about reagan they have pulled back up and say about me. and they are right. look, if you want a cozy washington business-as-usual establishment, you don't want to me. it that establishment -- that establishment is both republican and democrat. you can tell who the establishes -- establishment is -- the ones who are frightened. but as the company got to know reagan the company will ask -- country ask a simple question that we will s. it is four years of barack obama good enough -- do you really want eight years? it is that simple question. four more years. he started with "yes, we can." new campaign slogan will be "let me explain why we couldn't." [laughter] so, there is a gap. the last point i want to make to you about that -- is if you help me -- and i think we have a real chance in new hampshire to surprise people because i think the philosophical differences

are not just between me and obama but they are between me and some of the other candidates. and if you will help me, when i become your nominee, i will challenge president obama to seven, three-hour debate in the lincoln-douglas tradition with a timekeeper but no moderator. and i will can see up front that he can have a teleprompter. [laughter] [applause] let's be fair. if you had to defend obamacare, wouldn't you want a teleprompter? now, people think he wanted the baby and i will give you three reasons i believe he is going to debate. the first is precedence -- he announced an president in 2007 in springfield, illinois, quoting abraham lincoln.

the second is ego. this is a columbia university harvard law school editor of the "harvard law review," the best orator of the democratic party. how does he look in the mirror and say he is afraid to debate someone who taught at west georgia college? the third is practical -- as many of you know, i studied american history, and when i studied it, i learned that abraham lincoln, when he announced -- he had only been in congress for one term, he had been a state legislator. he announced against the best known u.s. senator and a man people assumed would be the next president. he said there are 105 days left -- let's debate every day. stephen douglass said, i don't think so. so, lincoln began to follow douglas. and in about three weeks douglas figured out that lincoln was getting the press coverage for his rebuttals to douglas's

speeches. after about three weeks, but was sri lankan and said it, all right, i will agree to debate you. but i am not going to go back to the two -- first two districts you already chased me in, i will do the seven. the debates or so central, i think they are the most and for exploration of constitutional freedoms as the federalist papers. they were carried widely in the newspapers. each of the seven debates got its own coverage. linkedin the next year had it reprinted as a book and it was a major factor to his rise as the president's candidates. if you make me the nominee, in tampa, when i get the acceptance speech, if the president has not yet agreed to have a series of seven debates, i will announce that night in my acceptance speech that whitehouse at that moment is my scheduler -- wherever he goes, i

will show up four hours later and i will answer his speech every single time. and in the age of talk radio and 24-hour television news, my hunch is it will take about two weeks for the white house to decide that is a losing proposition and to the side having us on the same stage debates in america prosecutor, talking about who we are the loss topically and who we are at a practical achievement level is a less painful than having a show of at every single town shortly after the president. so, with your help, we will set up one of the most exciting and most important elections in american history, maybe the most decisive sense 1860, in defining america, and with your help i am convinced people will vote for paychecks over food stamps, they will vote for the american declaration of independence over radical socialism, they will vote for strength in foreign policy over weakness, and they will vote for

somebody who wants to work with the american people -- not somebody who wants to dictate to the american people. i think that will make this a truly historic election. and it is all made possible by the folks up here who have been very helpful and for andrew hemingway doing a terrific job as our leader in the state, and i am very much looking forward to questions. [applause] >> all right, we will start here pretty yes, ma'am. >> [inaudible] i wanted to talk about welfare -- [inaudible] then i believe in preventive care and early testing for a variety of conditions.

colonoscopy, one of the most successful single intervention to save lives because: cancer called early is very easy to deal with and when it is caught late, it is fatal. there are things we should do, no question. i told people all along, if you write a 2700 page bill, there is a pretty good chance you get 300 pages right. let's stipulate. there are 300 good pages in obamacare. but i don't trust the washington standard. what i would do is repeal the bill and take the good pages and pass them, but i would not like to rewrite 80% or 9% because i'd been not trust the washington staff at 2:00 in the

morning. there are pieces -- i happen to favor help information technology, which is in the bill, which i think will save lots of lives and billions of dollars. but i think if there are good ideas in the bill, they can be passed as freestanding small bills because they are peak -- things people want. i would try to fast track and to get them passed quickly and figure but the bridging mechanism is so you do not have a break up in services. but i would first start -- this is in my 21st century contract -- i would ask the new congress that comes in january 3 to repeal obamacare, dodd-frank, and sarbanes are obsolete before my inauguration and hold the bills until it gets inaugurated so obama cannot veto them and then i would sign them probably on the 21st or the 22nd of january and then i would ask congress to go to work immediately on putting back in place those pieces that are really good that most americans agree with.

>> [inaudible] >> the 10th of january to help -- >> [inaudible] what the democratic media will do to you. >> a good question. i studied under ronald reagan. i first met him in 1974. reagan faced the same problem. and he found that consistency really worked. that if you take key positions

-- take food stamps versus paychecks. the gap here is so wide, it is very hard even for the elite media to distort it. so, -- american energy versus by brazilian entity. the president goes to brazil and says i want to be your best customer. the president is not assigned to be a far purchasing agent. he should sell american products. that is a gap that is so big between purchasing agent of brazilian oil and selling u.s. manufacturing goods -- it is pretty hard for them to distort it. plus, my experience is the american people have got a lot smarter. we have hundreds of sources of information. we have lots of ways of having conversations. and people get used to reading things. let me give you one example. when i first became speaker, there was an enormous shock to the establishment. no republican had one in 40 years. they knew it could not be good.

you could see that shocked on election night in their eyes. point before i was even sworn in, time magazine has me on the cover as scrooge. this is christmas season, right? holding tiny tim's broken crutch. it was not that i stole his correct, i broke it. the title of the cover was -- how mean well newt gingrich's america be to the poor? the following week, "newsweek" won its catch up and i had a doctor suess figure entitled the grinch that stole christmas. this was the elite media's idea of fairness. this is what happens with average americans -- they say he is for welfare reform. 92% issue. it did not hurt us at all. we were the first reelected majority since 1928 despite

every effort to stop us. do i think what i've got to is i've got to have a compelling message. i have to use youtube and facebook and twitter and all of the different devices that allow us to communicate around the elite media. we have to have talk radio. it appears much easier because we have something as saw the late conservative as "the manchester union leader," it sort of undoes half of the "the new york times" damage. "the des moines register" endorsed the right liberal and the "manchester union leader" endorsed the person who was conservative. how many people here are refugees from massachusetts? raise your hand. [laughter]

ok. we will have a conversation. i would -- was thinking of having a massachusetts rally in new hampshire and i am now convinced having a -- "please, don't turn america into massachusetts." [applause] i do not have andrew's permission but maybe when i fly in from iowa we could have a massachusetts reminder rally so everyone could be reminded of the real choice between two very different approaches to governing. i now realize, we could get a lot of folks without having to get anyone to drive up from massachusetts. but, go ahead. >> [inaudible] the payroll tax cut. >> in an ideal world, this is not how you would solve thing. but i agree with john boehner -- if you are going to extend

the cut, extended for a year. any of you who are in business and have to deal with payrolls, know that the idea you will get a two month extension and then you did not know what will happen next, because they could have another crisis and late february -- this is about as stupid a way to run a country and this is embarrassing. this is worthy of the italian parliament. [laughter] and to have the senate leave. i am very sympathetic to speaker boehner. i did not realize it at the time -- i was very fortunate to work with bill clinton. i would not have said it to you at the time did he had been governor for 12 years, the governor of a conservative state. obama never actually served in the illinois senate because he was busy running for the u.s. senate and did not actually serve in the u.s. senate because it is busy running for president and now he has not really served as president because he has been busy running for reelection, so he has no government experience. [applause]

so, -- and harry reid. i was fortunate because i had a republican senate. harry reid is a totally partisan democrat who arrogantly -- they pass a bill and leave the city. by what right does the senate decide they are the designers of america's future, and they leave? i think every center of the be told to go back to washington and get the job done, pass a year-long bill, get stability, and let's move to something new. but we look embarrassingly incompetent as a country and i can tell you of the three key players, boehner, harry reid, and obama, i think boehner has had the most coverage and has been the most willing to do the right thing and the other two have been not only zero help but destructive, while candidly manipulating the press to make boehner look bad. it is dominant religion.

it barack obama believes he could have another 365 days of manipulation he completely underestimated the ability of the american people to see through fraud and understand the corzine macro -- model of free enterprise does not work and the obama model does not work, either. the braves. -- be brave. >> how would you govern differently, if at all, from george w. bush? then i would be very different from president bush. i did not say it as a negative of president bush but i came out of the reagan wing of the party. there are two components of the reagan wing -- one is conservatism and the other is an absolute identity but the american people. we did a movie with reagan called "front of the with the destiny." if you listen to his speeches, they are about us -- "rendezvous with destiny."

i never ask you to be for me, because of the are for me you will go home and say i sure hope he fixes it. i can't. i ask you to be with me, to stand next to me for eight years. if you watch reagan's farewell address, it is all about us, what we did. i think it is very important. i will give you one example. >> do you think bush did not do that? >> there was a bush plan for social security. you cannot have a bush plan for social security immediately after winning a negative campaign in which all you prove there were more anti-kerry boater's then anti-bush voters because anti-bush voters were against them from day one.

titling it the bush plan -- if they have young girl members of congress go out and create -- on 85 campuses we have young people now leading the effort for a younger american right to choose a personal socialists' security savings account. but it is not newt gingrich, it is younger americans. we are basing it in galveston, texas, with 30 years' experience and saying to grandparents who will not be affected all -- do you mind if your grandchildren are allowed to have control of your savings so no politician can rip them off? do you mind if your grandchildren are allowed to have two or three times as much retirement income than they will get from the government. did you mind if your grandchildren controlled the year they decide to retire based on what they are doing rather than politicians. do you mind if the american people increase the size of the american economy by saving all this money. chile today, the size of their

social security savings system is 72% of the economy. it is so big they are allowing chileans to invest outside the country. the estimate from harvard when it was first developed is over a generation, you reduce income inequality in america by 50% -- i am waiting for "the new york times" to confirm this. because every single worker and of owning stocks and bonds, every single worker a capitalist, every single person has a real estate which you do not have under social security. he literally -- you literally reduce inequality by raising people up and not spending your time to rural people down, like obama. it is estimated you would increase the size of the national economy dramatically. you get a bigger economy with bigger paychecks which allows it to get more savings so you have a better retirement with more jobs.

but the difference is, this will only pass if in hundreds of college campuses the students decide they want it. the people have to be for it. reagan was a genius at convincing the people. he used to say, my job is to show the lights to the american people so they will turn up the heat on congress. so, you have a strong, effective american leader -- has to be one with the people. then you can change washington. and i spent a lot of my time worrying about how do "we the people" defeat "they the establishment." i do not want to learn how to manage the establishment but to change it. that is the fundamental difference. thank you very, very much. [applause]

>> what do we have to do to get to the point where someone says, i am offended by that, and -- [inaudible] >> how are you? >> it was really good. >> it is her sixth project. >> could you sign my book? >> what is your name? >> i am joy. >> thank you for coming today. >> do you want to sign it, too? >> thank you so much. >> how are you? >> good. >> good.

i hope you are enjoying it? >> i am. >> thank you. what is your name? >> tony. >> do you have a stated policy on the federal reserve? >> it should be at newt.org. i would audit it, they have to publish their decision documents from 2008-2010 and i will repeal the bill which told we confused them. i would have them go back to a solid money policy of no inflation. and i would ask for bernanke to resign and if he refused i would ask congress to terminate his term. how are you? >> i moved down there because i see you on c-span. i said, this guy is brilliant.

i have to get out of here. where am i going to go? >> that is fun. >> i had to come back and i said, where do i go? new hampshire. the air is much cleaner here. >> is good to see you. you are ahead of me. all right, there you go. how are you? >> do you still believed in jack kemp's big kemp? >> yes. the question is, every american who favors paychecks over food stamps i would like to be with

us. i am pleased to bring us together to build the biggest possible majority. >> they do not vote. why you think it is? >> i have had a good track record of asking a lot of stuff when i was speaker. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> michele bachmann is here and she is considering running for president, which is weird because i hear she was born in canada. michele, this is how it starts here it >> is so amazing to be in washington d.c. with all of this history and all these amazing buildings. yet here we are at the hilton. the red carpet outside was amazing. who are you wearing? what does it matter, i am going into a hilton. >> with more than 9 million in the use, the c-span coverage

from the white house correspondents' dinner will rank among the 2011 top political videos. you can watch them on-line or on our youtube channel. "washingtonow's journal," peter wehner, an update on the tirane nuclear programs, plus we will talk to assistant secretary of state rose bottler -- gottemoeller. then our guests are lynda laughlin and kevin miller. >> i am here arguing in favor of higher taxes on the wealthy. i am part of the wealthiest 1%. would you be willing to donate

to the department of trusties'? >> individually, no. i am very philanthropic active. >> i have the donation page. all you have to do is put in your credit card number and you can donate. >> that is not like to help anybody. >> you do not want to donate to the government? >> you have heard me. you are being silly. >> i am a video journalist. i would say that what we are doing is almost like citizen journalism, which is basically when the individual who does not have that much training in journalism has the tools of modern technology to capture a live event. but does not have a background in journalism. >> michelle fields shares experiences reporting for the daily caller. next, remarks from a former

lieutenant was discharged two years ago for violating the pentagon don't ask don't tell policy. daniel choi spoke at cal state northridge earlier this month as the rule change was about to go into effect on lap -- allowing gays to serve in the military. this is one hour and 20 minutes. >> this uniform is no longer just the uniform of only white americans, only male americans, only privileged americans, only eighth generation americans. this generation is not only the uniform of straight americans bought all americans today. [applause]

i would like to dedicate this speech, my remarks, to the passing of the great civil- rights hero and a legend in the gay community, just a few hours ago, dr. franklin tammany, a world war two veteran and the first openly gay member, the first person to challenge federal discrimination, passed away. his legacy is us. we live and we carry his force. from the time that i met him to the day that he died, with a sense of humor and irony and an uncompromising, eloquent voice, that is what he has left us. he did not have any children, but we are his generation. let our work memorialize him and

the work that he had not finished, although he did see the repeal of don't ask don't tell. baghdad, iraq. 130 degrees. all of our armor on. dust everywhere. sitting in our home these -- humvees. we were watching a mosque. normally at that time, we would oversee a call to prayer. there are two basic groups of muslims in iraq, suny and shia. -- sunni and shia. we normally hear the call to prayer, but today we heard a long [speaking islam]

it was not the call to prayer. our intel was wrong. even more surprising than that, it was a shia political rally. for centuries, in this area, a shia people were discriminated against, called heretics', blasphemers, worse than nonbelievers. their leaders taught them a philosophy of concealment or hiding. if you ever are in danger of losing your life because of your identity, you do not have to share it. god will forgive you so that you can live and do his work. if you would lose your job, you

do not have to reveal your identity. concealment and hiding is ok. but you will lose your friends to. -- if you are one to lose your friends, you do not have to reveal who you are. we were in iraq to help the people manifest a system of government, pluralistic, democratic, rep, where all people, no matter what their identity, could access their government resources equally. enough of this concealment. we would go to the tribal reconciliation meetings. suny and shia together -- sunni and shia together, and i would start with a palm from the most famous poet in the middle east.

the horses and the night and the desert know who i am. they know me. the sword and the spear, the penn knows who i am. i am the one who can make the blind to read my prose. they know who i am. they know me. a powerful form of identity. they know me. they know who i am. enough of this. everybody, regardless of their identity, has claimed to this country, has claimed to the community, has claimed to the resources, has climbed to god, has claimed to faith, has claim to love. i go back, after surviving from the triangle of death just like 14,000 other people.

i had my own don't ask don't tell translated into arabic. concealment, fighting, better that you say in the closet and serve your country. god will forgive you. many people ask me why i came out when i did. did you not know the rules? you don't ask don't tell was the law. did you not know you were gay? i knew don't ask don't tell. i knew i was gay. i was not afraid of don't ask don't tell. i was afraid of my mom and dad. we had a don't ask don't tell policy at home. [laughter] my dad is a southern baptist minister. some people here are confused. they say, you are asian.

[laughter] how are you a southern baptist? if you are confused. i was confused, too. i did not know why i was a southern baptist. i guess it is because i am from south korea, that is why. [laughter] but it was much harder. i never wanted to come out until i fell in love. i'm going to turn this off because i am bringing here. -- ringing here. i thought it was because there was so much bling-bling because it is the day coming out day. [laughter] many people question my motives. the reason why, i will tell you quite honestly, is because my mom is just so annoying.

[laughter] my sister is in the audience. i do not see her right now. there she is. she is wearing a don't hide shirt. great. thank you for being. [applause] my mom, every five minutes, she said, "why have you not marry a nice girl?" [laughter] and i said, mom, i'm not going to marry a korean girl. she looked at me, her eyes as big as an asian woman dies can

get. -- eyes can get. [laughter] you are all a bunch of racists. [laughter] i said, mom, it is not that i'm not going to marry a korean girl or a white girl, i am gay. will you love me? she held my hand and said, of course i love you. [inaudible] -- [unintelligible] i think me and margaret cho have

the same mommy. [laughter] i finally recognize why she was so shocked. she did not have the vocabulary for gay or coming out. she tried to understand it the best she could. i think this is just a phase. just a part of my life. she said, you can change. was anybody raised in the christian tradition here? you know that the christian tradition is that if you pray, you add a couple of words to the end of. in jesus' name, amen. she said, go out and say your

prayers. >> i said, i prayed all the time. i prayed since i was in fourth grade. dear god, just let me be attracted to michelle pfeiffer. in jesus' name, amen. [laughter] she was offended. she said, how you'd like this. you should be ashamed. i said, law, it is not something you can change. she said, yes you can. [laughter]

she voted for mccain. i did not realize how difficult it would be. my dad woke up and if a southern baptist minister here is a conversation about jesus' name and michelle pfeiffer and was to jump into the discussion, he woke up and said, what is going on? my mom and grabbed my hand even harder. he was about to sit down and i said, dad, i am gay. he shot back up and said, you cannot be. he said, i want to know and i want the time line. of what the quarterly report.

i want my money back. [laughter] it was a long six months. i decided to live at home and go through all of the conversations about leviticus and all of the bible versus. i am sure some of you have heard those bible versus. i tried to explain to them the reason why i came out was because i fell in love. it was because i finally understood, for the very first time, what all of you straight people talk about all the time. and i realize not everybody here is straight, although looking over here, my gaydar flickers.

[laughter] and i just want to say before i go on about street people -- about street people -- about straight people, it is time for you to come out as well as an ally of our inequality. [applause] straight people need gay people to be equal. it is pretty obvious why straight people need gay people, you make us. [laughter] if you do not like us, stop making so many of loss.

i forgot where i was ok. straight people toppled all love all the time, in the movies, love songs, radio stations, and i finally understood commitment and responsibility and trust and mutual decision making, equality within a decision making process. sacrifice, loving something like someone more than life, more than my own existence. i understood loves. i understood all those values in a military context. service, sacrifice, honor, love, cherishing the ideas of the team. america. i never understood in terms of intimacy until i finally fell in love. i had never had a girlfriend or

boyfriend in my entire life. i was 27 years old and finally all of the love songs made sense to me. your love is like a roller coaster, baby, baby, i want to ride. [laughter] beonece -- beyonce, "your love has got me looking so crazy in love uh oh uh oh a-no no. [laughter] i understood genuine saying "my saddle is waiting, ride it my pony, i am just a bachelor looking for a partner, christian love, ride my pony." [laughter] i understood lady gagqa.

actually, i do not understand. [laughter] poker face, i think she meant this forbidden love. and i finally understood what everybody was talking about. that is for me. my dad did not understand ge nuine. "what are you talking about, a pony?" [laughter] "don't you know this is a sin? " i said, do not think it is different today? the times of changed? going back to the time it was written and understanding the culture? men do not just live with men. -- lie with men. times of change.

we have new technology and new methods. [laughter] that would be a waste of money just lying with one man. [laughter] somebody understood that. if you have a problem with this, i am taking it with you. we have had these conversations for a whole six months and it was not easy. many times, he would say that this is the number one sin and that would be very confused and tell him, you told me, you taught me and all of your sermons and that the number once and was -- the number one sin was not accepting your savior as jesus christ.

he told me that the number one command was love your neighbor as yourself. what is implicit in that command? to love your neighbor, you must first love yourself. my message here today, if you do not remember anything i say, if you are to follow that command, you must realize god made you gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, he may do and thus do with identity. the way that you love yourself and acknowledge yourself and understand that it is a blessing to be gay, that is the love you share with everyone else. if you do not do that first, you are not obeying the higher command. gay people are blessed in this world to be discriminated and fight for luck. to break the chains of that discrimination.

to show how important love is in our family and a committed relationship. we teach people that in this day, when we're the most discriminated citizens in america and probably the most since -- the most stigmatize people in the history of the world, we are finding love under the marriage that gay people have and that straight people can learn that are blessed to have that message. to share and to teach. why is so important that marriage based in love and nothing else, commitment, nothing else in. not money, ownership, status, male privilege, dowry, nothing else. it is the definition of marriage and love. i told my dad, the reason i am telling you, coming out to you is because i love you so much. it is that unconditional love.

whatever condition you put on it, whatever your reaction will be, i will tell you the truth because you taught me to honor your father and mother. what on earth can you have if you have no integrity? talk about saving face, how can you save any face if all you talk about is a lie? you talk about your son, and you have no honor and truth. how do you save face? the command is to not bear false witness to your neighbor. that is how you love your neighbor. you never make it easy for them if they need to know the truth. that idea of love -- i love you dad, i love you mom. i love you so much that i do not want to listen to the advice of people who say just wait one or two years, wait till they are ready. wait till it is not all work. think about me. why do you have to push it on

people? you love someone and say i am not want to let you die a homophobe, not knowing the truth. come what may, that is love. that is the unconditional love. no matter what happens. you deserve it. love your enemies, your opposition, to teach them. love them so much to say that i trust you are a person that, deep down, all of that hatred is a loving spirit. it will grow out of this and you will one day understand why we fight for equality and love. that message to wait, many people have cautioned me to wait before i come out to my parents, to my unit, to rachel maddow --

[laughter] that same caution is translated to our ecology movement where we hear that same resounding caution -- wait, not yet. wait until the next election cycle because we are doing a focus group. wait for the president not to be such a historic president. wait for the democrats to not be in power anymore. if you do not want to upset your friends, do you? just wait till after health care. wait till after the employment situation. wait until after all of these movements and then you will have allies. then you'll have it easier. it will be easy for you to come out. waiting is the reason why we are here today. waiting is the reason why our issues have been at the back of the bus, even in the democratic party. i do not have a political party to. i do not think that is an obligation for anyone to have a

political party. i read the constitution and i do not read a word about the dnc, hrc, and i do not see any parentheses or a dollar sign. but i do read the individual right to protest. protest a redress of grievances of the individual rights of freedom of speech, the individual mandate all of us to fight for that. if i could give you any political advice, i am not a democrat and i am not a republican triet i believe in equality. if you invest your money, time, resources, your boots on the ground into anything, you are going to invest in what you know will be successful. mark my words -- in 50 years, the people will be equal in this country. in 50 years, the democrats and

republicans will still be fighting for power. i was born day. i choose to be democrat or republican. not the other way around. when you invest, invest in what you know will succeed him. put your heart and soul into it. as we are out in the streets, fighting loudly, shouting, we no longer said, "what you want? equal rights. when you want it? now." we do not say that anymore. we say three hollowed words going back all the way from the civil-rights movement and all of the reverence, "i am somebody."

it does not matter what you say i am or what you say you are, i am somebody. i want you to understand why that is so powerful. say that with me. repeat after me like this is church, and just pretend. i am somebody to. i am somebody. i deserve full equality. right here, right now. i am somebody. i am somebody. i am somebody. how many of you feel like you are a little bit of somebody? i heard you. you were like, i do not believe you. this is hokey. let me tell you a secret about that. a very simple demand. when we were on the white house fence, about to get it -- about to get arrested and go to jail, to visualize our discrimination

, to dramatize in justice, we shouted i am somebody in. we were not charging for us. it is not about you. you shout it so loud, loud enough that somebody else can hear. and they take a look at that and say, these people, discriminated as they are, shocking i am somebody. if they are shocking i am somebody, then what is my excuse. i have been kicked out of the military, fired from my job, i am somebody. they tried to charge me money because it was a violation of my contract. i refused to pay, but i am somebody. i have been to jail six times -- i am somebody in. you can lock me up but you cannot shut me up.

i am somebody. no matter what happens to you, so long as you stand fierce wit that truth, i am somebody in. it goes beyond you. if you say it loud enough, then you put everyone else on noticed, the immigrants, the subjugated women, the people from all over the world, the laborers, the people occupying wall street and l.a., they hear you and they say, if they can say that i am somebody, then i am somebody to. state -- stand up and i want you to demonstrate. maybe you were embarrassed to say it last time. but i can see that you're not standing up. [laughter] if you are embarrassed, last time, but now you believe that you understand why it is important to be as loud as we are, say in a voice so people can hear you beyond these walls

on this coming out day. i am somebody. i am somebody. i deserve full equality. right here, right now. i am somebody. i am somebody. i am somebody. thank you, sit down. [laughter] you sounded good. real good. when we shout i am somebody, we recognize the truth of our civil rights movement. the truth you just saw today, the power of those three simple words. i am somebody in. no matter what your situation, no matter where you come from, you deserve full equality. that has become the rallying cry of our new moral movement here. wheat bring truth to the anthem

from ragtime, go out and tell our story, let it echo far and wide, let them hear you. justice was our battle and how justice was denied. sometimes there are battles that are more than black or white. i could not put down my sword, justice was my right. make them hear you. go out and tell your story to your daughters and your son and teach them we are not the only ones. your sultan be a sermon for the power of the pen. teach every child to raise their voice and my brothers will justice be demanded by 10 million righteous men. make them hear you. when you shout i am somebody, you bring truth to those stanzas. you bring it in every heart. go out and tell our story. and when you do, when you stand up against your subjugation,

against your discrimination, against bigotry and hate or misunderstanding, you teach them why it is so important to love, why the versus are true, why the values are true, why we are vindicated as an entire people, no matter what your orientation, gender identity, nationally -- nationality, no matter what you are as a citizen, undocumented, american, whatever you are. what made you this way, you can teach someone else through those three powerful worse. i am somebody. when you do that, you give answer to the civil rights spiritual. how deep in my heart, i believe we shall overcome someday. when you shout i am somebody,

that some day is today. in that somewhere is right here in. at some time is right now. right here, right now, i am somebody and i demand full equality. more than that, they bring truth to the other songs of the civil rights movement. this little light of mine, i am going to let it shine. let it shine, light shine. whether you got it from a department store or as a hand me down. you might think you are not a polished speaker or you have not been on tv so you're not going to have as much at an impact. this little light of mine, i am going to let it shine. remember the column that i started out with -- the poem i started out with? 700 years later, in the secret

about that poem, he was not talking about himself. a king commissioned it. so powerful and rich, so privileged. an arrogant column about his identity -- poem about his identity. the horses in the desert know who i am. they know me. the sword and the spirit know me. they know who i am. i am the one who can make the deaf hear my poetry and the blind read my prose. the secret to that poem, the king, all of the facebook friends he had, we do not know

his name. [laughter] 700 years from now, people will ask you sitting right here, when the struggle was there, when it was right there, what did you do? did you stand up? was a scary? i want me to say that you stood up. rigid i want you to say they use to death. let it shine. thank you. fo[applause]

>> we would like to open the floor for questioning. >> hello. even with the repeal, it do you expect they will discriminate against a member of the lgbt communities? what should they put in place? >> wonderful question.

that was stripped out of the compromise bill. the nondiscrimination policy was stripped out. no partner recognition or family support. there are religious provisions in the military so that military chaplains can get up on a federally funded pulpit with taxpayer money paying for this abridgement of freedom of religion at base a gay people should be in this world. they can still preach against their fellow comrades. is defined justly. gay people can die for america that cannot live freely. we have a lot more work to do. we did not even do the hamstring stretch. we are doing the jumping jacks.

we have a long way to go. it to be difficult for anybody to stand up against a person in uniform and say "you do not deserve love or commitment and the word marriage." >> i have read some of the sermons. i had to resist the urge to bang my forehead against the wall. >> that is why you are a political science major. >> i was wondering. after hearing her speech, do you still talk to your family? do they still levy a tove you? i come from a religious background. my parents disowned me. i did not talk to them. i eventually got out on active duty because of the policy. i am in the guard. i love the country. i have been deployed six times.

six years of my life. i cannot let go of my country, serving my country. it is a struggle not having my family there. my friends are my family. do you have a support system? houle is a getting kicked out -- how is a getting kicked out? >> thank you for your service. thank you for wearing the uniform here. i will forgive the fact that you were in the air force. my family has not taken it very easily. probably because i'm a little bit demanding. i cannot stand before you and being demanding of full equality and a slow walk my family through this. my sister can attest, the main reason why my parents are not talking to me for almost two

years is because the last conversation that i had was that if you're not going to come to mind a wedding that will not go to your street funeral. -- to my gay wedding, i will not go to your straight funeral. i was being blamed for my dad's heart attacks. i tried to walk them through. why it is so difficult for me to compromise. how do i explain that? all i know is that if a parent loves a child, then they will not put conditions on it. that word "loved" i learned in church, there are many definitions and many homophobes'. there are three kinds of love. the intimate love. the brotherly love.

the unconditional love. i am not saying they you should go and date the homophobes or try to be facebook friends with the homophobes but if you love somebody, you put them through that test of unconditional love. it requires you sometimes to be the parent. we began our own support network because of that. the community that we built on the streets, criticized and told that we are way too uncompromising and that we are we too impetuous and naive and all of those words that they call this the route this year because we demand it, it was a wake-up call. i recognize that if it was not

for the people who stood up uncompromisingly then the timeline would not start in the parents would not understand it. the apparent acceptance start when they are comfortable. it might take 10 years or 20 years, but it does that get any better because you keep it a secret. when you come out, today is national coming out today, you recognize the truth that until you come out to the person that judges you the most -- we are hell that isver the that i -- when you come out to that person that judges you the most comment that is when you are liberated. every conversation after that is easy. i recognize that many people are not out to their parents yet. many people are free to do that

because it is to cost file or sow that you will be the bad guy. if you are the one that is helping their parents. through that time, that is your support network. it is hard. it is not easy. just making an "if it's better" did you does not make it easier. do not make it so you can feel like a celebrity or you will be famous. i have not made one yet. it is hard for me to say that a gets better. i have been to jail so many times. me.se don't talk to the president takes me. it gets worse. -- hates me. it gets worse. when you make those ideas,

you're doing it to reach out to somebody. through that pain you build community. you did not always agree on everything but that does not make a movement. the disagreement makes the movement even better. they do not agree on things all the time. that is the beauty. through that debate and fighting, they come out with what they know the community is. we do not know each other yet. if that is what we have to work on. >> hi. as a civilian, thank you for your service. thank you. did you out there doing -- you are out there doing for thing. i have been following your career. i recall an interview where you stated that you were looking to

republican candidates since you with obama.ping appy where do you stand with that now? do you feel like you the fragmenting the movement? >> that is a very important question. politics is a game. our world depends on certain values. most of the time, political parties do not fit within those values. that is just a vehicle. if your vehicle is breaking down, then you go and threatened the you'll get a rental car. i condemned the republicans to dare to boo a gay soldier or who did the stand up and show leadership. i also condemned the democrats that stayed silent. how long did obama have to wait to condemn that?

we see our rights is a political football and some of the moral question is for all people. i ask you, whether you are republican or democrat, would you ever subordinate the quality to politics? politics is not an end unto itself. every politician wants to retain power no matter what their political party is. when you threaten that power from them, they listen. if you think you're going to get anywhere with president obama on his marriage stands by giving him more money and hoping and crossing our fingers, you have a lot more problems than a republican or democrat. you have more problems than that. there is a lot at stake. supreme court justices --

theoretically. some look really old. i recognize that even in my own case which might go up another level, it has been made clear that the president and head of an lustration -- administration a prosecute me. the higher court is allowing for them to tie our hands behind our back. i recognize that our journey is not always depend on the things that politicians promise, the promise of each and everyone of us. did the word "marriage" -- when you hear that from any democrat or republican and they say "i support the gay people but i am a ball game because i do not think the word marriage is for all people," that kind of

hypocrisy does not read of homophobia -- why would you fear the people? we have nice hair. shiny shoes. we wear nice pants all the time. we smell like raspberries. i say we make your shoes and purses. i recognize that being gay and fighting for gay rights is not about popularity are being liked or fitting in to what a democratic party tells you. it is about standing up and saying i have the nerve to say that if you're not doing your job, if you are straight supremacist, that is the word i'm looking for. you do not deserve our full support. we're not fighting the fear of

the people. we are fighting the supremacy. it is somewhat to racial supremacy. when we talk about straight to supremacy, it is prevalent and parties. the question is whether you think we are superior because of your orientation. no one will admit that. i am a racist. i am a painter. no one will say that spir. i am going on a tanget. white supremacists and at st. supremacist exist in close quarters at the thanksgiving dinner table. when you deal with a gay person u.s. come out at your table -- comes out at your table -- it is the same thing as white

supremacy. my parents are probably korean supremacists. we are taller than the chinese people. that is what they say. we're good at math. we don't drive good, you know, but we make the cars. i grew up in a career in supremacist environment. we never had a perceptive of race come into those quarters until my cousin mary somebody who was bought caribbean. -- cousin married someone who was not korean. i bring this up because coming out to your parents is a functional a moral equivalent of interracial marriage when it comes to breaking down the rules

of supremacy. to have a product of an interracial marriage in our white house, does not believe that gay people are equal in every respect including the word "marriage" is an insult the risks of that same supremacy. if that is how it at politicians on notice. i know c-span is here. all people that are hearing it, it is not homophobia any more. it is straight supremacy. we will back all its. we will win. i hope i answered your question. >> before anything, i am so

touched. i have been crying in this line. i am clear. -- i am queer. i know how hard that can be. even though -- that scares me. i am not out to get anybody. korean church.career i they convinced me to vote yes on prop 8. a year and a half later, i was like i am gay. it has been ridiculous. i just wanted to ask you if you have gotten a lot of paint from community or if they are trying to ignore you? what do you do progress

ive koreans like me can do? i did not want to talk to anybody from a former church or anyone. i do not think that is the best thing to do. i do not know how to reach out and say this is who we are. >> i'm trying to think of what to respond to just now. i just want to give you a hug. [applause]

koreans are rough. [laughter] i think it is very eas yty to fl sad because of the situation. i have had many times. that it want to let met thashow cry. i cry many times. i had two nervous breakdowns in this journey. it is powerful and strong have used it up there and you said "this is who i am." with all my tears and my emotional spiritual being, this is who i am. i salute you for standing up.

sometimes it only gets harder to keep doing it, especially when you become an activist. it is difficult because you hear a lot of the advice from white people who pretend as if korean people are just like white people. there is so much that we do not understand. it is sometimes so lonely. i found that when you do things like stand up comedy more you stand up, even in a group of people that respect and love you, it is difficult. we feel like victims. the only antidote for victimization is confrontation. to not let someone else confront the oppression for you. you have to do it yourself. i have only found that -- yes, i had many facebook messages from korean messages who are supportive. some hit home the hardest because they were not supported

and they were people i knew. and your people that taught bible study every sunday. they said god does not forgive this. i have never had a role model in a lot of times in my life. somebody who's just like me. it is hard to find somebody to you is korean, and southern baptists, and gay. you have to do that for you. you have to do that for somebody else. you teach them that when you are bullied, even by the pass of bullying, it does not take much to believe we have the entire traditional culture on your site. one visible a hate crime and you. our community is unique to all the communities. the perpetrator of the eight

crimes -- hate crimes are by ourselves. we tell ourselves that we are not worthwhile. we think we will never amount to other people, especially when you're born to think that you're only value is how many children you make your korean mother. 12 of them. i understand that is not easy. the worst hate crime that anybody can inflict is the hate crime of suicide because they were not told by their parents or their entire community those words. my sister showed me this word, hold on when you feel like letting go. hold on.

he gets better. we all go through the pain. we have been through it. we are going through it with you. i know your question was specific to being caribbekorean. your power to come and share that with tears streaming down her cheek, that is a message to all people no matter what they are going through. it is going to be tough year. nobody said this would be easy. you made it to a good school. maybe you will wonder if you are going to give up? you will need to tell yourself to hold on. somebody may be sitting next to you smiling. you'd never think they're going through the toughest days of their lives. you tell them to hold on. he cannot be a shame to say that. we are good at hiding our

emotions. korean people are. when we help each other, and the best way is to stand up for ourselves. thank you for your question. [applause] >> alright. i want to thank you so much for serving and forgiving. my question is two part. do you consider yourself a core activist? >> it has so many ideas. there is is what i always e- mails me and said you're the stupidest person in the world because you use the word clear.

a recognize that many people do not understand the idea of queer. we do not say that in the military either. i did not start off saying this is the uniform of all americans, we still are struggling with transgender people in the military. [applause] i believe it is time to educate ourselves and to ab the discrimination of transgendered people in the military. did you know that when prince william got married, he invited his body from the royal air force whose transgendered? he is having gender reassignment surgery paid for by the british

military. along with the top 10 c ountries leading that charge, it is time for our military to realize the same. transgendered people have been serving for 235 years. just because we have no definition does not mean we have no excuse. the idea of queer income is is more than trends gender. more than iers is much transgender. the military does not believe that people should just die their hair green or fit into the idea of that queer construct. the word "queer" is in

inclusive and making a place for all people is what the military bytes for and what we do as americans and not just for certain kinds of people that have gender privilege and the privilege of fitting into a binary role, i believe that we have a long way to go to realize what it is that we are fighting for. anybody who wears his uniform price for two things, freedom and justice. i do not see anybody who wears his uniform fit to say that they did not fight for those things. if they do not comment they do deserve to wear the uniform. the shame of that incident was that there were people in our community that take themselves so much of it they are willing

to put that on display. that kind of behavior will need to be eradicated. you have to realize something about the media. within the sound bites we provide, people have a.d.d., the idea of making it and is shed is not offer is the entire hour to have such an audience. you heard only the small part of this ? >> we will go with that. >> i would is anybody who wonders how to fit in the totality of the gay movement, you cannot do it. you have to realize that some things you do have to capture people's attention. they have to dramatize situations. i recognize that it is hard to be an activist. in iraq, we would call them by

different names. we call them terrorists, detainees. if i do some of the things i do and this was iraq, i would be in guantanamo. i recognize that making that leak from being a military person to becoming an activist sometimes does not work in people's heads. in my mind, to do this work, it is an honor that does indicate -- vindicate my entire education. i learned as an activist why i thought. i learned as a soldier as an activist that all the discipline to continue on and to put yourself on the frontline,

those skills are transferable to activists. i would not say i would do anything different. my being an activist has made me a better soldier. my being a soldier has made me a better activists. >> i want to thank you for your perspective. i do steady god's word but not only god's word. [inaudible] i believe there is a god of love. i love being in this room. thank you for sharing of that you and your sister. my brother also came out ot me. i was the first person he came out to in the family after going to christian camp.

he may have found his calling to be a pastor. i am glad he found his somebody. i just want to say how is that process with your sister? i would love to meet her. he is the man of the family. my dad is not here. we grew up in a christian family. where do find that glove when that love when you constantly get rejected? >> for sure. thank you for that question. thank you for being an ally. special in that your brother

would come out to you. i will give the sister the opportunity to answer that. she's already embarrassed because you brought that up. meet you me yowill later. being a christian and gay is a seemingly double identity. i believe that we do god's work, especially when you look at jesus' story as well as many of the profits of the bible and many traditions. jesus was very discriminated against. he lived in the roman empire when his people were segregated and told that they were not all citizens and not have full access to the resources that the empire was saying available and why the roman empire was so great was because it was only

for those citizens. subjugation is nothing new. in the bible when you realize that jesus fought against many of the traditional religious scholars, when he talked to people as to his tactics and overturned tables and many say jesus was violent. he whipped donkeys. he said i will tear down this temple and build it up in three days. what do people focus on? i will tear down this temple. wow. this guy is a troublemaker. i believe that jesus and the stories and the lessons that he taught of disobedience and resistance, those lessons made

him the bulwark of civil disobedience. and the hallmark of what it means to be non-violent and non- legal in your civil resistance and disobedience for all of history. it inspired gondi and martin luther king. sometimes you must put yourself or intot lion's den that tough situation and put yourself out there on behalf of everybody else. when you teach those lessons, when you teach all of the lessons of jesus in totality, you will realize that even with the discrimination and religious stigma, and jesus was not treated very well at the end of the day.

i believe the legacy that he leaves not only for christians but people all over the world, no matter what the tradition, is priceless. if it did come sacrifice. when we talk about bearing the are buriedlgay people more than anyone. -- bearing it more than anyone. >> thank you. >> thank you. you have been an inspiration to me in being much more of a vocal ally of the gay and lesbian bisexual, transgendered movements. i grew up with a very conservative family where any support that i might have shunned for this movement had to be stifled otherwise. anybody here who has been facing any of that, i send you guys all

the love and support and everything i can. i will work as hard as i can to make sure you guys can have the same rights and privileges that i have got. i have a two-part question. i tweeted and thought about it. as somebody who is a straight out like, how else can i remove net? -- ally, how can i help the movement? >> other than making more babies? this is something that we learned from the civil-rights movement of the '50s and '60s when black students were sitting in lunch counters that were segregated. people were frustrated because they never got the media attention they deserved. even before greensboro and the

bunch counter made famous, many people were angry because it was only when white people joined them that they got the mass media attention that they did. there are many situations when a white person was murdered or beaten or killed that they finally started to understand the civil-rights movement. i recognize that in our movement we cannot ourselves do it all on our bond, but nobody else can do this work for us. nobody else can write the repeal in our hearts. some people can sign a piece of legislation. some people can make a declaration. it is up to the people to do that ourselves and abolish the "do not ask, do not tell" in our homes by violating the cultural

one we still have. we still need allies in that fight. the more you're able to educate people, the better. our movements is so unique because it is exponentially growing in momentum. the power is coming out. it is the only weapon coming that we have. the money in the media we do not control. we know that by coming out and not giving up, it that is one thing that only the people can do. other than that, as a street person, to continue coming out in the same way that we do as a straight alliy and to tell people why it is important to you. you probably get more pointed questions than i do by people who are free to ask about gay issues in the people who simply want to attack you for being a

straight ally. i realize that it is a very difficult journey. the need for people who can translate the message to other communities is absolute. the lesson that we learned is something that wwii taught us. a lutheran minister pointed out most eloquently why somebody should stand up for somebody else. he wrote "first they came for the jews. i did as the cut because i was not a jews. i did not speak up because i was not homosexual. and then they came from the trade unions. i did not speak of it i did not be long for the trade union. then they came for me. by that time there is nobody

left." when you recognize that the oppression and the oppressor that we face are the same people that want to take away the rights on every moment and all forms of justice then understand the idea of oppression. if that was too heavy for you, i will close with dodson. "hide your kids, hide your wife." i did not mean to make a light issue. they coming for you, homeboy. >> i'm a major public health education. i am not sure how familiar you would be not good terms of health care in that field. can you give any sort of a device to me as i am going

through tax coupled with being be ally and being a feminist and being able to work with the public? >> part of the problem is our messaging saw. we do not have a tradition on our side. we have to come up with new ideas. we need a longer sound byte,] . we have to understand that we on the values as much as people who want to keep their form of the values. we use the words of honor and understand it, such i to make up new words. when we roll this back, you take claim to those values. do not be ashamed of that. >> thank you.

>> i have a question from my friend to is currently in the baby. he wants to thank you for allowing him to serve this country. he has come out to everyone that he meet. he says i am gay and i can serve my country. his question to you is, what do you do when people tell you that you do not deserve to serve your country or to wear the uniform and protected because you are gay? what've i see you have to have to keep his spirits up? >> the arguments that many people have given as to why i do not deserve -- i know we've already talked about straight supremacy. the we have already talked about stereotypes and the difficulties in certain cultures. all of that applies but what are you so afraid of? i always play back to that if

you're willing to go and serve your country and take a bullet for your country and for your team, to assume you would be a comfortable and afraid is an indictment of you. let me be frank. many people said it was the showers or seeing people naked. there was a bought of discussion about whether we are going to have segregated showers or segregated bunks. what do you think happened when i went back to the military and came out on tv? nothing happened. something happened. everybody turned day. that is what happens. we were all doing the cancan. we were marching all uppity.

we shined our shoes. we wore tight pants. it was not that different. i would tell people when you are faced with that kind of difficult conversation, i was homophobic when i was growing up. i said some of the most straight the premises things. i called people fag and homo and "that's so gay." the best way to hide is to pretend that you are an enemy of what you are on the inside. do not just take that as a period. there is a 1996 study at the university of georgia, there is a method where they would put a

rubber band on a weiner and they would show these aggressive males and homophobes pornography. they always showed them straight pornography and then lesbian pornography and gay pornography. they showed news in between. it was not anderson cooper. s [laughter] so, they found through this study that the most virile and aggressive anti gay men were themselves were the most aroused by gay porn. i ask you to take a look at that. i will never forget that. most people who have something to hide do it not in a polite

way, but they try to hide it in as loud of a way as possible we know that is true. straight men or the real straight man and not really care about gay porn or sex. the only people who really do care about gay sex are gay men or gay people. what you are confronted with, you must ask them what do you have to hide? when someone confronts you with that kind of bigotry or that kind of ignorance, it is most important to come out to those people because they're the ones that need the most help. >> thank you for serving as here in the military and in the community. >> thank you.

>> thank you for joining us and giving us an intimate share. given the opportunity to join your team and be active in your duty, would you take that opportunity or the opportunity of being the next phase of the quality or would you choose? >> it is a false choice. i am going to continue to be an active this because that is what our country needs. i have an application to reenlist in the united states army. [applause] when you fight for justice, it never dies in a vacuum. it spreads to all people do need to hear that message.

when you talk about freedom and justice, when you talk about the reasons for this uniform, you put everybody on notice. you say you're struggling with anything, and then be inspired by those who choose both, and who choose not to see a dichotomy not to choose that false logic. serving your country comes in many forms. you serve your country by wearing that legalize gays shi rt. it is not just about military or discrimination but of people who are struggling. that is the reason why any of us take that oath to protect america. thank you very much. thank you everybody for your questions. thank you are coming out today. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> please join me once again in

welcoming lt. dan choi. >> tomorrow, a conversation on religion, ethics, and the 2012 campaign. peter weiner joins us. then an update on irna'an's nuclear plans. we will talk to rose. then a roundtable discussion on child care challenges in the u.s. journal" eachite hous"washingn morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> hear the prime-time programs. failed coup that led to gorbachev's resignation saturday at 10:00 eastern.

we revisit the americas the year after christopher columbus' arrival. the news editor for publishers marketplace, when the best sellers of 2011. tom brokow monday at 8. the fall schedule is online. >> at the national black caucus discusses job training. this is part of their annual conference held earlier this month. this is one hour and 10 minutes. >> before i introduce our president-elect, i would like to apologize to the panel for running behind. we started our breakfast late. we value your time. thank you very much for waiting

for us. representative joe armstrong. >> thank you. we certainly want to get on with this great panel. first, let me introduce our moderator. if you're at the luncheon, you would recognize the skill level of our moderator. she told it all. i think she told it all because she was so comfortable in person that interviewed her. did the person that interviewed is our moderator today. she is a free-lance correspondent to has worked for cnn, the public broadcasting system and also working for racing toward diversity magazine. she has a number of articles

that have been highlighted not only in this area and region but across the country. i can go on and talk about this young lady. i think she will demonstrate to you per charisma. let me introduce our moderator, miss jackson. she will take control of the program now. >> thank you very much. first we will start with everyone introducing themselves and telling us the title. >> i am the president and ceo of the chicago urban league. >> i represent mrs. smith. and the rev.. >> i am the assistant secretary for policy of the u.s. department of labour. >> i am an institute fellow at

the urban institute. i am president of economics at the american university in washington. >> ok. certainly the economy is on everyone's mind. i know we have legislators out here. we also have the c-span audience. people who are not normally involved in the economy are paying attention right now. with an unemployment rate over seven%. we have a difficult situation. we have a democratic president to be re- looking at this

elected. we hear graduate students talking about the economy. we just heard last week obama allied himself with fdr and made him believe that he will continue to get into debt to create jobs. he will continue to tax the rich in order to stimulate the economy. the on the other side are looking for the trickle-down theory. what exactly has to happen in order to fix the economy? >> in my view, we could have a mix of programs. that cannot be all that costly. i laid out a plan on the web sites.

it was about 60 billion. it created about 4 million jobs. i think we need to be more efficient in the way we create jobs. it seems silly that the social security tax reduction -- seems to me that the social security tax reduction will help people that are unemployed. i think there are more direct approaches that we're willing to take. one of them would be to stimulate a jobs and skills combination strategy. you can do that. south carolina has managed to double their apprenticeship program and a very short time with a very small tax credit. that is the direction i think we need to go. we need to be more efficient in the way we create jobs.

rather than have a more general tax reduction, tried to target the reduction on companies that expand employment. did that sort of thing. more ined to do something the housing area. i will leave that for later. >> i think it has been important that this conversation is focused on how we create jobs. the president has been focused on how we create jobs. he put a plan on the table. it is not the only answer. it is an important way where we can begin to have incentives for employers with capital on the sideline to get off the sidelines and start to higher and create more jobs -- to hire and create more jobs.

the incentives are very much under discussion right now. this is the way the public sector spend money. a couple of examples is going to put money into renovating schools. there is a huge need out there for american schools. average age is over 40 years old. they are in need of accreditation. they can be put back to work renovating schools. they have some additional public sectors. there is a great need. they are investing in infrastructure. he proposed a bank that will put thousands of construction

workers that were unemployed. they are making important upgrades across the country. it will get these people back to work. there seems to be some who are focused on everything but that having a discussion about these kinds of programs. >> i get to extend the answer. the head of ministration has been quite successful. we have added over 3 million jobs in private sector. when the election comes, what will be more important is that people see we are moving in the right direction. everyone knows that the government did not create this recession. this.ateinherited the dots that is important. it targets those areas that are

not going to be served by general increases in aggregate demand. while there is the tax cut, that is what is on the floor right now. congress took apart the president's complete vision of the american jobs act. there also provisions so that we can make sure and hire people who are in low income neighborhoods where we know this increase is not going to reach them. we need this in a sufficient way. it recognizes that we do have to train for the future. when you look at infrastructure and look at transportation, there were $500 million set aside so we could make sure and bring on our next cohort of workers that we know will need to diversify the set of workers better there.

then we need to modernize what we're doing with our unemployment insurance system so we can more effectively connect people back to work once they lose jobs. there are lots of provisions in there to address not just creating jobs but how can that people to the jobs that we are creating. there are lots of components if you look at the jobs at.

on that day, president obama reflected on the meaning of the moment, especially for you and your families. today, i would like to repeat what the president said in his remarks to the nation two months ago. "for us here in the united states, we are reminded today of all of the americans we lost at the hands of gaddafi's

terror. their families and friends are in our thoughts and in our prayers. we recall their bright smiles, their extraordinary lives, and their tragic deaths. we know that nothing can close the wound of their loss, but we stand together as one nation by their side." that is why we're here today. attorney general eric holder, fbi director robert mueller, members of congress, our scottish partners and our libyan friends. we stand together by your side. part of standing by your side is making sure that the end of the cruel regime does not mean the end of the pursuit of justice. our work is not done. today we want you to know that for those of us in government, our work is not done either. the government's investigation into the bombing of pan am 103 is still open.

the indictments are still pending. we have raised this investigation repeatedly with the new government of libya and the new leadership of libya understands the great importance that we attach to this matter. i am heartened by the words of the libyan ambassador. we are working diligently to gain access to any information or individuals associated with this case. i can promise you this. our commitment to pursuing justice for your loved ones, for your families, will not waver. as our nation goes forward, we draw inspiration from you, because over these past 23 years, you and your families have shown the american people the true meaning of strength and resilience. you have done what your loved ones would have wanted. you have carried on. even as your honor their

memory, you have continued to live. thank you for allowing me to share the stage with you once again, and may find some comfort in knowing that your loved ones live on in you and in the life of our nation which will never forget them. thank you. [applause] >> i said, who gives him the plaque? they said, you do. john, thank you so much. that is another speech that is going to go on our website, and we're very grateful. [applause] >> i had a lovely thing to say about our next speaker, but i'm going to have to make it real fast. last july, prion retired after 42 years in federal service, 36 of them representing the united states as a prosecutor employed

in several capacities by the department of justice. in 1989, bryan was assigned responsibility for the investigation into the bombing of pan am flight 103. he worked closely with the scottish police, the cia, and the fbi. in the fall of 1991, in close coordination with his colleagues in scotland and the criminal division of the department of justice, he presented the case to the grand jury which returned the indictment for the murder of 270 victims that we remember here today, and every day. it was a beautiful letter that was written by the daughter of

one of the victims. it was lovely, about how wonderful he was for her and her family in holland at the trial. i personally remember bryan when we got a verdict that he was guilty. i gave him the biggest hug and almost broke his neck. i would like to give him this plaque, from the victims of pan am flight 103, and this book. >> and a hug, too? thank you.

>> colleagues and friends, i am deeply grateful for this award and what it signifies, and your warm friendship. it is a privilege and an honor to represent the united states as an advocate for over 36 years. apparently, i also became a victim's advocate somewhere along the way. no surprise there, it has always been about the victims for me. i am truly humbled by this letter. i had no idea how simple act -- basically, i came up and they were sitting outside the courthouse shivering. i asked them if they had any questions. could have had such a profound and lasting impact. it does not get any better for feds, particularly retired feds. my only regret is that i was

not able to do more to bring all those responsible for the atrocity in lockerbie to justice. but it is not over yet, not by a long shot. in the counter-terrorism section of the national security division of the department of justice, the baton has been passed to my colleague of over 20 years. jennifer, anything you need, just ask. i would also ask the families to give her the same level of understanding and support you have given me. you've always understood when i said, i cannot tell you what is happening. you never pushed, and i am eternally grateful for that. to my scottish friends and colleagues, i extend the same offer. anything you want, just ask.

to all of my colleagues of the department of justice and the fbi, i wish you your best in the days to come. it is not going to be easy. please permit me to thank my wife of 42 years, margaret, who is shivering out there with all of you, who has made many sacrifices while i was away chasing criminals year after year. to all of the family members, thank you so much for letting me into your lives. i only wish it had been under different circumstances. god bless. see you next year. thank you very much. [applause]

♪ [bagpipe music]

>> wanted day's washington journal, a conversation on religious and ethics. then, an update on iran and north korea's nuclear programs. a look back at last year podgy arms treaty with russia a. later, a roundtable discussion on child care talent -- child care challenges in the u.s..

saturday at 10:00 eastern. charles mann reveted the americas the year after christopher columbus arrived at 11:45. and when morris on colonel teddy roosevelt. tom brokaw monday at 8:30 p.m. eastern. the full schedule is online at booktv.org. >> michele bachmann is thinking about running for president, which is weird because i hear she was born in canada. yes, michelle, this is how it starts. >> if it is amazing to be in

washington, d.c. with the history and these amazing buildings, yet here we are at the hilton. the red carpet outside was a rate -- was amazing. who are you wearing? what does it matter. i am going into a hilton's. coverage, the white house correspondents' dinner ranked among you to's top 10 political videos. watch it on line at our youtube and channel -- youtube channel. >> neck, the founders of ben and jerry's, at -- ice-cream talk about activism. they spoke of the national press club and took questions.

>> we will take questions from others in the audience. please keep your questions fairly brief and to the point because we would like to be able to get in as many questions as time allows. everyone asking questions, please identify yourself before asking and state the agency or organization that you represent. before we get started, i would

like to mention a few upcoming events that may be of interest. at 10:00 a.m. wednesday, the news makers committee will host a panel of leaders from solar energy companies to discuss what they say is at the critical importance of congress ending the treasury department audrey grant program greeted the news maker forum will take place in the clinton-murrow room. we will have a detailed analysis of the solar market's of growth, which is doing well despite the solyndra bankruptcy and subsequent speculation about the help of this sector. on the same day, this winter, jim cantori will share a

highlights of his 25 years apart covering the weather at at a luncheon out in the club ballroom. at 9:00 a.m. friday, irena, director-general of the united nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization, will issue a statement and take questions regarding the cut in u.s. funds to the organization following the vote of unesco's general conference to admit palestine as a member-state. this will take place in the club room. before we get started, please turn off all your cell phones and other gadgets. we are already getting some noise. invariably, we will have more if you do not turn them off. ok? now, our guests.

ben cohen and jerry greenfield, co-founder of ben and jerry's inc., will explain how they share many of the values supported by the occupied wall street movement because they consider it will help get more americans back to work. they want to talk about why and how business leaders should work to reduce economic inequality and helped create the changes called for by demonstrators. they helped build a store front a venture into a $300 million at ice-cream empire by making social responsibility and creative management strengths instead of weaknesses. cohen was born in new york. the two met in junior high and

have been close friends ever since. they are joined today by the ceo of ben and jerry's -- down on the end -- and the chairman of the board of ben and jerry to answer questions about the company's progressive values and the strong support for the occupy movement. i understand mr. thurmond would like to open with a statement. is that correct? the right ahead. -- go right ahead. "good morning. i guess mic check is important. i am happy to be here and to occupy the national press club, even if for just an hour. i have been with the company since it started. i am currently chair of the board of directors. i want to talk a little bit

about our relationship with unilever and why the board of directors issued a statement to support the occupy movement within 2.5 weeks after it started and a little bit about why i think businesses should support the occupied movement. basically what it is, we have a board of directors that was established when the company was sold. this board of directors was given contractual rights to two of the three main missions of the company. we have the right to force and control the social mission of the company, to make it continue on for ever. our agreement goes on through perpetuity. that is one of our main functions. we operate just like a board and those contractual rights are very firm and very real. the other one is the mission to make sure the product continues to taste good.

i hope it still does. you can probably report on that better than i. that is essentially our role. we have a board -- we have 11 seats on the board. the big zero are held by u -- nine are held by unilever folks. with the occupied movement started, two weeks later we at issued a statement of support. we're deeply touched by their courage and their commitment to nonviolence, their spirit of generosity, they're caring for each other, they're giving voice to the unheard, and for the need they articulated so clearly for a more just economic system. for all these and more, we offer our deepest gratitude and respect. these values are those that we as individuals and as ben and jerry's as a company have tried

to live by. we understand that we are a business. we understand that we are a wholly owned subsidiary of unilever. yes, it is a complicated and complex marriage. but we do not believe you have to use your humanity at home because you run a business. in fact, we believe you must bring that humanity in. once you bring it in, from the board level to ever did -- every decision that you make, the opportunity expands. we visited occupy boston, occupy washington, occupy a geneva, and others. i have scooped ice cream at these venues. you are forced to step in the same place for a couple of hours. that is when you pick up the rhythm and the culture of occupy. it is from those visits that i feel like commitment and the commitment of the company has

grown stronger. the occupiers and raise the issues of economic inequality. this is been an issue and concern for the company. one of the incredible successes of the movement is how it has given the issue more exposure and relevance than at any time since the war on poverty -- you may remember that -- or dr. king's march on washington. neither of these efforts have the support of business. we are here today to try to encourage other businesses, large and small, to join us and to add their actions, voices, and resources to this non- violent effort. i will focus on a couple of reasons -- small businesses that have less than 20 employees make up more than half of the number of businesses in the united states. they are truly part of the 99%.

they are part of their community. they survived on the relationships in their community. they are engaged in the community. when their community struggles, they struggle. when their community succeeds, they succeed. they have more in common with the 99% than the 1%. the 1% is not very interested in having the small businesses join their ranks. many years ago -- 25 years ago -- ben and jerry's was faced with a large business. we were very small. haagen-dazs was owned by pills barry at the time. pillsbury required all of their distributors to stop selling at been injuries. this was a clear antitrust violation, but we did not have the resources to fight them in court, to hire fancy lawyers, and to wait the time to get the issue resolved. jerry went to pills barry's head

-- headquarters and protested. now, because of occupy, there are thousands around the country who would have joined him in that endeavor. the citizens united case is increasing influence of the 1%. the small farmer, local food producer, alternative energy provider, mom-and-pop retail store, a local credit union, and scores of others will have to wait a bit longer for something to trickle down. every day we hear about some government awarded contract, some meeting happening between the haves and our elected -- elected officials. in the u.s., we must the money out of politics. many years ago, someone said we could have a democracy or we could have great wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but we cannot have both. we choose democracy. the ceo, the founders, the

board, and the management of ben and jerry's are in it for the long haul so that we can help them towards more justice. thank you. before i sit down, i want to introduce the man following me. i am very lucky to be chairman of the board. he is a pleasure to work with. thanks. [applause] >> good morning. i am the ceo of ben and jerry's. i am usually the guy who speaks after the introductions and before the ones that everybody came to see -- been an gery. -- ben and jerry. i also want to say every ceo of every company has a board of founders as committed, as

dedicated as ben and jerry, i'd think the world would be a better place. to run a business in that environment is an incredible experience for me. it is something i truly cherish. today, i am here to discuss a call to action for other businesses to join us in supporting the occupy wall street movement. i want to explain why i think it is good for business to support the 99%. we have to do with the first obvious question -- what does that to do with ice cream? you think you can assault this by launching another crazy been in jerry's flavor? maybe, maybe not. ice-cream is never wrong. it never does any harm. i also think that steven cole their bills very strongly about his flavor -- steven colbert feels very strongly about his

flavor. we have some consumers out there. freeze peach. we have not totally given up on that. i think it has everything to do with ice cream. it has everything to do a pizza, cars, soap. they are regular folks. the 99% of the engine of the economy. they represent the majority of consumption in america. they are the key customers in a ministry economy. they should be the focus of the economy. after all, the 99% each more ice cream than the 1%. i think that is why the occupied movement and the 99% is a huge opportunity for business in america. the business -- the been injuries the does model is not a new model -- the ben and jerry's business model is not a new model.

we operate under a mission statement that tried to articulate a sustainable corporate model -- model of late prosperity. it sounds pretty fancy. we have a three partnership statement where we lay out equally. our economic mission -- give a great return to shareholders and make a sustainable model that can be copied. our social mission -- how we contribute to the common good of our society and our community? we look at every decision through those three things. why should anyone else to do this democrat why should all businesses support the 99%? first of all, they are your customers. we are ice-cream guys, we are not economists. we do believe the middle-class is the core driving force of consumption in america. our political and economic ecosystems are unbalanced

because they are top-heavy. they serve the taught very well, but too often the middle and the bottom -- this is true on a national and a global level. at the end of the day, people work in our offices and factories. they buy our products. they grow our ingredients. they pay the taxes that build the roads, the water treatment facilities, the phone lines, the schools. shared prosperity or people centered prosperity is really the only type of economic model that can have a sustainable success. i think even some economists might agree with us. competition is at the heart of our economic system. we all lose if great companies are not able to compete because of the powerful link to the political system and the corporate special interests of the 1%. everybody at to play by the same

rules. that is how we create healthy competition that creates economic growth for everyone. thirdly, a consumer loyalty -- if you have not noticed, the world is changing. the 99% are your consumers. with the social media revolution, they are increasingly -- they increasingly know everything about your company. it is no longer just a badge or bran with a price in a benefit. people will increasingly choose products that have a positive impact on their community and a minimum impact on the environment. that is at the heart of the ben and jerry's philosophy. finally, the success of any business depends on the dedication and commitment of their employees. they are the 99%. they do give more. they do perform better. they find a solution to our challenges. they know that the company they work for has embraced this

greater role in society. this is certainly true at ben and jerry's. this is one of the most powerful forces of change on the planet. acquiescing or the last years, when people get together and demand a change, you better listen varian they can be an event -- you better listen. they can be an even more powerful force for change. other businesses must listen to the 99%. we think america has some of the most talented politicians and policy-makers in the world. our job is to make sure that they can get on with their jobs representing the 99% without the undue influence of the 1%. that is why we are committed to giving corporate money out of politics in the united states. we believe corporate money hampers our ability to make progress on almost any issue

because it takes away accountability of government to the 99%. in january of this year, 2011, then and jerry's was a founding member of business for democracy. it brings the this is together to oppose the supreme court's misguided citizens united ruling. it allows corporations to spend unlimited funds to support candidates for office. this seems a far cry for government of the people, by the people, for the people. in 2012, we will start a campaign to get the dough out of politics. we will work to solve the unreasonable influence upper corporations. we need the momentum of the occupied movement to make it happen. business is -- business as usual

is not going to do it. that is why occupy wall street comes into it. thank you. now at i am going to hand it over to jerry. [applause] >> good morning. nice to see everyone. it is really a pleasure to be here. i would like to speak about how i got connected with occupy wall street. then and i both a live in vermont. -- ben and i both live in vermont. we are not where things happen, but we followed what happened at occupy. a couple of weeks after it started, i had an opportunity to be in new york city. i stopped by occupy. it was inspiring. i saw people who were committed,

awful, dedicated -- thoughtful, dedicated, and people engaged in one of the greatest activities that has led to the progress in our country becoming what it is today, and gazed in protest against inequality and injustice. -- engaged in protest against inequality and injustice. they have played by all the rules are in the system. they had an education, work hard, had jobs, lost jobs, and after everything, they had nothing to show for it, or, in some cases, even less than that. they had huge debts. it became clear that we were operating in a system that was not really working for people. it was not the american dream that we had all been told about. i went back to vermont a couple

of weeks later. ben and i went back to occupy wall street. we scooped ice cream. what i learned in addition to the fact that occupiers enjoy ice-cream as much as anyone else, i was a little concerned that we might not be welcomed so much -- that we were business people. i was concerned that occupy was going to be anti-business. what i found were they were not anti-business. they are anti-a system that advantages the few and does not give opportunity to the many. a system that increases the wealth and income gap -- the enormously growing income and wealth gap between the rich and

the poor. a system which gives corporations enormous power over our political system. feeling good that i was not being projected as a business person, ben and i continue to visit more occupy sites. i scooped ice-cream at occupy seattle. i scooped by scream at occupied detroit. -- occupy detroit. after talking to people and being with people, what becomes clear is something that i know something that you know something that we all know in our heart of hearts that the system is rigged. we all know it. we do not talk about it. we kind applaud on through our

lives, struggling as that -- we kind of plod on through our allies, struggling as best we can. the system is rigged. its advantages the wealthy. be other people do not get an opportunity. i was thinking about bringing along a song today, thinking of having some theme music when i walked in. i was to bring along the leonard cohen song "everybody knows." " everybody knows that the dice are loaded." it is so esoteric, probably nobody would get it. we are engaged, in helping to raise money for occupy wall street. we joined in a group of several other businesspeople and some

occupy folks. we will raise money for some basic infrastructure needs at occupy wall street that have become more apparent since the movement has been evicted from the part. we will be raising money for some assembly space, for some office space, or some computers and things like that. i am really thrilled we are able to help in some small way to show our support. i am thrilled that ben and jerry's is here today, publicly expressing its support. ross is very much, and here is -- thank you very much, and here is ben. [applause] >> hi. i am happy to have the honor to be here with you today.

i have personally been inspired by the occupy wall street movement because i believe it had the power to finally wrested control of our country from corporations and the wealthy and return our country to a place that is of the people, by the people, for the people. call me naive, but i believe -- that is what they told us in elementary school. over the last few weeks, the old order has been shutting down occupy encampments around the country. they may have succeeded in forcibly evicting peaceful protesters from some parts, but you cannot evict an idea with -- evict an idea whose time has come. brut, violent force whether perpetrated by the military or by police in riot gear can no

longer contain people who are oppressed, whether it is over there in countries run by dictators, or over here where our country is run by giant corporations. the internet, a social networking, and smart phones have forever changed the balance of power between the people and those who try to control them in their own narrow self-interest. now that ordinary people can communicate with each other without being filtered in real time, the people are truly powerful. in just two short months, occupy wall street has succeeded in unmasking america's dirty little secret. over the last three decades, the income of the top 1% grew more than the income of the entire

bottom 90%. today, the u.s. as the fifth largest spread between rich and poor of every country in the world. it is now common knowledge that 1% of our population owns 40% of the wealth. the overall message of occupy wall street is that this did not happen by accident. it is the result of tax policies, trade policies, subsidies, labor lost, regulations, or lack thereof -- labor laws, regulations or lack there of, and things done by corporations, many who have privatized profits. or to put -- or to put it in occupied wall street message -- banks get bailed out, we got

sold out. what the movement is saying is that it does not have to be that way. we can create a system that works for everyone, but in order for that to happen, we need to create a system where everyone's voice is equal. one-person, one-vote -- not $1, one vote. the movement has been criticized because it does not have a concise list of demands. but the demands are clear. stop running the country in the narrow self-interest of the rich and powerful. return to the ideals that the country was founded on. it is about values, fairness, equality, justice. but if you want specifics, i would give you a few that the movement would not hesitate to embrace.

resend corporate personhood. corporations have become too powerful and too greedy. corporations were originally designed to serve the interests of the public. now it seems that it did the public that serves the interest of corporations. the concept of corporate personhood, that corporations, a legal construct whose purpose is to maximize profits, deserves the same constitutional -- constitutional and alienable rights as people is an absurd. here is another one but would go down well with peaks occupy crowd. get money out of politics. i mean really get money out of politics. i will even throw in a third. institute a financial transactions tax. that would generate $200 billion a year and the cost is miniscule

-- 0.03% of the transaction cost. rescinding the absurdities that corporations are people and money is free speech requires a constitutional amendment. i used to think that passing a constitutional amendment was next to impossible. but now that the occupy 99% movement has the potential, it can create a broad based nonpartisan force that had the power to make a constitutional amendment 8 reality. i think the most important moment for me, the most interesting moment for me when i was scooping ice cream in the park is when a clean-cut, 20- something year-old came to me and said, "i do not get it. you are a one percenter.

what are you doing supporting the 99%?" that is how bad things have become. our kids have grown up in a world where operating in your own self interest has become so much the norm that not doing so is incomprehensible. fairness and justice is not about self interest. it is about doing what is right. the stuff in the bible and upon all religions are based is not about self-interest. it did the idea that we are all in this together. capitalism and the common good can coexist and thrive if only government could create a level playing field on which to do so. with all the evictions going on, some people may think that the occupied by 9% movement is

winning. after spending the last several predict the occupy 99% movement is waning. the movement is alive and well. you cannot evict an idea whose time has come. this is the beginning of the beginning. [applause] >> we are going to open it to questions. give us your name, organization, and keep your question to the. please. thank you. >> i am bob. [unintelligible] haleh it -- i was at the park a week ago.

why do more corporate leaders they pay a successful 99% is a way to make the top 1% richard? -- richer? is it that they do not get it or is it something else? >> why do the other guy's not get it? -- other guys not get it? misguided self-interest. i think they do not yet realize

that reducing economic disparity and getting more money into the hands of people who do not have a much is actually going to cause a situation where those people buy more of their products. you know, who was it -- all truth goes through three stages. first it is ridiculed. second, it is violently opposed. third, it is accepted as being self-evident. we are at the very beginning of that curve. "corporations are notoriously slow to react. [laughter]

>> i am going to try to answer the question briefly. it comes from a fear that once you open your heart to the issue of what is happening to the millions of people in this country who do not eat and, not only the work force, but this whole thing going on in the united states -- you are afraid it will be a never ending. it did the rigidity of opening your heart because from a lot of folks, not only in the business world, but other places. that fear keeps them from saying less try to make a difference in this country for all those folks. thanks. >> [unintelligible]

are you at ben jerry's involved in giving? [unintelligible] >> i think it is really important. we are not advocating the companies should not take a public stance in their own name. we are demanding that companies do. what we are advocating is do not spend money and by elected officials. i think that is the biggest ancient. -- the big distinction. companies have a duty to explain their policies, what they want to do, and their point of view. when need a clear segregation of those interests.

>> the woman in the back -- >> ben and jerry's does not contribute any money to partisan politics. and never has. the obama flavor came after he was elected. it was a way to celebrate a new presidency. >> i just want to pick up on -- [unintelligible] >> we are heading up to new york of just after this and meeting up with a bunch of folks there.

the key for us is to tap into the occupied movement. it will be our big initiative for 2012. it is also a really important to involve people. this is a democratic movement. we did not want to hijack it. we want to be part of it. we can be fabulous partners in civil society. if we keep doing what we are doing, we are not going to generate any results. that is why the "get the dough out the politics" campaign is focusing on. we will do another flavor -- maybe. we have a couple of options on the table. we have not drawn the final straw yet. >> it seems to me that you have a mission to protect your

compact. [unintelligible] do you have something like a 10 commandments of ethical behavior? >> no, i have not been up to the mountain.

[laughter] i do not have the tablet. i have seen some that other people have come up with. i think jeffry hollander came up with some -- there is a lot of different ideas for how corporations should be paid at. i want -- should behave. in terms of the perpetuity issue, i believe we should go back to the original construct a corporations, which is that they were only granted charters by the states in order to serve as the public interest. if a state believed that a

corporation with no longer serving the public interest, they could revoke that charter. i do not think we should have corporations in perpetuity. >> at ben and jerry's, it is about the system that we created repeat, board and a very stated mission. there is also the bigger view, the benefit corporation movement. the benefit corporation movement will allow all companies to sign up to assess. -- assist. it is transfer -- transparent for everyone to see. it is a socially responsible way to do business. >> [unintelligible]

>> the short answer is yes. [laughter] to be frank, we work with a large group of companies pretty much on an ongoing basis. when we put our statement out and i look around, there was not a big crowd out of there. the criticisms that then alluded to was very quick to get a bunch of risk managers in to say it was uncomfortable. it was uncomfortable because it would demanding change, it did not asking for change. it is demanding change. i think business leaders like myself are much more comfortable when we are in solution mode

than when we are in protest mode. as this movement transforms itself from being pure protest and a strong call for change and starts embracing the type of change we need to do, i think they will come on board because vacancy the self-interest in that. >> [unintelligible] a referred to it as the tip of the iceberg prepared -- tip of the iceberg. can you speak to that? can you speak more generally? [unintelligible]

>> i think one of the tenants of occupy wall street is to speak with us, not for us. the particular initiatives that i mentioned -- corporate person and, recinding the supreme court decision that equated free money with free speech -- all of the things occupiers would be quite in favor of. that is just a few of the things. no, it does not totally solve

all of the problems, but i do believe that the root cause of a lot of the problems is that corporations have the same rights as people. i think that would go a long way toward helping things. i think it will. 80% of the population, once they understand that, also believed it is an absurd that corporations are considered to be people. i think it is a good place to start. >> anyone else? >> i would add a little bit to that. i agree completely with what ben said. we have not the most power in areas where we have our

credibility. i think it is the strengths -- it is a strength of our to say we want to limit our we have. that is a good place for us to start a company. it means more and it is more real. that is one of the reasons we are looking to do that in the area of corporate personhood. >> you said not many companies or supporting the occupy m ovement. [unintelligible] >> it is individuals we are working with. >> you mentioned voluntarily

working with corporations. you want to ask corp. is to pledge that even under the citizens united this isn't they can spend a money of the elections, but they are voluntarily not going to do that. i wonder whether you would support a pledge campaign were corporations across the country in the year 2012 we choose not to with respect to our corporate shareholders. [laughter] [laughter]