Yes, aren’t they all? The Obama family is deepening friendships and forging political connections in Africa. Thanks to zizi for enlightening me about the economic growth of these countries.
I remember that day well. I was sleeping and a good friend called to tell me to get my butt out of bed and turn on the tv. Such a historic moment when he and Winnie walked hand in hand among cheering crowds. A true hero.
Have no idea what Hayes’ tweet was about, but every single day he sends a tweet that says something like “Thank God I have a TV show.”
Someone really needs to tell him what true humility looks and sounds like. And also explain to him why he is despised by people who want our President to succeed.
Our fabulous president is such a natural with children. It is VERY sexy when a man is so comfortable with them– and he’s even holding him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
The First Couple are true beings of light…their warmth and lightness radiates to all that come in contact with them. I would PAY to get a hug from them (of course I’m sure they’d give it for free..:)
I LOVE this pic, Lisa…I love how she is looking at the bride with such emotion (and she looks so regal and elegant) and he is looking at her with such pride. He has such a casual, sophisticated and old-fashioned (Great Gatsby) air about him.
They look like movie stars
For her day and time, Jackie O was class, elegance, and beauty. Michelle O has all that AND she’s vibrant, energetic and warm.
It’s funny — Jackie O was only 32 when she was widowed, yet Michelle O seems so much younger.
That was the times, ark. The clothes were stiffer, the attitudes were more formal and most of all Jackie herself was very shy and insecure. As beautiful, poised and classy as she was she did not have the absolute sense of herself that Michelle does.
Absolutely correct, jackie. She was very young when she was married and had children. Her job was to be a mother, housewife and perfect model. She was not an equal partner in the relationship. Michelle is absolutely equal to her man because she was accomplished in her own right. What I love about them as a couple is that they still appeal to an old-fashioned ideal. In other words, he romances her and she allows him to do so. I believe THAT is what people are referring to when they say they want their country back.
I have to say, I’m very heartened by this trip. Nelson Mandela will pass very soon, and the torch will be passed to our president. I believe we will enter a new era in our human history.
I don’t mean to damper anyone’s day, but can you imagine Mitt and Queen Ann in Africa as our POTUS and FLOTUS? I’m so thankful we don’t have to imagine, wonder, or whatever, it will NEVER be. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Thanks for the beautiful photos, Chips. While some make me say ” aww so sweet” others are sending me straight to the naughty mat where I am sure that I will meet other TODers there.
That’s one pic that’s going to be framed large and placed in a position of great honour in the family hallway!
It’s so sweet to me that no matter where in the world he is, President Obama’s naturalness with kids, and theirs with him, is so very, very evident.
If any of you want to read a powerful, moving, informative, haunting book about a family caught up in the slave trade and its transportation to Virginia, read “The Fiddler of Pantico Run: An African Warrior, His White Descendants, A Search for Family” by Joe Mozingo. The author was a reporter for the L.A. Times, and set out to find out about his name, because no one could tell him anything about it. He wrote 3 or 4 installments for the paper, then just had to get to the very roots of his family, he did and wrote this book. His track eventually takes him to west Africa. This is one of the most powerful and moving books I have read in a long time. I promise you will be mesmerized, and you will learn SO much. I got it from my trusty Public Library!!! Yes, LL….nothing like it.
This one family illustrates all the racial complications and interconnectedness and denial we have in our country.l
I told some friends about this book, friends who had lived as missionaries in Swaziland and So. Africa for five years. I mentioned the name, and that no one could tell him the derivation of his name until he searched, and as soon as the name was out of my mouth, the couple both said in unison, “Africa, that’s an African name.”
‘If any of you want to read a powerful, moving, informative, haunting book’
Carolyn, I have been hoping and dreaming that TOD village will do something like what you have done here in a ‘midnight post’ format ONCE weekly! I’d even settle for ONCE bi-weekly, or /whispering/ even monthly. Music is good and it has many excellent benefits, but for the non-musical (night owl) like me it would be so, so nice to get an occasional break with a book referral and a personal recommendation. I used to be a reader in my ‘youth’ but virtually stopped as most of what I was encountering in ‘modern’ literature was filled with swearing, often poor grammar, and weak plot lines, or had too much ‘blood and gore’. While I am all for people using the library, I like to own my books and have been so bitten wasting money on poorly written stuff, in a search for readable stuff, that I stopped buying long ago.
Thank you for your suggestion. The main reason I wish some blogger here would make is a ‘feature’ is that it would then be easier to locate later. Generally when someone shares a title and feedback like this you note it, but you are so caught up in the race through the daily topics and comments that later when you are calmer you (at least I do) tend to forget where the info was. That happened when LL suggested the Samantha Powers book. Of course I could go hunt it up on the Google because I remember HER name but I don’t always remember. All that rambling to say ‘thanks’ and I hope in the not-too-distant future TODers will have a venue to share GOOD literature as well as meaningful music . 🙄
I think this is a great idea. I love books. I hate shopping, but I love going to a book store. I do have a kindle, but I still have to buy books when it’s written by certain writers I like.
Maybe after the Africa visit we should start a TOD ‘petition’ for an inclusion of this type of midnight post once in a while? You listening, Chips and Chipadees?
‘but I love going to a book store’
Sshh. No exaggeration, I have to give myself a serious talking to these days when I’m near one because I absolutely have no space for them! Most of mine are older publications (as in college days) and authors. In fact, last time I moved the guys who helped were very ticked when they discovered that quite a few of those really heavy boxes they brought to the new place contained books. 😉
That’s why I got the Kindle. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about where to put all these books, but, no, I’m still buying books. I brought the book that Judge Sotomayor wrote, unfortunately, I haven’t read it yet.
See, that’s what I mean. I had forgotten that one, though I had planned to buy it when it was first published. And yes, I too have books on the shelf that I haven’t read ‘yet’. Perfect example, I bought ‘1984’ from waaay before that year and still haven’t read it YET. 😛 I started ‘Life of Pi’ well over a year ago and am still in the 2nd chapter, and I have picked up “Long Walk to Freedom” twice in the past week and have so far only read the Acknowledgements. I’m waiting for inspiration in all those cases. 😉
I really do think if we had a ‘reading’ post periodically it would be easier to print it off and wander into the bookstore with a specific goal. I like the way Carolyn did it, giving a short recap & recommendation without giving away the plot. Similar I think to the way our music lovers haved share a little bit of themselves with the music they bring us.
I doubt Kindle would work for me because I love the feel of page turning, and I don’t read that well from a screen. Also, /whispering/ I edit my own copies for grammar or plot inconsistencies – no matter how I mentally decide to ignore the first 1 or 2 of either, by the time I get to a third I can’t seem to resist. 😳 I confess too that a while back I started throwing away books I bought that I feel are poorly written. One way to reduce my stash, I figured.
You made me laugh at your last paragraph. I know there have been books I put down, because I didn’t like them. I never thought about how I would edit it.
Oh, the ones I edit are the ones with a sensible plot that I continue to read to the end. The ones I think are really simplistically insulting are the ones I trash. [Yeah, i know I shouldn’t – that’s why I whispered. ;)]
I read an article by Mr. Mozingo in a travel magazine. Was very interesting since I’ve never heard of a White man with an African name before. His article was when he went to Congo (I believe) to search for his roots. His book sounds fascinating.
You just know that little babies or toddlers would be flailing their arms to get away from you, if they don’t pick up that they can trust you. And be comfortable in your arms.
Also loved that the Senegalese narrator on the “President of Senegal welcome President Obama and First Lady” video always included the President’s middle name.
That’s also a lot of hooey, Jovie, to borrow a term from the “olden days.” Boehner and his stupid tactics are designed to make passage of ANY legislation impossible because he’s somehow convinced himself that that’s a winning strategy. If the bill is presented on the floor and ALL Democrats and a decent number of Republicans with a sense of self-preservation vote for it that will be a CLEAR majority and he’s going to have a very difficult time telling the world that it isn’t good enough without bringing on himself the wrath of every Latino and reasonable thinking person in the country.
‘Déjà sur Twitter, Michelle Obama a fait son arrivée sur Instagram, la célèbre plateforme de partage de photos. Actuellement en Afrique avec sa famille, la First Lady a donc pu partager avec ses abonnés les premiers clichés de ce beau voyage qui doit durer trois jours. On y voit notamment sa fille de 14 ans, Malia dans une école du Sénégal, où les Obama sont arrivés mercredi soir’
Where in all these posts did you guys hide FLOTUS’ instagram. I wanna see! I wanna see! I must have missed it jumping back and forth between all these fast changing posts.
TY kindly, Arap. I don’t know why when I read that I thought an instagram is the twittery, moving, kind of pic, and I didn’t remember seeing one of those as I whizzed by today’s posts in my desperate attempt not to be left too far behind. Plus I haven’t really looked at ALL the pics yet. I’m fearful that you guys will finish the supper (that’s where I’ve been planning to slow down AND savour each moment) BEFORE I catch up fully so I’ve been making all sorts of leaps and bounds while trying to keep my eyes open to goodies.
My personal wizard at work! I thank you, Senor Bob. 😆 😆 I haven’t been on twitter for longer than 1/2 minute yet today, and even when I’m signed on I miss good stuff. Getting the hang of reading, tweeting, and commenting all, not to mention watching a linked video, at the same time is something I haven’t been able to figure out and master.
Oh, just remarking that FLOTUs had made her debut on Instagram (that is, she had posted her first instagram), that she was in Africa with her family for 3 days; Malia was present in instagram, etc. etc.
CNN and MSNBC are giving wall-to-wall coverage to the Trayvon Martin murder trial. Fox News is taking brief breaks from the courtroom to empathize with Darrell Issa and Paula Deen, because George Zimmerman isn’t the only victim around who needs defending, but otherwise the cable news channels are all race-crime-porn all the time.
They have three good reasons for doing this.
First, their business model is delivering audiences to advertisers. They fear that Americans will change the channel if they actually cover the news. Thus the Supreme Court’s nullification of the Voting Rights Act was a one-day story. So was President Obama’s attempt to put climate change on the nation’s agenda. The NSA’s Big Brother turn is been-there-done-that. Syria’s a snoozer. Sandy Hook is so last year. There’s always the chance that a police chase with the potential to deliver a real-time death crash will mandate a split screen with the trial, but the name of the cable news game is always Capture the Eyeballs.
Second, they’re right. This trial is a good story — not in the sense that it deserves this kind of journalistic attention, but rather that our lizard brains love this kind of stuff. Fear, hate, danger, death, suspense: it’s reality television, minus the unreality. As citizens, we may sheepishly acknowledge that other news is more important for us to follow. But as animals, we’re like those lab rats that would rather starve to death than abandon the lever that once dispensed cocaine.
Third, there’s an ideological compatibility between cable news’s corporate ownership and the kind of content they deliver. It’s not beyond the wit of those networks to grab and hold audiences by actually covering the daily assault on democracy in America. The disenfranchisement of voters now going on across the country will turn out to be the biggest story of the 2014 elections. Women’s rights are being rolled back in state after state. Wall Street is still getting away with murder. The stranglehold of big money on Congress is a horror show. But if you’re a media conglomerate with talons sunk deep into both political parties, why draw attention to the corrupt system that also empowers you? Covering the Sanford, Florida circus won’t jeopardize your sweet deal in Washington, D.C., and it’s cheaper to boot.
Cable news isn’t uniformly disgraceful. Some shows actually attempt to tell citizens news they need to know. But by and large, an hour of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report commits more journalism than a day on the cable news networks, and it’s way more entertaining. If we’re going to be slouching toward tyranny, I guess I’d rather do it laughing.
Good summary, Layla. As I came home I turned on MSNBC in time to hear a male voice saying that PBO is becoming a bystander to his own Presidency.
This is their new meme.
I guess the Trust is Eroding bullshit wasn’t working so well.
So now they will avoid covering anything happening in the actual planet we all share and have dedicated themselves 24/7 to a Clint Eastwood dialog with an empty chair. Motherfuckers every one of them.
And, no, I won’t be nice.
Probably most of you already know this, but the President’s first name, spelled Barak in Hebrew, has the beautiful meaning “to bless” I think of his mother, who was very educated, naming him that, and then facing what she did, that is extraordinary. I think his name has great meaning for the world.
Interesting story about Ecuador posted by Trix over at the Great Orange:
The intelligence agency of Ecuador appears to have sought in recent months to obtain new equipment for a large-scale surveillance, according to confidential government documents obtained by BuzzFeed.
The capabilities sought by Ecuador resemble the National Security Agency practices revealed by Edward Snowden, who is reportedly seeking asylum in the left-leaning Latin American republic.
The Ecuadorian documents — stamped “Secret” — obtained by BuzzFeed appear to show the government purchasing a “GSM Interceptor” system, among other domestic spying tools, and they suggest a commitment to domestic surveillance that rivals the practices by the United States’ National Security Agency that are at the center of a fierce national debate. They include both covert surveillance capacities and the targeting of President Rafael Correa’s enemies on social media. According to the files, SENAIN keeps close tabs on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of journalists, opposition politicians and other individuals, some with few followers.”
Just more proof that Edward Scissorhands didn’t think this whole thing through. And to insult to injury President Obama stated that he’s “not going to scramble jets to chase some 29 year old hacker.” And now this idiot is stuck in some airport lounge looking for any country that will take his sorry ass.
Maybe we can send him some volleyballs named Wilson…and when he gets pissed and frustrated from living in a Russian airport, he can shoot his balls off. Just a thought..
Snowden and his fanclub think he’s the smartest leaker ever. Yet starting with his Hong Kong gambit his flawed plan has been failing. He proclaimed Hong Kong a true democracy where he thought he could stay indefinitely and then one phone call from Beijing and the Hong Kong Formerly Known As Autonomous said, ‘I don’t care where you go, but you can’t stay here.’ China wanted him out of there hair, because they are grown ups and want to do business with the U.S. and assume they are being spied on and hacked, despite Snowden naively believing this was a grand revelation.
Then he fled to Russia with a revoked passport and Putin said he’s free to travel wherever he wants (with a revoked passport) and the sooner he leaves the better.
Ecuador said they it will take months to process his request to stay there and the process can’t get rolling until he touches Ecuador soil (with a revoked passport) or gets to an Ecuadoran embassy in another country (with a revoked passport)
Snowden is an emoprog poster child. He is so sure he had a right to steal and share data that he had no authorization to access. He is right. The United States government is wrong. And eventually they will comply to his will. Meanwhile in reality, he slowly runs out of money, resources, support, personal will and countries that will accept him.
“Meanwhile in reality, he slowly runs out of money, resources, support, personal will and countries that will accept him.”
FiredUp, that’s exactly what I predicted in an earlier thread…at some point, this guy is going to be on his knees, begging the SAME US government to give him back his passport and allow him to return to the US….mark my word.
He’s also run out of value to any other country. He has no more secrets–he’s been drained dry, so who wants him hanging around wasting resources. In the US, he’d at least have access to his family and a lawyer and get some clear idea of how much time he would have to serve. That’s better than endless limbo.
Such pride and joy in my heart to see my President and First Lady visiting Africa. And no one take what I’m about to say the wrong way, but my African American President and First Lady.
Gaspard has spent most of his career working with one of the country’s most powerful unions. Dennis Rivera, who is Chair of SEIU Healthcare, hired Gaspard as the union’s political director in 1999.
Gaspard has worked with SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Burger, who was also chairwoman of Change to Win, a coalition of labor unions that supported Obama in the 2008 race; and Andrew Stern, SEIU president.
POSSIBLY??!! There is a NET ZERO immigration to the US right now…and one can’t help but notice that these morons are only talking about our SOUTHERN border…you know, with all those nasty brown people! Much larger border with Canada…but, you know, wink, wink….
So they want to spend $30B on this dog and pony show, to appease nutbags…they same ones that don’t understand facts, figures or evidently don’t care about the debt anymore.
Want to see how easy it is to scale the fence at the AZ border? Education, infrastructure, be damned…but THIS? All so idiots can sleep better at night and think they actually DID something. Screw them all. I hate the stupidity and politics of this.
Well….trust me, there’s no “view” down there. Desolate no man’s land. But I understand your point…and you are correct:) But this shit is what happens when facts don’t matter….It just infuriates me.
Some fear that most of it will go into a contractors pocket with little fence ever built. The place is desolate indeed – I think those who want this fence should move with their families and get the job of building it – but they will probably hire immigrants to do the job.
Good…….now Boehner can show the American people once again how incompetent and inept he is as Speaker of the House. With no sense of shame or compassion the House will most certainly insult everyone in favor of legal immigration.
All I have to say is remember 2010. If people had gotten out to vote like they should (and they know who they are), there will be no Speaker Boehner. Can’t repeat that B.S. in 2014.
That’s Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to you, ma’am. I’ll have you know that the Sessions name is a proud and honorable name that is known all throughout Alabama, and I will not have you flippantly call me Sessions.
I looked back at that World Daddy picture of PBO again and it struck me anew that he must have such a tremendously calming spirit that even surrounded by lots of excitement, clicking cameras, what must be unusually noisy chatter (for most babes), and in the arms of a complete stranger, MOST BABIES ARE RELAXED! Babies in PBO’s arms are rarely ever reaching back to their parents – they can’t all be naturally accepting babies, so ( /drumroll/ VC’s grand logical conclusion )it must be HIM! 😉 😉
He holds them securely and almost always close to his heart. His calmness and confidence soothes them. One of my most recent favorite photos of PBO with a baby is the one at the White House reception for fathers in which a little boy who was dressed in a suit was cradled in his arms. He looked like the pro he is when it comes to holding babies. Compare what PBO does to the way Romney held babies by holding them away from him (you would think that someone who had so many children would have been a pro at this as well, but I guess Ann and the did the child-rearing).
I think one of their sons said Ann used to feed Mitt first, away from the children, so not sure how much he was interacting with the five “kids.” And now we should work to get his image back out of our minds. Gag.
Yep, I remember and love that Father’s Fay baby pic too – but then I love ALL PBO’s baby pictures. 😀 Re Mitt’s # of kids – you’d think; IMO, however, there is something lacking in the core of Mitt’s spirit that no amount of kids could cure! I do believe he is simple a defective human being; colossally rich, and defective. AnnD, I think loves HER children and those in her elite and maybe church world. IMO she has no great love or awareness for those outside of this group. Their loss!
This is the type of shit that gets my blood boiling, Bill Clinton didn’t’ do a goddamn thing for our gay brothers and sisters. With his pen our gay military brothers and sisters had to hide who they loved, some even got kicked out of the military for loving someone of the same sex. If Clinton had any shame he would go hide until 2016 and pray to his god that we vote for Hillary.
From civil rights to dismantling Glass-Steagall, Mr Clinton did major harm to Americans, but, far and away, by being a ‘Democrat’ and fostering the DNC, he did much to ensure #GOP success. Period.
The founding of OFA will become to be seen as the re-birth of the Democratic Party and one of Barack Obama’s most important contributions to the resuscitation of our Democracy and Middle Class. It is for each of us to ensure that OFA flourishes and we trounce the #GOP in 2014, 2016 and beyond. A valid opposition party will emerge, that is a prerequisite for sustainable democracy. I suspect it will arise from the Democratic Party itself as the Party shifts further left of center in the decades ahead.
Little doubt that the gravest threat to our democracy and humanity will be issues spawned by the now likely irreversible effects of failure to control CO2 levels. A vibrant OFA-led Democratic Party is truly our only hope in facing that threat.
“DLC”, as a correction Bob. The DNC is the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic umbrella. The DLC were the business-friendly-to-a-fault triangulating, RW in Dem clothing.
Sully for the m-fing win!! Had an argument with a gay coworker about this yesterday. He insisted that I am closed minded about Bill Clinton and just because Clinton wrote an op-Ed in a newspaper, he should be forgiven. Idiot. He is 24 years old and is a self-described Libertarian. He thinks he knows everything and it irks me that I can’t tell him that he knows fucking nothing. He called me closed minded because I said of Clinton: ” a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots, and he’s only for marriage equality now because more than half the American people are for it, PBO and Biden have come out for it and the democrats have made it part of their party platform.” 🙄 bill Clinton is an opportunistic jerk with a hard on for the White House. Too bad those days are over and Hillary, if she runs, won’t win. At least not by my vote.
He’s a smart ass. It still wouldn’t matter. He thinks Snowjob is a hero. Dumb f*^%. Every word out of his mouth is right and nothing you can say will change it. 🙄
The part that pisses me off beyond recognition is that while Bill Clinton was signing these laws President Obama had to arduously dismantle, neither Bill nor First Lady Hillary Clinton were heckled, or accused of being homophobes or had activists stalk and hector them or tie themselves to fences.
Meanwhile the guy who had nothing to do with this legislation and who only worked on getting rid of it, still doesn’t get any cred from some deadenders. You can preside over the strategy that ends DADT (including keeping Joe Lieberman around when even your most ardent supporters wanted him gone) and appoint the two justices that made the marriage equality ruling possible and still you have delusional a-holes giving credit to everything under the sun except the President.
Thanks Chips and to the other TOD blog tyrants for the wonderful foreign trips to Europe and Africa. Since I’m African, it feels great following Potus and family on this trip. To zizi, thanks for the Africa post earlier. As usual the msm is no use. Can you just imagine what other people not following TOD, have to deal with day in day out, with the complete media blackout of Potus’ tavels or accomplishments? I’m one of those that get my news on here and basically don’t bother looking elsewhere, coz you guys hunt for all the news that’s out there and then share it with the rest of us “moochers” lol. Again, thanks again TOD family for keeping us sane.
Oh, oh, Layla! Don’t tell me I’m in the ‘class clown’ section of your subconscious. Please don’t call home – Mom’s not going to be pleased. I’m really a quiet soul. Really.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Gorgeous.
Yes, aren’t they all? The Obama family is deepening friendships and forging political connections in Africa. Thanks to zizi for enlightening me about the economic growth of these countries.
First? Or close?
Almost – but a strong Second! Congrats on securing the Silver medal! 🙂
Congrats, theo! I’m bringing this over from the last post, where I posted it seconds before this post opened.
The Day Nelson Mandela Left Prison:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/06/27/190671704/the-day-nelson-mandela-walked-out-of-prison?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I remember that day well. I was sleeping and a good friend called to tell me to get my butt out of bed and turn on the tv. Such a historic moment when he and Winnie walked hand in hand among cheering crowds. A true hero.
I had not heard all the story behind it-I thought it was an interesting read.
Brings tears to the eyes – I was about to bring it over as I finished reading – thank you mary1 – I would want this man to be with us forever
Thank you, 99tsI know what you mean; I feel the same way.
Our POTUS is so fly
Congrats on 1st theo. Thank you for all the excellent coverage (as usual), Chips.
Just posted this on the previous thread ….
😉
🙄 😆 😆 🙄
Oh snap!
OH SNAP X2!!
OK that was funny!!! Thank you Bobfr, you made my day.
LOL.
ROFLMAO
Have no idea what Hayes’ tweet was about, but every single day he sends a tweet that says something like “Thank God I have a TV show.”
Someone really needs to tell him what true humility looks and sounds like. And also explain to him why he is despised by people who want our President to succeed.
Oh lord! Bobfr, is that you? 😀
I won’t even bother to ask to what Hayes was refering?
It’s me, VC 😀 😀
Something to do with the Zimmerman trial, I presumed, but it was too delicious an opportunity to bypass 😀 😀
😆 {{{{Bobfr}}}}
Beautiful, Bob. Just beautiful.
Wonder who they will replace him with. Bashir would be nice or perhaps bring back Schultz.
Yes We Can
I would tweet this a gazillion times if I could.
Arvo, y’all!
Arvo to you MP!
Can i just say…. I love that my POTUS wears Ray Bans.
You may Tally!
Their sales around the world will go through the roof after today.
Permission granted …..
Look at the smile on that young lady w/ PBO t-shirt! I think she’s a TOD lurker! LOL!
I totally love her, Gazelle. Her face says it all and makes me feel better about the future of our planet.
WOW! what a GORGEOUS picture of PBO and child. This is also one for the ages.
beautiful photos!
Oh my. I just love that pic of PBO holding that baby! So sexy. Such a cute baby too. 🙂
What baby? Was he holding a baby?….oh, yeah….it’s cute too. 🙂
Here’s your mat.
Guuuurl! 😳 you betta wurk!
Our fabulous president is such a natural with children. It is VERY sexy when a man is so comfortable with them– and he’s even holding him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
The First Couple are true beings of light…their warmth and lightness radiates to all that come in contact with them. I would PAY to get a hug from them (of course I’m sure they’d give it for free..:)
So true!
Ps- your avatar is my desktop background. Loooove this pic! 🙂
I LOVE this pic, Lisa…I love how she is looking at the bride with such emotion (and she looks so regal and elegant) and he is looking at her with such pride. He has such a casual, sophisticated and old-fashioned (Great Gatsby) air about him.
They look like movie stars
They do! I love them together. Jackie O will continue to be an inspiration for many, but Michelle O has changed the Office of the First Lady forever.
For her day and time, Jackie O was class, elegance, and beauty. Michelle O has all that AND she’s vibrant, energetic and warm.
It’s funny — Jackie O was only 32 when she was widowed, yet Michelle O seems so much younger.
So true. She brings such a vibrancy that it makes her appear ageless. She’s so young and beautiful.
Exactly, lisa. She and the President always look so refreshed. Except for his grey hair, you’d think they were about 10 years younger.
That was the times, ark. The clothes were stiffer, the attitudes were more formal and most of all Jackie herself was very shy and insecure. As beautiful, poised and classy as she was she did not have the absolute sense of herself that Michelle does.
Absolutely correct, jackie. She was very young when she was married and had children. Her job was to be a mother, housewife and perfect model. She was not an equal partner in the relationship. Michelle is absolutely equal to her man because she was accomplished in her own right. What I love about them as a couple is that they still appeal to an old-fashioned ideal. In other words, he romances her and she allows him to do so. I believe THAT is what people are referring to when they say they want their country back.
I have to say, I’m very heartened by this trip. Nelson Mandela will pass very soon, and the torch will be passed to our president. I believe we will enter a new era in our human history.
I don’t mean to damper anyone’s day, but can you imagine Mitt and Queen Ann in Africa as our POTUS and FLOTUS? I’m so thankful we don’t have to imagine, wonder, or whatever, it will NEVER be. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
They wouldn’t go. Not if there were any other choise.
exactly – they have NO understanding of any culture beyond their money and the senior positions of their religion.
You know, Annieb, I’ve often thought there must be some advantage to my not having a good imagination. This is one. 😉
I can just imagine the foolish things that Mittens would do/say. Remember how he was in Europe? Just a mess.
NO NO NO NO NO!!! I feel SO peaceful with the Obamas in the White House. I shake and shiver at that thought.
And like every smart baby, lisa, that one just settles in as if he’s found all the comfort and security in the world.
What I hoped for. Great!
But but but…
He is such a beautiful man! Ok back to my ironing 🙂
If I send you mine will you do it?
Lol! Send it over – I am now in the zone! 🙂
Beautiful photos
Thanks for the beautiful photos, Chips. While some make me say ” aww so sweet” others are sending me straight to the naughty mat where I am sure that I will meet other TODers there.
We’re already here waiting for you!
Pass the fans.
That’s one pic that’s going to be framed large and placed in a position of great honour in the family hallway!
It’s so sweet to me that no matter where in the world he is, President Obama’s naturalness with kids, and theirs with him, is so very, very evident.
If any of you want to read a powerful, moving, informative, haunting book about a family caught up in the slave trade and its transportation to Virginia, read “The Fiddler of Pantico Run: An African Warrior, His White Descendants, A Search for Family” by Joe Mozingo. The author was a reporter for the L.A. Times, and set out to find out about his name, because no one could tell him anything about it. He wrote 3 or 4 installments for the paper, then just had to get to the very roots of his family, he did and wrote this book. His track eventually takes him to west Africa. This is one of the most powerful and moving books I have read in a long time. I promise you will be mesmerized, and you will learn SO much. I got it from my trusty Public Library!!! Yes, LL….nothing like it.
This one family illustrates all the racial complications and interconnectedness and denial we have in our country.l
I told some friends about this book, friends who had lived as missionaries in Swaziland and So. Africa for five years. I mentioned the name, and that no one could tell him the derivation of his name until he searched, and as soon as the name was out of my mouth, the couple both said in unison, “Africa, that’s an African name.”
I remember this riveting story from the LA Times a few years ago!
Thanks for the reminder.
If the US networks were smart, they would have re-run the ROOTS mini-series in honor of the President’s visit to Africa.
Americans were fascinated by that saga, 35 years ago, and our history continues to fascinate thinking Americans.
Idiots must run broadcast and cable networks now.
“Roots” was a defining memory from my childhood. We were riveted to the television.
‘If any of you want to read a powerful, moving, informative, haunting book’
Carolyn, I have been hoping and dreaming that TOD village will do something like what you have done here in a ‘midnight post’ format ONCE weekly! I’d even settle for ONCE bi-weekly, or /whispering/ even monthly. Music is good and it has many excellent benefits, but for the non-musical (night owl) like me it would be so, so nice to get an occasional break with a book referral and a personal recommendation. I used to be a reader in my ‘youth’ but virtually stopped as most of what I was encountering in ‘modern’ literature was filled with swearing, often poor grammar, and weak plot lines, or had too much ‘blood and gore’. While I am all for people using the library, I like to own my books and have been so bitten wasting money on poorly written stuff, in a search for readable stuff, that I stopped buying long ago.
Thank you for your suggestion. The main reason I wish some blogger here would make is a ‘feature’ is that it would then be easier to locate later. Generally when someone shares a title and feedback like this you note it, but you are so caught up in the race through the daily topics and comments that later when you are calmer you (at least I do) tend to forget where the info was. That happened when LL suggested the Samantha Powers book. Of course I could go hunt it up on the Google because I remember HER name but I don’t always remember. All that rambling to say ‘thanks’ and I hope in the not-too-distant future TODers will have a venue to share GOOD literature as well as meaningful music . 🙄
In case it’s not clear, the 🙄 is in reaction to my rambling tendencies.
I think this is a great idea. I love books. I hate shopping, but I love going to a book store. I do have a kindle, but I still have to buy books when it’s written by certain writers I like.
Maybe after the Africa visit we should start a TOD ‘petition’ for an inclusion of this type of midnight post once in a while? You listening, Chips and Chipadees?
‘but I love going to a book store’
Sshh. No exaggeration, I have to give myself a serious talking to these days when I’m near one because I absolutely have no space for them! Most of mine are older publications (as in college days) and authors. In fact, last time I moved the guys who helped were very ticked when they discovered that quite a few of those really heavy boxes they brought to the new place contained books. 😉
That’s why I got the Kindle. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about where to put all these books, but, no, I’m still buying books. I brought the book that Judge Sotomayor wrote, unfortunately, I haven’t read it yet.
See, that’s what I mean. I had forgotten that one, though I had planned to buy it when it was first published. And yes, I too have books on the shelf that I haven’t read ‘yet’. Perfect example, I bought ‘1984’ from waaay before that year and still haven’t read it YET. 😛 I started ‘Life of Pi’ well over a year ago and am still in the 2nd chapter, and I have picked up “Long Walk to Freedom” twice in the past week and have so far only read the Acknowledgements. I’m waiting for inspiration in all those cases. 😉
I really do think if we had a ‘reading’ post periodically it would be easier to print it off and wander into the bookstore with a specific goal. I like the way Carolyn did it, giving a short recap & recommendation without giving away the plot. Similar I think to the way our music lovers haved share a little bit of themselves with the music they bring us.
I doubt Kindle would work for me because I love the feel of page turning, and I don’t read that well from a screen. Also, /whispering/ I edit my own copies for grammar or plot inconsistencies – no matter how I mentally decide to ignore the first 1 or 2 of either, by the time I get to a third I can’t seem to resist. 😳 I confess too that a while back I started throwing away books I bought that I feel are poorly written. One way to reduce my stash, I figured.
You made me laugh at your last paragraph. I know there have been books I put down, because I didn’t like them. I never thought about how I would edit it.
Oh, the ones I edit are the ones with a sensible plot that I continue to read to the end. The ones I think are really simplistically insulting are the ones I trash. [Yeah, i know I shouldn’t – that’s why I whispered. ;)]
I read an article by Mr. Mozingo in a travel magazine. Was very interesting since I’ve never heard of a White man with an African name before. His article was when he went to Congo (I believe) to search for his roots. His book sounds fascinating.
I just ordered it on my kindle.
Thank you for the recommendation, Carolyn.
You just know that little babies or toddlers would be flailing their arms to get away from you, if they don’t pick up that they can trust you. And be comfortable in your arms.
Learned something from that map. Thought same sex relationships were only legal in South Africa.
As did I pkayden…. thought it was worthy to include b/c I had no idea…… all I ever hear about in the news is the crazy stuff in Uganda…..
That baby is just too precious for words.
Also loved that the Senegalese narrator on the “President of Senegal welcome President Obama and First Lady” video always included the President’s middle name.
Boehner: Immigration bill will require majority of both parties in the House
Russell Berman – 06/27/13 12:30 PM ET
The Speaker’s declaration further narrows the path for immigration in the House.…
Majority of both parties?
That’s a lot of votes!
That’s also a lot of hooey, Jovie, to borrow a term from the “olden days.” Boehner and his stupid tactics are designed to make passage of ANY legislation impossible because he’s somehow convinced himself that that’s a winning strategy. If the bill is presented on the floor and ALL Democrats and a decent number of Republicans with a sense of self-preservation vote for it that will be a CLEAR majority and he’s going to have a very difficult time telling the world that it isn’t good enough without bringing on himself the wrath of every Latino and reasonable thinking person in the country.
Well they just passed the bill in the Senate. Let’s see what Boehner and his T’Baggers comes up with.
By how much?
Hey what’s this, TOD reporters!
‘Déjà sur Twitter, Michelle Obama a fait son arrivée sur Instagram, la célèbre plateforme de partage de photos. Actuellement en Afrique avec sa famille, la First Lady a donc pu partager avec ses abonnés les premiers clichés de ce beau voyage qui doit durer trois jours. On y voit notamment sa fille de 14 ans, Malia dans une école du Sénégal, où les Obama sont arrivés mercredi soir’
Where in all these posts did you guys hide FLOTUS’ instagram. I wanna see! I wanna see! I must have missed it jumping back and forth between all these fast changing posts.
Wasn’t that the instagram on the front page of today’s “Rise and Shine?” (picture captioned @FLOTUS)
Don’t know – off to look again! TY
TY kindly, Arap. I don’t know why when I read that I thought an instagram is the twittery, moving, kind of pic, and I didn’t remember seeing one of those as I whizzed by today’s posts in my desperate attempt not to be left too far behind. Plus I haven’t really looked at ALL the pics yet. I’m fearful that you guys will finish the supper (that’s where I’ve been planning to slow down AND savour each moment) BEFORE I catch up fully so I’ve been making all sorts of leaps and bounds while trying to keep my eyes open to goodies.
🙂
My personal wizard at work! I thank you, Senor Bob. 😆 😆 I haven’t been on twitter for longer than 1/2 minute yet today, and even when I’m signed on I miss good stuff. Getting the hang of reading, tweeting, and commenting all, not to mention watching a linked video, at the same time is something I haven’t been able to figure out and master.
Happy to help, VC 🙂
What is it saying vcprezofan2? English please.
Oh, just remarking that FLOTUs had made her debut on Instagram (that is, she had posted her first instagram), that she was in Africa with her family for 3 days; Malia was present in instagram, etc. etc.
Thanks vcprezofan2.
NP, Annieb.
HP Marty Kaplan
CNN and MSNBC are giving wall-to-wall coverage to the Trayvon Martin murder trial. Fox News is taking brief breaks from the courtroom to empathize with Darrell Issa and Paula Deen, because George Zimmerman isn’t the only victim around who needs defending, but otherwise the cable news channels are all race-crime-porn all the time.
They have three good reasons for doing this.
First, their business model is delivering audiences to advertisers. They fear that Americans will change the channel if they actually cover the news. Thus the Supreme Court’s nullification of the Voting Rights Act was a one-day story. So was President Obama’s attempt to put climate change on the nation’s agenda. The NSA’s Big Brother turn is been-there-done-that. Syria’s a snoozer. Sandy Hook is so last year. There’s always the chance that a police chase with the potential to deliver a real-time death crash will mandate a split screen with the trial, but the name of the cable news game is always Capture the Eyeballs.
Second, they’re right. This trial is a good story — not in the sense that it deserves this kind of journalistic attention, but rather that our lizard brains love this kind of stuff. Fear, hate, danger, death, suspense: it’s reality television, minus the unreality. As citizens, we may sheepishly acknowledge that other news is more important for us to follow. But as animals, we’re like those lab rats that would rather starve to death than abandon the lever that once dispensed cocaine.
Third, there’s an ideological compatibility between cable news’s corporate ownership and the kind of content they deliver. It’s not beyond the wit of those networks to grab and hold audiences by actually covering the daily assault on democracy in America. The disenfranchisement of voters now going on across the country will turn out to be the biggest story of the 2014 elections. Women’s rights are being rolled back in state after state. Wall Street is still getting away with murder. The stranglehold of big money on Congress is a horror show. But if you’re a media conglomerate with talons sunk deep into both political parties, why draw attention to the corrupt system that also empowers you? Covering the Sanford, Florida circus won’t jeopardize your sweet deal in Washington, D.C., and it’s cheaper to boot.
Cable news isn’t uniformly disgraceful. Some shows actually attempt to tell citizens news they need to know. But by and large, an hour of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report commits more journalism than a day on the cable news networks, and it’s way more entertaining. If we’re going to be slouching toward tyranny, I guess I’d rather do it laughing.
Good summary, Layla. As I came home I turned on MSNBC in time to hear a male voice saying that PBO is becoming a bystander to his own Presidency.
This is their new meme.
I guess the Trust is Eroding bullshit wasn’t working so well.
So now they will avoid covering anything happening in the actual planet we all share and have dedicated themselves 24/7 to a Clint Eastwood dialog with an empty chair. Motherfuckers every one of them.
And, no, I won’t be nice.
Good post, Layla.
Probably most of you already know this, but the President’s first name, spelled Barak in Hebrew, has the beautiful meaning “to bless” I think of his mother, who was very educated, naming him that, and then facing what she did, that is extraordinary. I think his name has great meaning for the world.
Actually, Barack is Arabic and was the name of the President’s father. The Arabic name Barack has similar meaning with the Hebrew name Barak.
Interesting story about Ecuador posted by Trix over at the Great Orange:
The intelligence agency of Ecuador appears to have sought in recent months to obtain new equipment for a large-scale surveillance, according to confidential government documents obtained by BuzzFeed.
The capabilities sought by Ecuador resemble the National Security Agency practices revealed by Edward Snowden, who is reportedly seeking asylum in the left-leaning Latin American republic.
The Ecuadorian documents — stamped “Secret” — obtained by BuzzFeed appear to show the government purchasing a “GSM Interceptor” system, among other domestic spying tools, and they suggest a commitment to domestic surveillance that rivals the practices by the United States’ National Security Agency that are at the center of a fierce national debate. They include both covert surveillance capacities and the targeting of President Rafael Correa’s enemies on social media. According to the files, SENAIN keeps close tabs on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of journalists, opposition politicians and other individuals, some with few followers.”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/exclusive-documents-illuminate-ecuadors-spying-practices
Just more proof that Edward Scissorhands didn’t think this whole thing through. And to insult to injury President Obama stated that he’s “not going to scramble jets to chase some 29 year old hacker.” And now this idiot is stuck in some airport lounge looking for any country that will take his sorry ass.
I hope he has to live in the airport for the next 20 years, like Tom Hanks.
Maybe we can send him some volleyballs named Wilson…and when he gets pissed and frustrated from living in a Russian airport, he can shoot his balls off. Just a thought..
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I would love to see that being carried live on international TV 🙂 🙂
Seriously…I have the vision in my head:)
lol
Snowden and his fanclub think he’s the smartest leaker ever. Yet starting with his Hong Kong gambit his flawed plan has been failing. He proclaimed Hong Kong a true democracy where he thought he could stay indefinitely and then one phone call from Beijing and the Hong Kong Formerly Known As Autonomous said, ‘I don’t care where you go, but you can’t stay here.’ China wanted him out of there hair, because they are grown ups and want to do business with the U.S. and assume they are being spied on and hacked, despite Snowden naively believing this was a grand revelation.
Then he fled to Russia with a revoked passport and Putin said he’s free to travel wherever he wants (with a revoked passport) and the sooner he leaves the better.
Ecuador said they it will take months to process his request to stay there and the process can’t get rolling until he touches Ecuador soil (with a revoked passport) or gets to an Ecuadoran embassy in another country (with a revoked passport)
Snowden is an emoprog poster child. He is so sure he had a right to steal and share data that he had no authorization to access. He is right. The United States government is wrong. And eventually they will comply to his will. Meanwhile in reality, he slowly runs out of money, resources, support, personal will and countries that will accept him.
“Meanwhile in reality, he slowly runs out of money, resources, support, personal will and countries that will accept him.”
FiredUp, that’s exactly what I predicted in an earlier thread…at some point, this guy is going to be on his knees, begging the SAME US government to give him back his passport and allow him to return to the US….mark my word.
He’s also running out of credibility – if he ever had any. It’s quite something to watch…
He’s also run out of value to any other country. He has no more secrets–he’s been drained dry, so who wants him hanging around wasting resources. In the US, he’d at least have access to his family and a lawyer and get some clear idea of how much time he would have to serve. That’s better than endless limbo.
Such pride and joy in my heart to see my President and First Lady visiting Africa. And no one take what I’m about to say the wrong way, but my African American President and First Lady.
Buzzfeed 7 close up of the Obamas on Goree Island were indeed wonderful.
Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Me too, 🙂
What a well deserved honor for Patrick.
Is that darn nut Nakamura in Africa too?
yep
I believe he is.
Gaspard has spent most of his career working with one of the country’s most powerful unions. Dennis Rivera, who is Chair of SEIU Healthcare, hired Gaspard as the union’s political director in 1999.
Gaspard has worked with SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Burger, who was also chairwoman of Change to Win, a coalition of labor unions that supported Obama in the 2008 race; and Andrew Stern, SEIU president.
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2013/06/27/2224281/senate-immigration-bill-passes/
Now off to the looney farm….aka, House.
Schumer just said there will be a border agent every 1000 feet with the new immigration bill. Overkill, possibly?
Well, no, as long as we will do that on our Canadian border, as well. Oh, wait …
POSSIBLY??!! There is a NET ZERO immigration to the US right now…and one can’t help but notice that these morons are only talking about our SOUTHERN border…you know, with all those nasty brown people! Much larger border with Canada…but, you know, wink, wink….
So they want to spend $30B on this dog and pony show, to appease nutbags…they same ones that don’t understand facts, figures or evidently don’t care about the debt anymore.
Want to see how easy it is to scale the fence at the AZ border? Education, infrastructure, be damned…but THIS? All so idiots can sleep better at night and think they actually DID something. Screw them all. I hate the stupidity and politics of this.
None of these fences would be going up, if they were killing some gazillionaire’s “view.”
Well….trust me, there’s no “view” down there. Desolate no man’s land. But I understand your point…and you are correct:) But this shit is what happens when facts don’t matter….It just infuriates me.
It’s all for “show,” at our expense. Well, and to show their hatred for “others,” of course.
Thank you, Bob. Thank you. EVERYONE needs to realize just how foolish and an utter waste of taxpayer $$ this sham is.
At least it increases jobs, so the $40 billion waste of money will serve some purpose.
Some fear that most of it will go into a contractors pocket with little fence ever built. The place is desolate indeed – I think those who want this fence should move with their families and get the job of building it – but they will probably hire immigrants to do the job.
Good…….now Boehner can show the American people once again how incompetent and inept he is as Speaker of the House. With no sense of shame or compassion the House will most certainly insult everyone in favor of legal immigration.
All I have to say is remember 2010. If people had gotten out to vote like they should (and they know who they are), there will be no Speaker Boehner. Can’t repeat that B.S. in 2014.
One more vote at 4 PM…….
Sessions is babbling on the floor now….
That’s Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to you, ma’am. I’ll have you know that the Sessions name is a proud and honorable name that is known all throughout Alabama, and I will not have you flippantly call me Sessions.
I keep asking him to send me some Keebler cookies…but they never arrive….
“The world’s saddest tangerine.” –Jon Stewart on John Boehner
I looked back at that World Daddy picture of PBO again and it struck me anew that he must have such a tremendously calming spirit that even surrounded by lots of excitement, clicking cameras, what must be unusually noisy chatter (for most babes), and in the arms of a complete stranger, MOST BABIES ARE RELAXED! Babies in PBO’s arms are rarely ever reaching back to their parents – they can’t all be naturally accepting babies, so ( /drumroll/ VC’s grand logical conclusion )it must be HIM! 😉 😉
He holds them securely and almost always close to his heart. His calmness and confidence soothes them. One of my most recent favorite photos of PBO with a baby is the one at the White House reception for fathers in which a little boy who was dressed in a suit was cradled in his arms. He looked like the pro he is when it comes to holding babies. Compare what PBO does to the way Romney held babies by holding them away from him (you would think that someone who had so many children would have been a pro at this as well, but I guess Ann and the did the child-rearing).
I think one of their sons said Ann used to feed Mitt first, away from the children, so not sure how much he was interacting with the five “kids.” And now we should work to get his image back out of our minds. Gag.
Mitt Romney held kids like they were black and poor. Get that thing away from me.
Yep, I remember and love that Father’s Fay baby pic too – but then I love ALL PBO’s baby pictures. 😀 Re Mitt’s # of kids – you’d think; IMO, however, there is something lacking in the core of Mitt’s spirit that no amount of kids could cure! I do believe he is simple a defective human being; colossally rich, and defective. AnnD, I think loves HER children and those in her elite and maybe church world. IMO she has no great love or awareness for those outside of this group. Their loss!
Those faces and those smiles say it all!
This is BRUTAL…. some actual quotes I didn’t include to not offend anybody….. Dick Morris did the dirty work & apologized for DOMA??
but but but GLAAD gave him its highest award.
Great article! Have a cigar Bill!
Just don’t hand it to him Layla.
This is the type of shit that gets my blood boiling, Bill Clinton didn’t’ do a goddamn thing for our gay brothers and sisters. With his pen our gay military brothers and sisters had to hide who they loved, some even got kicked out of the military for loving someone of the same sex. If Clinton had any shame he would go hide until 2016 and pray to his god that we vote for Hillary.
My, that was a brutal article.
From civil rights to dismantling Glass-Steagall, Mr Clinton did major harm to Americans, but, far and away, by being a ‘Democrat’ and fostering the DNC, he did much to ensure #GOP success. Period.
The founding of OFA will become to be seen as the re-birth of the Democratic Party and one of Barack Obama’s most important contributions to the resuscitation of our Democracy and Middle Class. It is for each of us to ensure that OFA flourishes and we trounce the #GOP in 2014, 2016 and beyond. A valid opposition party will emerge, that is a prerequisite for sustainable democracy. I suspect it will arise from the Democratic Party itself as the Party shifts further left of center in the decades ahead.
Little doubt that the gravest threat to our democracy and humanity will be issues spawned by the now likely irreversible effects of failure to control CO2 levels. A vibrant OFA-led Democratic Party is truly our only hope in facing that threat.
#TrustBarack
“DLC”, as a correction Bob. The DNC is the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic umbrella. The DLC were the business-friendly-to-a-fault triangulating, RW in Dem clothing.
Sully for the m-fing win!! Had an argument with a gay coworker about this yesterday. He insisted that I am closed minded about Bill Clinton and just because Clinton wrote an op-Ed in a newspaper, he should be forgiven. Idiot. He is 24 years old and is a self-described Libertarian. He thinks he knows everything and it irks me that I can’t tell him that he knows fucking nothing. He called me closed minded because I said of Clinton: ” a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots, and he’s only for marriage equality now because more than half the American people are for it, PBO and Biden have come out for it and the democrats have made it part of their party platform.” 🙄 bill Clinton is an opportunistic jerk with a hard on for the White House. Too bad those days are over and Hillary, if she runs, won’t win. At least not by my vote.
Print this article out and hand it to him.
He’s a smart ass. It still wouldn’t matter. He thinks Snowjob is a hero. Dumb f*^%. Every word out of his mouth is right and nothing you can say will change it. 🙄
I’m rooting for Elizabeth Warren — first female president!
She’s definitely a better option than Billary.
exponentially. BC has become the ex-boyfriend that you thought was really hot, but has shown himself to be the jerk he really is.
Okay?! Okay.
The part that pisses me off beyond recognition is that while Bill Clinton was signing these laws President Obama had to arduously dismantle, neither Bill nor First Lady Hillary Clinton were heckled, or accused of being homophobes or had activists stalk and hector them or tie themselves to fences.
Meanwhile the guy who had nothing to do with this legislation and who only worked on getting rid of it, still doesn’t get any cred from some deadenders. You can preside over the strategy that ends DADT (including keeping Joe Lieberman around when even your most ardent supporters wanted him gone) and appoint the two justices that made the marriage equality ruling possible and still you have delusional a-holes giving credit to everything under the sun except the President.
Okay?! Biggest load of bulls$&t ever. America doesn’t deserve PBO and his family.
Thanks Chips and to the other TOD blog tyrants for the wonderful foreign trips to Europe and Africa. Since I’m African, it feels great following Potus and family on this trip. To zizi, thanks for the Africa post earlier. As usual the msm is no use. Can you just imagine what other people not following TOD, have to deal with day in day out, with the complete media blackout of Potus’ tavels or accomplishments? I’m one of those that get my news on here and basically don’t bother looking elsewhere, coz you guys hunt for all the news that’s out there and then share it with the rest of us “moochers” lol. Again, thanks again TOD family for keeping us sane.
There are more nice pics of the 1st Family in Senegal at this website: http://xalimasn.com/photos-obama-a-goree/
Merci bluemoon!
Picture #19 is something else!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are all very nice, and some of them I didn’t see before. Thanks bluemoon!!
pictures 10 and 16 showed the emotion he was feeling as he reflected on the past.
thanks for sharing bluemoon
Merci beaucoup!
I have not seen a photo of Sasha since the family de-planned in Senegal. I wonder where is she?
I have to get these pictures and place them in my photo books I have of the Obamas.
Almost 4pm….I mean almost 8pm. I’d better go get dressed for the evening’s highlight!
I am constantly just smiling at you!
Oh, oh, Layla! Don’t tell me I’m in the ‘class clown’ section of your subconscious. Please don’t call home – Mom’s not going to be pleased. I’m really a quiet soul. Really.
Darrell Issa’s 5 Biggest Lies About The IRS ‘Scandal’
http://www.nationalmemo.com/darrell-issas-5-biggest-lies-about-the-irs-scandal/
Harry just said vote is in 15 minutes.
I am saying a prayer so GB can get out of her new rehab place ASAP!
Chat away:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/27/the-door-of-no-return/
Immigration bill has passed in the Senate – now moves to the House.