Friday, July 19, 2013

A thoughtful President speaks from the heart

I'm not going to be breaking any news - this video is all over the internet already. But I wanted it to be here on my little corner of the blogosphere too.

When things move me this profoundly, it takes a while to collect my thoughts. So I'm not going to provide much commentary at this point. The most powerful reaction I've heard so far are the comments by African Americans that these words from our President give them a lift up out of the depression they've been feeling since the Zimmerman verdict.

We certainly don't always deserve it - but yes, this man is our President. I am thankful every day for that.



The transcript is here.

3 comments:

  1. Amen. I am so thankful I am alive during his time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, powerful stuff. Thoughtful and moving.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The usual suspects are going to be all over this, but I think the response to his comments will be a useful delineator in this debate.

    If your immediate response is to think that Obama is making it all about race then you are the problem. If your immediate response is to think he is stirring the pot of hatred then you are the problem. If your immediate response is to think he is saying it is OK for blacks to be suspicious of whites then you are the problem.

    The problem is not just that people use bigoted assumptions when dealing with each other. That problem is only made worse by those who refuse to acknowledge that some of those bigoted assumptions are pushed by their own side. These assumptions are pushed because doing so makes it easier for them to say, "The problem is all with those people, therefore I don't have to do anything about it."

    If your first response is to look for ways to not take responsibility for finding a solution then you are the problem.

    ReplyDelete

Why Christian nationalists fear freedom

For years now a lot of us have been trying to understand why white evangelical voters remain so loyal to Donald Trump. I believe that the an...