A Message from Lisa, Tyren’s Mom

President Barack Obama signs a photograph as he greets people on the tarmac upon arrival at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, La., July 25, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

UT included the above photo in today’s R&S – the young man pictured is Tyren Edward Anthony Scott. Tyren’s mother Lisa contacted us at the time to let us know that Tyren was the same young man who asked the President “why do people hate you?’ at a town hall in New Orleans three years earlier:

“He was nine when he asked the President that question and in the latest picture he’s 12. President Obama stood there with us, talked for about three minutes, he remembered Tyren and signed an 11 x 14 picture of their first encounter.”

We sent our best wishes to Tyren, Lisa and all the Scott family this morning, so it was really lovely to receive this comment from Lisa:

Good Afternoon,

Thanks for the great comments on my son Tyren Edward Anthony Scott.

Tyren starts school on Aug. 6. He’s now 13 and in the 8th grade.

Tyren and I are doing great. I visit the website several times a day and was surprised to see Tyren. He’s growing up to be a fine young man. I am not saying that because he is my son, I say that because he has a great heart. He was upset with the verdict in the Zimmerman trial. As a matter of fact after President Obama spoke on Friday he emailed the President on Sunday.

I had to have that talk with him on how to be careful especially as a young black teen.

He’s still very respectful (yes sir/no sir). Tyren is still a good student and he’s involved in the community. He loves people and he does not see color until it slaps him in his face. I had to tell him he is not a thug.

Tyren loves fishing, deer hunting, plays in high school band (sax), football, baseball and he still helps his Uncle Tweed with the chickens LOL.

I tell people all the time you can not raise a child by yourself. So I ask The Obama Diary family to keep us in your prayers.

LISA SCOTT

DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS; ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT.

HATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE, ONLY LOVE CAN DO THAT.

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They Deserve A Vote …..The Time Is Now

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‘how the left got libya wrong’

A boy looks out as mourners pray during the funeral of a rebel killed by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Benghazi, March 22

John Judis (The New Republic): ….I looked at various blogs and websites that air opinion on the left. With some notable exceptions (like Juan Cole), all I have found is opposition to the Obama administration’s decision to intervene in Libya.

So I ask myself, would these opponents of U.S. intervention (as part of U.N. Security Council approved action), have preferred:

(1) That gangs of mercenaries, financed by the country’s oil wealth, conduct a bloodbath against Muammar Qaddafi’s many opponents?

(2) That Qaddafi himself, wounded, enraged, embittered, and still in power, retain control of an important source of the world’s oil supply, particularly for Europe, and be able to spend the wealth he derives from it to sow discord in the region?

(3) And that the movement toward democratization in the Arab world – which has spread from Tunisia to Bahrain, and now includes such unlikely locales as Syria – be dealt an enormous setback through the survival of one of region’s most notorious autocrats?

If you answer “Who cares?” to each of these, I have no counter-arguments to offer, but if you worry about two or three of these prospects, then I think you have to reconsider whether Barack Obama did the right thing in lending American support to this intervention.

…Should Obama, as some critics have charged, have gone to Congress for a war powers resolution? I am not sure there was time for a full-scale debate…

…isn’t Obama repeating the same mistakes that George W. Bush did when he invaded Iraq in order to oust a despot? There’s a big difference between then and now: The United States is supporting an active revolt; it is preventing carnage; and it is encouraging real, rather than imagined, democratic movements across the region. These are all reasons why, even at this late date, and with uncertain prospects, it made sense to intervene.

Full article here

magnificent

…at the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” rally, Washington, October 30

Thanks to globalcitizenlinda for the link to the photo

barking up the wrong tree

President Barack Obama in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Music from the Civil Rights Movement

The Blind Boys of Alabama perform “Free at Last” at the White House Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement

Gospel Music star Yolanda Adams performs the Sam Cooke classic, “A Change is Gonna Come”

Joan Baez sings “We Shall Overcome”

The Freedom Singers perform “(Ain’t Gonna let Nobody) Turn me Around”

Natalie Cole performs Marvin Gaye’s classic from the civil rights era, “What’s Going On”

Bob Dylan performs his classic song “The Times they are a Changing”

Yolanda Adams performs “How Great Thou Art”

Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson perform “People Get Ready”

More videos from the concert here