President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, April 18, on their way to Boston for a memorial service for the victims of the bombings
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A week ago, this was the President’s schedule….
Monday: The President will welcome the BCS National Champion, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, to the White House. Later, he will participate in an ambassador credentialing ceremony * Tuesday: The President will hold a working lunch with Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. Later, he will welcome NASCAR’s Brad Keselowski to the White House * Wednesday: The President will welcome the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride to the White House * Thursday and Friday: The President will attend meetings at the White House
…… how things changed
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Monday:
The White House flag lowered to half-mast after the Boston bombings
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Liberal Librarian: Be Not Afraid
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President Obama talks on the phone with FBI Director Robert Mueller to receive an update on the explosions that occurred in Boston, in the Oval Office, April 15. Seated with the President are Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Tuesday:
President Obama receives an update on the explosions that occurred in Boston, in the Oval Office, April 16. Seated, from left, are: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Tony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor; Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Attorney General Eric Holder; Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; and FBI Director Robert Mueller (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Wednesday:
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“This was a pretty shameful day for Washington. But this effort isn’t over… I see this as just round one.” —President Obama
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 17, 2013
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… with the Newtown families before the Rose Garden statement (Photo: Pete Souza)
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President Obama embraces Nicole Hockley, who lost a son in the Sandy Hook shootings, after he delivered a statement on the Senate’s failure to pass a measure to expanded gun background checks
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VP Biden embraces Mark Barden who lost his son Daniel at Sandy Hook
…. with Newtown family members from left; Jimmy Greene, father of Ana; Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan; Jeremy Richman, father of Avilee; and Mark and Jackie Barden, with their children Natalie and James, who lost Daniel
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Hgerhard:
So that’s how they act in the face of all the tragedies and in front of the families affected. Yes, I am angry, but anger and sadness do not move things forward. Here’s what I think I’ll do:
Step 1: Identify all Senators who voted NO (Harry Reid exempted because of his special role)
Step 2: Determine which Senators will be up for re-election in 2014
Step 3: Research all possible candidates for those seats
Step 4: Choose alternatives for each one – Democrat and Republican alike –
Step 5: Start active campaigning for the replacement candidates and keep at it until Election Day 2014.
I’m done reasoning with these cowards.
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Thursday:
President Obama updated on the Boston investigation by Lisa Monaco (Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism) at the White House (Pete Souza)
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Leaving Andrews for Boston
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President Obama talks with staff at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The President visited the hospital to meet with patients who were wounded in the bombings in Boston (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama visiting Karen Rand
Facebook: The First Lady visits Boston Children’s Hospital
First lady Michelle Obama visits with Aaron Hern, his parents Alan and Katherine, and sister Abby, all of Martinez, Calif., at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
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A Word from Don:
So John King is apoplectic that people are questioning if he’s a racist or not, too bad, he signed up for it when he went on national t.v. and said the Boston bombing suspects were black….I mean dark skinned. Let me tell you what I didn’t sign up for, I didn’t sign up to be followed around a department store, I didn’t sign up to have women clutch their purses as they walk in my direction, I didn’t sign up to hear the sound of car doors being locked as I crossed the goddamn street with bags of groceries in both arms, I didn’t sign up to walk in a bank to get some money out of my account and have the teller walk in a back room with my I.D. and have me wait for twenty fucking minutes just to get money out of my account, I didn’t sign up to have some white guy ask me I if was from this country just because I knew who Leon Panetta was, I didn’t sign up to have a realtor question me about my credit score and whether or not I’ve ever been arrested before I could finish saying hello, I didn’t sign up to have a waiter tell me the food in the restaurant I was in was expensive before he gave my wife and I the fucking menu. I’m not telling you these things because I’m looking for sympathy, I’m just telling you about the shit that the average black man has to put up with, so when John King gets upset at getting called out for an error he made, he should get on his goddamn knees and pray to his god that he doesn’t have to go through the same bullshit that the average black guy walking down the street does. Am I angry, hell yes, have I given up hope about the idea that a person should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, hell no.
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Liberal Librarian: Time to turn the world rightside up
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Friday:
President Obama receives an update in the Oval Office from Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, on the Boston Marathon bombing investigation following the capture of the second suspect, April 19 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama meets with members of his national security team to discuss developments in the Boston bombings investigation, in the Situation Room of the White House, April 19. Pictured, from left, are: FBI Director Robert Mueller; Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Attorney General Eric Holder; Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken; and Vice President Joe Biden (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Saturday:
President Obama holds meeting in Situation Room on the ongoing investigation in the Boston Marathon bombing, April 20. From left at the table, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Director of CIA John Brennan, and Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Toons of the week?
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May the week ahead be more peaceful:
Monday: The President will host the third White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country
Tuesday: The President will honor the 2013 National Teacher of the Year and finalists at the White House. Later, he will welcome to the White House the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
Wednesday: The President and the First Lady will travel to Dallas to attend an event for the DNC. They will remain overnight in Dallas
Thursday: The President and the First Lady will attend the dedication ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Later in the day, they will return to Washington, DC, and later in the evening, the President will attend the Planned Parenthood Gala
Friday: The President will host His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House
Saturday: The President and the First Lady will attend the White House Correspondents Dinner
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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama return to the White House from Boston
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Morning everyone, hope you’re all hale and hearty. UT will be your hostess with the mostest for the next post, I’ll be back a litter later.
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning!!
Congrats on 1st FayPax. Have a great Sunday. For those of you that wish to give to help the victims in Boston, West, Texas, and YES there was flooding in the Midwest this week, here is the link to the Red Cross:
http://www.redcross.org/news/article/Red-Cross-Helping-After-Explosions-Flooding
First!
Helllooooooo
Thank you for the heads up Chiparooo. Yes, I will be posting next. See you later. 😀
Congratssssssssssssssssss…..on First…..
It is a Glorious Day here I Philadelphia…a lil kool but the sun is shining brightly
Hola & Happy Sunday morning everyone. Has Gov Patrick been on yet?
GM folks. A PSA.
“Their replacement bunch is 100 times worse” ???? I’m not sure that this is such a positive tweet, amk…. 😦 😦
Huh ? How ? The current crop of rethugs replacing them are 100 times worse.
Well…. Pres Obama is the replacement for Shrub. VPBiden is the replacement for Darth Vader, and Gates (2009–2011), Leon Panetta (2011–2013) and Chuck Hagel (2013–present) are replacements for ol’ Rummy.
Any of these choices are 10 zillion times better than the three stooges pictured above.
AMK, who wrote the caption? “Their replacement bunch is 100 times worse” — what does that mean????? The OBAMA administration is 1000 BETTER!
How do you read replacement bunch as obama admin ? I am talking about the current crazies who have replaced them in their party.
It reads as though you’re criticizing the Obama administration. As a professional editor, I’d advise you to rewrite to avoid any confusion: maybe “the replacement GOP” instead. JMHO.
I am sorry, you are reading it literally, I am reading it contextually and I don’t see anything wrong with it. It can’t be rewritten, only deleted. And I am not about to do it.
No offense meant. When numerous people are getting the wrong meaning, it might be a sign that the writing is not clear. *shrug*
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone, and congratulations FayPax, Prettyfoot, and UT for 1st place tie! Happy Sunday everyone 🙂
No tie, hopefruit. I was first! See me up there. 🙂
It’s about readership. The days when news was about facts is long gone. It’s a contest.
there is a bunch of imbeciles who are negatively obsessed with PBO & she is one of those – same attitude with a number of loud rightwingers
From her article:”Even House Republicans who had no intention of voting for the gun bill marveled privately that the president could not muster 60 votes in a Senate that his party controls. ”
Harry Reid operates the Senate not PBO and the GOP had no intention of giving him the votes he needed to move forward. House Republicans who had no intention of voting for the gun bill marveled? That’s pretty disingenuous.
She also obviously missed that part of McConnell clowning Harry Reid not PBO on his Facebook page.
“The White House had a defeatist mantra: This is tough. We need to do it. But we’re probably going to lose. ”
Now point to the part where the President actually gave that impression. I mean someplace other that Dowdville.
“There were ways to get to 60 votes. The White House just had to scratch it out with a real strategy and a never-let-go attitude. ”
So basically she’s throwing out the false notion (as usual) that the White House never had a strategy or even a winning attitude yet at the same time provides nothing concrete on what an actual strategy to scratch out sixty votes would be.
She’s got issues.
Have you ever noticed when pundits and writers suggest that the President could have won the necessary votes, they never suggest how?
“There were ways to get to 60 votes. The White House just had to scratch it out with a real strategy and a never-let-go attitude. ”
Scratch it out how?
…The GOP continues to hold the Senate hostage…and America Hostage
there was a time when the Majority ruled..(51 votes)..now because of GOP obstruction …a SUPER majority is needed (60)….as it turned out…the President did have a majority to pass the Bill….there were 55 votes…
This cannot be stated enough….A Majority of Senators voted to pass Universal Background Checks….
I think of the many landmarks laws that were passed like the Civil rights Act of 1964…..you have to wonder how many in the press would have predicted its failure…or would have spread the cloud of doom about the 1963 March on Washington….
on one hand the press can play a pivotal role in moving us along on the road towards justice during the civil rights movement…the images of marchers being hosed and beaten in the newspapers and TV…brought home the struggle for economic and racial justice…to citizens who did not have a clue about what was happening…
but when there are members of the press who side with the powers that be…to mislead…distort or out and out lie… we have to call them out…and expose them for the frauds that they are…
Not that it matters, but my opinion of the NYT have sunk to an all time low. This witch knows that this President is not dealing with sensible reasonable Republicans. They are a bunch of right wing radicals. This witch just want to put all the blame on President Obama because of her hate for him.I thought about going to read the article but I change my mind, I don’t want to read her B.S. this morning.
I refuse to give her the attention she so craves, so I won’t even click on her article. I just can’t.
Thank you, Betsy. I totally agree. Mo Do has a unnatural, really obsessive fascination with Pres. Obama. She writes pretty the same article from when I have read her in the past. He’s somehow naive or doesn’t know any better or isn’t prepared. And then she doesn’t even bother to suggest a solution.
I WANT HER SALARY!! 😀 😀
Betsy I am right there with you!
This is where I saw that Allen Sorkin dated Maureen Dowd-
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Maureen_Dowd_married#page1
I apologize if I went off on the liberal media elite god forbid nobody else does that on this blog.
But then it might be the messenger?
I am out for good this time their are some here that are so rigid and angry that it has morphed into a therapy session.
I am focused on 2014 not arguing with bloggers.
To those who treated me decently, thank you for your respect.
To those who treated me like a troll for four years, you were wrong about me.
Bye chips take care of yourself!
Jovie, I certainly hope you’re not serious. As a newcomer, I felt your comments were always introspective and thoughtful. I like the idea that someone is willing to play devil’s advocate. We needn’t meet here for a pity party or for everyone to agree. Hope you hang around.
Jovie will be back. See you soon Jovie.
What gives?
given your background and after all you have faced down in the course of your exceptional life, you can’t be defeated by hostile words.
strong opinions abound and sometimes we step on each others toes (or worse) but we always get up and to quote a CIC you admire : “we run the race set before us and … yes, we always finish the race”.
Let us keep our Eyes on the Prize and expect bumps along the way because this always happens amongst family
Jovie, I say it may be helpful to you to step aside for a moment and see whattheheck all that was, whatever it was.
Peoples say all kind of stuff, you know that. And some of it crawls right into the left side of your brain. okay, take a
moment. But no ~leaving~ for good. It doesn’t work. Not for you, not for us. and the truth is, there is no place to
go. It’s all `right here`. let’s keep generating the community, right here. I apologize to you for whatever hurt you.
~Like~
I’m seeing some responses which are inappropriate bursts of anger—-out of proportion—-a swooping in looking to humiliate and trample. It looks a little sick to me. We all say things others disagree with. We all see things we believe to be dumb and false, even from our side. I think a more respectful, measured tone is needed. Some seem to have veered off course for whatever reason. Check President Obama and the way he conducts himself and responds to opposing views—–he sets an excellent example. Ge always remains calm, does not try to destroy, still allows enemies some measure of self-respect.
Jovie—-hope you persevere—-don’t let one person chase you away.
yes, thank you, Dotster3. awesome.
Look, I appreciate what you and others have said, really I do.
But , in retrospect, nobody on these blogs have been abused for my commented, thought these past 3 or 5 years!
That said, I learned all my stuff in the military, I know I can be very incorrigible at times, but I am trying.
I do not however, look forward to people who may disagree with me or who may have a different source, to try and make me out as a Fool.
That is intolerable…
So, as a result, I will take heed with what you said, and I have made a decision to take a break.
2014 is more important than 2012, it seems every election is more important than the last?
🙂
Indeed Jovie. I think 2014 will be seminal. We really need some strong dems, or progressives. at the very least folks who are not b*tshyte crazy (read: Michelle Bachmann from my own state). Hope I see you back soon. 🙂
Co-sign x 10!
Thanks.
I find your info on miliitary matters and foreign affairs extremely interesting and hope you reconsider your decision to exit TOD. We need your voice.
There is room here for disagreement, I think. Right?? Right??
Jovie? Not this, not now. You are vitally and integrally a part of the OM of TOD. Please take a rest, or a sabbatical, and reconsider a permanent departure. You are needed. Blessings.
I scan every post for your entries specifically as I carefully read the comments. I know I will find something important to help me gain info and understanding. I have been looking out for your contributions since you first started writing here. I am asking you to stay. Please.
You hear that, Jovie, what catrst is saying to you. yes, thank you, I know you do.
It’s been talked about before, “when people scorn you, call you all kinds of hateful things. . . . ”
As PBO says, “They don’t even know who you are.”
If this touched something that you know needs to shift in you, you have been gifted.
If it just hurt you, for no good reason, you have also been gifted.
Practice having it be ~not personal; nothing about you~.
You can actually get very strong about that.
You can even practice having mercy on the people who spoke thoughtlessly in your direction.
It takes something.
And so will the elections in 2014.
we need you back here and clear-eyed before that gets really cranked up.
So, you don’t have long for resting! love to you, and all of us, truly
Perfect, SCC.
Very well stated, Sara!!
Hang in, Jovie! You bring so much solid information to and energy to TOD. Please take Sara’s advice to heart.
#FORWARD Together
I concur Sara. Thanks also for your comment, Bobfr.
Jovie, you know what is best for you,; but you have given so much to me. I am so grateful, but I will respect your decision. That I will always give to you. (( Good Thoughts from my heart to you, Jovie))HZ
Jovie, feel your pain but leaving is not the answer to trying to bring about peace. No one enjoys being jumped on for what they are trying to say about what is in their heart and yes, I have seen “some” try to put you down as well as having been put down myself. This forum’s purpose is to provide a place for people to express their support for PBO. I read this forum to try to learn from other viewpoints even though I might not always agree with them or understand the place that they are coming from. Belittling people is not in PBO’s DNA so therefore I suggest that each one of us strive to approach discussions from what we have learned from him. I know that he teaches me every day to be a more tolerant person.
Good morning TOD peeps!!! It’s a wonderful day!! Firstly because Barack Obama is my President and secondly, it’s my birthday!! Have a beautiful day everyone!!!
Happy Birthday!!!!
Have a lovely Birthday 🙂 sunshine & joy~
Happy Birthday! Hope the years ahead are happy and prosperous
Happy Birthday Lady TNT! 🙂
。☆。*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
HAPPY B’DAY
LADY TNT
★。／｜＼。★
。☆。*。☆。
Happy Birthday!
Thanks everyone!!
Happy Birthday Lady TNT. It’s my husband’s birthday, too. Please enjoy your day!
Thanks, happy birthday to him as well. Now, I am about to go out and enjoy my day! Hope everyone does the same!
Happy Birthday to your hubby, sabreen60!
Happy Happy Birthday LadyTnt! Do have a marvelous day!
hope you are having a great day TNT!
Happy, happy my fellow Taurean. Mine comes up in 4 days. I’ve already started my pawty! 😀
Happy Birthday Lady…have a glorious and joyful day!
Happy Birthday, Lady!
A lil TEMPTATION in the Morning….HA!
Happy Birthday LadyTNT. Enjoy each moment of your day.HZ
Sometimes I forget that President Obama works 24/7, I would have never thought about what type of charges to levy against Tsarnaev beyond murder and attempted murder charges.
😆
She probably thinks Fred Thompson is a good example of Law and Order too. Sigh !
Hahahahaha….this right here.
Gang Of 8 Senators: Boston Bombing Should ‘Urge Us To Act Quicker’ On Immigration Reform
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2013/04/21/1899251/gang-of-8-senators-boston-bombing-should-urge-us-to-act-quicker-on-immigration-reform/
It should urge them to act on gun control laws.
Some Republicans want to delay Immigration. One of them was on This Week saying that.
Really good debunking of the Chris Hayes/ Maddow crowd’s ridiculous posturing on “Miranda rights”:
EXTRAORDINARYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY RISE AND SHINE…..!!!!!!!!!!….Ms Chipssss…just Extraordinary….
How I loveeeeeee my President…and How the Creator has truly Blessed us with this man as our President…
May the Creator guide PBOs steps….as he moves Forward>>>>>>
AMEN
Amen and Amen. Thank you so much for your comment, prettyfoot58. HZ
Wallace says this week was the “first mass bombing since 9/11.” Was there a bombing on 9/11?
—
The incompetence of American journalism is stunning……
The world trade center is considered a “bombing” since it involved massive explosion.
It is clear that the police , FBI etc can question the suspect prior to reading him his rights but just can’t use any information gathered as evidence in Court.
They may use it find accomplices or get other information.
From reports however, it does not look as though he will be able to answer any questions for some time, if ever ( apparently shot in the mouth and bullet came through his neck- self-inflicted they say). But it seems that authorities are hoping that he regains enough consciousness to be able to write answers.
the country needs to prepare for the possibility that the answers to WHY & HOW many never be forthcoming from this suspect
I think he will. He may not be able to speak, but he can communicate. If he is nursed back to a minimum standard of physical health, he will be able to still hear, understand questions, write and use a computer.
He may be in a medically induced coma for now as he is being treated, but from what I understood, when they first apprehended him, he was conscious and able to respond to orders. They asked him to stand up, lift his shirt so that they could verify that he didn’t have any explosives and he followed both of these instructions.
today is Sunday, which means that there is a very high possibility a few people will be making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows exposing to the world their stupidity and hate – you can bet on it
For all those who would disparage our President
On the money prettyoot!
Amen to that yardarm756. So good to see you back.HZ
{{{{{{{HZ}}}}}}}}
So Melissa Harris Perry, at the behest of MSNBC and their Greenwaldian talking points has now started on the issue of the bomber being under surveillance while he was in the boat and that is an infringement of civil liberties. First of all, the bomber was already a declared and highly wanted SUSPECT in a major state/fed crime. Secondly, the boat-owner noticed the bomber boy in his boat and CALLED the authorities, who then verified the accuracy of that information via surveillance methods.
The left and right media are sickening.
These are the examples of loony left that the right uses to beat the legitimate left with. And the press will push their agenda.
Exactly!
The left and the right were sickening during the entire coverage of the Boston bombing. I just hope POTUS stick to his principles and not listen to Lindsey Graham and all those other politicians who want this case tried in military court.
That’s because they have the time and luxury to debate Miranda Rights until the fucking cows come home. They don’t have to come up with an answer that will satisfy all the legal requirements this case will bring. They sit up there and give speeches and lectures disguised as some sort of search for the truth, none of these pundits has ever solved anything.
Thank you, Don, and surely we are so grateful that the person who is sitting in that Oval Office will Never step from his core and will do his job to the crossing of the t and the dotting of the i. Count on it!!!
I am confident in our President and look around that table where he is sitting on Sat. These are heavy duty people who I want to be listening and doing. And above all, I have good reasons to trust POB, and I will continue to do that. HZ
Amen. Don!
my impression of MHP is now very different from my expectations given her background and prior achievements
Where there is no controversy, it’s is up to the MSM(cable news) to manufacture some “talking points”. How else can stoopid justify it’s existence, eh?
I don’t continue to be enthralled by the Boston bombing. They got their men, so until new “reliable” information is available, I’ve moved on. I am a lot more captivated by the domestic terrorism that the media ignores.
I just reposted an article I wrote in 2010, when The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry first tried to call attention to the activities of the extremist and hate groups that have saturated the United States. A couple of months ago, they tried to raise the alarm again. They wrote to the Justice Department and Homeland Security asking them to direct resources towards domestic extremists, saying they were concerned not only about their expansion, but an increasing bent towards violence. Not only have a myriad of new groups formed, but many have expanded membership and according to the SPLC have become a lot more active.
In 2010 the SPLC produced an interactive map that plots where the organizations are. You will be surprised who is in your backyard. I think you will be equally alarmed at the murderous deeds they do that are barely reported.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map
wow faypax I just spent some time over at your site. it’s amazing how many hate groups there are in minnesota. yikes.
Some of the things they have done and/or planned are horrendous. Most of them you’ve never heard of.
I will do just as you said ignore. Who is Greenwald?
I don’t know about you but I get the feeling that President Obama and his team already know what they are going to do with the Boston Bomber.
Yes, they are always 5-10 steps ahead of everyone, and the media seems to detest that about this President and his administration. He always makes them look like the fools they are.
Good Morning….Well I have come face to face with the deep racism and ignorance in this country. It’s one thing to read about it and see it on tv, but had a “no one I know” attitude….Yes, I know people who are racist…Yes, I know people who use the N word…Yes, I know people who say coded things. and yes, I know people who are uneducated but I did not know I knew people who are just stupid and ignorant..not friends but people I work with…..but I honestly did not know the depths of ignorance and racism combined……this will be rather long…….Friday at work, I have xm radio in my car, so I would go to car during breaks and lunch to get updates on the bomber hunt……I was coming back and passed my supervisor and said…”They have not captured him yet”…..and SHE said…”Obama needs to step down right now”…..well…….wrong thing to say to me, ya know……..so I said……”Excuse me, did I understand you correctly, Obama needs to step down and why might that be?”….and I’m not lying or exaggerating….she said…”Because it’s his fault”…..No, I didn’t scream obscenities at her but to be fair, I was of shaking,,,,,,,,so I said…..”Why is it HIS fault?”…..and she said….and I’m not lying….”Because he sent all our guys to get killed in the wars he started”…..absolutely almost speechless and where this came from and how I did it is beyond me….I said…”I suppose you felt the same way about George Bush when 9/11 happened and he started the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?”……answer…”NO…Bush didn’t start any wars except the war on terror.”…..to which I responded with a smile on my face while still shaking…..”I guess you were not aware that PRESIDENT Obama ended the war in Iraq and is bringing the troops home from Afghanistan.”….to which she answered….”Well, this all started when schools were integrated and they took God out of schools.”…….to which I replied…”Well, I have to get back to work, talk to you later.”…….knowing I was so wasting my time and spitting in the wind at ignorance and knowing that this person controls me at work and VOTES and is incapable of showing empathy to anyone…..To be honest, people like this scare me more than the men in Boston………………………To all of you who have been and are on the receiving end of this ignorant, blatant racism, I do apologize for my naivety and cluelessness, and I realize this was just a really small incident but has thrown me for a loop…….and to all of you…….in my heart of hearts I HAVE to feel that there are more Americans that express love rather than hate…….
These are the racist ignorant pox news idjits that turn out faithfully every two years and vote goopers to power at various levels. Dems will just sit on their asses and bitch and moan.
I work with several TEACHERS like this everyday. Can you imagine, but thankfully my principal is a major President Obama fan!!
Kathryn, I shit you not, I had the exact same experience at work with a coworker on Thursday. I walked into the break room to watch the news, of course the t.v. is always on Fox News. Anyway a coworker walked in to eat his lunch; the guy sits down and says all of this is Obama’s fault. Forget the fact that this particular coworker has to work overtime damn near five days a week just to keep a roof over his family’s head and food on the table. Never mind the fact that management is in the process of cutting down on the overtime drastically, and forget about the fact that the guy constantly harps on the Union which I’m a steward in, and never mind the fact that the Union is trying to save his goddamn bacon. But what angers me the most is the stupidity that this guy has. If it wasn’t for the Union or the fact that as a steward I actually give a fuck about him, management would eat his ass for lunch. But what angers me the most is the stupidity, not the politics.
Don – I so admire your passion and views about all of these issues, and – in particular (coal miner’s granddaughter), I so admire the fact you are a steward for your union. Just don’t burn out on what all of these awful creatures are saying and doing around you. Your union needs you, even your effin’ co-worker needs you, our country needs you, and – quite frankly – we here and probably others in your life need you to keep opening our eyes. Some of us (myself included) live in bubbles, not by choice but by circumstance. Some of us are so old that we thought we left some of this craziness behind in the ’60s. Keep speaking up! Run for office!
Oh no don’t worry, I’m going to keep fighting for all of my coworkers, even the ones that piss me off.
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.”
And that’s the absolute TRUTH, Yardarm!
Fox News. Right Wing Radio. 24/7. For years.
Don’t underestimate the power of propaganda. In the thirties, it transformed one of the most advanced democracies in Europe at the time into a fascist state.
The world is changing, America will be losing its status of the sole superpower. And demographics will make the white population a minority in a few decades.
Fear of change, hate of others, and propaganda create a dangerous cocktail. The good news is that the younger generation seems more progressive, and less vulnerable to all sorts of hateful propaganda.
Why do you think Barack Obama has put so much effort into mobilizing the youth ? He’s thinking long term. Very long term. He knows that a more engaged, “community oriented” youth is the best defense against the fascistic tendencies of a society afraid of change.
Don, I hardly know what to say……I am just unable to understand stupidity and ignorance….from my holier than thou perch, I always associated it with lack of education or intelligence but now I just think that some people are born without a gene…the gene of compassion and empathy, Sorry for what you had to experience also.
Kathryn, I’ve experienced similar racist rants. But people like you, if you have the advantage of white skin privilege, can help by speaking up when things get said to you, especially if people who don’t have that privilege are not there to speak for themselves.
So very sorry you had to deal with that kind of ignorance and hate on such a personal level, Kathryn. The media and hate groups have done a good job on your supervisor, and unfortunately it would take a long time for her to “understand”, even if she was interested in learning the facts.
taking the thought process of your “boss” to its conclusion, if it all started when schools were integrated, I believe PBO was a kid then but it was still his fault!!!
Thought process, ya think?……it one’s brain is so full of hate they are unable to process little details such as that..
Kathryn, so just imagine for a second… people like your supervisor are often in charge of hiring. Do you think a qualified African American, Latino, Asian American would ever get past her? And if they did, would they get a fair evaluation? A raise for their good work?
Folks wonder why there are such disparities in wealth and income when the stats are collected by race. You have provided a real life example. Your supervisor felt quite comfortable expressing her racist, ignorant, and xenophobic views to you at work.
Wow, just wow.
I will never, ever, ever understand why anyone considers McCain a hero. His history, in and out of the military is awful!
Me, either. I will never understand why he is not castigated for bringing this country close to the brink, in my view, with his selection of Sarah Palin. He is still treated as person with gravitas. Not in my eyes, ever!!
I agree 100%. McAngry is awful.
Just a recap of Peggy Noonan’s tweets right before the 2012 Presidential election:
Any questions?
Hahahahahahaha…..oh Peggy, Peggy, dumb…dumb…dumb Peggy.
Please excuse Ms. Noonan, she is still dreaming of Ronald Reagen.
She is till on Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall fame.
Yes. Margaret “Peggy” Noonan is a smart person who is unaware of Her Stupidity. That is the danger. A foolish person…..most of the time knows his/her limitations but Not the so called Smarty Peggys.
It is not just her…Biased folks and folks who are motivated by white privilege are everywhere… the people who give her a platform to sprout her bias have to be looked at as well..
Perhaps. She reached her Peak in the 1980s…..in her 30s. Same goes with Bob Woodward. They had their yesteryear/s. Now, if they could Only proceed and allow Us to forget and even Miss them…..that would be appreciated.
Good rebuttal to Maureen Dowd.
Any one with any dam sense knows these are not the Republicans of LBJ days. The entire Republican Party is so radical, so extreme, and that Dowd witch knows that.
But that doesn’t fit with the narative about President Obama not keeping ‘merica safe.
So true. And not as “sexy” for all the defunct, self-aggrandizing Bush-era (argh) former “operatives,” now paid think tank has-beens, who are being dragged out before the cameras once again. Their fear-based, doom-and-gloom judgment calls are pretty much useless.
If one of those choices is better than the other, then I’m hoping it is more like Columbine … which, of course, means we must do a better job of noticing young men who appear to be going down, and getting them help ~ rather than just calling them “losers” and walking away.
That wasn’t just a reflection of the uncle who spoke out (and softened up, in a later interview) – and who am I to preach – but we all know families need better help dealing with their troubled sons and brothers and nephews. None of us come equipped with those skills and, naturally, if it’s a family member, emotions get in the way.
I’ll stop there because I’m stating the obvious, and, of course, have no real answers.
My choice is to live in a country without the senseless violence …be it Columbine…Sandy Hook…Philadelphia….Chicago…Boston….
In 2006, in PA, an Amish school was terrorized. 5 children were killed. In all these mass killings, somehow, that very one is missed. I have never understood Why.
Students Killed by Gunman at Amish Schoolhouse – New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/02/us/03amishcnd.html
Mornin’.
Chips, thank you for this very thought-provoking week in review, and especially for the images you chose! Not quite sure how you pull all this together, but I’m so glad you have protégés helping you now (some more … er … feisty than the others, but all industrious! Ha!).
Once again, our President has quite the week ahead of him. We will continue to have his back!
Good pushback Amk. West Wing Report’s tweet is so bloody ignorant. 54 ayes – 46 nays. I believe Reid voted no so that he could bring the amendment back on the floor for a vote again. So that would be 4 Dems voted against not 5 in the technical sense. So using that logic, 41 Republicans voted against a background check and WWR sees no problem with that? We really do have a crappy media.
Chips! AMAZING photographic assemblage of the week! Wow!
And now for this: I’m Tired of my weather here in the Northland and in PROTEST, I refuse to wear my long underwear anymore!!!! That’s it! I’ve had it! I’m putting them away!!!
OK. I gotta go clean my house. later cats. 😀
Hope you don’t get cold! In NZ they have a code: “Stick to your flannels ’til your flannels stick to you.” Works for me here in cool, wet and temperate PNW! 😉
Good Morning all.
Thanks for the Newsy loaded Post.
https://twitter.com/earthposts/status/325997111931990016
Awesome!
Chipsticks, I love you and what you’ve created here; TOD, but lately, I’ve become concerned and saddened by the vitriol opined without regard. Words are powerful and need to be uttered with caution and compassion and I’ve noticed these traits have been missing of late and it makes me stay away from certain Threads.
People, please remember what TOD is and take care with reading your words before you hit “Post Comment”.
copy that!
Going offline for a bit, but – Ha! – wonder what Chips meant at the end of her post by “I’ll be back a litter later”? Hmmm?
I suspect cat boxes… 😉
Good morning TOD family. I hope all are well. The past week has been very tragic. I pray this new week is much better for all. We must stay focused on our goals we can not give up.
https://twitter.com/TyJuanOn/status/325986485939609602
kaboom. that’s quick and to the point. thx amk rt’d
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/04/21/the-lies-of-glenn-greenwald/
joker beats rafa in straight sets in monte carlo finals.