room, mrs. jesse jackson, so many women who were there with dr. king. somebody said dorothy, and was here. i do not know where the heroes are seated, there she is, but if i were to ask any of these women if they could have envisioned back then that to date, on the front lines, we would have had -- today, on the front lines, we would have had so many corporate sponsors participating to make this day

possible, well, they would not have believed it, we would not have believed it, but that is exactly what happened, and it started with our dedication share, the general motors co.. behind those companies are strong, talented women who make it happen for us every single day. i know that. harry johnson would be the first to tell you that without these women, could they would not be possible. i want you to welcome someone who has many titles, but i will give her her appropriate recognition as the head of the

foundation for the general motors co., as someone who has the title of vice president for the general motors co., as someone, when we think of gm, we think of the in -- vivian picard. please welcome the vivian picard, who will greet you as our lead sponsor. please come forward. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. his sometimes good to have good friends in high places. let me share my sincere apologies for the fact that mary barbour is not able to join us this afternoon.

she is very disappointed, but of course the weather and travel constraints allowed her not to join us today, and i am very disappointed that you do not have the opportunity to meet her, because i think you would have really enjoyed it as senior vice president of global product development for general motors, mary is the highest ranking female like general motors. she is also the highest ranking female in the automobile industry, and just this week, "forbes magazine" named mary barbour as one of the most 100 powerful women in the world. i did say whirled. -- world. [applause] >> that of course it is attributed to the responsibilities that general motors has given married to lead a great corporation.

it is my -- mary to lead the great corporation. it is my honor to be here today. most importantly, it is a tremendous privilege to represent the men and women of general motors, the general motors foundation, and chevrolet, who have worked so hard to bring this historic weekend to fruition. i am proud that general motors, the general motors foundation and chevrolet were the first corporate leaders to sit yes to supporting this great memorial, contributed over $10 million to the memorial, and chevrolet making sure the word got out about the memorial. [applause] >> from our employers to our suppliers and dealers, general motors has been the first in the number of efforts when it comes to women. i am proud to share the general motors was one of the first

companies, and very first automotive companies to develop a minority supplier program. we were also one of the first companies to develop a womens' dealer programs. it is that same support that has given me the opportunity to stand here today as president of one of the world's largest corporate foundations. i remember vividly in 1968 the events surrounding the death of martin luther king. i was a little girl in mississippi. for me, those memories are a reminder that we have come a long way in the last half century, but we cannot allow the progress that we have made to laura us into thinking that we have completed the journey that dr. king gave his life to advance. in his words, all progress is

precarious. we cannot take for granted the sacrifices that he and so many others made on our behalf. we must make that struggle that they have brought thus far the inspiration to continue on, until all men and all women have the opportunity to contribute and participate to the society to the full extent to all of our abilities. >> so we would like to offer a special thank you to the king family, harry johnson, for allowing general motors, the general motors foundation, and chevrolet to be here today, and thank you to all of them for the work they have done to honor the work and memory of dr.

martin luther king. thank you so much. [applause] >> just to make sure that you know we are honoring the brothers to -- i do not know if ernie green is here yet -- the little rock nine, we want to pay tribute to all of our heroes. i want to bring a special mission to this podium and he is the vice chair of the mlk memorial, but we might also know him as the president of the tommy hilfiger foundation, but more than his title as president of the foundation or vice-chair of the memorial, we know him as someone that is committed, has labored in the

vineyard for many years to make so much happened in our community, especially for our children. please welcome the president of the tommy hilfiger foundation, mr. guy vickers. [applause] >> good afternoon. thank you. women who dared to dream -- this is an appropriate title, and as i stand here today, i have a lot of emotions running through me. the tommy hilfiger corporate foundation has been involved in this project for 11 years. gm was the first company to step up to the plate, and we were the second company, contributed $6.2 million, and been involved over 11 years, have an executive loan, another

strong sister that has been with the foundation for seven years that we are very proud of, but what i'm really thinking about his giving praise to mr. harry johnson, who was president of the memorial, and his staff, of whether a wonderful job. let's give them a round of applause. [applause] >> i would like to share with you something that is on my mind. in front of every man, and let me say that again -- in front of every man is a great woman. i would like to acknowledge my wife who is sitting to my right, who i love dearly, and has put up with me for all of these years. i would like to close by paying tribute to my mother. when i saw the title, i remembered my mother, who is deceased. when i was a young man said in

elmira, new york, grew up in the church of god in christ, and we would have our place, she would be backstage telling me word-for-word my part. i knew my part. we studied it at home, and i knew it, but when we got on stage, i would just freeze, and i would look behind a curtain to my mother, she would mall but part, i would say a line, i would look again, and she would say it again. it was the women in the audience thought always encouraged me, and always said you can do it, and you can see somebody, so i know firsthand the power of women, the love of london. i love you all. god bless, and have a great evening. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, let's

welcome to the stage dr. michele, the senior director of the walmart foundation. >> good afternoon. i would like to begin my remarks today by sending a special thank you to secretary alexis herman, who was been a true friend and adviser of walmart, and assault to make us a better company. we are honored to be here today -- and has helped us to be a better company to date. we are honored to be heard -- here today. paraphrasing dr. king, occasionally in life there are moments that cannot be explained by words, but only by the inaudible language of the heart. my heart is filled with joy today as we celebrate so many strong, determined within, who threw their act of conscience and bravery help make this day possible.

is on their shoulders that we stand. like so many of us here today, i grew up immersed in dr. king's legacy. i was born in june, 1964, what we now refer to as "freedom summer." from an early age i understood the opportunities that were afforded me as i grew up were a direct result of the countless women and men who shared dr. king's dream, and did everything in their power to bring it to life. growing up, i heard my family and community say to me honor and respect the sacrifices of all that gave of themselves in the civil rights movement. give back, and do not give up. my parents are both educators,

and what they instilled in me and my sister was the belief that we could be anything that we wanted to be, go anywhere that we wanted to go, and do anything that we wanted to do. the world was open to us, and only limited by our own imagination. if i submit to you that this sense of hope, opportunity, and equal access that my parents raised dust with is an example of a living legacy of the civil rights movement -- a moment and message, that although the contours' have changed, remains reluctant today. -- relevant today. for those that ask the question of "what now?" the answer is the greater the circumstance, the greater the sacrifice. for the women we acknowledged today, we thank you for your leadership, and the great dignity for which you have let your life and continue to lead. you have inspired us for a

brighter future, with your on indian love for all people, you're on wavering believe that -- unending love for all people and you're on wavering beliefs. we are very proud to be a part of this history that honors dr. king and his legacy, and the women who dare to dream with him that our country could be a better place for all. thank you. [applause] >> and coming to the stage, harry johnson, president and ceo, martin luther king jr. national memorial project foundation. [applause] >> good afternoon. all of these are tough act to

follow. in the world -- words of our great maya angelou, who is beautiful pole will move us today, a call how important it is for us to recognize and celebrate -- "however important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she- roes." we are celebrating our movement, and leaders. their stories cry out to be told, and in telling we hear the courage, wisdom, and the resolve that are so important to every step of progress that we make. it has been an incredibly conspiring to listen to all of these stories. a big thank you goes to alexis herman, for her leadership with

this luncheon, and to all of our esteemed speakers who are to follow. this week has been a celebration of a long, long journey to build this memorial, and not one step along the way it was -- would have been possible without the support of all of you today. thank you to our corporate sponsors, the gm foundation for their support. coca-cola, b.e.t. and all of you for making this week possible. we still need your financial support in the future as we continue with the project. it was with a heavy heart and disappointment that last evening i had to announce we had to postpone the ceremony which will be rescheduled at a major debt. tomorrows prayer service ruby

the concluding even to of the dedication. i was reminded of something else a minute ago, simply this. god knows if he is doing. god knows what he is doing. even though we can make all the plans in the world, we think we are on top of everything, god can change the way we think, life. i was also reminded the cocobolo davis to entered thousand bottles of water so the we could be cool on sunday. as it turns out, we may need those water for people in this area. god knew he could take lemons and make lemonade. from the bottom of my heart, i would like to say thank you to

all of you. we had no idea when we're planning this weekend that this would be are finally vance. howe got i am you had the wisdom and vision to take over this for me. she has been a hero of mine. i thank you her -- thank her. it is my pleasure to say we're grateful for all of the women who helped to build a this memorial, this one may add a flash and the one made out of stone. you are the foundation of this movement. a personal thanks to my wife and i would like to introduce one of our sponsors, currently the diversity officer for the intel corporation. she oversees their strategic approach to the development of a

diverse workforce worldwide, college relations, work force policy, and the global branding and marketing. she has won numerous awards including the black engineer of the work for black education. please join me in welcoming her to the states. -- stage. [laughter] [applause] >> good afternoon. we are so proud to be here today to honor the women of the civil rights movement and to participate in the unveiling of the martin luther king memorial. our mission is to connect and in wrist the lives of every person on earth. while our focus is global, we are committed to home and i'm proud to say that 75% of our

products are made here in america. [applause] for over 40 years, we have german innovation that has changed how we live, work, and play. we have continued to increase our mess since and education to finally close the gaps in science, math, engineering and technology for women, hispanics, latinos, and native americans. our $1 billion investment in the last decade is based on our fundamental belief which cannot succeed until all of our people are participating in the economy. i will watch with a tremendous sense of pride as a look at the monument and life of this leader. i will be reminded of how far we have, and how much has been sacrificed so i can stand before you today as an executive of a

fortune 100 company. i will smile knowing there will be children who will stand before the monument of martin luther king and learn about what he stood for, what this country stands for and what means to true leadership. as they returned to my office on monday morning, i do so with a reminder of how much work we still have to do to ensure that his dream becomes a reality for all. i will remember the women we are honoring today and their legacy of hope and dignity. they do so much when evidence of progress was invisible. we have a responsibility to dream as big for the next generation. we are honored to be heard today and have the chance to celebrate the women who dared to dream. it reminds us of what can be done when we come together.

thank you and have a wonderful afternoon. [applause] >> everyone is getting quiet because i think you know who was about to grace the this stage. i do not know what you say of a woman who has defied the times. who has spoken for all bus in so many wonderful and a magnificent ways.

it was just two weeks ago that i called her to say, how're you doing my friend? i have a special request from the ceo of the memorial. you have written for kings and queens, in our group homes for presidents. but we want you to do something special to help us remember this moment. want you to write on something special for this moment. but harry johnson has requested that you allow the king

memorial, when there's going to be this wonderful time capsule that will contain some money of the memories of the celebration, when we get the moment to dedicate this memorial. would you honor us with your special words that could be placed in this time capsule? this was just two weeks ago. when i spoke with her last wednesday, she said, i think, i think, i think. i think i have something that the ages will bless and remember.

please stand and to give a warm welcome, a gracious welcome to maya angelou, our hero, our leader, our special, special woman who will now read to us her beautiful words she was inspired to write. >> when it is the finally hours, -- ours, this thing more useful than air, more usable than earth, this freedom will

live on. not by the statues but the light out of his life. i have written revlon -- reverend martin luther king, that great soul. baring manna of hope for his country. his country was starving severely from an absence, a lack of compassion. martin luther king, that great spirit came from the creator. starting a foundation of fair play to this country which was parched and deformed by hate.

with the wisdom to persuade quiet upon allowed and misery. he stood out to bind the joints, the whole man came in the midst of a murderous nightmares. he dared to dream of peace. he hoped to resurrect his nation. i open to it -- my mouth to the board and i will not turn back. martin luther king facing the racial mountain of segregation. that giant mound of human

endurance, centuries-old, and rigid in its determination. he bid them move, however slightly, it did move. that happened because he said, i will go. i will go. i will see what the end is going to be. and now a key brought you into his country. -- martin luther king brought healing to his country. you could not silence him. you could not take his voice away.

on my knees i told got how you treated me. oh a mi -- on a mission from god. lord, leave me rounded. you do not have to leave that trembling block. he was a leader to those who would be led. to martin the third, they could not stop him. he was a lover and a friend and

husband. he spoke respectfully of the koran. in india he was in the footprints of mahatma gandhi. all religions in his heart made him the leader of all people. all creeds and cultures were comfortable in his giant embrace. all just causes were his cost to support and extol.

he preached fair play and serenity. from handcuffs and prison guards, from leg irons and a prison bars he taught triumph over loss, low over despair, hallelujah over dirges, join over moaning, he said fear not. we have come too far to turn back. we are not afraid. we shall overcome. we shall overcome. we shall overcome. someday, we shall overcome. [applause]

[sustained applause] >> we shall overcome. we have overcome. maya angelou's rendition, a poem for the ages. abundant coal. -- hope. now as we enjoyed one another at this luncheon, i want to invite the waiters to begin to serve

our lines. i am going to come back and interrupt you periodically. as i look out at this audience, there are too many people you need to know in this room, too many people. we have the secretary of health and human services. madam secretary, and thank you for joining us. i thought i saw ben somewhere. there he is. i knew i saw you. i know barbara shaw is here, president of the council of negro women. floor,ng to walk the agreed to personally, and come back to do if you shout out. outs.defew shout

one of our great anchor women. enjoy your lunch. i am getting the sign we are ready for somebody very special. is that my cue? all right. i am going to ask you to take your seats. gear ready for this a very special diva. renowned nationally and internationally.

i first met this outstanding artist many years ago at the naacp image awards in los angeles, california. but we know her today because of the drama, the joy, sometimes the pain, and even the pure spirits that comes across in her voice. she is going to perform for us now but the songs that she sings is a song she wrote in tribute to a mother and grandmother. it is entitled "the lion and the butterfly."

as i welcome to this stage ms. india, i want you to give her a warm, warm, warm welcome. we love you and thank you for being with us. >> before i sing, iris requested by my sister to share the stage with her. she has something she wants to say to you. my sister victoria. [applause] >> i appreciate your concern about a daytime drama television and where we are on that. i want to tell you thanks to the national urban league, we were successful after a 38 year absence of a black writer and

producer on the young and the restless, we have our first writer of color and are first to director. -- our first director. you're almost 60% of the audience. black women. we spent 2.7 trillion dollars, minorities, in purchasing power. if you want to see more of you on the stage and behind the camera as producers, writers, directors, you must write into sony pictures television and cbs. thank you for your concern. priscilla will claw her way back off the cliff. if we could laydown a knife and fork and listen to these

extraordinary lyrics. we got sick, we thank you. >> it is my pleasure to be here. ♪ this is in remembrance of our ancestors all because of viyou changes gog to come this is an remembrance of, because of view changes going to come ninadetta, this sis for

simone and shirley, rosa parks and dorothy height youbecause of vi changes going to compound -- come for my grandmother for my great-grandmother, blood runs through my veins because of you change is going to come oh because of you

change is going to come ♪ [applause] thank you. this song is called "lion and a butterfly." i ask that you listen very closely to the words. this is for every woman in here this afternoon. ♪ give me a sign to let me know you are listening. [applause] it is hard to do this when i hear plates and stuff. but i know you are with me.

♪ she is looking back over the life she lived. searching her heart her memory goes back further than she ever thought all of the lessons learned and all of the battles fought she can remember a woman's job is to be pleasing she is the real thing and she knows a woman must be gracious and tenacious, patience, everything

everything in between a soldier and a mother, everything everything in between. i hear my roar because of view i am so much more you are a a a lion and a butterfly shown me that i can be you are a a lion and a butterfly show me i can be it all looked at her hands older and wiser she is showing me what it means to be an artist

i can remember hearing a woman's job is to be pleasing looking at it now, i can see that i can be everything i can be gracious and tenacious, patient, everything everything in between a soldier and day mother, a flower and power, everything and because of view i am so much more you are a lion and a butterfly you showed me i can be it all

♪ she is looking back over the life she lived she is asking herself a question have been made a difference? i wrote this song because i wanted her to know how she has inspired me she is the reason why i know i can be gracious and tenacious, progressive and patients, everything everything in between everything

i hear my colors and i see my reporter because of new i am so much more i am a lion and a butterfly you showed me i can be a doll -- be it all you showed me i can be it all i see my callers and i hear my roar because of view i, i am so much more [applause] thank you.

>> welcome to the stage the reigning miss in district of columbia 2011, ashley. >> that was such a beautiful performance. i'm very happy to be here today as a representative of our nation's capital and the miss america organization. we're celebrating our 90th anniversary. over $50 million has been given as scholarships for young men -- women. many miss americas have gone on to do great things. i am thankful to be here representing the organization. while we're proud of the women whose names and faces we know, most of the women who struggled did so in animals -- anonymity. they gave their lives for the benefit of mankind.

it is my pleasure to introduce this song. [applause] ♪

>> we welcome to the stage and it is our great pleasure to have this song dedicated to all of the female warriors on whose shoulders we stand. [applause] ♪ [vocalizing]

people do not know what i am about there is so much more to me when a looks like i am up sometimes i'm down ♪ i'm complicated for sure

♪ like every woman i know, i am complicated, for sure

i'm not afraid to be strong i'm a woman a woman woman woman yes, i'm a woman [applause]

thank you so much. i love you. [applause] >> and now we welcome gina adams, [applause] >> thank you, and good afternoon. i am privileged to represent 80,000 people worldwide. as we honor the life and legacy of dr. martin luther king this week. and recognize a four dynamic ram men whose lives -- how dynamic women whose lives have benefited

the quality of service to us. consider that i am fortunate to work for a company that embraces the diversity and the dreams of our honorees. one that also believes in supporting and improving or the ployee lives. it was one of the first million- dollar leadership the donors for the martin luther king jr. memorial. we are easily pleased to have provided services to bring parts from china to washington d.c.. i want to have knowledge those

that are here with me today. one of the decided perks of being a sponsor of today was the luncheon is that i get the privilege of introducing hot someone we all know and admire. she is a woman who has worked harder with determination, resiliency, and grace. in the face, voice, intelligence and charm of this new york city native has significantly shaped our culture by entertaining us and by showing us a positive way to look at ourselves.

while earning a degree in architecture and interior design at northwestern university, she also dreamed of becoming a model and signed on with the modeling agency. she soon became a trailblazer as the first african-american woman to grace the cover of the atlanta magazine. her career includes roles that are properly shown. p a-team, hill street blues, and others. you and i know her as her role of the leading lady on the fresh prince of bel-air to. additionally, she and her husband, actor, producer, have

worked together on numerous projects that help others learn about the entertainment. including [inaudible] lies and a gentleman, please join me in welcoming the very talented [inaudible] [applause] >> wow. i am so glad to see the power that sits in this room.

you all recognize the power and let's keep the movement going. there are principles associated with dr. king, and they echo with his daily walk through life and the legacy that he has left. the tenants of love, democracy, justice, and health. first, we will hear from a close friend of the late lauretta scott king of learned from dr. king while he wasred box pri -- while he was speaking on love. a teenager when dr. king died has taken the problems of democracy to heart.

the co-founder of the first vice-president, ambassador constance marella. connie introduced legislation in 1996. to establish the memorial. after two years of intense work, they were successful in their efforts in the bill was signed in 1998 by president clinton.

riding a speech on whole. have a wonderful afternoon. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome winona clayton. [applause] >> i am speechless about the way i feel about this week and celebration. i am sad that they could not continue. i am glad that they chose, for may, the topic of love to talk about dr. king. such a loving group of people

they have assembled here. many others inw here, we worked very closely with dr. king in him very well. i told the news media this morning and that if dr. king were asked if he would approve of this, he would definitely say no. he did not want any attention to his self. if you remember when he got the nobel peace prize, he got a monetary gift as well. and he gave it all away. because, he said, that give represented the work he did. he spread the money to

organizations that were trying to save the soul of america. as i come here for today, i was looking through the book and that dr. king wrote in the was going to share with you some of his words about love. but then i remembered, why should i do that? you can read his words. i decided to share some stories that you won't read about. stories about the man who we love and revere this week. to hear those one. he believed so strongly that love was a powerful weapon that could transform an enemy into a friend.

one day, how we were on an airplane together. a very well dressed in white man who walked over to him and ask, are you dr. martin luther king jr.? he said, yes. a well groomed man, and because we take that the parents can't make a judgment. as soon as dr. king said he was dr. king, he spat all over his head. i was so mad. i was new to the movement. [laughter] he had to take time and he said,

don't hate him. love him. that was very difficult for me. he cleaned his head off and continued with the love in his heart. another incident similar to that, we were in birmingham where they have integrated the hotel. we were standing in the lobby of the hotel. talking to the general manager about the proceedings for the week. another similar incident. a live man walked up to him. standing there with andrew yonhap, -- young.

the man said, aren't you martin luther king? am.aid, well, i'm he swung and slapped him. and knocked him down. get ready. nonviolence wasn't working yet. i am going to take on this matter. he says, no. you have got to be non-violent. i said well, i might be. but i can give its attention. [applause] dr. king spent hours trying to

teach me. love your enemies ins pite of -- in spite of their actions. love those who do evil without having to love their deeds. the man practiced what he preached. he practiced it every day. and when i come into rooms like this, i think about another that will transform the use the reality of the real man. there was a hotel in downtown atlanta where dr. king was watching the dignitaries. my job was to help raise the

details of the event. and somehow, the feeling of self assurance, i did not have all of the details in place. to this day, i thought i did. nothing et all went right. the service was lousy. the food was lousy. and dr. reinhard of me over to the side and said, what is the problem? a said the, i don't know. hi planned so well, i thought. he said, how you go to the top, you get results. we culled the general manager to the ballroom. dr. king explained to him that we had these people here, black and white together. he said, we have come here to eat, to patronize your place and

give you business. and we are not inhibiting the service, what seems to be the problem? the general manager said, dr. king, you are always bringing black people and white people in here to eat together, yet to be honest with you, we don't want your business. here i go again. i was ready. dr. kane show of love all of the time, he never showed any signs of retaliation. makeid, hi hope i didn't you mad. dr. king said, you have given us the strength to continue. the general manager, when we get through with our project, we will not only bring blacks and

whites in this hotel, will they in a blacks and whites to eat together in the city of atlanta, the state of georgia, and all around the country. because that is what freedom is. so today, as we are dying here together, i will never forget the moment when dr. king was proud to say that all of us would be free to dine together. and the teaching of a love, he practiced with. he preached that. he is love. that is my story on martin luther king, jr. thank you.

[applause] >> and now, welcome to the stage of the hon. -- to the stage the honorable elijah cummings. >> good afternoon, everyone. you can do better than that. good afternoon, everyone. if it is my honor to be here as a member of the congressional black caucus. and on behalf of our entire black caucus, we thank you. first of all, i want to say to the organizers of all that has

happened this weekend, sometimes god has another plan. i know that it gets discouraging when you lay out plans, but sometimes got will create a situation that will make it even better the next time around. i am looking forward to the celebration. and also all of these beautiful women. i am so glad i have a black man in america. when i see all of these wonderful african american women, i think about all that you have done. i lay express my love for it.

[inaudible] i think my own mother, she raised her children to do great things. i think about a woman in my neighborhood that allowed us to integrate the swimming pool when i was 7 years old. and to think about the delicate in the house of delegates that gave me my first opportunity to enter the house of delegates. i don't just think you for daring to dream, i think you for synchronizing your conscious with your conduct and making it happen. i think you were standing up for a man named dr. martin luther king. he has faith in our democratic potential. i recall to you that on may 17,

three years after brown vs. board of education, segregation in exclusion still dominated the american society. it was selling itself to be no speed at all. dr. king welcome the mordecai johnson and thousands of other courageous women and men that came here to washington to challenge america to take action. give us the ballot, he asserted. we will quietly and non violently without bitterness implemented the supreme court's's decision of may 17, 1954. the years of relentless struggle after he testified for democracy. our nation responded with the voting rights act of 1965.

democracy events. less than four decades later, we learned that the widow of the american people and does not always prevail. we kept the faith, and we marched on alert. another eight years past, and our faith in democracy and our confidence was reaffirmed. and in 2008, we elected president of barack obama to the presidency of the united states of america. i believe that if dr. king were not here -- if dr. king were here, he would cite jeremiah 15: 9. harris says my son went down while it was still day. dr. king and lived only 39 years. but in those 39 years, he did a

lot. be expected every single person in this room and generations yet unborn. this democracy that he worked so hard for, he said that while we live, he would say to us, how you must guard your progress. you must understand that democracy is constantly under attack and is being attack every single day. he would tell us, and guard our democracy and walked out for voter suppression. watch out for those that are constantly demanding identity cards. watch out for the citizens of verses united. he would have walked out, you are on guard out and you must

preserve democracy. finally, he would say that freedom is not free. that we must stand up and make sure that our children in here in a democracy and better than the one then when we came upon this earth. he would tell us that is bigger than us. it is not about us. it is about your grandchild that isn't even born yet. it is about the little children that you see in your neighborhood and the generations to come. he would say to guard this democracy with everything you have. on behalf of the chairman of the congressional black caucus, we think dr. king because we fully realize that we would not have the seat that we sit if it were not for him and his belief and his talented efforts. may god bless.

[applause] >> coming to our podium, dolores muerta. >> good afternoon, everybody. buenas tardes. all right. it is so good to be here with all of you. we know that this march for justice is really in danger because there are people out there that are organizing a they want to turn us around. but we are not going to let them. when we talk about this on going mark of justice, we know that we can't get justice unless we

get economic equality. we know that these days, it is getting harder to get. the wage gap is so big now between the working people and we can have economic justice if we don't have a labor unions. dr. king was assassinated when he was defending the of garbage workers in memphis, tennessee. if we talk about economic justice, we can't have that without a quality education. we know the young people today are being deprived of a quality education. how are they going to give professional job that they need? and even the ordinary working people cozy jobs. the the a decent paycheck. and we talked about not having

quality education and they know what that lead to. the incarceration of of how our kids. howard black kids, our grandkids, our white kids, this has got to stop. dr. king stood for peace. when he came out against the vietnam war, and he knew he had gotten a whole host of enemies. but that did not stop this great man of courage. when we talk about stopping and trying to give teeth, the money is going into the war in history. and the guns that are being sold in our neighborhoods that are causing our young people to kill each other. i was very blessed to be with yolanda king a few weeks before she passed away. on that train where she was

talking about, and domestic violence. this is what she stood for when she was advocating before she passed away. forget rosa parks, of course. and coretta king. without her, there would not be a national holiday for martin luther king. she fought so hard for that. this world will never get better until women get into leadership. so i and for all of you that are out there, we have not to be out there and get in the of decisionmaking positions. we have to run for the school board, the legislature, the congress. woman, you have to be in those positions of power so we can make this a world of peace and

one that really dedicates itself to non-violence. and again, we talk about peace, who talked about the quality. how do we get there? we have to think about the people that are being denied human rights. other big leader of the civil rights movement. a great organizer, one of the race organizers of the march on washington. but he was gay. i want to mention to you, our heroes, the first president after the independence from spain had these three words that i want to share with you and you can share them with your family when we are talking about these conversations that are difficult. [speaking spanish] other people's

rights is peace. letting someone fall in love with whoever they want, we have got to respect that and we have to support that if we are really going to talk about the quality feria in alaska, and justice for our immigrants. justice for the people who are undocumented. have to remind everyone that this is a nation of immigrants. this is a nation of immigrants and all people here deserve the citizenship and legalization. when we get to the racial equality, i think there is an easy way that we can remind people that there is only one human race on this world. we have a lot of different nationalities. we only have one human race.

our human race began where? africa. our human race began in africa. we went to asia. we got lighter in skin. got lost andibe's went up where it is very cold and they lost their color. why? -- right? [laughter] they have to go to the beach or the tanning salon to give their color back. we are all africans of different shades and colors. so we can say to the kkk, white citizens council, some of those in the tea party movement. get over it, you are african.

[applause] and to remind us that we are one human family, we need to stand up and defend the other. we need to go back to the streets where the civil rights movement began because there are those out there that are losing hope. this march that we are dedicating today, that we are remembering today, it is calling us to go back. we have to give that hope that dr. king inspired. to let the young people of this march cannot continue without them. what you to shout it out very loud, because this word means we are one. one human race. it is a word from south africa.

it means we are coming together to fight for justice. in dr. king's name, we are coming together. i want you to shout at the top of your lungs to the racist, the guests -- how big hits. everyone shout at the top of your lungs. one, two, three. [shouting] one more time. i want to say a big old viva for martin luther king. shout viva. viva dr. martin luther king junior. [shouting] one for coretta. i go first, yo ugo secon -- you go second. and one for yolanda.

viva yolanda king! >> viva! >> let's put our hands together, because i will teach you some spanish. can we do the work? can we make the dream continue in spanish? we say si se puede. our president called it "yes, we can." we will do an organized clap. si se puede! >> [chanting] muchas gracias, thank you very much. and led the march continued.

>> please welcome to the stage ambassador constance morella. >> and my dear sisters and the men who get it. i wanted to be here with you. it was 48 years ago when rev. dr. martin luther king jr. gave his i have a dream speech. i want to briefly mention hull. i am overwhelmed and very moved to be in this incredibly talented audience. the people that i know who have jahceded me here, i heard elis cumming who did a great job of

motivating us. you know, i spent most of my time today with the elders. why? because many years ago, i introduced a legislation to establish the monument on federal land to the rev. dr. martin luther king. it was to be paid for by private donations. no government money involved. there had to be the ascertaining of the appropriate site, all of the approval. it was a long journey. nobody goes on a journey this

successful alone. >> i have always felt that behind every great man is a surprised mother and law. [laughter] mother know whether her was a surprise, but we have the man that is now part of the stone of " between the two mountains of despair. coming from his speech with all kinds of wonderful statements that he made that convey so much to us in the connotation of words and energize us to action. it was a long road getting through the various permits and the legislation signed by president clinton. beyond that, it had to go to the planning commission in washington.

there was the hope all along that it would come to fruition. i want you all to have an opportunity to go to that monument. you can sit and reflect. you can think about the words and the actions of this great civil rights leader. and i would recommend it for all of the young people. the civil always know rights movement or understand the sacrifice and the struggle that has gone on. it will inspire them to the words of dr. martin luther king that every person regardless of color, religion, ethnic background should be judged on one's character and not color or other backgrounds. and so, it is full of hope.

pope is such a strong word that some of his dream will be fulfilled. we all know that in this area, there is a long way to go. the fact that the dream of 48 years ago is still unfinished. inequality, distrust, misunderstanding. you have heard some eloquent speakers addressed some of those very points. we should not rest and say, great job. it is a wonderful memorial to a great man here in the nation's capitol where everybody can see it. we should do something so that those words are put into action. " conveys optimism and suggests an abiding belief that we

sustained in the very darkest hours. dr. king said that faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase. and i would also like to comment another phrase of his. if you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps live moving. you lose that coverage to be hot, the quality that helps you go on. in spite of it all. and if so, today, i still have a dream. and may you continue to have that dream and work toward fulfilling it. because hope is what has inspired us. hope is what the memorial is all about.

thank you, go for it. [applause] >> please welcome to the stage of former labor secretary alexis herman. >> thank you for your leadership and for having a hot gauntlet to help make the memorial happen. we think all of our legacy people that have been on the stage thus far. i want to bring of someone very special that continues to embody the dream of dr. king. all of us in this room, if we don't know it, we should know it. the history and the contribution, struggles. theirs is not just a story about what happened in the civil

rights movement. theirs is a story about our nation, our country, and as much as we can never forget the violent death in mississippi, we have always been inspired through of the year's high the triumphant and inspirational leadership of his widow. i used to see her in that great sisterhood as she calls it. the wife of malcolm x. coretta scott king. mary lee evers. and she remains with us. please welcome mary lee evers. [applause]

>> good afternoon, and thank you very much. i am pleased and deeply honored to be part of these magnificent events that are taking place and will take place over the next couple of days. and i believe, will take place throughout the years yet to come. as we honor dr. martin luther king jr., as we walked through the monument, to touch of the stone, having the opportunity to view this man who has meant not

only so much to his people, but to all people not only in america, but throughout the world. we realized how blessed we are to have had him walk, live, direct, love, and encourage us all on this planet. he, indeed, is a man of all time. a man that did not necessarily want all of the glory and recognition that was given to him, but a man that always said, i would not be able to do the things that i do without all of those who support me. i wish to personally thank everyone. a great organization that put

these events together. no easy task. but as someone said before me, we don't always know what god's plan is. it may be something even greater than this has been moved forward, and no threat of hurricane or anything else can damage the hope, the trust, in the face of us all. i am so pleased that we are honoring women as well. you may applaud that. it is all of you. [applause] i could not help but think of all of the women known and unknown who spearheaded this movement. i felt such a sense of pride as

a saw the women getting up from corporate america, women in all aspects of american life. i had to say, god, i think you for allowing me to live long enough to see these things happen. i stand before you today, at 78 years i have seen how many changes that have taken place in this america. i have seen so many women who opened the doors for those who are in doubt. we used to be the spook that set at by the door and leave open the way for others to come.

and look at us now. i go on with of the list and a list of women who were at the forefront of all that we enjoy today. and i say, what a mighty army we were and we are today. how and how martin luther king himself was so pleased and so proud of the women who supported him. i cannot leave this podium without saying to the family, thank you for sharing martin luther king jr. with the world. and i cannot help but say to my s, coretta scott king. the three of us stood with the

.mame horror that we felt who stood, hoping that we were doing the right thing by our children. who stood, realizing that the fight continues on and on and on. and the progress that martin luther king jr. sought does not mean that the battle is over. for some, it has just become real. we must reach out and do what he and others did. he embraced the young people and help them to understand the time that was martin luther king jr.. the infused with his spirits.

at west point, the key to those young men and women about the battles that took place so they could learn and craft their own games for work. but we need to do that. kraft our own games for justice. for peace. for equality. all we have to do is look around us. it might be impossible, but we still find the touches of prejudice, racism, hatred around us. my daughter is that i love dearly, mom, don't be negative when you get up there. i hope i am not being negative. i hope i am being realistic. because there is still so much more to be done. and martin's name and in the names of the other murders and

in the names of all of the women who have gone ahead. in those that are here today. the challenge still rests. again, i think in the king family for the sacrifices that they have made through all of this. many of those sacrifices we don't know because it has been private. but i have to inject this one personal thing. it was june 12, 1963 that he was struck out in his home. i would like to think that with the monument dedicated to martin luther king jr., that there might be some kind of conversation between martin and medgar that is buried at

arlington cemetary. s are comingibe together with the need to continue the dream of dr. martin luther king jr. and the rest of us. thank you. [applause] >> in an afternoon filled a special treats, we have another one in store. we are excited to have the incredibly talented and beautifully voiced layla hathaway performing for us today. accompanied by ray chiu.

♪ >> [singing] ♪ ♪

♪

[singing] ♪

♪ [vocalizing] [applause] >> thank you.

thank you very much. >> we can do better than that. let's give it up for her and her daddy. thank you. as we move to a very special moment in this program, before i have the opportunity to present the family, there is a young woman that has made history and so many women -- i know that camilla harris is here. the first african-american woman as the attorney general for the state of california. elisa jackson is someone that i

know personally. another person that i want to sit and talk to is dorothy height. she led the environmental protection agency with strength, commitment, and principal. never wavering from what it means to make sure that we are going to leave this earth a better place than we found it. please welcome the first african-american woman to head the environmental protection agency. my sister and friend, lisa jackson. [applause] >> thank you so much, a lexus. -- alexis. she is someone i watched and

respected during the clinton administration. she helped me dear to dream that i might one day be where i am. [applause] it is an incredible thing, ladies and gentlemen, to follow miss evert on the stage. it is an honor unlike anything i have experienced before. i want to recognize those people that made it all possible. it literally lifted up my entire life. when dr. king gave his i have a dream speech, my mother talked about that speech like it was yesterday. she remembers visiting around the whole neighborhood in new orleans watching it over and over again on everybody's brand new television set.

i remember her sitting my older brother and died down every year once a year on august 28 to watch it as well. it was a ritual in our home. i was six when reverend dr. king was killed. i had never seen my mother and fathershocked. -- father shocked. you know, that first time you see your parents rocked by something, like you can be. my school and asked me to recite the speech in his memory. i was too young to grasp the importance of that moment. but today, as an adult, after 40 years of changes, i recognize what it means. it means that since the age of six, i haven't been just able to dream, i have been expected to dream.

since i was a child, i was told to expect nothing less than the division that dr. king spoke about that day. that is a profound change. especially the women that came before us and a beard to dream. the women whose names we know and those that we don't gave me the gift of believing that anything was possible. even though i started elementary school just a couple of years after segregation ended. even though i came of age when racial tensions were still very high. even though it took in national guard immobilization to get some of my older cousins in to certain schools. it was expected that i do all of those things without national guard and on my own effort.

like -- women like mr.s sco -- mrs. scott king. they lost men they loved, but they fought by their side and carried on the struggle when theyon the marches, in the homed schools and churches, and i am proud to honor the memory of four little girls in a church in selma, not so much older than me, whose dreams were taken away. but most of all, as a mother now, i am grateful for every mother, including my own. you see, to be a mother, the hold that young merkel in your arms is to dream. is to dare to dream. i believe that is why so many women play such an important

part in the civil rights movement because women have lifted me up in my -- lifted me up my entire life, including today. i take lessons from the movement to fight against obvious injustice and today the struggle continues in the fight against things that are harder to say, disparities and economic opportunities, deeply ingrained institutional prejudices'. the environment of movement is much the same way. people organized against things that they could seek a river so polluted that they were catching on fire. and after years of work in progress we are still fighting, but now we buy things harder to say. toxins in our water and air that are invisible. environmental disparities between rich and poor and the burden of the environmental

degradation. i take inspiration from dr. king and we do in our work for environmental justice. environmental challenges holdback communities from progress. another woman who dared to dream once told me that if dr. king were alive today, environmental and health protection is a battle he would be fighting. that woman was dr. dorothy heights who stood on stage at a march on washington and who had the honor of meeting in befriending at the end of her life. after decades of work for justice, she had taken up the environment and our health in our next up for the march 4. the work does not stop. the goes on and a changes every person, every young person, every rich person. the memorial being dedicated will be -- is a wonderful thing and we will dedicate its very soon. but the struggle is not complete

just because we have changed four acres on the national mall. our work on not be done until we change and transform the entire nation. dr. king and the women and men of the civil-rights movement dared to dream about that. i'm so proud to work with you and be able to share time with you today. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to our podium that chairman and ceo of boat holdings inc., a aa. -- bet holdings inc., deborah lee. [applause] >> good afternoon. i am delighted to be here.

i was hoping for an introduction by alexis herman. hasn't she been wonderful this afternoon? [applause] i'll take the voice of god. i am delighted to be here, and on behalf of bet network, i want to express my gratitude to the dr. martin luther king jr. national memorial project foundation for bringing together this is steamed group of women today in honor of the women of the civil-rights movement. it is so good to be here among so many friends and familiar faces. over the past few days, i thought about this afternoon's 0 luncheon and the impact that the women before us, these amazingly brave and strong women, had on our country and

our global community. what was particularly important to me was that while each woman displayed an incredible amount of parade -- brave courage, it was the strength of their collective in the fight for equal rights that was truly amazing. those women knew that when we've banded together, whether it is fighting for the right to vote, equal access to quality education, or empowering our young girls to dream big, we can achieve anything. [applause] that was the premise of dr. king's dream, and that was exactly what the mlk foundation dared to make this memorial a

reality. i know that my success was made possible with the encouragement of my mother and father, and the women in my community, in the segregated south to pave the way and told me i could achieve anything that i wanted to do. so to be among this distinguished roster of guests is truly amazing, considering how far we have come. at the same time, we all know that there is work to be done. i know that i stand on the shoulders of women such as coretta scott king, that the ship as -- betty shabazz, and others to dream big. i know how truly fortunate we are to be celebrating our women

and all of our civil rights leaders. and while we see the fruits of their work all over this room today, we must continue our commitment to make a difference, whether it is stem education or helping black families. i want to thank karen johnson and the mlk memorial project foundation for their continued work in bringing us to this very special place in history. and for gathering this all here today. if you have not been to the mlk memorial yet, it is an amazing an awesome experience. it is truly something that we should be proud of and that people from all over the world will come and be inspired as they read those quotations by dr. martin luther king jr., and

see the amazing mountain of despair and stone of hope. it is truly an incredible experience. and while hurricane irene is attempting to challenge this weekend's celebrations, bet networks is moving forward with dedicating our entire day of programming on sunday, august 28, to the legacy of dr. martin luther king. [applause] beginning at 9:30 a.m. on bet, we will pay tribute to dr. king with custom vignettes, and a documentary entitled "of a man -- the brotherhood of mlk," nas daschle entitled "michelle obama on a special mission if you it captures her journey to

south africa and botswana. where it cited to the ins -- we are excited to share this exciting content. hopefully everyone will be inside avoiding the hurricane. if you have power, please tune in. before i close, and thank you again for having me today, i like to share a brief video produced by the bet team that took great pride in producing it. i think it captures the commitment, continuity, and dedication of the powerful women of the civil-rights movement. please enjoy the video. [applause] >> so we can be freed and people can hit no one.

-- cannot hit no one. ♪ >> i do not know what is going on, if they're going to shoot her. >> is this fellow land of the free and home of the brave? >> the continuing evolution on the part of black people. ♪

>> we're going to get something done. [inaudible] ♪ >> [inaudible] ♪ >> if no one else is going to

serve, someone has to and now would be glad to try to do it. ♪ [applause] >> thank you, debra lee, for

that very powerful video. [applause] and i know the next question is going to be for so many here, how can i get a copy of that? we will answer that question. this has been a very long afternoon. but it has been a very meaningful afternoon. [applause] i thank you for staying. i thank you for your giving up your hearts and up your spirits to this luncheon. in memory of our heroes, our heroes of the movement. and now this very special moment that we have been waiting for. it is the opportunity for us to pay of very final tribute, now, ted two women who have continued to carry on the legacy.

two women have spent literally most of their lives reminding us that dr. king was a real human being. and that the best way to honor him is through our own actions and deeds, to keep the memory alive. i first met the rev. dr. bernice when she was a little girl. i have been so very, very proud to watch her grow and become the strong, committed, never waver in principle the woman of god that she is today. and christine ferris, i must tell you, has always inspired me because i used to watch her

laboring decide mrs. king. -- beside mrs. kane, always there, always giving back, and she is still doing it as she continues to document, especially for our children, the story. rise and welcome now for our final words the rev. bernice king and the wonderful aunt, sister to dr. king, christine king farris. these are truly the women who were our first family, but all we could boast of a first family, here is our first family. god bless you today.

[applause] >> thank you. i am delighted and honored to have been invited to say some words at this wonderful lunch and honoring women who dared to dream, women visionaries who they played critical roles in the struggle for human rights and freedoms. and so as we gather to celebrate the unveiling and the dedication of the martin luther king jr. memorial, it is fitting that we honor the courageous and visionary women who inspired and supported my brother and the

movement. but we almost -- but we also must be about honoring and supporting the women of our times and the women visionaries to come, who will play vital roles in fulfilling his great dream for our nation and world. as one who is in the house -- who was out in the house on the day that martin luther king jr. was born, and how to witness his upbringing, i can assure you that our mother, mrs. alberta king had a pivotal influence on the leader who is being enshrined on the national mall.

many of martin's virtues, including his courage, faith, and work ethic for example, all echo that teaching an example of our mother. i do not see how martin could have done what he did without a sustained sacrifice, is selfless -- selfless commitment and nurturing wisdom of alberta came. -- king. and the other woman who had a powerful influence on martin was his beloved wife and partner, coretta scott king. as my brother said, "i am convinced that if i had not had a wife with the fortitude, strength, and calmness, i could

not have withstood the ordeals intentions surrounding the movement." she was not just my brother's wife, but a full partner in his leadership of the movement. in fact, none of us would be here today preparing to celebrating the martin luther king jr. memorial on the mall without the tireless effort of caress scott king, whose leadership was in seventh or -- instrumental in the establishment of the holiday and in making sure that my brother's life, worth, and teaching would not be forgotten. my brother martin had an acute sense of history, as he well

understood the magnificent contributions of women. he certainly knew about such furniture it, harriet tubman, -- sojourner truth, harriet tubman, and so many others. and the often paid great tribute to the dedicated women of the modern civil rights movement. martin understood that women worked tirelessly in the movement, and many endured that perhaps and were not scared actual violence to themselves as well as their loved ones. many in your threats and beatings, and mrs. viola who was

murdered in selma in 1965 is a of the civil-r rights struggle. we rightly celebrate those acts of resistance that could spark the modern civil rights movement, but let's not forget also are continuing example of dignity and unrelenting commitment to the cause throughout the struggle. but we must also celebrate the courageous contributions of other women like dark the heights, and the legions of on some "sheroes"who put their lives on a line and made great

sacrifices for the cause of freedom, often with no pay and very little recognition. in the beginning of the movement and months -- in montgomery, women served as energetic activists. throughout the year long boycott, they organized car pooling and work telephone trees and mimeograph machines. they cooked food, drove, and distributed leaflets, and spread the word every way they could. we could not have won the montgomery boys but, -- busboy cat without their remarkable commitment. after montgomery, women played critical roles in every campaign of the modern civil rights movement.

and they are still playing leadership and an activist roles in the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights. the women of the civil rights movement have left a precious heritage from which the next generation of women leaders can draw wisdom and inspiration. in closing, i just want to encourage everyone here to take some time to mentor and encourage young women to become leaders in the future. our society desperately needs more women in leadership positions. when men are still only about women are still only

about 17% of the united states congress. we must do better if we want to fulfill the dream. our sisters and africa have a saying -- women hold up half. as we -- women hold up half the sky. honor and support the women who dare to dream. that will lead american in the world to a new -- they will lead america and the world to a new era of justice, peace, and equality for all. and i thank you. [applause]

>> and the people said amen. i know we have done is probably numerous times, but i'll ask everyone that they would stand and give a round of applause to mr. harry johnson for all of the hard, dedicated work that he has put into ensuring that this memorial would be paid for. come on, you can do better than that. and do not sit down yet. applause toround of all the corporations who have contributed to this memorial

foundation, including that the children. but do not sit down just yet. i want to give yourselves a round of applause. for being in support of the first maun meant to an african- american here in our nation's rigid monument to an african- american here in our nation's capital. you may be seated. this is a magnificent moment and a magnificent time. and i have to give this out -- to god be the glory for the great things he has done. and in the words of the psalmist, this is the lord's is doing and it is marvelous and our eyes. women, it's the soul of the nation is to be saved, you must

become its soul. these words, spoken by my mother, reminds us of the significance and the importance of women to the contribution of every nation on the face of this earth. where would the world the without with and who have dared to dream? and women who have sacrificed and women who have often put their own dreams aside that the dreams that lie in the hearts of men might come to pass? certainly as aunt christina's arctic paid tribute to my mom, i would add a few words to that. it was no different for martin luther king jr. -- i said

earlier today to the alpha brothers, that the greatness of a man is usually because of the woman who walks by his side. and this certainly was the case for coretta scott king. in 1956, january 30 of to be exact, while my mother was at home, my father was at one of the mass meetings that they were holding during the montgomery bus protests, and suddenly there was a shot on the porch of my parents' home, and my mother and a lady staying there with her at the time rushed to the back of the house, because they heard this thump. suddenly a bomb went off.

we know the story. my father got word and quickly came back to the house. he wanted to see how his wife and his baby girl, my late sister, yolanda denise king, who was with us when we broke ground for this memorial. and everything was all right with them. my mother had an amazing clam about her at that time, said my father. further on that night, after everything settled down, and they do want to stay with some neighbors, there was a knock at the door where they were staying. it was my grandfather, my mother's father, who had come to get my mother until things have cooled down. my mother looked at my grandfather and said, "dad, i have got to stay here with

martin." she made a decision very early on that sheet too would have to sacrifice her life in this movement. she recognized that it was possible for her to lose her life. the only bone i have to pick with various she also made a decision for us. [laughter] we did not have a choice because of the decision that our parents made to sacrifice their lives for freedom, justice, democracy, equality, and righteousness. but this woman, a courageous woman, on a strong woman, a dignified and eloquent woman, was determined to stick with our father no matter what it took. and those ladies in the audience

today know that it takes a special woman to stick with the man in those kinds of times. most of us what did then twisting our necks and saying we need to get out of here. do something different. so i wonder where we would be today if it were not for the courageous and the strong women who stood by their man, who worked just as much devoted to this movement as the men whose names we call over and over again. where would we be in this nation if it were not for that group of women, courageous, brasilia, determine, sacrificial, and selfless women? some whose names we know in some as a who we do not?

they contributed so much to that movement. i got a note earlier from one of the ones who is here today by the name of dark they cotton, sitting right over here at this -- dorothy coughlan, sitting right over here working with an education program. we had a training going on behind the scenes. you see the martins and the water hoses, but this was a movement filled with discipline and training and teaching and the simulation. they did not just turn another cheap because they were doing it. they were doing that they had it emulated and embodied and mottled by people who showed them how to turn the other cheek. and so we thank god for the women who work teaching and training in the fields and in the churches.

these devote these two so-so changed, another here name to dorothy crenshaw, who is only 12 years old when the bus protest target. it was part of the people who helped pass out leaflets and has been a lifelong devotee to the movement, and right now is raising up another generation of young people in montgomery, alabama through your organization, and i want to give her a hand along with ms. dorothy cotton. another lady, i am not sure if she's there, because of the storm, who stood side by side

with her husband, of master of immobilizing and organizing. and we really do miss his gift and his talent, but she continues his legacy in atlanta, georgia all along with their children. and we thank god for them and there are so many other women. but i want to go on to say, the question was once raised with my father by a gentleman. the ast, "did you educate your -- mrs. king to bear this burden or did you research her before your marriage if she had the potential for this? how did it come about?" and my father said, "it may have been the other way. at many points, she educated me. when i met her, she was very concerned with the same issues

as i was. i never will forget the first time that we met. we discussed, whole question of ratio at and economic injustice and the question of peace. in her college days, she had been actively engaged in movements dealing with these problems. so i must admit, i wish i could say to satisfy my masculine ego that i led her down this path. but i must say, we went down this path to gather. she was actively involved and concerned when we met and she is now." correct of scott king was already part of the peace movement when she met. in fact, she had spoken against the war in vietnam before our father took his public's stand against the war in vietnam. she was perhaps one of the very few people who stood with him

during that very difficult time, when people misunderstood his stance against the vietnam war. many had turned their backs on him. many of his colleagues in civil rights, in fact, had turned their back on him. many began to hate him and hurl all kinds of criticism and persecution his way. but coretta scott king continued to encourage him and applauded him and said she was waiting for the day when he would take a stance, because she knew that his moral voice was needed in the peace movement. and so began a glorious journey toward continuing to rid the nation of what he called the triple evils of poverty, racism, and militarism. so when he died, she could have been consumed in her grief and

overwhelmed. in fact, she could of been consumed with bitterness and hatred. , but no, this courageous, dignified, committed, this called an anointed woman decided did she would continue to champion the legacy and the work of martin luther king jr. as she founded the king center, and told us that we need to study the principles and techniques and the philosophy of nonviolence. and so in some vein, i say to people that correct scott king is really the one who helped to raise a nation while also raising four children at the same time. she was an awesome woman. many told her -- in fact, many men told her, stay home and raise your children and let the men do the job. but ladies, thank god that

coretta scott king heard another voice, of voice that sounded from heaven and said, correcting, i have called you for such a time as this. you have come into the kingdom. go forth in the power of love and in the power of strained, and lo, i will be with you until the end of your time. and so got stood with coretta scott king as she cherished -- carried that banner and championed the cause. and we thank god for her laying the groundwork for this day. and as i close, i was talking briefly with clay who is over the king paper project in stanford university. one of the things he said is that dr. king has many honors, but this is really not an honor

dr. king. this is an honor for the nation. and i agree with him, because his daddy stands on a memorial. he stands on -- excuse me, this may be of -- on the mall. he stands on that mall to say to us, let's continue the movement. they may have killed me in memphis, tenn., but unfortunately they did not understand spiritual things. they did not understand that unless a seed fallen to the ground and dies, it abides alone. but if it dies, it produces much fruit. so today the force that they try

to stop has actually become a stronger force, an unstoppable force, because we who are gathered here today are the fruits that are continuing the traditions of struggling for freedom, justice, and equality and righteousness. you may slay a dreamer, but look there those that are continuing that work. and we will, daddy, continuous movement. your life will not be endangered the blood you shed will not be for naught. we will carry the banner and continuing on. and as you stand overlooking the potomac, it symbolizes you looking over the mountain top and you saw that promised land, the children of israel had to

cross the jordan, and as we cross the water, we will get to that promised land that you talked about. and we will not sleep, we will not tire, we're going to continue to work together, we will continue to struggle together, to hold on to each other together, we will continue to pray together, we will fosse and fight and get over it together, because we know there is going to be a cramp meeting -- camp meeting in the promised land. let us take this love to the whole world. god bless you. [applause]

>> we are back. first of all, thank bernese king one more time, please. [applause] as we prepared to leave, we have a special reception. i have to with knowledge my staff because we have not done that. if you would wave your hand. all of them, let's say thank you to martin luther king's staff. we appreciate you very much. let us thank the wonderful, the vivacious, courageous -- please -- alexis herman for all that she has done. >> thank you, harry.

and i want to do a special thank you tim alpha -- to my alpha husband. and the captain of the ship. we are going to close out as we began, in prayer. and now like to invite for this rare moment, because bernese already took us to church, but we're going to have the benediction by our aka chaplain. cynthia hale, thank you so much. >> please stand all of the building. and pray with me. grade and also god, what a glorious time this has been of celebrating the women of the civil rights movement who dared

to dream of liberty and justice for all. if we ever remember the women who for the most part remained in the shadows, being overlooked and rarely acknowledge, but who risk their lives and work tirelessly to achieve a social revolution in our nation. we of honor the sisters to organize the mimic, boycotted, are arranged carpools, marched in the streets, and december cascaded schools, spearheaded campaigns for voter registration, other times loudly, but always holding up more than there have. -- their half of the world. thank you for this opportunity applaud these freedom daughters and be challenged by the commercial meant -- their commitment. we are the benefactors of their labor, and this nation has been enriched by their sacrifice. but lest we forget the struggle is not over, racism and sexism m

are alive and well. poor people are still poor. they do not have what they need to let have their -- lead their lives with dignity and honor. as we leave this place, we ask you to send this out with the renewed desire to imagine more for our nation and its people. send us fourth what the fire to continue the fight for freedom for all. with a passionh that will not rest until all can say and no words of the late martin luther king jr., free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, hallelujah, we are free at last! amen. [applause] >> that concludes our program. sec attorneys, and godspeed. -- safe journeys and godspeed.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> president obama next with his statement on hurricane irene. then homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fema director craig fugate discuss preparations. then mitt romney holds a town hall meeting in new hampshire. >> what caused the demise of great american newspapers? james o'shea takes you behind the scenes of decisions made in board rooms in newsrooms across the country in "the deal from hell."

it is one of the books we feature on book tv, including christine o'donnell on her bid for the u.s. senate seat from delaware. ronald bishop talks with a georgetown professor on the lack of moderation in american culture. the media's role in the need to want more. throughout the weekend, author interviews from our trip the frankfurt, ky. one in debt, join us for a three-hour conversation with ellis cose on racism in america. get the complete schedule and our website. >> this morning, present obama says he is in close contact with members of this federal response team, along with governors and mayors along the east coast, about federal and state preparations for hurricane irene. the storm is currently on track to make landfall on saturday. he spoke from martha's vineyard

where his -- he and his family had been vacationing this week. he returns to washington tonight. >> good morning, everybody. i want to say a few words about hurricane irene, urge americans to take it seriously, and provide an overview of our ongoing federal preparations for what's likely to be an extremely dangerous and costly storm. i've just convened a conference call with senior members of my emergency response team and directed them to make sure that we are bringing all federal resources to bear and deploying them properly to cope not only with the storm but also its aftermath. i've also spoken this morning with governors and mayors of major metropolitan areas along the eastern seaboard to let them know that this administration is in full support of their efforts to prepare for this storm and stands ready to fully support their response efforts. and we will continue to stay in close contact with them.

i cannot stress this highly enough -- if you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now. don't wait. don't delay. we all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst. all of us have to take this storm seriously. you need to listen to your state and local officials, and if you are given an evacuation order, please follow it. just to underscore this point -- we ordered an aircraft carrier group out to sea to avoid this storm yesterday. so if you're in the way of this hurricane, you should be preparing now. if you aren't sure how to prepare your families or your home or your business for a hurricane or any other emergency, then you can visit ready.gov -- that's ready.gov -- or listo.gov. that's listo.gov.

now, since last weekend, fema has been deploying its incident management assistance teams to staging areas in communities up and down the coast. fema has millions of liters of water, millions of meals, and tens of thousands of cots and blankets, along with other supplies, pre-positioned along the eastern seaboard. and the american red cross has already begun preparing shelters in north carolina and other states. these resources are all being coordinated with our state and local partners, and they stand ready to be deployed as necessary. but, again, if you are instructed to evacuate, please do so. it's going to take time for first responders to begin rescue operations and to get the resources we've pre- positioned to people in need. so the more you can do to be prepared now -- making a plan, make a supply kit, know your evacuation route, follow instructions of your local

officials -- the quicker we can focus our resources after the storm on those who need help the most. to sum up, all indications point to this being a historic hurricane. although we can't predict with perfect certainty the impact of irene over the next few days, the federal government has spent the better part of last week working closely with officials in communities that could be affected by this storm to see to it that we are prepared. so now is the time for residents of these communities -- in the hours that remain -- to do the same. and fema and craig fugate, the director of fema, will be keeping people closely posted in the next 24, 48 hours. thank you very much. >> and secretary napolitano and other officials discuss the government's preparations for hurricane irene.

the storm is expected to hit the north and south carolina borders and then move up the east coast to england. pumpkinhead quarters in washington, this is about 20 minutes. minutes. >> i would like to make a few larg >> already cost sink -- caused seen the damage in pr and elsewhere. we are taking the storm very seriously. i know our state and local partners or as well. in fact, we have seen a number of states declare emergencies even ahead of the storm. we are in the preparation stage. if you can divide this into three phases. preparation, response, and recovery. the window for preparation is quickly closing. if you are in the projected path

of the storm, please listen to your state or local officials. please listen to emergency radio or television. if you are told to evacuate, please do so. those in the path of the storm should make sure that you are also taking necessary and common sense precautions, such as having an emergency plan, having some emergency supplies, some food, water, a flashlight with batteries in case you lose powe. if we do anticipate a significant amount of power outage with this particular storm. there are all kinds of common- sense things you should do. you should do them now because, as said before, the window of preparation is quickly closing. with respect to all our own preparation, the federal government is moving forward ahead of the storm. we have milized significant assets. the president has directed us to ensure that all immediate

resources or available and that we should coordinate closely with our state and local partners who are the first responders in this storm situation. we are doing just that i have been in touch with the mayors and governors in the storm passed. we are also in touch with all of the first responders in the storm's path along the east coast. fema has its national incident management teams already located in a number of states. we will t have to wait for them to get there. they have been embedded of the last few days. that will make sure we are seamless in our response and recovery. commissioner fugate will give you details. this storm has mov in. it has moved east and west it is the category three and

category two. given the amount of rain associated with the storm and the likelihood of flooding, however, i would encourage you not to focus too much on whether it is a category two or three. if you are in the storm passed, if you will not be able to tell much difference. let me add traduced bill read of the national hurricane center. -- let me introduce bill reed the national hurricane center. then we will turn it over to administrator fate. >> right now irene is a classically shaped hurricane except for one feature. has that well-defined eye. the reason we are not seeing higher wind speeds that we are

-- this points out very clearly why we have evacuation's ahead of a hurricane. there are tropical storm conditions around the course. -- r.l. the coast. this is why your emergency officials were in evacuating people yterday. it has been steadily moving towards the coast. this imagery highlights some of the features in the atmosphere. you probably heard us and others talking about the track of the storm. an area of low pressure moves through new england yesterday. we have another system back here passing through the plane's that may or may not have an impact.

not much has changed. somewhere in the carolinas, we will have the impact today. new england on sunday. here is the current official forecast. i do not anticipate significant changes. this represents the likelihood of the center passing through. we are, the debt through sunday morning that the center of the hurricane will pass through that area. there are hurricane warnings extending from north carolina to sandy hook, new jersey.

[unintelligible] all along the coast, there will be coastal issues. let's talk about the wind. if you have been falling the last several days, we have gotten closer in the storm as the ground. that has led to the possibility of tropical storm force winds. there is a good chance in the interior of new england.

this is another part that we used to impress upon them the danger. this gives the chance to ascertain the wind changes. pcs have a chance of exceeding 12 feet. that cuts off some of the evacuation routes. the yellow and orange represent the probability of occurrence. the numbers farda [unintelligible] [unintelligible]