Politics Plus

As Joanne could so eloquently explain, this was a week where Melpomene, the muse of Tragedy, held center stage.  But from a surprising source in an even more surprising setting there was an unexpected (and possibly inappropriate) moment for Thalia, the muse of Comedy.

Today let’s focus on a few of the moments of the week captured in photos – some of which will become iconic.  And end with what USA Today called a “Jovial Jig” by Dubya Bush at the solemn Dallas Interfaith Tribute ceremony.

After the tragic killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police, there were widespread protests, and one can understand why …

NOTE: This Tweet has a link to a very graphic picture of Alton Sterling’s gunshot wound to his chest.  It was the front page of the New York Daily News captioned “His Hands Were Empty” – but it is very graphic.  The Tweet warns you, so if you choose to view it, click “View Content”.

TWEET with GRAPHIC WARNING

The protests brought in response to these deaths were mostly peaceful.  But sometimes the police viewed it differently.

And an 180 degrees different view

While I found these photos particularly compelling …

The one of BLM protestor leisha Evans, a nurse and Mom, in her flowing dress being arrested by cyborg cops after traveling 1,300 mile to peacefully protest in Baton Rouge, LA will certainly become iconic.

A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY – RTSH3XR

While we all hoped that images like this …

Would be the indelible memory we are left with, sadly a madman in Dallas changed all that …

So sadly, for the eleventh time, Pres. Obama became our nation’s Consoler-in-Chief.

And while I thought Bush’s remarks were actually quite eloquent:

He may have lost his way while joining in the singing of (and dancing to) “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.  Let’s just say the music certainly “moved” him.  But you be the judge:

The “USA Today” and others referred to it as a “Jovial Jig” – and some the Tweet responses in the “USA Today” are entertaining.

But in Dubya’s defense, he has a long history of being ready to dance in a seconds notice.  But first he has to feel the beat …

And then warm up a bit …

Before he finally gets in to full swing …

But I don’t think we should be too hard on him.  Judging from Laura Bush’s reaction being visibly upset in the video, I think she’s got that aspect covered.  I just wonder how long it will take before the marks in Dubya’s palms from her nails digging in to clear.

And let us hope that this will be the last time our nation is in need of a Riderless Horse, as noted by the Dallas Police Dept.

Interfaith Tribute Memorial Information #DallasStrong #PrayforDallas https://t.co/7U1gbD63Ce

— Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) July 12, 2016

"Requiescat In Pace" ~ Rest In Peace

I apologize.  I suppose today more than most we could all use a little “fun” – but my heavy heart is just not in it. 

There are too many guns which leads to too many shootings which cause too many deaths.

No one – NO ONE – deserves what has happened in the past few days, weeks, months, years.

Pres. Obama speaking from Warsaw:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/07/08/live-updates-attack-law-enforcement-dallas-texas

Just as not all our National Parks are known for their natural scenic beauty – not all revolutions begin on battlefields.  So in celebration of the Centennial of our National Park Service this year, a week ago today Pres. Obama made The Stonewall Inn and adjoining Christopher Park the latest addition to our treasure of National Monuments.

Located in Greenwich Village, The Stonewall Inn gives its iconic name to the legendary uprising that broke out in the early-morning hours of June 28, 1969 when, for the first time, the gay community stood up to police harassment.

“There was no out, there was just in.”

Let’s listen to the historical story from eyewitness recounting by Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt and the words of Pres. Obama from his proclamation and video announcement making the 7.7 acres America’s newest National Monument.

Pres. Obama:

"Raids like these were nothing new, but this time the patrons had had enough.  So they stood up and spoke out.  The riots became protests.  The protests became a movement.  The movement ultimately became an integral part of America."

Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, a veteran of the Stonewall Uprising who was there on June 28, 1969, shares some of his memories when the NYCPD sent its Public Morals Squad (yeah, it actually existed) to raid the bar.  Such raids were commonplace back then when it was illegal to be gay.

“We grew up in an era when everything was totally repressed.  Liberals thought we should be thrown in mental asylums and conservatives thought we should be thrown in jail.”

An unidentified group of young people celebrate outside the boarded-up Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher Street) after riots over the weekend of June 27, 1969. The bar and surrounding area were the site of a series of demonstrations and riots that led to the formation of the modern gay rights movement in the United States.

Pres. Obama from his Proclamation:

As part of a crackdown on LGBT bars in June 1969, the Public Morals squad of Manhattan's First Police Division raided the Stonewall Inn on June 24, 1969, confiscated its liquor, and arrested its employees.  The Stonewall Inn reopened the next day.  Having made only minimal impact with this raid, the police decided to plan a surprise raid for the following Friday night or Saturday morning, when the bar would be crowded.

On June 28, 1969, undercover police officers raided the Stonewall Inn around 1:15 a.m., after one of them witnessed the illegal sale of alcohol.  Customers resisted the police by refusing to show identification or go into a bathroom so that a police officer could verify their sex.  As police officers began making arrests, the remaining customers gathered outside instead of dispersing as they had in the past. 

They cheered when friends emerged from the bar under police escort, and they shouted "Gay Power!" and "We Want Freedom!".  As word spread, the gathering grew in size and a riot ultimately ensued.  Around 3:00 a.m., the City's riot-control force appeared, and started to push the crowd away from the Stonewall Inn.  But the crowd refused to disperse. 

A scene during the 1969 Stonewall riots, as seen in Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s documentary STONEWALL UPRISING. A First Run Features Release. Photo by Bettye Lane.

Groups of demonstrators retreated to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park. 

The riot finally abated about 4:30 a.m., but during the next week several more protests formed, and in some cases, led to new riots and confrontations with the police.

Crowds gathered on the evening of Wednesday, July 2, 1969, five nights after a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a nightclub on Christopher Street popular among gay men and lesbians, which touched off disturbances. The Stonewall uprising has come to be seen as a defining event in the development of the gay rights movement.

Lanigan-Schmidt: “We fought back because we were humanized in there.  That night everything changed.”  And so the Stonewall riots became the flashpoint that launched what would become the gay rights movement.

Pres. Obama puts these historical protests in perspective in his proclamation read at the unveiling of the plaque:

“Viewed from Christopher Park's central location, this historic landscape — the park itself, the Stonewall Inn, the streets and sidewalks of the surrounding neighborhood — reveals the story of the Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment for LGBT civil rights and a transformative event in the Nation's civil rights movement on par with the 1848 Women's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls and the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights in its role in energizing a broader community to demand equal rights.”

A number of icons of the LGBT civil rights movement were present for the unveiling of the Stonewall National Monument Plaque, including Edith Windsor (on the Left) of United States v Windsor SCOTUS fame that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013.

Let’s close with a small tour of The Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park as they currently appear:

And let's be thankful we have a President in the White House who is dedicated to not only protecting, but also celebrating the diversity that makes America strong.

RESOURCES

https://www.nps.gov/ston/index.htm

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/24/presidential-proclamation-establishment-stonewall-national-monument

http://www.npr.org/2016/06/24/483385747/obama-names-lgbt-landmark-as-national-monument

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-stonewall-lgbt-monument-20160627-snap-story.html

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/24/travel/stonewall-inn-first-lgbt-national-monument/

(Due to a major PC glitch resulting from the automatic downloaded “Windows Update” I’m going to do a simple brief tribute recognizing some of the vigils and remembrances from around the world for the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando.)

American flags and a rainbow banners hang at the Paris City Hall Monday, June 13, 2016 in Paris. The Eiffel Tower will shine in the colors of a rainbow on Monday night to honor victims of the mass shooting at an Orlando gay club. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Paris City Hall

Berlin Memorial in Front of US Embassy

People attend a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Orlando attack against a gay night club, held in San Francisco, California, U.S. June 12, 2016. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach – RTX2FVPG

San Francisco City Hall

Zurich Church

Brussels City Hall

Sydney City Hall

Lapel Pin from Mayor of Paris

People hold a gathering to mourn victims of the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, in Hong Kong, China June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip – RTX2FY0D

People hold up signs in solidarity at a candlelight vigil in remembrance for mass shooting victims in Orlando, from San Diego, California, U.S. June 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake – RTX2FVAY

Love Is Greater than Hate

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 26: Rainbow colored lights shine on the White House to celebrate todays US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage June 26, 2015 in Washington, DC. Today the high court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage in all 50 states. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Obama Biden Pat Back