What a wise and truth-speaking president we have now.
Enjoy him while we can. It has been a great eight years in many ways.
"It will be a while before we have another president come along who will talk like this," comments John Arthur, sending this excerpt from the transcript of President Obama's speech on Tuesday in Dallas:
"As a society, we choose to under-invest in decent schools. We allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment. We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs.
"We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.
"And then we tell the police, 'You’re a social worker; you’re the parent; you’re the teacher; you’re the drug counselor.'
"We tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs and do so without causing any political blowback or inconvenience; don’t make a mistake that might disturb our own peace of mind. And then we feign surprise when periodically the tensions boil over.
"We know those things to be true. They’ve been true for a long time. We know it. Police, you know it. Protesters, you know it. You know how dangerous some of the communities where these police officers serve are. And you pretend as if there’s no context. These things we know to be true. And if we cannot even talk about these things, if we cannot talk honestly and openly, not just in the comfort of our own circles, but with those who look different than us or bring a different perspective, then we will never break this dangerous cycle.
"In the end, it’s not about finding policies that work. It’s about forging consensus and fighting cynicism and finding the will to make change."
Full text:
http://time.com/4403543/president-obama-dallas-shooting-memorial-service-speech-transcript/
Enjoy him while we can. It has been a great eight years in many ways.
"It will be a while before we have another president come along who will talk like this," comments John Arthur, sending this excerpt from the transcript of President Obama's speech on Tuesday in Dallas:
"As a society, we choose to under-invest in decent schools. We allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment. We refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs.
"We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.
"And then we tell the police, 'You’re a social worker; you’re the parent; you’re the teacher; you’re the drug counselor.'
"We tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs and do so without causing any political blowback or inconvenience; don’t make a mistake that might disturb our own peace of mind. And then we feign surprise when periodically the tensions boil over.
"We know those things to be true. They’ve been true for a long time. We know it. Police, you know it. Protesters, you know it. You know how dangerous some of the communities where these police officers serve are. And you pretend as if there’s no context. These things we know to be true. And if we cannot even talk about these things, if we cannot talk honestly and openly, not just in the comfort of our own circles, but with those who look different than us or bring a different perspective, then we will never break this dangerous cycle.
"In the end, it’s not about finding policies that work. It’s about forging consensus and fighting cynicism and finding the will to make change."
Full text:
http://time.com/4403543/president-obama-dallas-shooting-memorial-service-speech-transcript/
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