RevKess and KaliSara discuss the 2015 State of the Union Address from President Barack Obama. On Tuesday 20 January 2015, President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union Address to Congress and the nation, indeed to the world. It was televised and streamed live on the internet, video recording and audio are available on various websites. RevKess watched the live stream from the White House YouTube channel. You can read the full transcript and listen to the audio through NPR. You can also read and hear Sen. Joni Ernst’s official GOP response on NPR. If you wish to fact check the State of the Union, visit this site.
Though Obama addressed many issues and plans for the administration moving into the next year or so, KaliSara and RevKess only addressed a handful of them. In just under an hour, Obama talks about many issues that are important to both the Pagan community and the citizens of the United States. In a two hour broadcast, your hosts only had time to discuss a few of them.
- Minimum Wage
NYTimes.com – Click to Enlarge
- Housing
- Health Care – including daycare expense
- Net Neutrality
- Community College for 2 years
- First SOTU reference to Civil Rights for the gay, lesbian, AND bisexual, AND transgender community in the United States
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
- Some of the 2016 Presidential contenders respond to SOTU
RevKess was personally pleased to hear the inclusion of both bisexuals and transgender citizens when Obama addressed civil rights for all. As KaliSara sarcastically said (with humor, not derision), “He thinks they’re human!” Previous Presidents may have mentioned gays and lesbians, but this the first time a sitting President has included bisexuals and transgender people in such an important speech.
Other News
- First Church of Wicca reopens – The Wild Hunt covers the story
- first same-sex Pagan couple to be legally married in Scotland – The Wild Hunt covers the story
- RevKess gets syndicated – RevKess’s article from 15 January 2015 on freedom of speech/expression on PaganActivist.com was syndicated on 22 January on Penton Independent Alternative Media in South Africa
- upcoming book releases from KaliSara – both her College “guide” and her children’s book
Many news stories of interest to the Pagan community were left out of this week’s edition due to time constraints. Tune in next week for more news and views for the Pagan minded.
MUSIC
- Chronilus – The Wild in Me – Threshold
- Celia – Mysterious Shaman – Shaman Journey
- Tuatha Dea (feat. Damh the Bard) – Irish Handfasting – The Tribe
Pagan-Musings Podcast Channel 