In case you have forgotten this is how a REAL President comforts the families of fallen soldiers.

Here's President Obama in 2014 showing how a real Leader speaks to & comforts the family of a fallen soldier. ❤️🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/mYZBpwXV4O

— Ricky Davila 🇵🇷 (@TheRickyDavila) October 22, 2017

Compassion, empathy, and genuine affection for others.

The man never failed to demonstrate the very best of what it meant to be an American leader.

Presidents comforting people in their time of need.

Just a reminder.

Trump called San Juan's mayor a weak leader. Here's what her leadership looks like. https://t.co/vhAwxK80Oc

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 30, 2017

I don't know much about Mayor Cruz's politics, but I know when I see a leader with compassion, one who cares about her people.

Perhaps THAT is what disgusts Trump so much about her.

That she is so weak that she actually cares about these insignificant brown people, and so strong that she is willing to call him out on their behalf.

But hey, you can't say that Trump did not do his part.

.@realDonaldTrump touches trophy, dedicates President's Cup Trophy to hurricane survivors in TX, Puerto Rico & FL pic.twitter.com/RylFmmJpAD

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) October 1, 2017

I mean just imagine how much suffering will come to an end now that Trump dedicated a golfing trophy to those hurricane victims. 

This story about Donald Trump refusing to help a dying man at Mar a Lago essentially sums up his presidency.

Trump was afraid to help a dying man at Mar-a-Lago because he was bleeding https://t.co/3SXrwziabU pic.twitter.com/jxgesI2FJz

— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) September 28, 2017

There you go.

Why would Trump care about a protester being killed in Charlottesville?

About people being denied health care in this country?

Or about American citizens dying in Puerto Rico?

He simply doesn't care.

And if he is so heartless that he can even turn away when somebody is dying right in front of him.

Then how can any American really believe he would care about them?

(Here is the original article.)

I think this tweet tells you just about everything you need to know about our President today, and the man who wants to take his place tomorrow.

Yesterday, this young man was kicked out of a Trump rally. As he was leaving, people kicked at his wheelchair. Today, he met his President. pic.twitter.com/VI4g2tKANG

— Steve Schale (@steveschale) November 6, 2016

Here is more courtesy of New Century Times:  

On Saturday, a brave little boy with cerebral palsy was harassed and thrown out of a Trump rally. After hearing about the incident, President Obama spent his entire Sunday afternoon with the 12-year-old sensation, JJ Holmes. 

Allison Holmes, JJ’s mother, told Obama that they showed up at the Trump rally in Tampa, Fla. to protest Trump’s mocking of a reporter with disabilities. Trump supporters responded by “chanting ‘U-S-A’ and pushing his wheelchair,” Alison told The Washington Post.

Kimberly DeFalco, a woman who witnessed the events at the Trump rally and spoke about it with Alison, posted on Facebook that Barak Obama and the former secretary of state are two of J.J.’s heroes. DeFalco also helped encourage the meeting between the President and JJ: 

“This would be life-changing for JJ and also send powerful encouragement for all who live with disabilities and rise up despite them!” she wrote.

And so JJ did indeed get to meet his hero, and the Republican party lost yet another future voter.

Final image of the day.

Courtesy of the Obama Diary:

Long after the last partisan battle has been fought over Obamacare, long after Barack Obama has settled into a comfortable post-presidency, and long after the last joke has been made about some Joe Biden verbal misstep, people will remember the moment when the always-in-control president struggled to control his emotions. They will remember the moment when president and vice president embraced in front of the altar and exchanged heartfelt kisses on the cheek. And they will remember how their hearts ached at this intimate glimpse of one family’s pain. In an age when so many political moments are scripted, this was real. In a country whose presidents and vice presidents have rarely been close, this was genuine closeness. In an administration that prides itself on being hip, this was decidedly old-fashioned love.

I have to admit that I did not watch much of the funeral on TV yesterday, I have attended too many of them in my life. 

However I have seen clips of the event and as expected there have been a lot of feels. Especially in response to the President's tearful and moving eulogy.

I started this day with a photo of the President frolicking with a baby, and I end with a picture of our President comforting a friend.

Both of them tell us something important about the man that we elected to lead this country. And it is something that no partisan attack or conservative lie can ever diminish.

I am not the only one who found Sarah Palin's use of the unaccompanied migrant children to attack President Obama impossible to stomach.

So yesterday I posted a portion of Palin's mocking Facebook post in which she used those poor children being held in Texas and other border states to attack the President and call for his impeachment.

Many of you also expressed your revulsion at her attitude and lack of compassion.

Well you are by no means alone in that.

The Business Insider covered her screed, and the comments ranged from dismissive to downright enraged.

Politicususa also had something to say about her callousness:

As her sanity becomes a fuzzy speck in the rear-view mirror of time, it is frightening that this woman was nominated by a major political party to be vice president. If Sarah Palin leaves the Republican Party, her first stop should be the nearest mental health clinic.

However my favorite take of all came from News Corpse: 

Sadly, Palin’s solution begins with denouncing the President’s allocation of funds to improve conditions for the children. She apparently prefers to let them languish in 90+ degree heat and sleep on concrete floors. She does, however, offer own advice for allocating relief funds saying that 

“The primary expenditure we need to supply in this humanitarian crisis is jet fuel to fly these children back home.” 

This is what Palin regards as a serious response to a humanitarian crisis. Who does she think will greet these kids at the airport in whatever country they came from? And there are thousands of kids from many different countries, so we’d need a fleet of jets with different itineraries. Then, according to Palin’s plan, they would be shoved out of the plane onto the tarmac. Maybe we could save even more money by throwing them out midair with parachutes.

I think that captures Palin's utter lack of humanity quite nicely.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the Obama Administration is mobilizing to do something to ease the suffering of these children and find a place where they can be well cared for while attempts are made to come up with a long term solution.

This according to Buzzfeed: 

The Obama administration plans to move as many as 1,000 unaccompanied minor migrants from Border Patrol facilities in Texas to facilities in Baltimore, Md., and Richmond, Va., in an effort to ease overcrowding and address the growing humanitarian crisis along the border. 

Tens of thousands of Central American children, many under the age of 10, have begun flooding across the border and into cramped, overcrowded holding facilities. The White House has directed FEMA to begin working with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to relocate the children. 

DHS has already begun moving children to facilities in Texas and California, and starting Saturday will move them to Ft. Sill in Oklahoma. 

According to a “transportation flow chart” obtained by BuzzFeed, the administration will now begin resettling the children to an Office of Refugee Resettlement facility in Baltimore and to St. Paul’s College in Richmond. Both facilities can accommodate up to 500 beds, according to the document. According to the chart, DHS buses and planes, as well as commercial planes, will be used to transport the children to all facilities.

 Yes this is somewhat more pricey than simply flying over Mexico, or Guatemala, and dropping children like anti-immigration leaflets, but  it is also more in line with how this country treats those that come to this country seeking a better life.

Perhaps there needs to be an addendum added to the bottom of the Statue of Liberty to help Palin, and her Right Wing cohorts, to understand America's attitude toward immigrants.

Give me your tired, your poor, (your children)

Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, 

 Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

There, is that easier to understand you horrible, horrible woman?

Where the phrase, "You can't judge a book by its cover," comes from.

Remember if you had to wipe away a tear that does not mean you are soft.

It means you are human.

And these are the kinds of stories that make me proud to be a human being.
 

Final palate cleansing thought for the day.

(Source.)

I do understand what love is.

I think we need a secular word for "Amen."

Because I really want to say amen to this.

Final image of the day.

Source

The Protector-In-Chief.

For a man who spends almost all of his time under constant and brutal attack by the Right Wing, President Obama has still not lost his innate goodness and ability to express compassion for others.

When murderous intent meets calm compassionate courage. The Georgia school shooting that DIDN'T happen.

Courtesy of ABC News:

The suspected gunman who terrorized an Atlanta-area elementary school, firing in the front office and at officers, was armed with an assault rifle and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, police said today. 

Michael Hill, 20, the lone suspect, allegedly entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday carrying an AK-47 assault rifle and several magazines and ammunition, said Chief Cedric Alexander of the DeKalb County, Ga., Police. 

"He walked in with 498 rounds of ammunition. Fortunately, this came to an end quietly, without incident," Alexander said at a news conference. "I think we can all make a reasonable assumption he came here to do some harm."

Instead the 20 year old gunman encountered bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff, whose presence of mind and calm demeanor enabled her to reduce the number of deaths to zero.

Here is the 911 call you have to hear to believe.

I could not help but imagine what might have happened if instead of encountering this courageous, compassionate woman, Hill had encountered an armed guard or teacher with a concealed weapon.

How many would have died then?

Of course it is almost impossible to predict the behavior of somebody who is willing to enter a school with the intent to start shooting, but in this case an armed response would have definitely ended in at least one death, if not many many more.

This woman is my hero of the day.

Update: I think somebody needs to confront NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre and tell him that "The only thing that stops a bad man with a gun, is a good woman with a compassionate heart."

What to expect once the Republicans finish rewriting the bible.

There will also be NO healing without comprehensive private insurance, no feeding of the parasitic multitudes, and none of that driving out the money changers. (Instead they would get tax breaks and laws written specifically to protect them.)

To end our day here are 6 amazing facts about Mr. Rogers to help you love him even more.

Courtesy of Ned Hardy:

1. He basically saved public television. In 1969 the government wanted to cut public television funds. Mister Rogers then went to Washington where he gave an amazing merely six minute speech. By the end of the speech not only did he charm the hostile Senators, he got them to double the budget they would have initially cut down. The whole thing can be found on youtube, a video called “Mister Rogers defending PBS to the US Senate.” 

2. “Certain fundamentalist preachers hated him because, apparently not getting the “kindest man who ever lived” memo, they would ask him to denounce homosexuals. Mr. Rogers’s response? He’d pat the target on the shoulder and say, “God loves you just as you are.” Rogers even belonged to a “More Light” congregation in Pittsburgh, a part of the Presbyterian Church dedicated to welcoming LGBT persons to full participation in the church.” 

3. According to a TV Guide piece on him, Fred Rogers drove a plain old Impala for years. One day, however, the car was stolen from the street near the TV station. When Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by every newspaper, radio and media outlet around town. Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.” 

4. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life. 

5. Most people have heard of Koko, the Stanford-educated gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in American Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. As Esquire reported, when Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off! 

6. Once while rushing to a New York meeting, there were no cabs available, so Rogers and one of his colleagues hopped on the subway. Esquire reported that the car was filled with people, and they assumed they wouldn’t be noticed. But when the crowd spotted Rogers, they all simultaneously burst into song, chanting "It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood." The result made Rogers smile wide.

I have said it before, but it always bears repeating that if ALL Christians conducted their lives as Fred Rogers conducted his, I would constantly seek out their company and do everything in my power to protect their religious freedom.

Perhaps the best way to welcome this Saturday morning is with moist eyes and big smiles.

That is pretty amazing.

And the song is not bad either.

Christian school kicks out disabled student because of need for service dog.

Courtesy of KATU:  

After she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, Anika Bjornson, a 5th grader from Tualatin, had enough to worry about. 

Irritability, dangerous complications from low blood sugar, even comas were all concerns. 

But now Bjornson must also switch schools in order to bring her trained service dog to class with her. 

Bjornson, who suffers from Type I diabetes, takes her 9-month-old lab, Bassie, with her everywhere she goes. Bassie is professionally trained to detect changes in blood sugar using scent and “paws” the 10 year old when her sugar is too high or too low. 

That’s how Bjornson knows to prick her finger and conduct a more detailed blood test. 

"I would feel really hot and shaky, like I couldn't really balance myself," Bjornson said. 

She and her mom, Debbie, recently asked her school permission to bring the service animal to class with her, thinking they were covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

But the school, Horizon Christian Elementary, said no. 

Bjornson says school administrators worried other kids might suffer from pet allergies, classmates would be too distracted by the dog, or Bassie would simply make a mess in the school building.

Now usually Anika's rights to have her dog with her to keep her safe would be protected, but sadly she attends a Christian school, and they are exempt from following those silly government rules.

Private schools run by churches may be exempt, because the ADA does not apply to “religious organizations or entities controlled by religious organizations”.

Now you might think the school would simply allow the very necessary animal into the school to ensure the safety of one of their students, after all it is the "Christian" thing  to do, but you would be wrong.

But don't feel badly for Anika. Even though she has to leave her friends and change school, she will now attend public school and get a REAL education that is not based  allegiance to God instead of the understanding of math and science.

Oh and in her new learning environment Anika finally gained the acceptance and support that was missing from her old school:

"The teacher requested me," she said. "He wanted me in his class because he loves animals." 

 (H.T to the Friendly Atheist)

Ten year old girl writes to President about being bullied for having two dads, Obama writes back.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post:

I've refrained from all the political posts, but this is just too close to home to ignore. This is not about President Obama -- it's about what's right. So frankly, if you don't agree with the innocent, heartfelt and surprisingly straightforward position of my 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, then please unfriend me because we don't actually belong connected here in the first place. Posted on Facebook by Sophia Bailey Klugh's dads Jonathan Bailey and Triton Klugh.

This made the rounds on Facebook, numerous other social media sites, as well as quite a few blogs, and many wondered if the very busy Commander-in-Chief would have the time or even inclination to respond.

Now we have learned the answer to that question.

Again courtesy of the Huffington Post:

Here is the text of the letter for those having trouble reading this:

Dear Sophia, 

Thank you for writing me such a thoughtful letter about your family. Reading it made me proud to be your president and even more hopeful about the future of our nation. 

In America, no two families look the same. We celebrate this diversity. And we recognize that whether you have two dads or one mom what matters above all is the love we show one another. You are very fortunate to have two parents who care deeply for you. They are lucky to have such an exceptional daughter in you. 

Our differences unite us. You and I are blessed to live in a country where we are born equal no matter what we look like on the outside, where we grow up, or who our parents are. A good rule is to treat others the way you hope they will treat you. Remind your friends at school about this rule if they say something that hurts your feelings. 

Thanks again for taking the time to write me. I'm honored to have your support and inspired by your compassion. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to dinner, but I'll be sure to tell Sasha and Malia you say hello. 

Sincerely, Barack Obama

THAT is the progressive President that this country deserves. THAT is the respectful President that the LGBT community deserves. And THAT is the compassionate President that little Sophia Bailey Klugh deserves.

Don't you think?

Eagle Scout gives back his medal and provides letter to explain why.

To view in larger size click here.

"I don't want to be an Eagle Scout if a young man who is gay can't be one too. Gentlemen please do the right thing."

After today's tragic events it is very comforting to be reminded that there are many among us who demonstrate such great compassion and a desire to stand up for the rights of others.

I hope his parents are proud, because they have every right to be.

Update: I sense a trend.

The most touching video you will see today. I promise.

Nicholas Winton single-handedly established an organization to aid children from Jewish families in Czechoslovakia at risk from the Nazis. He set up an office at a dining room table in his hotel in Wenceslas Square.

In November 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht, the House of Commons had approved a measure that would permit the entry of refugees younger than 17 years old into Britain if they had a place to stay and a warranty of £50 was deposited for a return ticket for their eventual return to their country of origin. Winton found homes for 669 children, many of whose parents perished in Auschwitz.

50 years later, in 1988, Winton was given a very touching surprise courtesy of the a BBC program "That's Life."

A sweet Presidential tweet.

The above was tweeted by @BarackObama a few hours ago.

One of the things I appreciate about this President is his obvious humanity. When I see pictures like this, I am reminded of what makes a person truly worthy of admiration.