President's Peace Commission

Dr. Leona Pallansch, Dept. of Political Science, welcomes the audience to the opening session of the Spring 2009 President's Peace Commission Program. Rev. Bernard Lee, S.M., Vice President for Mission & Identity, offers the invocation. Dr. Sonia Garcia, Dept. of Political Science, serves as the moderator for this session. Dr. Garcia introduces the panelists: Gabriel Omar Hernandez, a Senior at St. Mary's University; Juan Sepúlveda, former Texas State Director of the Obama for America and the President/Founder of The Common Enterprise; and Ashleigh Garcia, a Junior at St. Mary's University and first time voter. Mr. Hernandez spoke about his volunteer activities related to the Obama Campaign including staffing a phone bank and block walking in New Mexico. He also was in Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration of Obama and had been there four years earlier for the second Bush Inauguration. Mr. Sepúlveda had met Barack Obama twelve years prior to 2008 when they were both appointed to a committee. He led the "Obama for America" campaign in Texas. Ms. Warfield related her story as a first time voter and as a student in London Study Abroad program during the Fall 2008 semester. She also reported about the joy the British and other European expressed following the election. A question and answer session concluded the program. (68 minutes)

Philippe Nassif, graduate student at St. Mary's University and member of the President's Peace Commission, serves as the moderator for this panel discussion. Mr. Nassif introduces the speakers: Dr. Larry Hufford, International Relations/Political Science Department, and Sana Kai Johnson, student at University of Texas at San Antonio and former Petty Officer. The panelists address questions regarding dual citizenship/global citizenship; social identity; and whether cultures and ethnicities must conform to Anglo culture in the United States. During the question and answer session questions on interracial marriages and the illusion of a "single identity" are addressed. (63 minutes)

Leandra Williams, AmeriCorps*VISTA, Service Learning Center, serves as the moderator for this panel discussion and introduces the speakers: Dr. Karl Eschbach, Texas State Demographer and Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio; Billy Hubbard, Special Projects Manager, Dept. of Community Initiatives, City of San Antonio; and, Patti Radle, Director of Inner City Development. Dr. Eschbach begins by discussing the statistical reality of wealth distribution in the state of Texas. Mr. Hubbard speaks about the new Haven For Hope homeless campus in San Antonio, a detox center pilot project, the need to balance budgets, and that the government needs to be held accountable. Ms. Radle speaks about the need to address the gap between the rich and the poor and the importance of dignity and the removal of stigmas attached to receiving public assistance. Ms. Radle shared the quote, "Live simply, that others may simply live." During the question and answer session, a more in-depth history and explanation of Haven For Hope is provided by Mr. Hubbard and Ms. Radle. (73 minutes)

Alvaro Zapatel, student at St. Mary's University, serves as the moderator for this session. Mr. Zapatel introduces Dr. Steven Nivin, Economics Dept. and Director of SABÉR Institute. Dr. Nivin's PowerPoint presentation is included in the video as he describes the history of the recession and the projected recovery period with the approved stimulus package. Note: Only one panelist is on recording; the second panelist did not want to be recorded. (21 minutes)

Lauren N. Sanchez, student member of the President's Peace Commission, serves as the moderator for this discussion. Ms. Sanchez introduces the speakers for this panel: Dr. Carlos Roberts Jaen, University of Texas Health Science Center; Vibeke Lee, co-chair of the San Antonio Healthcare-NOW Coalition; and [??], University Health System. The panelists discuss problems with the current healthcare system in the United States including access, quality and cost. Ms. Lee reports that the U.S. is the only industrialized country in which people go bankrupt due to healthcare costs. Three models are proposed to resolve the problems. Since 1970 the number of doctors has increased by 100%, but the number of people it takes to administer health care expenses has increased 2500%. Having health insurance does not guarantee good health, but overall insured persons experience better health and longer lives. The United States thinks of health insurance as a consumer product, rather than a human right. A question and answer period concludes this discussion. (45 minutes)

Dr. Dan Higgins, Teacher Education Dept., serves as the moderator for this panel discussion. He introduces the panelists: Ilsa Garcia, Volunteer Marketing Coordinator for the Communities in Schools-San Antonio; and, Dr. Liz Garza, Superintendent of Edgewood Independent School District. Ms. Garcia explains about the Communities in Schools program, which aims to prevent dropouts. In San Antonio, 40% of the youth are not getting a high school diploma. Dr. Garza discusses the complexity to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, which is often overlooked in news reports. Schools are measured on 30 different measures each year and all 30 measures must show improvement every year. Since NCLB has been initiated, the goal/target has continued to increase each year; the schools cannot catch up and get ahead at the same time. Additionally, no material resources, funding, nor personnel have been provided to help achieve these goals. She suggests law-makers look at NCLB from the schools' perspectives. (47 minutes)

Jennifer Butler, student member of the President's Peace Commission, serves as the moderator for this panel discussion. Ms. Butler introduces the panelists: Bill Barker from Solar San Antonio; Dr. Kyle Murray, University of Texas at San Antonio's Geological Sciences Department; and Ryan Rittenhouse of Clean Economy Coalition and public citizen. Mr. Barker begins the discussion with a PowerPoint presentation explaining that the United States' energy needs can solve three major problems: the job crisis; the oil crisis; and global warming. He also reports that a University of Texas at Austin white paper has been recently published which states that 84% of Texas power consumers would like the Texas Legislature to encourage solar power. Dr. Murray describes a research project he is currently working on using algae in San Antonio to create biofuels. Mr. Rittenhouse begins his presentation about coal power plants and why he is opposed to them. The recording ends abruptly mid-way through Mr. Rittenhouse's presentation. (62 minutes)

"Four in five Americans say the U.S. health-care system needs 'fundamental' change. Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health-care system, or are these nations so culturally different from us that their solutions would simply not be acceptable to Americans? FRONTLINE correspondent T.R. Reid examines first-hand how other advanced capitalist democracies - the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland - deliver healthcare, and what the United States might learn from their successes and failures." (56 minutes) Also available at http://video.pbs.org/video/1050712790

Charles Devine and Sean McKee, student members of the President's Peace Commission, serve as the facilitator for this session. Dr. Leona Pallansch, Political Science Department and President's Peace Commission member, briefly explains how this session will work: she will provide a brief overview of budget terms and the federal budget; then the audience will be divided in half. The two halves will then congregate around a computer and screen to work through a budget simulation program called Budget Hero. The video continues as the two groups work through the simulation. The Dr. Pallansch calls the groups back together, where the budget decisions were discussed. A brief question and answer period concludes this session. (71 minutes)

Keily Rivero, student member of the President's Peace Commission, moderates this session. She introduces Amir Samandi, senior analyst of Middle East Affairs, MacAulay Brown, Inc. Due to inclement weather, Mr. Samandi is the only panelist for this discussion. Mr. Samandi discusses changes that the Obama Administration is already making in regards to the country's Middle East policy including how the Afghanistan War is more about being anti-Taliban rather than about democratization. The opium traffic in Afghanistan. The Iraq War, Pakistan, and Iran are also discussed. During the question and answer session, Mr Samandi responds to questions about Arab-Israeli situation and Israel-U.S. relations. (62 minutes)

Vanessa Colon, student member of the President's Peace Commission, moderates this panel discussion. She introduces Ambassador James Creagan, Ambassador in Residence and Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of the Incarnate Word, and Ambassador Eugene Scassa, International Scholar in Residence at St. Mary's University. The Ambassadors discuss the foreign policies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama and how 9/11 changed Bush's policies. Other topics discussed include the War in Iraq, Afghanistan's government and opium trade, Pakistan's non-military aid, and nuclear weapons. They also champion a revival of U.S. Foreign Service. During the question and answer period, the Ambassadors responded to questions about Haiti, Hugo Chavez, Mexican drug cartels, and U.S.-Cuba relations. (76 minutes)