![\"\"](\"http:\/\/photos1.blogger.com\/blogger\/5524\/1070\/1600\/NI_05bono_06int2.2.jpg\")
<\/a>Bono, one third of Time Magazines 2006 Person of the year, was then welcomed to the stage with a thunderous standing ovation.<\/p>\nHe assured the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153loud ones in the crowd\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that the rest of his band would not be joining him for the night.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you were expecting the band, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry to disappoint, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even tell them that I do these things,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said as he loosened his canary yellow tie. <\/p>\n
Donning a dark grey business suit, his trademark sunglasses and flashing the UT \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hookem,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono told the crowd of 4,000 that he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t accustomed to wearing a tie and joked that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wear ties for politicians — but only for the people of Texas.<\/p>\n
Bono then recounted his journey to becoming \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a rock star with a cause\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and said he had been humbled in Dallas before.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The first time I was in Dallas was April 1981 and U2 was double billed with a wet T-shirt contest,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the Irish rock musician said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The tickets were only $1 and only 30 people showed up. The DJ then introduced us as one of the most promising bands from England.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bono said that as a teenager growing up in Dublin, he was impacted by punk rock bands like the Clash.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Clash was like a public service announcement with a guitar,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I took it at face value. But then I discovered they wore the boots, but they wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t march. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d break bottles over there head but they wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do the painful thing like attending a town hall meeting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
In 1985, Bono became involved with Africa and politics at Live Aid, a multi-country concert and fund-raiser to raise awareness for problems in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shortly after Live Aid, Ali (Bono\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wife) and I went and lived in Ethiopia for a month,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The children there called me the girl with a beard. Ethiopia blew my mind. On the last day there a man handed his baby to me and said \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcplease take him with you.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 We had to turn him down and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a feeling that hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t left me. It was then that I became the worst thing of all \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a rock star with a cause.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
But Bono said Africa is more than just a cause \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it is an emergency.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u01536.5 thousand Africans are dying everyday,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There are 12 million AIDS orphans in Africa alone. When the tsunami hit Indonesia, it killed 150,000 people. In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one tsunami every month.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bono applauded American charity but said there was more to Africa that a need for charity.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is not about charity, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about justice,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too bad because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re good at charity. But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our justice. We would never let it happen anywhere else. Where you live should not determine whether you live.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
With recent debt cancellation by western countries, Bono said that Uganda has used its money towards tripling the number of children in school. Polio, which was once a plague is now almost extinct. Bono also predicted that with continued funding and help, Malaria would be eradicated within five years.<\/p>\n
Bono, the consummate politician, sang the praises of President George Bush, who has worked to triple American aid to Africa in the last few years, but said he was saddened by measures in the House this week to cut foreign aid by 10 percent, or nearly $2.4 billion.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, DATA Executive Director Jamie Drummand said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is more than a blow to the White House. This is a blow to the Republicans’ global compassion agenda. For House Republicans to shortchange the President’s foreign policy goals will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives in the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s poorest countries. The Senate must step up and the President must fight for his initiatives. They can still save these lives.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
DATA is an awareness organization founded by Bono in 2002 to reduce debt, AIDS and improve trade in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The global war against terror is bound up in the war against poverty. Collin Powell said that. And when an American military man says the American military is not enough, we need to take notice,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Poverty breeds despair and despair breeds violence. Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it cheaper to make friends of potential enemies than to defend against them later.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bono pleaded with the audience to encourage their lawmakers to improve \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Brand USA.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153USA is a truly great brand,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But in some parts of the world, brand USA is not at its shiniest. Never before have we in the West seen our values and credibility under such attack. I want people to know what America stands for. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a fan. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m an annoying fan who reads the liner notes and asks the tough questions. Only I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reading the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDoesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it say this here?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 These anti-viral drugs are the best advertisement for brand America. I told the president to paint them red, white and blue. Just get them out there. Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t compassion one of the best ways to communicate your values?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Bono added that he had not gone soft and he still preferred army boots over Birkenstocks.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153For the believers in the room, I say that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a very good example,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But we should see this as obedience. A pastor once told me to stop doing things and hoping God blesses them. Find out what God is doing because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already been blessed. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m deeply convicted that this is what God is doing. God has a special place for the poorest of the poor. I believe God is in the slums and God is in the cardboard boxes.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
And Bono compared American foreign aid to church tithing.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always amazed me how much of Americans tithe 10 percent,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But how does that compare to the federal budget. How much do you tithe as an American family? The number is less than one percent.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nBono said he realized that while one percent was an extraordinary amount of money, it would make a world of difference in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The last time I was in Washington I asked Congress, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIs giving one percent more really such a crazy idea?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to be a good idea. One percent is a girl in Africa who gets to go to school. One percent is not redecorating a palace, its digging water holes to provide clean water. I know you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been through a lot with Katrina and Rita and the War in Iraq. But every generation has its defining moral struggle. This is our Omaha Beach. This is our moon shot. Our one true grab at greatness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bono ended his address with a story about Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Fransico.<\/p>\n
Lantos grew up in Hungry and was sent to a concentration camp during World War II.<\/p>\n
Bono recalled that the thing Lantos couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get out of his head were the faces of those who watched in silence as people were being boarded onto the trains.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He said that people just stood by and watched in silence,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The holocaust is not an analogy anyone can use lightly. So I asked if he felt the same thing was going on in Africa.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bono said the congressman told him, the only difference was, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we know where the trains are going.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will not stand in silence,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bono charged the crowd. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We will go and lay down on the tracks and stop them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
— Rock star Bono urges Americans to improve Brand USA Jonathan Blundell Staff writer DALLAS – In front of a mixed crowd wearing T-shirts, flip flops and business suits, U2\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lead singer, Bono, captivated a Dallas crowd Friday night at the Music Hall at Fair Park \u00e2\u20ac\u201c without the help of his legendary rock band. The … Continue reading World Affairs: Rock star Bono urges Americans to improve Brand USA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,5,17],"tags":[888,589,3979,3978,128,3976,2172,4201,1327,4200,3977,4645,586,3975],"class_list":["post-1002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","category-politics","category-take-action","tag-africa","tag-bono","tag-brand-usa","tag-charity","tag-dallas","tag-data","tag-ethiopia","tag-fair-park","tag-justice","tag-music-hall","tag-one-org","tag-politics","tag-u2","tag-world-affairs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pEnSo-ga","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10654,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002\/revisions\/10654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nwww.data.org<\/span>
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