President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Ashton Carter, his nominee for defense secretary, during the announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House
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President Barack Obama greets former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft
President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Oval Office at the White House. President Obama and King Abdullah II discussed regional issues and the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
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President Barack Obama delivers brief remarks to reporters before meeting with a group of newly elected governors in the Oval Office at the White House and said the group would talk about issues where the states and the White House have common ground.
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(L-R): Governor-elect Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Governor-elect Bruce Rauner of Illinois, Governor-elect Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Governor-elect Greg Abbott of Texas, Governor-elect Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, Governor-elect Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gov. Bill Walker
The Obama Diary 
Hello!
Another 1st for Allison 🙂
Thank you NW for the update and great selection of photos.
Thanks, Bobfr!!
You’re welcome, Bob.
Thanks from me, too, NW. Just arriving here today and it was nice to see what I missed!
Good evening folks.
Thanks a TRAZILLION Nerdy!!!!!!
You’re welcome, Chips.
A trazillion? I love that. Can I borrow?
Thanks Nerdy. Just catching up.
You’re welcome, Vetivera24.
Good evening, TOD! Once again, doing a drive-by; will try to catch up later. Wanted to share this powerful image:
Oh Alycee, that is so powerful, it hurts.
WOW!!!!!!!
Powerful, Indeed, Alycee! But as the Scriptures say: “You Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
Speechless
looking at Abbott and his fake smile – just after he filed a law suit against PBO and POTUS’ immigration action;
thank heavens that I am not PBO because O would never be able to be kind to these people
error: because I would never be able to be kind to these people
GE TOD Hope everyone is well! This is crunch time. if i don’t decorate within the next 48 hours, then no xmas decoration happening here in this house. #XMASITSON
I’m in the same boat. It’s this weekend or bust! Once you get started though, you’ll get “fired up and ready to go. [I tell myself. Usually it’s true. 🙂 ]
I started decorating today. Have to take it slow – a little bit each day. Otherwise, I’ll be sick of all of it by Dec. 12 !!!!
This is how they are shaping their own future, as they must. It is right and good.
It is. Does our hearts glad to see it, doesn’t it?
More about the movie cuz the world needs more love
Tika Sumpter will play Michelle Robinson.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tika_Sumpter
http://m.imdb.com/name/nm1754366/
Unfortunately, the picture is fake. It’s from the protests that took place in Hong Kong.
Arrgh! Thanks Nerdy!
Damn, i retweeted the correction
For Dudette…
Well, of course he would have to say that. But some of us know… 😉 😀
Yes, I do. I’m ANCIENT. . .
🙂
😉 And Waiting for a movie. . .
Tapping foot. . .
indeed. some of us have seen..
I love this guy! Neil deGrasse Tyson is terrific! He challenges people to make them face reality that is deeply grounded in Science.
One of my idols Nath! It thrills me that he’s so popular. He is just the right antidote to the anti-science dolts out there and an inspiration to millions.
I think I first saw him speak via C-Span in ’07 or something – to a group of young people – so inspiring I never forgot it! He was saying he speaks to as many young people as he can, to pay back those who first inspired him.
I just adore him
Hmm, sounds like someone else we know and love…
What a wonderful and inspirational quote from Madiba! Thanks, Dudette, for sharing it with us under these critical circumstances.
Sad, but timely, nath
Alright TODobots, tell me something – how do you see all these protests ending?
I confess that seeing all these people involved, quietly marching, stopping traffic, etc, etc, has been powerful, but apart from the understood ‘justice for …’ *how* do you see this unfolding? They’re not going to go on for ever because that’s impractical, so does anyone have any idea of their next steps?
I am asking because all day today my mind has been flashing a couple of ‘big’ protests that did not accomplish what I hoped they would have, or protests that seemed to fizzle out. Today I thought of Texas/Wendy Davis, Hong Kong, and Occupy, as well as a couple of ‘big marches’ along the way. I guess I’m asking if anyone knows what they have up their sleeves for stage 2.
Don’t know, VC. All I know is I’m going to stick with my tiny little push for a #TruthAndReconciliation Movement for when the marching stops and the hard, inter-generational white-on-white coming to terms with our 400+ year responsibility for colonization and genocide of Native Americans coupled inextricably with the fact that our “Founders” profited from enslavement of Africans & their African American offspring.
Until WHITE AMERICANS, in the vast majority, come to terms with those realities, America will remain exceptional for its centuries of hypocrisy and inhuman treatment of a significant percentage of its population. And, until then, we will continue to see brutalization, discrimination, and 21st Century-style lynchings of our fellow Americans – just because they aren’t white.
Yes We Can
I give you a thumbs up because you have a focus, Bobfr. I’m still hoping that TOD will brainstorm a couple of simple steps or refrains that can be used as practical motivators, something specific we can all *do* that may be productive. For some reason I’m a bit uneasy because I can’t tell if protesters expect to get the justice sought within a specific period of time, if they are prepared to negotiate or dialogue with anyone, or if they are going to go the route of the HK protesters who were world news for days and days and of whom I haven’t heard anything in ages.
Understand your ‘unease,’ VC. My sense is, as was the case in the 50s-60s, that many folk are going to persist.
BTW, #OccupyHK persists and much of the frustration is shared by young people in Taiwan ….
While awaiting a moderator … VC you can check the sidebar as I’ve just posted a couple of updates on HK that are included in my reply to your comment …
I too get the sense of ‘enough!’ What I don’t get yet is the sense the group as aggregate will know WHEN to shift tactics and WHAT the shift will be. I’ll try to be optimistic … for now
I have faith that POTUS and the AG are going to stay on this; whether or not there are protesters in the street. From a few days ago…
Today President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder met with seven Black and Latino organizers – from Ferguson, Mo.; Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Florida; and New York City – who have been leading some of the ongoing actions to disrupt a status quo that is intolerable.
“The president requested this meeting because this is a movement that cannot be ignored,” said Ashley Yates, a co-founder of the St. Louis-based organization, Millennial Activists United. “We have two sets of laws in America – one for young Black and Brown people, and one for the police. We are sick and tired of our lives not mattering, and our organized movement will not relent until we see justice.”
“We attended this meeting to make it clear to President Obama that we are in crisis, and police officers must be held accountable,” said Rasheen Aldridge, director of Young Activists United St. Louis. “It is a crisis when a Black American can get locked up for traffic fines, but police officers are rarely prosecuted for killing unarmed children. Black communities have suffered under racially biased policing and unconstitutional law enforcement policies for far too long. This has to stop.”
Among other avenues for change, the group’s demands include:
The federal government using its power to prosecute police officers that kill or abuse people.
Removing local district attorneys from the job of holding police accountable, and instead having independent prosecutors at the local level charged with prosecuting officers.
The establishment of community review boards that can make recommendations for police misconduct, instead of allowing police departments to police themselves.
Defunding local police departments that use excessive force or racially profile. Instead of having the Department of Justice (DOJ) wholesale giving more than $250 million to local police departments annually, DOJ should only fund departments that agree to adopt DOJ best practices for training and meaningful community input.
The demilitarization of local police departments.
Investing in programs that provide alternatives to incarceration, such as community-led restorative justice programs and community groups that educate people about their rights.
http://fergusonaction.com/white-house-meeting/
FORUS50, I have absolute confidence in PBO, and it has nothing to do with protesters in the streets or not. I have virtually no confidence in protesters who feel they need to ‘make it clear to President Obama that we are in crisis’. The very ignorance and arrogance in that statement and others like it are what make me nervous.
VC, we can personally try to motivate existing community groups to begin a non-confrontational dialogue with local police departments, DA and mayor offices. We can work with our local Democratic party to help recruit candidates for office that are responsive to our concerns and, most of all, we can begin to change our own thinking and start one on one conversations with people we know, from families to neighbors. Change has to start somewhere and it can start with us as individuals. I’m tired of living in country that I’m ashamed of. We have to all begin to speak up in every way we can and never allow a racist, exclusionary event or comment to go unchallenged in our own communities or social circles. I have seen too many people look the other way, or try not to “get involved” when they witness unfair treatment. Well that has to stop. We’re not magically going to turn around racists or transform centuries old systems in one day, but we can make a start, person by person, group by group.
TY, JackieG. You’ve listed several steps here. I don’t know how to do this yet, but I’d love for us to reduce a few of them to bite sized bits and then encourage each other to use them as guide / motivators/info bits/ etc, on twitter/facebook and in our one-on-one, face-to-face encounters.
As soon as I typed that I remembered the little pocket card of PBO accomplishments that was circulated in 2010, 2012. That might be an approach that could work. If I remember correctly, someone from TOD had a hand in getting that into circulation.
Yes You Can !! Thanks, Bob.
🙂
How AWEsome are these young people….how Awesome is our President…
i want to comment on the question re: the protests…protests are a NECESSARY part of a movement for change…for some, being part of a public demonstration…may be the first time that they have raised their voice for Justice.. it can be very empowering to join with the 1000s other voices…and for some others it will inspire them to do more…
but what is necessary from all protests is a plan of action…what do we want…and how can we achieve it…some protesters have listed a set of demands…but what is lacking is a strategy to achieve it….this is where some of the more organized elements of the protests will become invaluable…including the actions of the President and the AG…as PBO has said….Progress does not move in a straight line…nor does it happen all at once….
..”WeThePeople” will not be silent and go quietly into the night…
but what is lacking is a strategy to achieve it = my worry
this is where some of the more organized elements of the protests will become invaluable…including the actions of the President and the AG… = thank you, Pf58.
At this point I’m crossing my fingers the less organized elements will listen to, trust, and respond when the more organized elements speak
Some will…some won’t…but keep in mind there are forces that do not want a strategy to take place…
but i have Faith that we will be free one day…Peace and Justice will be ours…
Keeeeeeeeep On Walking Tallllll …
Hold your Head up High…
Lay your Dreams right up to the skyyyy…..
Some day we’ll alllllllll Be Freeeeee……
I have faith too that someday….. {PF58}
“I’m with y’all protesting but the politician only fears those who vote in off year elections and local elections
Hi Dudette, thank you for sharing this tweet. Victor is absolutely spot-on: “the politician only fears those vote….” By the way, politicians fear people who vote in ALL elections. This is why politicians, regardless of their ideologies, are extremely careful to ensure that they don’t antagonize Senior Citizens.
Amen to that nath
I watched a piece of Joy Reid’s show today, which I haven’t done in a while … heard @bassem_masri (one of the independent media livestreamers in Ferguson) say something that hit home.
Joy was mentioning how some members of the populace don’t vote and, thus, the same candidates keep getting re-elected to local offices. Not a direct quote from him, but at one point he referred in passing to “voting” as “old school,” in adding how social media also frames our dialogue(s) today and helps effect change. He wasn’t implying that voting isn’t important … just that many of the protesters now realize there are other ways to take action, initiate protests, and get the community involved ~ especially when the community sees no change after expressing their desire for change by their votes. What he seemed to be saying was that it was old school only to vote and then just go back to our daily lives until the next election ~ and, I’ll add, “like good little soldiers.”
Believe his push was not to wait to vote politicians in or out (where Joy was taking the conversation), but to get to work immediately on letting the current local leaders know the community’s dissatisfaction, especially with policing, and then supporting and voting in the right candidates who will “serve the people.” He also reiterated that the community is not there “to serve” the police, as they seem to be acting, but the exact opposite.
Here’s my takeaway: Whether we’re in Ferguson or not, how many times have Democrats “lost” an election, and then like good little soldiers said well, we’ll work hard to GOTV and win the next election … pushing aside the horror of the ensuing two or four years in between when our country is going down the tubes thanks to RWNJs.
TODers know all this, of course, and I missed my nap today so hope I’m making sense!
Way OT but something to see.
The video in this was shared here earlier today – and I made a new ‘friend’!
So on point. It gave me chills! Thank you. Thank you.
Just passing it on as it was shared in the village and I really appreciated it. Glad it moved you.
You have no idea.
🙂
Perfection VC! I’m in tears!
Hi Sis, D-ette!
COS, or was it CEB, was asking for you to locate it for her earlier this afternoon, and Alycee filled in for you. We are very fortunate here in the village to have lots of ‘good’ hands….and hearts and minds…
I love my TOD Family! ❤ ❤ ❤
Yes. We all are blessed to have found each other, I think.
So true!!!
WE LOVE YOU BACK!
Aw! Come ‘ere you! {{{{{ nathkatun7 }}}}}
I was the one who mentioned it and Alycee was so sweet to locate and post it on an earlier thread after I left the site. This song can be our anthem. Thanks for posting it again.
{{{CEB}}} Rey-rey-rey for teamwork! 🙂 🙂
Wow, VC! This is absolutely powerful! Somehow, I missed it from earlier posts. Thank you so much for taking the time to share it again for some of us who may be suffering from ADD.
Hi, Nathk! 🙂 🙂 You are happy, I am happy. This is one form of singing that I actually get and could listen to over and over.
That makes 3 of us!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Had to tweet that with one particular hashtag
VC, thanks for tweeting; I had intended to, however, “life 101” intervened!
What a day today! A smokin’ hot jobs report and this…
Did you see it? Wasn’t it glorious? 🙂
Thank you for posting Orion liftoff for us, Dudette. Great achievement!
Here’s splashdown …
My distinct pleasure Bob!
Wooooot! Go NASA! Go Navy!
I love the lift offs. Thanks for sharing.
Happy to mtm! That gave me chills!
testing,
If you need a hug, here goes. . .
Uh Ohh. . .
This could be fun. . .
awwww
😉
Thank you NW and everyone for al the info. My laptop now works, I just need to relearn computers. . .
Not iPad. . .
Only when we truly know compassion can we lead, the end never justifies the mean; only by understanding one another can we change the world!
Bill Bruner, a FB Friend.
my goodness. cnn homepage right now has zero, nada, zilch about the 5.8% unemployment news today, nor the over 300K new jobs report. right at the top though, is a sit-down interview with g.w. bush so he can act all sympathetic about garner and michael brown. no particular reason given – just, “and now here’s that nice caring guy g.w. bush to give his opinions. oh and he had lunch with condoleeza rice and she talked about being a black person in america. ”
and of course tons of other headlines on all sorts of topics, but not one thing about some of the best economic news in many years. nothing. WTF?!?! “the news” and their pro-republican slant to everything is the #1 problem right now.
Wow. I’ve been choked up with emotion all day.
Good evening TOD! So thrilled with the great economic news today. Kind of takes the wind out of the Repubs “failed presidency” meme:-)
Interesting article on US public perception of Iran and ISIS. I sooooo want to see a nuclear agreement, and am so afraid of how the incoming Republican Senate might try to screw it up. But hopefully PBO’s long term strategy can get the public perception on his side on this, if not on the deal itself on the help from Iran with ISIS.
“Linking Iran and ISIS: How American Public Opinion Shapes the Obama Administration’s Approach to the Nuclear Talks”
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2014/12/05-iran-america-isis-nuclear-deal-public-opinion-linkage#.VIIR0DFSQ-N.twitter
Looking in through the outside door of the Oval Office as President Obama walks to his desk.
Very sorry if this has been posted. The Tribute was very good. Too many lawmakers have been silent. . .
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)
Made a moving tribute to Eric Garner
Bravo for him !!
Yes, it was very moving.
Thank you Carol!!!
Thanks Bob.
typo corrected …
Thanks Bob.
These flyers are excellent and they show us what we must do in our communities. Get statistics for our own police departments. If there is a disparity then we can use that as a basis for reform discussions.
Bob…….don’t want to be a nag, and I totally agree with your tweet, but please correct the typo; the correct spelling is persistent. Thanks…..
I’m not a Jon Stewart fan, but I do think his humanity is on 4D display in the video linked in this tweet ….
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/12/05/its-been-a-tough-week-a-little-laughter-helps/