Cincinnati Change

Ammons United Methodist Church under the leadership of Vera Cole has provided leadership to a group of Cincinnati churches that after one year are continuing to mobilize their men to bring about change not only in their neighborhoods, but also to the people who live there. Cincinnati Change current mission is to encourages increased economic activity in Hamilton County with Ammons and it's partners. We will create companies that support the ministry like Hughes Electronics did the Hughes Medical Institute through trusts setup by each company that supports our youth.

Cincinnati Change is proposing to create with Ammons United Methodist Church a Cincinnati Company called Churches Can Change Cincinnati NOW, Inc. (C4N). The mission of the company is to provide consulting, homeland safety and security infrastructure management, design and construction from our headquarters in Cincinnati as a faith based enterprise that is owned in part by the ministries of the churches involved and the companies created as church affiliated companies who will pay their taxes on unrelated business income and use the rest to support the needs of young men and boys.

During 2007, more than $500 billion dollars is being allocated for and through the federal, state and local government units in the United States and our for profit businesses will take advantage of these contracts with it's faith based sponsors in the following areas -:

1. Peace in the Hood, Jobs in the Hood Initiative
2. Veterans Assistance program operation
3. Creative Class Workforce and Network Development Program
4. Third Frontier Workforce Development Program
5. Housing program to build a million homes for young men and their families
6. ReEntry of Young Men into society
7. Preparing for and responding to future catastrophes
8. Immigration & Secure Boarders
9. U.S. Gulf Coast Reconstruction
10. Regional National Energy Policy Partnership Demostration Program

Cincinnati Change has created a program that serve the nation through and it's partner The American Academy of Distance Learning and Training, Inc.(AADLT) who has joined with Beauchamp Tower Corporation, Inc. and it's partners to support their proposal called Operation Enduring Service (OES) which will the basis for the creation of a program to employ over 1,000 of countys young men in 2007 through the 100 male March Ministry of Ammons United Methodist Church.

The 100 Male March Ministries was launched one year ago on a 5th Sunday with a walk in a troubled Walnut Hills neighborhood from Peoples Corner to Ammons United Methodist Church. They will gather this Sunday the 30th of July 2006 to celebrate one year of action at 934 E. McMillan St. and march to Ammons United Methodist Church. Each man is asked to bring a boy to mentor. Call 513.545.7905 for more information.

According to Melvin Williams, president of the Cincinnati District United Methodist Men and manager of the CVS Pharmacy on East McMillan Street at Pebbles Corner, "We're trying to put a human face on Christianity from the male point of view."

MOSCOW - Russia on Friday published a list of 17 groups it regards as terrorist organizations, but did not include the Palestinian militant movement Hamas or Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group, both regarded as terrorists in Washington.

Separately, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Hezbollah must have a say in any agreements in the Middle East crisis, Russian news agencies reported — another sign of differences between Russia and the United States about the region.

"Any agreements must be coordinated with all the basic forces in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, as an organization that is represented in the parliament and government of Lebanon," RIA-Novosti reported quoted Lavrov as saying on a plane returning from an Asian security meeting in Malaysia. Hezbollah has 11 members in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament, and two Cabinet ministers.

The terrorist list, published in the official daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta, included al-Qaida and the Taliban as well as the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a rebel group fighting for Kashmir'sindependence from India, and Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood. ( News News Photos Images Web )

The Russian Federal Security Service's top official in charge of fighting international terrorism, Yuri Sapunov, said Hamas and Hezbollah were not a major threat to Russia and were not regarded as terrorist groups worldwide.

But he said Russian security agencies took account of international lists of terrorist groups when exchanging intelligence with foreign counterparts. Sapunov told Rossiiskaya Gazeta the list of 17 "includes only those organizations which represent the greatest threat to the security of our country." Groups linked to separatist militants in Chechnya (News News Photos Images Web )and Islamic radicals in Central Asia made the list.

Russia has come under criticism for its refusal to list Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Israel' name Israel is now fighting a ground and air war in Lebanon against Hezbollah guerrillas, who are firing rockets into northern Israel. Israeli forces have also attacked the Gaza Strip to target Hamas militants. Russia has criticized the scale of the Israeli offensive, while the United States has blamed Hezbollah for the violence.

President Vladimir Putin ( News News Photos Images Web ) earlier this year provoked U.S. and Israeli anger by inviting leaders of Hamas to Moscow shortly after their January election victory. The meeting made no progress in softening the group's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist or foreswear violence.

Lavrov's reported comment about Hezbollah echoed the arguments Russian officials made for inviting Hamas leaders, when they said that they were dealing with Hamas as an entity that had just come to power in elections.

Lavrov said that Russia's support for a Hezbollah role in decision-making in the Mideast crisis was shared by European countries and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan ( News News Photos Images Web ) adding: "As for support from the Americans for this position, I have no such information," RIA-Novosti reported.

The European Union ( News News Photos Images Web ) considers Hamas a terrorist organization and along with the United States slapped financial sanctions on the new Hamas-led government. But it does not list Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

Cincinnati Change Mission: CINCINNATI CHANGE encourages increased economic stability in Hamilton County along with the development of a third frontier creative class information highway infrastructure. We support the creation of companies and or provide technical assistance to established businesses, which will provide jobs through the acquisitions and development of businesses expansion. This will be a statewide demonstration project.

Cincinnati Change has created a program that serves the nation through it’s partner The American Academy of Distance Learning and Training, Inc. (AADLT) which has joined with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) program called CommunityExpress. It is a national program-offering loan and technical assistance (TA) The program was created by NCRC’s Banker/Community Collaborative Council in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Cincinnati Change is a member of NCRC and as such ask others to join 600 other organizations.

Under this program we will pair, as a deliverable subcontract to the initiative, SBA-guaranteed loans with business coaching for historically under-served entrepreneurs, in this case one recruited to this program.

Cincinnati Change will provide technical services to 300 companies for $30 million dollars in revenue bonds.

Cincinnati Change current mission is to encourages increased economic activity in Hamilton County. We will create a third frontier creative class information highway infrastructure that can support a variety of operations. First among the goals of this mission is provide jobs through the acquisition and development of businesses, intellectual property and real estate properties that support a new national program demonstrated in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Change is creating a Cincinnati Company called Uptown Security. The mission of the company is to provide consulting, homeland safety and security infrastructure management, design and construction from our headquarters in Cincinnati. During 2007, more than $350 billion dollars is being allocated for and through our for profit businesses we will take advantage of contracts in the following areas -:

1. Preventing another terrorist attack on the United States
2. Detecting threats against the United States
3. Preparing for and responding to future catastrophes
4. Immigration & Secure Boarders
5. U.S. Gulf Coast Reconstruction
6. Iraq
7. Afghanistan
8. Africa
9. North Africa and Middle East
10. National Energy Policy

Cincinnati Change has created a program that serve the nation through and it's partner The American Academy of Distance Learning and Training, Inc.(AADLT) who has joined with Beauchamp Tower Corporation, Inc. and it's partners to support their proposal called Operation Enduring Service (OES).

OES is a Cincinnati faith based leadership of a public-private sector joint operation that includes an Education Initiative, a Public Safety Collaboration, a Defense of the Homeland Alliance and a Disaster Response Program which incorporates Federally held Non-Retention Ships and Equipment with partners who have already invested millions of dollars in operations.

The 100 Male March Ministries was launched one year ago on a 5th Sunday with a walk in a troubled Walnut Hills neighborhood from Peoples Corner to Ammons United Methodist Church. They will gather this Sunday the 30th of July 2006 to celebrate one year of action at 934 E. McMillan St. and march to Ammons United Methodist Church. Each man is asked to bring a boy to mentor. Call 513.545.7905 for more information.

According to Melvin Williams, president of the Cincinnati District United Methodist Men and manager of the CVS Pharmacy on East McMillan Street at Peebles Corner, "We're trying to put a human face on Christianity from the male point of view."

Our goal is to meet at People Corner on Sunday at 0900 at Gilbert and McMillan at the CVS Store to bring OES's headquarters to Cincinnati, Ohio through the 100 Male Ministries of Ammons United Methodist Church through a proposed agenda that includes saving souls and doing the following -

 Create a agreement between Cincinnati Change & Ammons on as faith based organization partnership

 Creating 200 new companies with those attend the 100 Male Ministries Meetings every month

 Creation of an Operation Enduring Service headquarters in Cincinnati

 Hargrove Engineering, LLC will be the lead Architecture and Engineering firm for 1,000 homes

 Support the creation of the Ohio Small Business Accelerator Alliance for 100 Ohio businesses

 Create alliances with 100 established businesses in support of the mission of Cincinnati Change

 Spread the word that their is an solution and churches and non profits are moving on creating jobs

 Structure of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Cincinnati Change and whoever attends this Sundays service at Ammons United Methodist Church at 1301 E McMillan at 11:00.

Cincinnati Change has a business support goal of starting 50 new businesses during the coming week staring at 2 PM to 5:30 PM this coming Sunday at Red Lobster (You pay for your own meal). Call 513.545.7905 for more details and or email us at oes@cincinnatichange.com.

Cincinnati Change and partners will create a community business development program with the SBA, private sector, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to support the creation of over 1,000 small and medium businesses in Ohio which will employ students who go to and or graduate from our school partners.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.

( March 2, 2006)



Karla Comfort received a lot of looks and even some salutes from people
when she drove from Benton, Ark., to Camp Pendleton, Calif., in her
newly-painted, custom Hummer H3 March 2. The vehicle is adorned with the
likeness of! her son, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, and nine
other Marines with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st
Marine Division who were all killed by the same improvised explosive
device blast in Fallujah, Iraq, in December.

For Karla Comfort, having the vehicle air brushed with the image of the
10 Marines was a way to pay homage to her hero and his fellow comrades
who fell on Iraq's urban battlefield.

"I wanted to let people know (Marines) are doing their jobs honorably,
and some of them die," said the 39-year-old from Portland, OR "I don't
want people to forget the sacrifices that my son and the other Marines
made."

Leading up to her son's death, Karla Comfort had received several
letters from him prior to his return. He had been deployed for five
months, and Comfort "worried everyday he was gone until she got the
letters and found out the date he was coming home," she said.

Marines knocked on the front door of her home in Farmington, Mich., at 3
am with the dreadful news.

"I let my guard down when I found out he was coming home," she said.
"There are times that I still cannot believe it happened. It's very hard
to deal with."

Karla Comfort came up with the idea for the rolling memorial when she
and her two other sons attended John's funeral in Portland, Ore.

"I saw a Vietnam (War) memorial on a car, and I said to my son Josh, 'we
should do something like that for John,' she recalled. "He loved
Hummers."

She purchased the vehicle in January and immediately took it to
AirbrushGuy & Co. in Benton, Ark., where artist Robert Powell went to
work on changing the plain, black vehicle into a decorative, mobile, art
piece.

"I only had the vehicle for two days before we took it in," she joked.

Two hundred and fifty man-hours later, Powell had completed the vehicle.
The custom job would have cost $25,000. Out of respect for Karla
Comfort's loss and the sacrifices the Marines made, AirbrushGuy & Co.
did it for free. Comfort only had to purchase the paint, which cost
$3,000.

"I love it," she said. "I'm really impressed with it, and I think John
would be happy with the vehicle. He would have a big smile on his face
because he loved Hummers."

Karla Comfort gave Powell basic instructions on what to include in the
paint job. But in addition to the image of her son in Dress Blues and
the faces of the nine other Marines, there were several surprises. "He
put a lot more on than I expected," she said. "I think my favorite part
is the heaven scene."

On the left side of the vehicle, a detail of Marines are depicted
carrying their fallen comrades through the clouds to their final resting
place. The American flag drapes across the hood, the words, "Semper Fi"
crown the front windshield and the spare tire cover carries the same
Eagle Globe and Anchor design that her son had tattooed on his back.

"All the support I have been getting is wonderful," she said.

Karla Comfort decided to move back to her hometown of Portland, and
making the cross-country trip from Arkansas was a way for her to share
her son's story. It's also her way of coping with the loss.

"Along the way I got nothing but positive feedback from people," she
said. "What got to me was when people would salute the guys (Marines).
It's hard to look at his picture. I still cry and try to get used to the
idea, but it's hard to grasp the idea that he's really gone."

Let's keep this Hummer going around the world, so we won't forget!

What do you think?

9:34 A.M. EDT



THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good morning. Welcome. Thanks for being here on this special day. Please be seated. America began with a Declaration that all men are created equal. This Declaration marked a tremendous advance in the story of freedom, yet it also contained a contradiction: Some of the same men who signed their names to this self-evident truth owned other men as property. By reauthorizing this act, Congress has reaffirmed its belief that all men are created equal; its belief that the new founding started by the signing of the bill by President Johnson is worthy of our great nation to continue. (Applause.)

I'm proud to be here with our Attorney General and members of my Cabinet, the leaders of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. I thank the bill sponsors, I thank the members of the Judiciary Committee. I appreciate so very much representatives of the Hamer family who have joined us -- (applause) -- representatives of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute who have joined us -- (applause) -- and members of the King family, in particular Reverend Bernice King and Martin Luther King[III}, thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

I'm honored to be here with civil rights leaders like Dr. Dorothy Height -- (applause) -- Julian Bond, the Chairman of the NAACP -- (applause) -- Bruce Gordon, thank you Bruce -- (applause) -- Reverend Lowery, it's good to see you again, sir -- (applause) -- fortunately I got the mic this time. (Laughter.) I'm proud to be here with Marc Morial. Thanks for coming Marc. (Applause.) Juanita Abernathy is with us today. Jesse Jackson, good to see you, Jesse. (Applause.) Al Sharpton -- (applause) -- Dr. Benjamin Hooks and Frances are with us. (Applause.)

A lot of other folks who care deeply about this issue. We welcome you here. It's good to welcome the mayor. Mr. Mayor, good to see you. Thanks for coming. Tony Williams. (Applause.) Everything is fine in the neighborhood, I appreciate it. (Laughter.) And the Mayor of Selma, Alabama, James Perkins, is with us. Mr. Mayor, proud you're here. (Applause.) Welcome, sir.

The right of ordinary men and women to determine their own political future lies at the heart of the American experiment, and it is a right that has been won by the sacrifice of patriots. The Declaration of Independence was born on the stand for liberty taken at Lexington and Concord. The amendments to our Constitution that outlawed slavery and guaranteed the right to vote came at the price of a terrible civil war.

The Voting Rights Act that broke the segregationist lock on the ballot box rose from the courage shown on a Selma bridge one Sunday afternoon in March of 1965. On that day, African Americans, including a member of the United States Congress, John Lewis -- (applause) -- marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a protest intended to highlight the unfair practices that kept them off the voter rolls.

The brutal response showed America why a march was necessary. When the marchers reached the far side of the bridge, they were met by state troopers and civilian posse bearing billy clubs and whips -- weapons they did not hesitate to use. The images of policemen using night sticks on peaceful protestors were carried on television screens across the country, and they stung the conscience of a slumbering America.

One week after Selma, President Lyndon Johnson took to the airwaves to announce that he planned to submit legislation that would bring African Americans into the civic life of our nation. Five months after Selma, he signed the Voting Rights Act into law in the Rotunda of our nation's capitol. (Applause.) In a little more than a year after Selma, a newly enfranchised black community used their power at the ballot box to help defeat the sheriff who had sent men with whips and clubs to the Edmund Pettus Bridge on that bloody Sunday.

For some parts of our country, the Voting Rights Act marked the first appearance of African Americans on the voting rolls since Reconstruction. And in the primaries and elections that followed the signing of this act, many African Americans pulled the voting lever for the first time in their lives.

Eighty-one year old Willie Bolden was the grandson of slaves, and in the spring of 1966, he cast his first ballot in Alabama's Democratic primary. He told a reporter, "It felt good to me. It made me think I was sort of somebody." In the America promised by our founders, every citizen is a somebody, and every generation has a responsibility to add its own chapter to the unfolding story of freedom. (Applause.)

In four decades since the Voting Rights Act was first passed, we've made progress toward equality, yet the work for a more perfect union is never ending. We'll continue to build on the legal equality won by the civil rights movement to help ensure that every person enjoys the opportunity that this great land of liberty offers. And that means a decent education and a good school for every child, a chance to own their own home or business, and the hope that comes from knowing that you can rise in our society by hard work and God-given talents. (Applause.)

Today, we renew a bill that helped bring a community on the margins into the life of American democracy. My administration will vigorously enforce the provisions of this law, and we will defend it in court. (Applause.) This legislation is named in honor of three heroes of American history who devoted their lives to the struggle of civil rights: Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King. (Applause.) And in honor of their memory and their contributions to the cause of freedom, I am proud to sign the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. (Applause.)



(The act is signed.) (Applause.)