Christmas in Washington, Dec 15
Posts Tagged ‘in
15
Dec
13
Chat on, Evening/Night Owls
15
Dec
13
Christmas in Washington
President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, pose for photographs alongside children dressed as elves, who are or were patients at Children’s National Medical Center after they presented donated gifts to the Obamas to give to children at the hospital, as they attend a taping of TNT’s Christmas in Washington at the National Building Museum in Washington on December 15
Rolihlahla Mandela, the son of a Thembu tribal chief, was born in Mvezo, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape on 18 July 1918. He was the first of his family to go to school. It was there he received the name Nelson - it was customary for school children to be given English names. In 1941, he fled to Johannesburg to avoid an arranged marriage. He met Walter Sisulu who helped him get work at law firm Witkin Sidelsky. Mr Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944.
Mr Mandela qualified as a lawyer and in 1952 set up the country’s first black law firm with Oliver Tambo.
Fearing a ban by the apartheid government, the ANC asked Mr Mandela to make plans to ensure the party could work underground.
He was arrested in 1956 and charged with treason along with 155 others. The trial lasted four-and-a-half-years, and ended with his being acquitted. In 1958, he married his second wife, Winnie Madikizela.
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After police killed 69 protesters in Sharpeville in March 1960, the government feared retaliation, so it declared a state of emergency and then banned the ANC. The organisation formed a military wing, led by Mr Mandela.
In 1962, Mr Mandela was arrested and tried for leaving the country illegally. In 1963, while in prison, he was charged with sabotage. He and seven others were sentenced to life in 1964 and jailed on Robben Island.
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Dire Straits and Eric Clapton at Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday tribute
UB40
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The international community started to tighten sanctions which had been first imposed on the apartheid regime in 1967. By 1990, the pressure led to President FW de Klerk lifting the ban on the ANC.
On 11 February 1990, Mr Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison. Crowds cheered as he and his wife Winnie left the prison grounds. The next year, Mr Mandela was elected ANC president at the party’s first national conference. Talks began on forming a new, multi-racial democracy.
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Continue reading ‘Madiba….. A Life That Will Never Be Forgotten’
05
Dec
13
Madiba
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The rock quarry where Madiba was forced into hard labor for many years
Entrance to the cell where Madiba was confined
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Madiba’s prisoner ledger
@petesouza: President Obama inside a Ford truck following his speech in KC
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Today:
5:0 EDT: President Obama delivers remarks at a memorial for victims of the Navy Yard shooting; First Lady Michelle Obama also attends
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Monday * Tuesday * Wednesday * Thursday * Friday * Saturday
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Monday
@PeteSouza: Lisa Monaco briefs Pres Obama on the shootings today at the Wash Navy Yard
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When will it be enough? - by Liberal Librarian
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President Obama receives an update on the Washington Navy Yard shootings investigation from FBI Director James Comey, left, and Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. in the Oval Office (Pete Souza)
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Tuesday
by Jacqueline OBoomer
There sits a building, painted white
It glimmers in the bright sunlight
Built by strong, dark hands, without a choice
Built to house a leader, so we’d all have a voice
There sits a building, painted white
It shimmers in the soft twilight
Shadowing strong, dark hands taking their rest
Ghosts of our democracy, who gave it their best
There sits a building, painted white
It dims its lights, overnight
Built by slaves, who also served inside
Where none thought they should ever reside
There sits a building, painted white
We tip our hats to it, day and night
Built by slaves, who’d hang their heads to pray
A man with strong, dark hands would live there someday
There sits a building, painted white
I dare to say it is still quite the sight
For a still young country, yet to fully repent
But now shining light on why their knees were bent
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Today POTUS called Pauline Beck to tell her the home care rule has been finalized—in 07’ he took a walk in her shoes http://t.co/Jq0tuYSXiX
— Valerie Jarrett (@vj44) September 17, 2025
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Wednesday
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Inside the Oval Office: President Obama meets with the @BGCA_Clubs 2013 Youth of the Year finalists —> pic.twitter.com/yw4EqDrCj0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2025
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More adventures in our failed media experiment: Part 1,382 - by Liberal Librarian
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Continue reading ‘Rise and Shine: The Week in Images (And a Word or Two)’
01
Sep
13
War and peace in a democracy
Cross-posted at The People’s View
Even if you were stuffing yourself full of the first weekend of college football, by now you know that President Barack Obama conducted one of the most important Rose Garden addresses in the history of the modern Presidency.
Taking the baton from his Secretary of State John Kerry, he again laid out, in forceful, passionate language, the situation as it was in Syria. He explained that the intelligence community had concluded with great certainty that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical attacks in contested areas of Damascus the week before. He passionately argued that American values and national interest dictated that Assad’s regime be punished militarily for the use of those chemical weapons against civilians. He stated that the military had assets in place and was ready to go at any time.
And then he did something no modern president had done. Even though he believed he had the authority to act, he knew that this was a divisive issue, and that the people’s representatives had to join in the decision. He called for Congress to debate and vote on a resolution granting him specific authority to militarily strike Assad for violating international treaties banning the use of chemical weaponry, some of the oldest weapons conventions in international law. He had heard the rumblings from Congress saying that he had to seek approval before any strike, and agreed.
But why did he agree? This is where he pivots beyond what all the pundits and talking heads expected. Just before declaring that he would seek Congressional approval, he reiterated that he believed that he had the authority to conduct the attacks with or without Congressional approval. But such an action, in a region of the world where such action could quickly spiral out of control, needed more than just Barack Obama’s say-so as Commander in Chief. Syria is not Libya. In the Libyan crisis, the President had a UN resolution with which to work. As a signatory to the UN charter, all member nations had a duty to enforce Security Council resolutions. That was all the authorization he needed.
President Obama talks with Yolanda Renee King, 5, granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr., her mother Arndrea Waters, and Martin Luther King III
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The complete ceremony, forward to 30 minutes for the start:
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President Obama’s speech:
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Excerpt:
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With Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, and Mark Barden, father of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Daniel Barden, Peter Yarrow, left, and Paul Stookey, right, of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary
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Rev. Joseph Lowery
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Stunning: Pres. Obama, the First Lady & former Presidents Clinton & Carter walk past statue of Lincoln (@PeteSouza) pic.twitter.com/W1gER8VtFV
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) August 29, 2025
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White House.gov