Being a person that does not believe in parties but people, I was grateful to one of my wife, Karen G Clemenson’s, clients that suggested that I look up Nikki R. Haley when I was voicing my dissatisfaction with our current president. With All Due Respect Defending America with Grit and Grace by Nikki R. Haley is a great book and Haley is strong woman that helped me to see both my favorite and least favorite presidents as more human, which has helped me personally as well.
Nikkie R. Haley was born to Indian-American immigrants. She was raised in Bamberg, South Carolina. Her parents were well to do in India but chose to come to the United States so that their children would have opportunities they could never have in India. Her fathers wears a turban because he is a Sikh. She was disqualified from a children’s pageant because she was neither white or black. These are just a few things that made her different as a child growing up in the Southern United States.
“My religion, my race, and even my gender — would be a constant in my life. They weren’t going to go away. So I did what my parents had always taught us to do: I focused on finding similarities with other children and avoiding the things that separated us. I still remember their words: “Your job is not to show people how you are different. Your job is to show them how you are similar.” Chapter 1
As the governor in South Carolina during a terrible shooting that took several innocent lives, Haley found herself needing to help the people in her state to heal. Monuments represent a moment in time. A flag represents something alive and breathing about a place and people. That is why the confederate flag had to come down at the South Carolina Capital after the shooting on June 17, 2015 at the Mother Emanual AME church in Charleston. Once the shooter’s website was found with his manifesto of hatred and his photos of the flag, Haley could no longer ignore the conversation about the the flag. The confederate flag belongs in a museum or on private property but not at the state capital and Haley was happy to have the votes of both congressional and legislative houses for South Carolina to support her. Chapter 2
“My gift has always been to focus on what’s in front of me, work until I get it right, and never take my eye off the ball.” Chapter
President-elect Trump offered Haley the position of Secretary of State and she turned it down because she didn’t feel she could succeed at the job. A few days later, she was asked to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Haley had negotiated deals worth $20 billion in foreign investments into South Carolina; building planes for Boeing, building BMWs, Volvos, Mercedes-Benz, 5 international tire companies and the 1st carbon-fiber plant in North America. She wasn’t sure she knew enough about U.S. foreign policy but she could learn.
Haley was able to negotiate the terms she wanted for the job with Trump: she didn’t want to work for anyone, she wanted to work with the President-elect and wanted her position to be a cabinet position. She wanted a seat on the National Security Council. She also wanted to be able to speak frankly. Trump agreed to all her requests.
Before Haley was sworn in, UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was passed. It condemned Israeli settlements on the West Bank, declared illegal all Israeli activities in all territories that were disputed by Palestinians, including the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Resolution 2334 damaged prospects for peace by telling Palestinians they didn’t need to negotiate with Israel. It was won by inaction by the Obama administration. They just abstained from voting and Haley saw this as cowardice and lack of leadership; it also bothered her because Israel is one of our allies and we weren’t standing with them. She wanted to see the United States of American do better. On January 24, 2017 Haley’s nomination was approved by the Foreign Relations Committee. Chapter 4
Haley sees herself as action-oriented and a disruptor of the status quo. She appreciated this about Trump. Their styles were different but she could be honest with him. Her ability to be a disruptor was why she was chosen to work with the U.N. because while they feed the hungry, provide health care and house refugees, there is a also a lot of corruption, waste and bureaucracy at the U.N. and it was time to see the U.N. reach their full potential. Chapter 5
“My experience hasn’t left me sad; its left me more grateful than ever to be an American. Not complacent. Not convinced of our superiority, but grateful for all the tools we have that allow us to become a better nation. Our ability to speak freely to debate, to worship, and to determine our own destinies — these are things to be grateful for, and to preserve. At the United Nations I worked everyday alongside people whose governments denied these things.” Prologue
I really enjoyed this book. It helped me to understand a few things I didn’t know about and it showed me a strong woman that I could vote for. Even if you don’t vote for Haley, I suggest you read her book. Her conversational style of writing is inviting and easy to enjoy.
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of With All Due Respect Defending America with Grit and Grace by Nikki R. Haley on Amazon.
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Read My Review on GoodReads:
With All Due Respect: Defending America With Grit and Grace by Nikki R. Haley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I do not assign myself to a political party but I do like people and Nikki R. Haley is a person that I like. She is intelligent, strong, devoted, honest and shows good integrity. I also like her writing style. It is easy to engage with, as if she is speaking to you. Haley was able to help me see some people in politics and human first, which was very helpful to me on many levels.
On whether or not you should read this book, you have my vote!
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
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