Two Americas

This makes the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown so powerful. It’s sad that some people have taken it to another level. pic.twitter.com/oZnLDRRDhN

— Sammie. ™ (@LordSWVP) August 11, 2014

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Madame Soph

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Been mostly lurking these past few days. Haven’t had many positive words to contribute, so I’ve chosen “praying” over “saying” But something happened last night that I felt I needed to share.

I have lived most of my life in neighborhoods where most of the residents were renters, rather than owners. One area in particular had a helicopter noise issue that was almost unbearable at times. The helicopters would circle overhead endlessly, making the neighborhood feel like a war zone. It got so it was unusual to have a quiet night, and I could relate to that Ice Cube song, “It Was a Good Day.” I would call the local PD and ask what was up and would be told about things like, “there is a fist-fight at a party” or some other minor incident. Finally the phone operator confessed that the city had been given all these helicopters after 911, but the deal was that they had to keep them up in the air for a certain number of hours per month in order to keep them. I commented to her that they flew them over the areas with home renters (also the area with more brown people), rather than home owners, because the rich people fund campaigns and vote and would complain). Her laugh and silence told me that I was correct in my assumption.

Jump to now. I am doing a kind of house-sitting thing for a friend that has landed me in a very affluent suburban community. I have been living here over six months and have never heard helicopters circling, until last night. I heard one overhead going round and round and making an announcement over a loudspeaker. Of course, I assumed they were after some fugitive or something. Nope. The announcer was repeating a male (child’s?) name, along with the words “your family is looking for you. Please get to a phone and dial 911.”

This absolutely floored me! So, in this neighborhood they send out helicopters to find lost neighborhood kids? When I was a kid, the only announcement came from your mom, yelling your name out the front door.

The difference between these two experiences hit me especially in light of recent events. O.k. back to lurking and praying. Thanks to all the TODers for your insightful and informative posts.

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Things erupt in #Ferguson overnight… Oops wrong story. Just “whacky” Penn State kids protesting JoePa’s firing. pic.twitter.com/bEHRDl4KRs

— Dab Aggin (@DabAggin) August 17, 2014

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STRIKING: Compare police response to STL protest for Darren Wilson & #Ferguson protest seeking justice for #MikeBrown pic.twitter.com/651l6qOvtk

— David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) August 18, 2014

The Ancient and The New

The helicopter carrying President Obama flies over the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, March 23

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All posts/photos/videos from the Middle East trip here

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Home!

Chat away!

hair-raising

Visitors react to the rotor wash of Marine One as President Obama takes off from the South Lawn of the White House as he travels to North Carolina

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Student visitors to the White House react upon seeing President Obama….

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rise and shine

Marine One approaches the South Lawn of the White House during President Barack Obama’s flight from Joint Base Andrews, Md., Dec. 20, 2011. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden attended a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews marking the return of the United States Forces-Iraq colors to the United States. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Morning everyone. I’ll be out for most of the day, but will catch up with you and all the news when I get back. Have a perfect day 😉

loss

President Barack Obama is briefed on the tragedy in Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, and national security staff, at Camp David, August 6. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

BBC: A US helicopter carrying US and Afghan special forces has crashed in Afghanistan, killing 38 people, officials in Kabul say.

Reports say the Chinook helicopter was shot down by the Taliban.

US sources say most of the 31 Americans killed were from the Navy Seal unit which killed Osama Bin Laden, but are “unlikely” to be the same personnel.

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President Obama: My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the Americans who were lost earlier today in Afghanistan. Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan. We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied. We also mourn the Afghans who died alongside our troops in pursuit of a more peaceful and hopeful future for their country. At this difficult hour, all Americans are united in support of our men and women in uniform who serve so that we can live in freedom and security.

he came (back from ohio) bearing gifts!

President Barack Obama looks over gardening gloves for first lady Michelle Obama during an unannounced visit to Fred’s Pro Hardware in Toledo, Ohio

…. with a group who were at the White House for an earlier event with the first lady in the garden

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Earlier:

First lady Michelle Obama tends the White House garden with a group of children as part of the “Let’s Move!” campaign

100 yards?!

Steve Benen: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie created a bit of a stir this week, using a state helicopter to travel to his son’s high school baseball game, then using a state car to drive him 100 yards from the landing site to the game itself. Making matters slightly worse, the governor left half-way through the game, had the state car drive him back the 100 yards, and then took the helicopter to a meeting with wealthy Iowans who want him to run for president.

Yesterday, Christie’ office responded to calls that he reimburse the state for the costs of this excursion, announcing the governor doesn’t intend to pay a dime.

…his flap certainly isn’t doing Christie any favors. His whole message is about austerity: cutting back, making sacrifices, living with less, eliminating waste in government, etc. The use of the chopper, to put it mildly, belies the governor’s larger agenda.

….A Star Ledger editorial today concluded, “Now we know why [Christie] can’t imagine what it’s like to walk a mile in the shoes of regular New Jerseyans: He doesn’t even walk 100 yards in his own.”

Ouch.

More here

Update:

weather-watch

Let’s hope this is a bit over-dramatic … I just heard on the news that if the weather is bad in Ireland on Monday – and the forecast says it will be – the President might not make it to Moneygall after all. Because he has so little time in Ireland, he has to fly to Moneygall by helicopter – the road trip there and back to Dublin would take too long. So, if the weather makes flying impossible, then he probably won’t make it out of Dublin.

Moneygall is going to be doing a lot of weather-forecast watching this weekend 😦

long may he rain ;-)

President Barack Obama walks in the rain as he steps out of Marine One helicopter prior to boarding Air Force One in Chicago, April 27, as he travels to New York for campaign fundraising events.

chicago bound

Marine One takes off from the White House, April 14, with President Obama on board as he leaves for Chicago