A Tweet Or Two

President Obama greets Pope Francis as he arrives in the US for historic visit: http://t.co/N803BV5zaOhttps://t.co/EszD1qN0kj

— ABC News (@ABC) September 22, 2015

Welcome to America, Pope Francis! http://t.co/XvcysgCB6b #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/a8B8uHAW4Y

— People (@people) September 22, 2015

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Millions of families are more secure thanks to the ACA. Join them and #GetCovered on Nov 1: http://t.co/PJ7xIL6FjY https://t.co/GF6yS0aHol

— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 22, 2015

News → about 17.6M Americans have gained coverage as #ACA provisions have taken effect. #ACAToday #ACAisWorking pic.twitter.com/wB9HAcfUyP

— Sylvia Burwell (@SecBurwell) September 22, 2015

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Our right to vote is sacred. It's the foundation of our democracy. You can find out how to register to vote at http://t.co/8kaqY0U3fn.

— President Obama (@POTUS44) September 22, 2015

Who was Thurgood Marshall before he became a judge? http://t.co/QFhNv4OyTj pic.twitter.com/0YbQT2EjbN

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) September 20, 2015

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I was beaten, my skull was fractured, & I was arrested more than 40 times so each & every one of us can register to vote. Do your part #NVRD

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) September 22, 2015

This was Louisiana literacy test that black voters had to pass in 1964 to register before VRA #CelebrateNVRD pic.twitter.com/KXMpJ522lX

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) September 22, 2015

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In a first for US history, Obama has now filled 53% of top gov posts w/ women or minorities.

Clinton was 37%; W 26% http://t.co/KGwovaLjrS

— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) September 21, 2015

Fired gay Montgomery County teacher invited to White House to welcome pope http://t.co/vTJl9yvEz9 pic.twitter.com/L1fjSiv5XC

— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) September 22, 2015

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Go get registered and bring others with you

Happy National Voter Registration Day! Map shows where to register online: http://t.co/7x084iXzv2 #NVRD pic.twitter.com/pxzVbCpJMN

— The Pew Trusts (@pewtrusts) September 22, 2015

Texas jail safety review begins without #SandraBland family http://t.co/uRDitwYqgu pic.twitter.com/p80f3foYxf

— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) September 22, 2015

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50 million Americans who are eligible to vote aren't registered, @WhiteHouse says. http://t.co/n0tWAEzvPm #CelebrateNVRD

— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) September 22, 2015

Study shows recent US immigrants healthier, commit fewer crimes than US citizens http://t.co/8BRPR0hsZl pic.twitter.com/u2iQANat28

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) September 22, 2015

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#BlackExcellence - Congrats to the @Morehouse debate team on winning an IPDA tournament in Kentucky! @justinlamar__ pic.twitter.com/DJCV6Nq3y3

— EBONY MAGAZINE (@EBONY) September 22, 2015

Love this.😌😌😌🙇🏽 pic.twitter.com/JDSHEfsKVE

— ReallyRandom Brandon (@RRandomBrandon) September 21, 2015

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A 10 Year Old Mogul Signs a Multi-Million Dollar Deal with Whole Foods for Her Lemonadehttp://t.co/Y6EqDwRt9E#BLM pic.twitter.com/bCav3SIqeC

— All Black Everything (@BlackHolistic) September 18, 2015

Meet "Captain Kate," the first American female to command a cruise ship http://t.co/pwkFybqlEa pic.twitter.com/0yVIPEfnyX

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 22, 2015

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Overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support shown to me over the past 24 hours. I'm so grateful. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/RnT6NOdFWC

— Viola Davis (@violadavis) September 22, 2015

Lead Actress, Drama winner is @ViolaDavis, @HowToGetAwayABC beaming in the #Emmys photo lounge! Sponsored b... https://t.co/ar6yZcIhIr

— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 21, 2015

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to sum up the #Emmys2015
Viola Davis, Regina King, and Uzo Aduba 🙌👑 pic.twitter.com/xEgKk4g2Xb

— Spylight (@Spylight) September 21, 2015

.@ViolaDavis on historic #Emmys win: 'My story doesn't end here': http://t.co/rimZ6lITwm pic.twitter.com/vMPbBJ2cy6

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 21, 2015

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Don’t come for Viola if she didn’t send for you

https://twitter.com/BasicBlaecGirl/status/645872544449323008

Ta-Nehisi Coates geeks out, will write newest "Black Panther" comic http://t.co/yxcDn3OmQL pic.twitter.com/qmtaxmWcYQ

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) September 22, 2015

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 Scumbag

The CEO who raised a cancer drug’s price by 5,000% is firing back at his haters on Twitter http://t.co/GMzkzC4IIv pic.twitter.com/MGtPpNJ4sr

— Splinter (@splinter_news) September 22, 2015

CEO of drug company that hiked prices was accused of serious 'harassment' » http://t.co/HZz1KiOUBJ pic.twitter.com/KJJHNVTl6Y

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 22, 2015

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Equality: The Bedrock Of A Nation

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White House: Presidential Proclamation — 60th Anniversary Of Brown v. Board Of Education

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

May 17, 1954, marked a turning point in America’s journey toward a more perfect Union. On that day, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in our Nation’s schools. Brown overturned the doctrine of “separate but equal,” which the Court had established in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson. For more than half a century, Plessy gave constitutional backing to discrimination, and civil rights organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People faced an uphill battle as they sought equality, opportunity, and justice under the law.

Brown v. Board of Education shifted the legal and moral compass of our Nation. It declared that education “must be made available to all on equal terms” and demanded that America’s promise exclude no one. Yet the Supreme Court alone could not destroy segregation. Brown had unlocked the schoolhouse doors, but even years later, African-American children braved mobs as they walked to school, while U.S. Marshals kept the peace. From lunch counters and city streets to buses and ballot boxes, American citizens struggled to realize their basic rights. A decade after the Court’s ruling, Brown’s moral guidance was translated into the enforcement measures of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

Thanks to the men and women who fought for equality in the courtroom, the legislature, and the hearts and minds of the American people, we have confined legalized segregation to the dustbin of history. Yet today, the hope and promise of Brown remains unfulfilled. In the years to come, we must continue striving toward equal opportunities for all our children, from access to advanced classes to participation in the same extracurricular activities. Because when children learn and play together, they grow, build, and thrive together.

On the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, let us heed the words of Justice Thurgood Marshall, who so ably argued the case against segregation, “None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody…bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” Let us march together, meet our obligations to one another, and remember that progress has never come easily — but even in the face of impossible odds, those who love their country can change it.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 17, 2014, as the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate this landmark decision and advance the causes of equality and opportunity for all.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Attorneys George E.C. Hayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James Nabrit Jr. celebrate their victory in the Brown case on May 17, 1954.

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White House: Commemorating the 60th Anniversary Of The Brown v. Board Of Education And Continuing The March Toward Justice

Decades ago, nearly 200 plaintiffs from across the country joined together in a class-action lawsuit to challenge the doctrine of “separate but equal,” striving to bring the issue of racial segregation before the highest court in the land. Their dangerous, long, and grueling march culminated exactly 60 years ago tomorrow – on May 17, 1954 – at the United States Supreme Court. On that extraordinary day, a unanimous Court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, declared that separate was inherently unequal, effectively outlawing racial segregation in schools and other public accommodations throughout America.

This marked a major victory for the cause of equal justice under law, an inflection point in American history, and a spark that in many ways ignited the modern Civil Rights Movement. Yet our nation did not automatically translate the words of Brown into substantive change. The integration of our schools was a process that was halting, confrontational, and at times even bloody. And, for all the progress our nation has seen over the last six decades, this is a process that continues, and a promise that has yet to be fully realized, even today.

More here

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Rise and Shine

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Gail Collins (NYT): …. Every country has a sizable contingent of mentally ill citizens. We’re the one that gives them the technological power to play god. This is all about guns – access to guns and the ever-increasing firepower of guns. Over the past few years we’ve seen one shooting after another in which the killer was wielding weapons holding 30, 50, 100 bullets. I’m tired of hearing …. that the founding fathers specifically wanted to make sure Americans retained their right to carry rifles capable of mowing down dozens of people in a couple of minutes.

….. We will undoubtedly have arguments about whether tougher regulation on gun sales or extra bullet capacity would have made a difference in Connecticut. In a way it doesn’t matter. America needs to tackle gun violence because we need to redefine who we are. We have come to regard ourselves – and the world has come to regard us – as a country that’s so gun happy that the right to traffic freely in the most obscene quantities of weapons is regarded as far more precious than an American’s right to health care or a good education.

We have to make ourselves better. Otherwise, the story from Connecticut is too unspeakable to bear…..

Full article here

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Josh Marshall (TPM): …. I generally have no interest in writing things that amount to counsels of despair or suggestions that there’s no possible solution. But I have a hard time not doing that in this case….

… there are some 300 million guns in the US. Just under half the population owns a firearm. Let’s assume some truly radical shift in public opinion in the country and new regulations and laws get that number down to 200 million. What does that accomplish exactly?

…. I’m hearing a lot of people saying we need to talk about guns, restart that conversation. And I agree, at least in the abstract. But what exactly are we talking about? And how we propose to get from here to there? How do we make our country less of a moral embarrassment.

…. I’m not trying to stop the discussion. I want to start it. But I’m looking for some guidance on how it can be about more than words.

Full post here

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Gregory Gibson (NYT): MY wife and I learned about the Connecticut school shootings on our way home from the cemetery, where we had just finished observing the 20th anniversary of our son’s murder. Our son Galen, who was 18, and a teacher were killed on Dec. 14, 1992, by a deranged student who went on a shooting rampage …

In the wake of Galen’s murder, I wrote a book about the shooting. In it I suggested that we view gun crime as a public health issue, much the same as smoking or pesticides. I spent a number of years attending rallies, signing petitions, writing letters and making speeches, but eventually I gave up. Gun control … inexplicably became a third-rail issue for politicians.

I came to realize that, in essence, this is the way we in America want things to be. We want our freedom, and we want our firearms, and if we have to endure the occasional school shooting, so be it….

…. Children will continue to pay for a freedom their elders enjoy.

Full article here

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Liberal Librarian (The People’s View): ….. The fetishistic devotion to “gun rights” among the NRA and its supporters lead inexorably to tragedies like [yesterday’s]. When it’s easier to legally purchase a gun than to legally acquire a driver’s license, it’s way past time to step back and consider a nation’s priorities.

…. Among gun rights advocates, the 2nd Amendment has become a totem with no meaning, a dead letter. They focus on half of the bill, ignoring that bearing arms was a conditional right, written into the Constitution for a republic that did not plan on having a large standing army, where militia units would make up a large part of its armed strength during any war, and thus citizens had to have the means to participate.

…. The NRA is one of the most influential lobbies in the country, with influence among both Republicans and Democrats. The only hope to counter it and neuter it is a mass movement of people who answer those who bray about their right to own guns with the even more emphatic response that we have a right not to be shot. Until that happens, events like [yesterday’s] will be repeated at a sadly regular clip.

Full post here

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Charles Blow (NYT): …. How many more deaths and mass shootings will it take for Washington to begin to lead the country in a deeper conversation about sensible gun controls? What will it take for our politicians to take firm and principled positions on gun policies and stand up to the gun lobby in this country? Surely this is a moment that calls all of us to reckoning.

…. while gun control advocates grow more quiet, the gun lobby grows stronger and louder ….. “For gun rights groups, 2012 was the most active election cycle since 2000. They contributed a total of $3 million to candidates, 96 percent of them Republicans.” ….

…. Where are the voices for those who choose not to – or are not old enough to – own guns? Are the gunless to have no advocate? Will our politicians forever cower before the gun lobby?

Full article here

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From Cagle

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Morning everyone.

‘just because your dad’s a genius doesn’t mean you’re not going to be a moron’

night everyone

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President Barack Obama takes the stage during the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, May 12. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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thurgood

high heeled blues … elegant recovery!

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama watch as White House Chief of Protocol Capricia Marshall slips and falls on the steps of the White House North Portico as they prepare to welcome Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala for a state dinner at the White House in Washington May 19, 2010.