Boehner, Obama relationship tested in debt fight

WASHINGTON — The fight over the debt ceiling has became a dramatic leadership take a look at for President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, opponents in an exceedingly divided government who've gone from negotiating in secret to facing off in public at a watershed moment for the country and their own political careers.

As the standoff enters its unsure endgame, it's unclear that of them can commence ahead — or if the 2 leaders can rise or fall beside days left to strike a deal and stave off a probably catastrophic default on U.S. monetary obligations.

After Boehner succeeded in maneuvering Obama to the sidelines and grabbing management of the talk, the speaker's standing was abruptly thrown into question late Thursday when he didn't muster the required votes from tea party-backed conservatives to pass debt-ceiling legislation opposed by Obama and Senate Democrats. Boehner revised the bill to create it a lot of palatable to conservatives, however the delay and disarray undercut the speaker's claim to be the accountable leader, giving Obama another gap to undertake to secure that mantle for himself.

Obama quickly deployed his distinctive bully pulpit, asking the general public Friday to place pressure on lawmakers. "If you wish to ascertain a bipartisan compromise — a bill will|which will|that may} pass each homes of Congress which I can sign — let your members of Congress recognize," Obama exhorted. Congressional phone lines were flooded.

Indeed throughout the twists and turns of the talk Obama and Democrats have gave the impression to commence on high politically, with polls showing that the general public thinks Republicans are being less cheap and want to compromise because the 2012 presidential election approaches.

Yet by most accounts, Boehner and his Republicans have already won on policy, forcing a national conversation regarding debt and pushing Obama to concentrate on historic spending cuts and drop demands for brand new taxes. "If you are spending extra money than you are taking in, you wish to pay less of it," Boehner said.

Now the question is how it ends.

Boehner can be forced to swallow a compromise opposed by enough tea party conservatives to create a threat to his speakership. Meanwhile, Obama is holding out for his one remaining criterion, a compromise that ensures the debt ceiling are raised till 2013.

A last-minute crisis-averting deal might prove a bitter victory at best.

If they do not pull it off, though, Obama might go down because the president who lost the country' triple-A credit rating, and Boehner because the House speaker who let it happen.

The consequential developments have played out around a first-term president and newly elected speaker who've cast a solid if not significantly heat operating relationship, shot through with moments of deep frustration.

Personally, the 2 have very little in common. Boehner, 61, may be a laid-back, typically emotional small-business owner from Ohio; Obama, 49, a cerebral and aloof law professor from Chicago. Their off-the-clock socializing up to now started and ended with a game of golf in June.

The two men achieved one major legislative win along after they reached a deal to stave off a government shutdown in April. they need a ways that to travel before they forge a relationship to rival the storied pairings of predecessors like President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O'Neill.

But aides to each men note that they trust one another enough to possess begun operating along on a so-called grand discount of historic spending cuts, Medicare reform and tax will increase, though aides differ regarding whose plan it had been. Boehner's camp says the speaker pushed the president toward the large deal in an exceedingly conversation throughout their game of golf, whereas White House aides say Obama already wished to travel in that direction.

Although every blamed the opposite when the deal subsequently went south, the very fact that they could not pull it off had very little if something to try to to with their personal relationship, analysts said. Boehner was contending with a tea party-influenced caucus able to revolt over tax will increase, whereas Obama held out for a significant package that would dramatically impact the deficit whereas taking the debt ceiling off the table through the 2012 presidential election.

"By the time we tend to ought to June, it might are Jesus within the White House and Buddha leading the House of Representatives and it isn't clear to me that talks would have reached a substantially totally different conclusion," said Bill Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings establishment.

That hasn't kept the ups and downs of their relationship from being analyzed sort of a celebrity summer romance, a narrative Obama himself played into earlier this month once Boehner pulled out of talks with him for the second time.

Obama complained that Boehner hadn't been returning his calls and added wryly, "I've been left at the altar currently one or two of times."

For his half, Boehner said that Obama had "moved the goal posts" by putting a lot of taxes on the table, and contended that negotiating with the White House was like dealing "with Jell-O."

At times the mutual recriminations are strikingly similar.

"The question is, What are you able to say yes to?" Obama asked of House Republicans.

"The president wouldn't take yes for a solution," Boehner complained.

The conflict peaked Monday, when Obama delivered a prime-time address on the debt — and Boehner, having determined to not let Obama's appearances go unanswered, requested and got tv time to follow him. That presented a spectacle sometimes seen solely on the evening of the State of the Union address, when the president addresses the state and a member of the opposition party rebuts him.

But as Boehner walked far from the microphones, he created a comment not meant to be overheard by reporters: "I did not register for going mano a mano with the president." Aides said it had been an expression of the speaker's humility and therefore the surreal nature of the events unfolding. however a pitched rivalry with the House speaker won't be specifically what Obama signed up for, either.

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Announcement: Urgent Disaster Relief for Japan

2011-03-11 An earthquake at 8.9 on the Richter scale struck Japan on March 11th centering about the northeast coastal region of Japan is declared to be the most unprecedented quake ever recorded in the history of Japan. The quake was found to have originated from the ocean floor which brought on huge tsunami waves engulfing inland infrastructures, buildings, automobiles and farms. According to report, Aumori County, Miyagi County, Iwate County and Fukushima County and other northeast coastal areas which border Pacific Ocean have been vastly devastated leaving behind ruins and swampy wasteland everywhere. There are some 1800 residential buildings that were demolished and drenched in Fukushima County alone; over 300 buildings in Ofunato City of Iwate County were destroyed by the quake; Sendai Airport and Matsushima Air Force Base have partially submerged under water after the tsunami onslaught. In Wakabayashi District of Sendai City, police have discovered 300 dead bodies in the ruins. Largely, transportation by sea, air and land are disabled; electricity and communications are cut off. The whole city of Kesennuma is almost submerged under water. Fishing vessels were overturned by the tsunami waves causing flammable fuel in the vessels to leach out which eventually caught fire and burned. Subsequently, the fires from the vessels floated along with the flowing water and were carried off to multiple areas of Kesennuma City causing a widespread of fire to residential homes and flammable materials. Once the fire spreaded on, there was no way to extinguish it as the circumstances stood. Explosions were heard every now and then as the spread of fire continued. Upon daybreak, the whole city of Kesennuma already became a sea of fire raging ruthlessly. After the major quake has occurred, some 50+ after-shocks ensued in the region; most regional areas underwent quakes that measured at least 6.0 on the Richter scale which further terrified the surviving residents. A petroleum refinery plant on the outskirts of Tokyo City also suffered a raging fire spewing flames into the sky. There were over 80 fire incidents reported in the disaster-stricken region. The state of emergency is urgent which distresses the people throughout. So far there are over ten thousand fatalities and the number is still growing. Numerous civilians were drowned, buried alive and trapped underneath heavy building rubbles awaiting rescue. Numerous survivors are in urgent, desperate need of water, food, medical treatments and temporary shelters. True Buddha Foundation is appealing to all True Buddha temples, chapters and fellow disciples/devotees to call forth the Four Magnanimous Mindsets, namely, Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Impartiality as professed by our Grand Master to help save the Japan earthquake-tsunami disaster victims. Everybody ought to recite the Great Relief for Calamities Mantra as many times as possible: Ta chir za za la, ta chir lu low li, maha lu low li, a la mo la, dor la, soha and practice True Buddha Tantra Dharma, conduct Bardo Deliverance Ceremony or Dharma Assembly and transfer all the merits acquired from the above activities to the afflicted souls of the Japan earthquake-tsunami victims as such: ``Souls of the calamity victims be rid of fear and be delivered to the Pure Land of Buddha; may the disaster relief work and post-disaster recovery and rebuilding work proceed smoothly without a hitch.`` All are to be forthcoming in effectuating the disaster relief work; those with monetary means should donate to the disaster relief cause; those with manpower should volunteer themselves to the disaster relief cause. Help the disaster victims recuperate and rebuild their homes. Disaster relief by monetary donation can be done in the following ways: (Be sure to indicate on the remittance paperwork that the donated money is intended for ``Japan Disaster Relief Fund`` True Buddha Foundation will appropriate the fund to World Lotus Light Charity Foundation. The fund will henceforth be funneled to the International Disaster Relief Foundation.) (1) Via internet: www.tbsn.org (2) By remittance: make check payment payable to ``True Buddha Foundation`` Mailing address: 17110 NE 40TH COURT, REDMOND, WA 98052, U.S.A. Telephone: (425)885-7573 Fax: (425)883-2173 Thanks to all temples, chapters and fellow devotees for evoking the compassion to save the victimized sentient beings! Cordially, World True Buddha Foundation Board of Committees

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Memunguti Tahi dan Kencing

Memunguti Tahi dan Kencing

 

Oleh Maha Mula Acharya Liansheng

Diterjemahkan oleh Zhiwei Zhu

Saat ibu masih hidup dulu, ia sering berkata pada kami:

'Kalian itu saya besarkan dengan 'memunguti tahi dan kencing.' (dengan susah payah).

Ia berkata lagi: 'Pada saat tangan menggendong anak, saat itu barulah memahami perasaan orangtua.' (Artinya adalah, pada waktu kita mempunyai anak, baru memahami beratnya beban menjadi orangtua.)

Aku pada saat itu tidak merasakan apa-apa setelah mendengar kata-kata itu. Masa-masa pertumbuhan saat itu, didalam hati-Ku bahkan berpikir: 'Ibu pemarah.'

Aku biang kerok kenakalan.

Belakangan, setelah Aku menikah dengan Acharya Lianxiang, lahirlah Fo Qing dan Fo Qi.

Karena pekerjaan geodesi di luar yang bersifat jangka panjang, saat mempunyai anak seluruhnya diurus Acharya Lianxiang, pada saat itu kesibukan pekerjaan geodesi di luar, ditambah dengan konsultasi hongshui dan spiritual, urusan keluarga seluruhnya ditanggung oleh Acharya Lianxiang.

Foqing sangat manja pada Acharya Lianxiang. (sampai mandipun harus duduk didalam bak mandi)

Lambung dan usus Foqi selalu kurang baik.

Acharya Lianxiang mengasuh satu yang besar satu yang kecil, telah mengunjungi semua dokter anak di kota, akhirnya, setelah dibawah pengawasan DR. Zhou Yi Shou, barulah sembuh penyakit alergi usus dan lambung Fo Qi.

Fo Qi hampir meninggal, ia diselamatkan oleh Dr. Hu dengan obat penguat jantung.

Acharya Lianxiang 'memunguti tahi dan kencing' Fo Qing dan Fo Qi, perasaan-Ku biasa-biasa saja karena karena Aku berada di luar.

Aku hanya tahu, sejak ada Fo Qing dan Fo Qi Acharya Lianxiang dengan cepat menjadi kurus.

Dan telah menua hampir sepuluh tahun.

Kesusahan itu dapat dibayangkan.

Dan lagi:

Aku melihat sepasang orangtua muda, bepergian beberapa hari, menitipkan bayinya yang baru berumur satu setengah tahun pada neneknya.

Nenek ini benar-benar 'memunguti tahi dan kencing'.

Setiap satu jam harus mengganti popok, dalam sehari bayi harus buang air besar tiga sampai empat kali, dengan buang air kecil yang banyak sekali.

Baru saja buang air kecil, sebentar kemudian buang air kecil lagi.

Baru saja buang air besar, sebentar kemudian buang air besar lagi.

Susah payah mencuci, susah payah mengganti popok, harus mencuci pantat bayi pula.

Harus menyuapi makan, minum susu, buah, air.

Bayi harus banyak makan, kalau tidak mau makan harus dibujuk.

Masih harus menemani bayi bermain.

Sebentar menangis, sebentar tertawa, sebentar ngomong sendiri.'

Air kencing di karpet, karpet harus dibersihkan.

Kotoran di karpet, harus diambil, dibersihkan; selalu memperhatikan warna kotoran, kering atau basah, encer, berair. (menyesuaikan makanan).

Nenek ini karena tua tidurnya tidak nyenyak, masih harus menjaga bayi pula, bayi di waktu malam akan mencari orangtuanya, menangis malam, merasa asing ditinggal....

Segala cara bujukan telah dicoba, bayi masih tidak mau tidur, sampai jam lima dini hari baru tidur.

Namun neneknya tidak tidur semalaman, jam lima harus bangun untuk bekerja.

Beginilah terjadi selama beberapa hari, hari-hari 'memunguti tahi dan kencing', menunggu si ibu muda pulang baru selesai semuanya.

Beberapa hari kemudian, banyak kehilangan berat badan dan hampir tumbang.

Apa yang Aku tulis adalah apa yang Aku lihat, saat itu baru terkejut Aku, ternyata beginilah cara bayi bertumbuh menjadi dewasa.

Yang mudah pengasuhannya masih tidak apa-apa, ada yang sulit diasuh, benar-benar membuat orangtua menderita, terutama ibu; Aku baru sadar alangkah besarnya 'kasih ibu', sungguh luarbiasa agungnya.

Ibuku membesarkan enam orang anak.

Acharya Lianxiang membesarkan dua orang anak.

Mereka sungguh luhur, dan semua ibu di dunia ini sungguh luhur, 'memunguti tahi dan kencing' sungguh tidak mudah.

Tidak heran Budha mengkhotbahkan: 'Sutra Besarnya Budi Orangtua Yang Sulit Dibalas'!

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