eBLAST 050409
1. A Supreme Nomination: On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama made his greatest decision to date. He nominated the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court bench. Justice Sotomayor is overwhelmingly qualified and defies dubious criticism. Her curriculum vita excels that of any current Supreme Court Justice when they came onto the bench. We believe her tenure will match that of the great Thurgood Marshall and Earl Warren. For this, we are elated, motivated and prepared to do all we can to ensure her confirmation. Write your senator today and solicit their vote for this remarkable nominee.
2. The Ideal State Procurement Program: On June 1, 2009, NBCC President/CEO will make a presentation before the House of Representatives of the State of Pennsylvania. They are looking for ideal state programs that can be emulated or act as a best practice for future legislation. If any of you want to contribute your ideas or opinion regarding this matter please send comments to halford@nationalbcc.org.
3. Admiral Gravely’s Legacy is Honored: On May 16 in Pascagoula, MS, the family of the late Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. stood and watched as the newest Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer was christened the USS Gravely in honor of his impeccable service for his nation via the US Navy. Vice Admiral Gravely broke the “color barrier” in the Navy and left the door open for thousands of other worthy personnel. Today, Black field grade officers in the Navy and the rest of the military are almost too many to count.
4. Big Questions about the Energy Bill: HR 2454, the Waxman-Markey Bill, is confusing and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Because of this the NBCC commissioned a study of the Energy Bill by the CRA Group. The study finds that it will cause extreme cost increases for modest income families and small businesses and does not support the claim that “Green Jobs” will adequately replace the definite loss of traditional jobs. In sum, there seems to be a certainty that Blacks and other low income groups will pay the lion’s share of the costs without adequate benefits to justify this. Also, there is no certainly that Green House emissions will be reduced worldwide. There are a lot of loose ends and the NBCC cannot support this Energy Bill until our questions and concerns are answered or addressed. For a copy of the study you can go (here).
5. Broadband Summit: In support of the Stimulus Bill, the NBCC continues its Broadband Summits that give technical support to our affiliate chapters and friends on how to take advantage of the $7.2 billion in grants for deploying Broadband Access (Internet capacity) in unserved and underserved communities. Our next summit is at the Chicago South Loop Hotel in downtown Chicago on June 12, 2009. We have also booked Washington, DC in July, Tuskegee, AL in August and Miami in September. Other events will be announced as they evolve. The Chicago event is free but you must register via jedwards@nationalbcc.org. For an agenda please go (here)
. To book hotel rooms for $95.00 please call 312-225-7000.
6. 17th Annual Convention: The time to register for our 17th Annual Convention is now! The registration rate of $199.00 will increase to $299.00 on June 5 (here). The venue is the 5 star Fairfax on Embassy Row Hotel in Washington, DC. To reserve a room at the convention rate of $189.00 per night click here or call (202) 293 – 2100. For more information please click (here) The Toxic Avenger film
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7. Energy Project Contest: We are organizing a national contest for college students. We want to award the best business plan for a renewable or alternative energy enterprise. We have secured $25,000 cash in prizes so far and will seek more sponsorship. Stay tuned as the details will follow.
