****
Today
1:45 EDT: The President departs the White House
2:50 CT: Arrives Chicago
3:50 CT: Meets with community leaders to discuss immigration reform; Copernicus Community Center, Chicago
4:35 CT: Delivers remarks on immigration reform; Copernicus Community Center, Chicago
6:25 CT: Departs Chicago
9:20 EDT: Arrives White House
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Nerdy prepared a beautiful post yesterday on the President’s day, but we held off because of events in Ferguson. So, here it is:
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden applaud Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for his years of service as he announces his resignation in the State Dining Room of the White House
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Stevie Wonder is greeted by President Barack Obama after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a White House ceremony. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors
Actress Marlo Thomas
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Golfer Charles Sifford
Ethel Kennedy
Journalist Tom Brokaw
Congressman John Dingell
Author Isabel Allende
Congressman Abner Mikva
Writer, curator, and activist Suzan Harjo
Robert Battle, the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recieves a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on behalf of dancer Alvin Ailey
Actress Meryl Streep
Stevie Wonder smiles while showing off his Presidential Medal of Freedom
Professor Mildred Dresselhaus
Morning again everyone - and thanks a million Nerdy for compiling the ‘President’s Day’.
Yes, thanks to NW for the compilation.
The President’s Day was a mixed bag…from announcing the resignation of Sec Hagel to his remarks after the Ferguson grand jury verdict.
But fortunately, his day included the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. It was a high point of his day and for me as well. It brought smiles to my face hearing about the recipients and watching them as they humbly received their medals…some even showing their thrill at being in the presence of our President.
Thanks, Chips.
{{{{{{Good Morning Dear Chips, Nerdy Wonka and my amazing TOD Family.}}}}}} Thank you for this haven from a hostile world. You make my life better. LH
thanks for that Chips. It’s so weird all of that seems like it was years ago. yet it was just yesterday.
thanks also for building this place and thanks NW for all of your insightful posts - I don’t say that often enough but it is truly a place where it is safe. And needed especially in times like this. thanks.
Delurking to say this…………
“Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
“This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. In the light of these ideas, Negroes will be hunted at the North, and held and flogged at the South so long as they submit to those devilish outrages, and make no resistance, either moral or physical. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must certainly pay for all they get. If we ever get free from the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives and the lives of others.”
― Frederick Douglass
No matter how many tales are told about Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, the Boogeyman, and recently Dandy Mott and Twisty the Clown, know that these are works of fiction. The REAL American Horror Story we have always lived with. Black men and women never had to read Bram Stoker or Mary Shelley to be scared. We live one hell of a scary story.
very apropos.
America needs to rise up, get vocal, take action and demand better.
Let calm heads prevail.
Good morning again, I am reposting my comment from the last thread to let you know that everyone is watching and we all hope that common sense and justice will prevail. Good always overcome evil.
“Good morning all. I rarely post but I had to this morning. As you see I live in Barbados but I am Jamaican and am therefore a West Indian. Why is this significant because I have two sisters and a brother in the US one sister who lives in New York has a son who is twenty years old and I have numerous friends from the West Indies with sons who live in various parts of the US. I cried last night when I heard the outcome. I cried for them. I often call my sister and remind her to speak to her son. He is a regular 20 year old, he goes to college, he wears his cap backwards, he goes to the cinema with his friend, he does the things that you would expect them to do at that age. When I read of these killings my heart hurts for all young men in the US who may not grow up to live their dreams. What next?”
THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US.
Good morning Chips and TOD. Thank you for this place. I couldn’t bear to turn on the news yesterday, just monitored this site. I am praying for the First Family. I am glad they have each other. I KNOW they are heart hurt over all this, possibly more than most realize, because if anyone is restricted in how to express their grief and outrage, it is them. They are not in the least removed from the injustices that inspired them to give up their freedoms and serve in the White House on our behalf. I pray for their strength and comfort as much as I pray for Michael Brown’s family and all the victims of injustice. I trust in God’s perfect vengeance.
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family.
Chips thank you for an uplifting R&S
Please everyone be aware that we may see many orchestrated efforts to incite racial violence in the next two years, carefully coordinated with the corporate controlled media in order to convince Americans that they need a ‘law and order’ president and Congress in 2016. Provoked violent confrontations will be used to prove that President Obama is incompetent as a leader and that all of his achievements must be repudiated for the sake of ‘safety.’ Efforts at voter suppression at the state level will be redoubled and attempts to gerryrig the electoral college will be relentless. They already have a majority of the state houses and if they can convince enough people to either stay home or vote for ‘safety’ then they will have completed the corporate takeover of America with all branches of the government in their hands. The election of Richard Nixon will look like a golden era compared to what the US will experience if that happens.
If we know what is planned we can work against it despite the complicity of the media. I’ve seen this script before and it is easy to see happen if we don’t fight back now in a smart coordinated fashion. Be aware and act with the understanding that Ferguson is just one small example of a much larger, democracy-destroying plan.
If you think I’m being paranoid, please say so and I’ll retire my foil hat, but every instinct tells me that this is, in fact, the plan. I do, however, think that our president is aware and has plans of his own. Please God let that be so.
agreed. every single word.
You are not paranoid Jackie. Your assessment is spot on. I keep telling folks that the media is part of the right-wing ambitions to incite racial violence in the hopes of damaging this President and putting Blacks “back in their places” and punishing people of all races who voted for him.
Jackie. The Koch brothers exist. You are not being paranoid.
You and I must be wearing the same tinfoil on heads this morning Jackie.. meaning you ain’t paranoid, friend.
‘our’ heads. oops
Just as you told me, JackieG, it’s not paranoia, it’s not cynicism, it’s REALISM. At one time, the duplicity was done in such a way that it could only be seen and felt by those directly affected. Now, the duplicity is blatant, “in your face”, and done with the pride that only the heartless can feel.
“If you think I’m being paranoid….”
I don’t think you are. In fact, I’d say that’s EXACTLY what’s been happening since January 20, 2009. All because an intelligent, well-spoken and unbroken and unbowed Black man became President.
The truly sad thing is that some on the Left are eager to help out-Moore, West, and Hamsher, for instance.
Jg, I hear in your words a definition of exactly what PBO is saying as well. He is making a heartfelt plea to everyone not to fall for the subterfuge of being enticed or even set up to trigger outbreaks of destruction and violence, as we all know the powermongers pay to have rioting incited, then attempt to blame it on the innocent. I also believe he is very well aware of what is coming through the next steps taken by the DOJ and AG Holder, and is not allowing any glimpse into how that will play out. I am out all morning, so much to catch up on - but would like to say whoever that asshole is who kept interrupting The President, ought to be banned from the room, forever. Bye, Light and Love to all the pain and aching in our Hearts. {{{{{ <3 }}}}}
Nope, I don’t think you’re being paranoid at all, Jackie.
You are not paranoid at all.
Realistic.
Yesterday we saw that sanctions against Iran will remain. War and punishment is what the RW —all of it—benefits from. There will be no Iran/US deal. Not now and not in a few months.
We saw a decent peaceloving Secretary of Defense depart. The RW will install a weapons profiteer if they can—an executive from Smith & Wesson or Boeing, perhaps. (No that is not what PBO will do.) More likely a warhawk DINO.
DA McCullogh showed us what evil is—pompous old white men lecturing the rest of us. Secure that they have the upper hand. Smug and cold-blooded.
Hope resides and remains with President Barack Obama who continues to follow his own star and implement his agenda which is as I see it, about doing the most he can every day to make life better for as many people he can.
You are being very real. It has been in the works since PBO was elected to retaliate against his supporters, and him as well. Everyone else who commented furthers your arguments, and confirms that we have our eyes and ears open. Thank you !
Right there with you.
you are not being paranoid
G’morning Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone, congrats swbluega on #1, and thanks Chips for posting this R & S roundup and schedule, including Nerdy’s wonderful gallery featuring our President’s Day. :)
Let’s not be despondent…The media, RW, and White Supremacists are having their field day, while the world is watching and Karma is taking notes…
^10
Thanks to NW for compiling this post which I’ve read was postponed until this morning.
Thanks, GGail.
M heart is aching
indian news channels (for whom as much contempt as for US msm) played out the ferguson over and over again. beebs and aj were also doing the same. At least, aj brought some brit who argued that the root cause of police brutality towards to black community for decades is being wantonly obscured and only the reaction is being peddled all over the teevee.
seriously. i was just going to try and see what world news outlets were saying. Sounds like they are playing the same tune as our MSM.
“…that the root cause of police brutality towards to black community for decades is being wantonly obscured and only the reaction is being peddled all over the teevee.”
That’s how it typically seems to be…no one seems to pay attention to the aggressor; to the bully. It’s only when the bullied defend themselves that eyes seem to watch and place the blame on the one(s) retaliating….as if they are, out of the blue, striking out without any provocation.
My soul hurts. No words.
changing the subject a bit, some election news in my part of the desert.
Massive turnout in J&K: 70 pc voting recorded.
Defying separatists’ election boycott call and braving cold weather, voters turned out in large numbers on Tuesday to record over 70 per cent polling without any incident in 15 constituencies in the first of the five- phase polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Election Commission officials said the poll percentage figures released so far were tentative and that it was likely to go up by two to three per cent as voting was going on at some places even after closure of voting at 4 pm. Polling began at 8 am in cold wave conditions.
A 61 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the 2008 assembly polls for these 15 seats — 6 in Jammu division, 5 in Kashmir Valley and four in Ladakh. Tuesday’s polling was spread over seven districts.
“Polling has gone absolutely peaceful without any incident. It was 100 per cent flawless polls and there was not a single incident which vitiates poll process,” Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi said.
Dealing a serious blow to separatist politics, thousands of voters had lined up before polling stations with nearly 10.52 lakh voters being eligible to vote.
Separatist groups, like the factions of Hurriyat Conference and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, had called for a boycott of the polls and a general strike as well.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/polling-begins-for-first-phase-of-j-k-elections/20141125.htm
Replied to you earlier but iPad froze before it sent. This is awesome news for India. Change does happen.
More…
went to sleep with the images of Mike Brown’s parents on my mind.
White people simply do not understand the fundamental lack of trust in law enforcement that exists within the Black community. And, they don’t understand why that undermines this country as a whole.
I’m not talking about Pookey and Ray-Ray having no trust.
I’m talking about my and the overwhelming swaths of Black America that gets up, goes to work everyday, and loves their family. The people like me, who have never had nothing more than a parking ticket in terms of ‘ infractions’.
I do not trust law enforcement.
If on a jury, I would never give them the benefit of the doubt.
I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of their mouths.
Period.
I have three degrees and I have no more trust in law enforcement than Pookey.
If you don’t understand what that means…
oh well.
Many white people share and do understand lack of trust for law enforcement.
We get that advantaging some over others renders a system worthless.
GM all. Except for one tweet, I have avoided any comment of the Ferguson fiasco. It tears me apart to see what his Michael Brown’s family is going through, what the Ferguson community is going through, and what the country’s entire AA community is going through.
I have to admit, I have always considered myself liberal, open-minded and, for the most part, free of prejudice (nobody is totally). It has only been since I have come to this community, though, that I really started to understand what white-privilege really is in this country. And it sickens me.
I look at the GJ proceedings and know they were a farce, set up by the prosecutor to result in exactly what it resulted in. GJ’s are not supposed to hear a defense. Wilson should never have testified. Only evidence that could be used to support an indictment is supposed to be allowed. And I have no doubt that, if not directly stated, McCollough definitely implied that if they felt they could not find Wilson guilty they had to not indict him. Again totally against the standard rules of GJ’s.
I don’t know for certain exactly what happened the day Brown was killed, none of us here do, but there was obvioulsy enough to at least justify a trial for manslaughter charges.
There are only two minor saving graces. The first is that there was no way Wilson would have been found guilty in a trial. McCollough would never have allowed that. It would have been a worse travesty of a trial than the Trayon Martin trial.
Secondly, because a GJ is not a trial, and no finding of not guilty was found, if additional evidence comes to light (say Wilson boasts about getting away with murder) he can still be charged and tried. Double jeopardy does not yet get invoked.
What I found interesting in the protests was two things. The first, and I was so pleased to see this, is that all the protests, invcluding those in Ferguson, involved all types of people, AA, white, men, women, etc. Secondly, and I find this somewhat suspicious, when the verdict was first announced, even with the near certainty no indictment would be handed down, the initial protests in Ferguson were quite peaceful. It was not until after 30 minutes or more that they started to get violent (and never really reached the level of many other protests I have seen). If I was of a conspiritorial thinking type of person, I would wonder who did the first action. It doesn’t take much to trigger a more violent reaction when you have a lot of angry people and once started, it gains momentum.
That’s all for now.
Thank you so much for your comment and insights….i read an article yesterday that said it is almost impossible to indict a police officer….i agree that all this was a set up…the Gov…militarizing Ferguson…sending out flyers frightening the populace….etc…
this is the article..
I have a lot of mixed feelings today. First g’morning TOD, not that it is good by any measure. Thank you Chips & NW for keeping the doors open here at all times, under all circumstances.
I can’t tell a town how to grieve. First I’m just not a true believer in anything Ferguson PD says or does.. thus I don’t know who burned stores, cop cars; etc. I would be surprised if it wasn’t the police themselves who instigated every instance of violence- perhaps out of uniform undercover. I just know they cannot be trusted. period. Second.. the fact the protestors held their anger in check and managed for over 100 days to protest non-violently tells me to trust those protestors over any cops. Not only can’t I tell a town how not to grieve.. if in fact some folks resorted to violence to express their loss.. I cannot tell any person how to grieve. There is not one person there who doesn’t know quite clearly the consequences of any actions they take. It was a horror show to lose this young man in the manner he was lost: murdered by a cop, someone who is defined by a job that literally tells us he/she is there to “serve and protect” all of us. He is murdered in broad daylight, he is left to rot in the sun- so that every single citizen is clearly made to see that he- they do not matter as human beings. Then they are collectively told to wait.. to hang in there, ’cause justice will prevail..’trust us’. And they wait, and the stay calm… and they trust, even just a little- keeping that flame of almighty hope still lit. Even with all the preparations with weapons & regalia – in full sight of the world these past few days- we all still foolishly had a glimmer of hope that right would win out. Then we were treated- they in Ferguson most horrifically- to this spectacle of inhumanity by that Prosecutor. And we say.. be calm, it doesn’t help to turn violent. Well it helped Darren Wilson. So I can’t tell anyone how to grieve.
Thank you for this place, this safe haven, this sanctuary, Chipstix, and all that you have done and do daily to keep it safe, warm, dry, and comfortable when times are good, comforting when times are bad. Thank you, Nerdy Wonka, for your brilliant detective work, curation, connection, research, and creativity in bringing in the stories and the images and the spirit and so often, the laughs we need so much. I couldn’t bear these times without this place and all the good souls who come here. All BT’s, and mainstay good spirits, all lurkers, all the TOD family. Last night I stayed up staring at tweets, retweeting some, and unfollowing people who took time and energy to try to put blame and shame on President Obama, whose burdens keep growing and metastasizing as he strides through every single day, steadfastly on the Good Road, no matter what they are slinging. This morning I unsubscribed from SIEU newsletter, a union which has done many good things and whose spirit I share, for a post in which they recruited us subscribers to Put Pressure On AG Holder to investigate. Oh my goodness, yes, it had been all of 10 hours since the horrifying truth of this injustice became clear, and AG Holder surely will just lounge around and neglect his job without this patronizing person Schooling him in what needs to happen. What is wrong with Liberals? Why are we so STUPID when we are so right about the issues, the actions, the truth? We are right and we have so much work to do, but we surrender success again and again to the Side of Greed and White Supremacy and Wrong and Lies because we refuse to see the power and wisdom of working together as a team on the Big Picture. I needed to see these beautiful photos this morning, and Nerdy’s brilliant tweets last night and all of your words and pix here, to make it through. What a beautiful ceremony; what goodness there is out there, what generosity, what wisdom and kindness. We have never had a President more tuned in and willing to look beyond the Usual Suspects of Heroes and Leaders and Award Winners, as this great hero we have now. I cannot believe how blessed we are to have him. I am praying for him and his family as another nightmare flares up and takes center stage for a while; I know they will be steadfast and centered and see this through and see us through because that is who they are. The White Supremacy Home Team has just presented us with a pageant, a grand Super Bowl Halftime Show of Who They Are and How This Works. Nothing new here, it’s oldtime bidness as usual. What is different and offers a sliver of hope to hang on to, is that they can keep on Saying what they want us to hear and Doing what they think will get them off scot-free, but the cannot control the truth. We see them. Not everyone wants to, but more and more people’s eyes have been opened, and hearts have been reached. The many many people who went out last night all over the country, and walked and marched and lay down in the street to say “No. Not True. Not Right. Not Acceptable. Not Just. Not gonna keep on happening!”, those people are out there, too, and there are so many of them, and we have twitter and blogs and artists and everyday people who see the truth now, see how it has always worked, see what “Waiting for the Facts!” actually looks like, who can see through the invisibility cloak of White Supremacy to how they do this. We see the magician’s tricks. We see their hands under the table. We see the man behind the curtain, the men behind the curtain. They think this will work because it has worked so well so long, but they are wrong. They are very very wrong. I trust our President and AG Holder and the many awake aware clear brave journalists and artists and everyday people to keep lifiting up the rocks and shining the lights underneath them and showing the scurrying insects, so sure they had it covered. They do not. We see them. We are many and we are ready for the work we have to do. Thank you for this place of safety and inspiration and truth.
I feel like it’s 1994 again in LA. Has it really been 20 years? Some thing never change…..
Don Lemmon is an Oreo. He is fighting with Van Jones
I don’t know if Don Lemon is an Oreo.
I do know that he is a narcissitic fool.
not sure about oreo but I do know Don is an ambulance chaser and Van Jones is an ass.
I agree with all you……they are both oreos and asses! How’s that?
Good morning TOD. Thanks to Chips, NW and everyone else who provides this place of sanity. The Medal of Freedom ceremony was so enjoyable to watch. Abner Mikva made clear he was so thrilled to be receiving this. If you haven’t watched it yet, make sure you watch him til the end:-)
My anger from last night is despair this morning, but I was lifted by hearing the peaceful protests on my livestream this morning. This simply cannot, CANNOT, be allowed to fade into the background until “next time”.
I hate to cite Politico, first time I’ve been there in a very long time, but this is an excellent article: Letter from St. Louis
“St. Louis shocks, but it does not surprise. For weeks, the signs have been everywhere. Military vehicles at the mall, troops on the highway, soldiers in gas stations, helicopters that flew so low in the sky they shook our homes. Officials told us to keep calm, then declared a state of emergency. They claimed the hundreds of thousands of dollars in riot gear and the extra thousand police were not indicative of a foregone conclusion. They told us the grand jury was still deliberating, that these things take time. Our streets told us the verdict had long been sealed
….
Darren Wilson will never be on trial. Black St. Louis always was.
….
In November, when rumors circulated that a grand jury decision was nearing, the protesters began to prepare. They were fighting the same fight that had brought them out in the early August day: the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement, and the sanctioning of those killings by the justice system. The preparation meetings were mostly about how to not get killed while pointing this out. Medics, legal advocates, and peace activists gave tips on how to handle tear gas and go limp when arrested. As the media talked riots, protesters talked survival—not only survival of the people they were fighting for, but theirs.
To speak was to anticipate being silenced. To insist that black lives matter was to anticipate the end of your own.
Finally, last night, on November 24, prosecutor Bob McCulloch sauntered in late to the press conference where he announced that Darren Wilson would face no charges for killing Michael Brown. He began by blaming social media for distributing what he deemed inflammatory information, and ended by declaring Brown’s death an “opportunity” for St. Louis’s civic engagement. Where he sees “opportunity” many St. Louisans see stone-cold murder. Everything about the announcement—the timing, the condescending tone, the weeks of militarized vehicles patrolling the roads—seemed designed to inflame and incite the region.
….
Nothing has changed in St. Louis since August—not the tear gas or the riot gear and especially not the fear. Nothing has changed except any remaining pretense that Brown’s killer would face consequences. Instead, Wilson is the recipient of a financial windfall, made possible through donations of supporters, as the region he swore to serve and protect burns.
…..
The Brown family did not get justice, the streets of St. Louis burned, and everyone, on all sides, had their worst suspicions confirmed. St. Louis stands shocked but not surprised, waiting for the worst still to come.”
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/11/ferguson-riots-113158.html#.VHSNY4vF-nw
and there we have it, right there—> “Darren Wilson will never be on trial. Black St. Louis always was” I would submit, that it’s always “Black America” that’s on trial.
This whole grand jury hearing seemed like a one-sided trial with the prosecutor acting as the defense attorney. The grand jury reached a verdict based on what was presented to them and HOW it was presented to them. That’s *all* they could base it on. There is no way that an indictment should not have been handed down unless the question the GJ was answering was whether Darren Wilson felt that he was justified in shooting Michael Brown. The prosecutor did not ask for an indictment. If he had, he probably would have gotten it. I would like to know what specific instructions were given to the grand jury.
And to blame “social” media when “inflammatory” information was also being leaked to the mainstream media (probably from his office) was the ultimate in audacity. McCulloch, Nixon, FPD, SLPD, MSM, et al, collaborated on the script. The staging was being put in place and the media did the promotion. The actors played their roles as scripted…right down to agitators who disrupted those who were peacefully protesting.
Watched the announcement on CSPAN last night and then waited for PBO to be the voice of reason. But in those 3 minutes between the two programs, I listened to some callers on the CSPAN lines. OMG - the sanctimonious, righteous, bigoted idiots they allowed to talk. :-( Hearing fools like that at such a time and realizing what they must represent, disgusted me. Between that and seeing the WHPC at PBO’s presser - we shut it off after that. Of course, PBO offered just the right note that was needed - but were the right people listening??
“Our nation suffers horrifically from INSTITUTIONALIZED racism. President Obama is not responsible for that.”
say it again Meta.
I was half watching the announcement of a possible indictment and half watching the Saints and Baltimore game last night. Baltimore is turning into a team that can make some noise through the last part of the season and into the playoffs.
I’m glad people went to the Supreme Court to demonstrate. The Supreme Court, who believes that race is no longer an issue in the country.
“To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.” - James Baldwin.
and still Don…we almost always look for ways to forgive… smh!
….But for how much longer?
that is the question.
This has been the bbc fp the entire day today.
This is how the fifth columnists work.
hey, here’s something I saw go by. An interesting world view from the crooks and liars website:
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/11/what-people-around-world-are-saying-about
That article raises the same topic I was discussing with a friend this morning. We claim we’re are a model of democracy and freedom, but the lack of participation in the election and the institutionalized racism laid bare, once again, by events in Ferguson & throughout the country, show the hypocrisy in that meme. For too many of us (and this isn’t exclusive to people of color), the reality of life in America is nowhere near the ideals we claim as our foundation. I hope having this mirror thrust in our faces causes many with the power to effect change to do so, and those just realizing their power to step forward. As the President says often says we must learn to operate more in support of our hopes and less in reaction to our fears. “Do as I say and not as I do” won’t work when actions don’t match the rhetoric.
Morning….
Good Morning Sailor! Thank you for that beautiful reminder.
saw this go by on my timeline. The reason you don’t see this making the headlines is obvious. It’s not “riot porn” therefore no clicks. therefore no $$$ for the MSM.
Yep, saw that from someone else last night (really early morning). Excellent!
You’re right though. This doesn’t fit the “look at those scary thugs doing thuggery” narrative.
yup
MIT professor Jonathan Gruber has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee after his comments on a “lack of transparency” and the “stupidity of the American voter” while describing the passage of Obamacare.
The Hill reported that Gruber and federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Marilyn Tavenner will testify at the Dec. 9 hearing, per a committee spokesperson.
Oversight Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) had asked Gruber to appear before the committee last week.
I remember the riots in Miami in the 80’s I was a kid at the time and some police officers were found not guilty of killing a black insurance salesman. I also remember the riots in Miami because of a policeman that killed a young black man on a motorcycle. I grew up with cops killing black men. You have no idea what its like to be pulled over at night by a cop, I do, you don’t. For you getting pulled over is an inconvenience, for every black man it is a matter of life and death. Every encounter that a black man has with a police officer there is a fifty-fifty chance that that the black man will leave with his life.
Truth!
MY HEART BREAKS FOR THIS NATION AND FOR THE EFFORTS OF OUR GRACEFUL PRESIDENT…WHEN IS MANKIND GOING TO LEARN NOT TO BE UNKIND????? GOD CREATED ALL OF US IN HIS IMAGE AND WE NEED TO ACT LIKE IT!..NO…THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR VIOLENCE!
Morning again everyone, just can’t find any words for the whole charade, and I won’t even pretend to understand how the black men and women of TOD are feeling today. All I can do is send you love, for all the good that is.
just keep doing what you do Chips and keep shining that light.
Sometimes difficult, hard and ugly but the work you/NW do is absolutely necessary if we are to move forward as a nation.
i meant sometimes the stories in the posts are difficult, hard and ugly face…. but the work you/NW do is absolutely necessary if we are to move forward as a nation.
continue to speak truth
Thank you nospin! This to INFINITY!
Love you Chips! Love you Nerdy!
Love you back Ms Delectable!
Good Morning Beautiful Family! I greet you with a heavy heart, but a clear mind. There is important work to be done. Let’s focus on it and lift each other up when we can.
It gets tiring singing “We shall overcome someday” all the time, just saying. Black people are the only people that have to sing songs and love the very people that don’t love us. It is a miracle that every black man in America isn’t schizophrenic, we are told to turn the other cheek and forgive the very people that brutalize us. A white kid can walk into a school and kill as many kids as he can and the first thing out of everyone’s mouth is that kid needs help. But a black kid walking down the street with his pants sagging and baseball cap turned sideways is considered a menace to society. At this point in time I’m not ready to forgive or forget, and I’m not interested in holding hands and singing songs.
This.
I hear you Don! I posted this on last night’s thread. Fits exactly what’ve you said here this morning.
Feelin you Don. I really never sang that song.
Morning everyone.
Think I’m going to start my Thanksgiving break early. It gets harder to come up off the mat after every slap of injustice. Maybe next week I’ll have something to say. Right now I want to get ready to fly out and see the missus.
Blessings to all my black brothers and sisters. I really can’t say anything else.
Take care of yourself LL, thrilled you’re meeting up with your wife.
Safe travels LL! Have a beautiful holiday with the missus. Hope her Dad is recovering nicely.
rest up have a nice t-day
now this is getting interesting.
Lots of folks in Missouri officials will be held accountable for this travesty. As they should be.
Excellent!!! This is a ray of sunshine.
This is so good to hear……there is more to be told in this story….Forward!
Hello TOD.
I am still calm, however, I am just disgusted that ONCE again, as soon as a mockery was once again made of the judicial system, in a nanosecond, the Media started parroting every word by the prosecutor last night without question. Wow. So shameful that Justice is for some and Not for all.
In the 1960s when MLK was saying this, it was truly justified. Today, in the 21st century, Riots by any group of people who are not Caucasians are used by the right and the Media against that particular group.
MLK never used such tactic for his Goal was Just. Even Malcolm X spoke of…. by any means necessary, but he Never engaged in such acts. Only Nelson Mandela did use some violent acts, or at least supported some violent acts when the cruelty of the State became unbearable in Soth Africa.
Probable Cause is all it takes for Grand Jury to allow a Trial.
This is why I stated last night that The Ferguson Prosecutor and Gov Nixon were Not acting Cowardly. They Used the system, went beyond, but still within the Current Law in MO to get Wilson off. There was No Justice nor an advocate for Micheal Brown.
You hit it on the head exactly, Nena!
I saw an ad sponsored by Pete Petersen RW billionaire, claiming the our national debt is our biggest problem.
This is false. PBO has steadily whittled down our deficit and is continuing to do so.
What the RW means when they whine about the deficit is that they are planning to cut benefits from those who need them the most.
You want to know what the GOP controlled House and Senate will be working on?
Look no further than the crap they have started peddling to the brainwashed racist masses who voted them into power.
The Deficit is indeed down….Lowest in 7-8 yrs.
The National Debt is almost $18T. $5T plus is IOU owed to the Social Security stemming from Oct 31st 1981, when Tip O’Neill allowed Reagan to raid the SS funds for the 1st time since it was created in the 1930s.
He needs to sit his “Happy” ass down somewhere.
Indeed!
Good Morning Chips and TOD.
Thought I’d share a bit of this Twitter thread.
This guy CWJensen (a former cop) was responding to a tweet about grand juror asking Officer Wilson whether maybe he could have decided to stop shooting the unarmed suspect sometime before unloading the 12 shots.
You hear this point a lot in cases where an office is accused of excessive force. Cop felt threatened, had to make a split-second life or death decision, etc., so I asked the obvious question…
Then this…
To which he replied…
Someone should have asked him if this is a “natural” physiological process, then why does it seem to happen only when the supposed threat is a Black male? White males carrying guns don’t seem to elicit that “physiological change during high stress.” Is Jensen arguing that humans are naturally and innately fearful of black boys/men?
So I said…
… and this…
So naturally, now it’s time to change the subject. [Sigh!]
Now, that is Cowardly. When Nothing to dispute with the facts presents, hide and change the story.
Great Job “Dude”…..Our fine Dudette.
when they have no reply..they meet a wall…that they cannot breach…and have no wish to breach..essence of White Privledge
Love your energy for sound debate, Dudette. Woman after my own heart !!
Hello everyone. I have written two paragraphs about the GJ decision, the media, prejudice, and this silly iPad of mine just randomly freezes. I give up. All I want to say, in a nut shell is, we knew this was going to happen, and so did they. They orchestrated the fear, frustration and hatred. As long as there is the NRA, corporate media, the right-wing Supreme Court, and the 1% it will not get better. BUT, look at the people protesting in front of the Supreme Court. It is not just one color. It is all colors, standing together for good. If I was in DC I would be standing there too. The GJ is not the end of this. Love you all
Jackie 4 Obama—not just at the SC. many of the protest actions in St. Louis in days leading up to yesterday showed the demonstraters to be all colors, mostly young. The “die-in’ which took place in an area called The Loop was 50/50 black and white.
The media barely covered those events.
Hello, oh wise and wonderful blog tyrants, I’m trapped in moderation again. A little help please? :-)
Ah, shackles released. Thank you so much! :-D
This video has attorneys Susan McGraugh and Jerryl Christmas give quite an extensive explanation about how the grand jury process was distorted in this case:
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/25/the-unbearable-truth-of-ferguson/
Michael Brown’s parents will be giving a press conference soon.