For Immediate Release: March 20, 2014
Media Contact: Heather Cronk, heather@getequal.org, 202-491-7240
GetEQUAL Statement on Passing of Fred Phelps, Sr.
WASHINGTON, DC — Early this morning, Fred Phelps Sr., founder of Westboro Baptist Church, died in hospice care. GetEQUAL — a national social justice organization working toward the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Americans — issued the following statement in response to this news:
Fred Phelps Sr. passed away this morning, and we lift up his humanity especially as we know that his family is grieving his loss. Mr. Phelps caused very real pain and trauma for thousands of Americans, especially for those in the LGBTQ community but also for the families of fallen service members. It is our hope that those hurt by his words and actions will find healing. It is our hope that his family will one day find space in their hearts to recognize the humanity of LGBTQ individuals. And it is our hope that people across the United States commit or re-commit themselves to working toward equality and justice for all as a lasting legacy of Mr. Phelps’ life.
There will always be those who are so in pain themselves that they feel compelled to inflict pain on others. We re-commit ourselves today to loving those who hate us. We re-commit ourselves today to seeing the humanity in those who cannot or will not see it in us. And we re-commit ourselves today to working toward an America that is free of that pain — an America in which LGBTQ folks can live and love openly. On this day, we stand with our LGBTQ sisters and brothers across the country to say, with certainty, that we see that day over the horizon and that we will work until our hands bleed to bring about that day with a deep and abiding urgency.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2013
I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.
This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.
So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.
On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.
The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2012
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON HURRICANE SANDY
FEMA Headquarters
Washington, D.C. 1:55 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, good afternoon, everybody. Obviously, all of us across the country are concerned about the potential impact of Hurricane Sandy. This is a serious and big storm. And my first message is to all the people across the Eastern seaboard, Mid-Atlantic, going north, that you need to take this very seriously and follow the instructions of your state and local officials, because they are going to be providing you with the best advice in terms of how to deal with this storm over the coming days.
We just had an excellent meeting with the FEMA team here, the various agencies that are in charge, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and others that are going to need to respond very quickly.
Under Craig Fugate's leadership here at FEMA we've had a chance to talk to the regional officials as well. And I just had a phone call with the governors of the potentially impacted states, as well as some of the major cities in the region.
At this stage, everybody is confident that the staging process, the prepositioning of resources, commodities, equipment that are going to be needed to respond to this storm are in place. But as Craig has emphasized, this hasn't hit landfall yet, so we don't yet know where it's going to hit, where we're going to see the biggest impacts. And that's exactly why it's so important for us to respond big and respond fast as local information starts coming in.
I want to thank all the members of the team for the outstanding work that they’re doing. But the other thing that makes this storm unique is we anticipate that it is going to be slow moving. That means that it may take a long time not only to clear, but also to get, for example, the power companies back in to clear trees and to put things back in place so that folks can start moving back home.
So my main message to everybody involved is that we have to take this seriously. The federal government is working effectively with the state and local governments. It’s going to be very important that populations in all the impacted states take this seriously, listen to your state and local elected officials.
My message to the governors, as well as to the mayors, is anything they need, we will be there. And we’re going to cut through red tape. We’re not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. We want to make sure that we are anticipating and leaning forward into making sure that we’ve got the best possible response to what is going to be a big and messy system.
So again, thank you, everybody. Craig, would you like add to something?
MR. FUGATE: Again, as the President says, it’s going to really come down to the public heeding those evacuation orders, taking protective measures. If they haven’t gotten ready, they can go to Ready.gov. Get information on how to protect them and their families, but also check on your neighbors. This is going to be a big storm. We need to be there for each other.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Let me emphasize that again -- Ready.gov -- for the general public. If you need to know how to respond, that’s where you can get centralized information.
But I think Craig’s point is exactly right. In times like this, one of the things that Americans do is we pull together and we help out one another. And so, there may be elderly populations in your area. Check on your neighbor, check on your friend. Make sure that they are prepared. If we do, then we’re going to get through this storm just fine. But we’re going to have to make sure that we are vigilant, and vigilant for a couple of days. Don’t anticipate that just because the immediate storm has passed that we’re not going to have some potential problems in a lot of these communities going forward through the week.
All right. Thank you very much, everybody.
END
While Bristol is running around Alaska screwing every Tom, Dick and Harry, she has found the time to talk about Obama role as a father, and if he is doing a great job or not.
"While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads. In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage. Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview." - Unwed teen mom Bristol Palin, lecturing the president on how to properly bring up his daughters.
So, just how many Kids does she how now, how many fathers???
Release Time:
For Immediate Release 
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Obama nominated Kristine Gerhard Baker to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
“I am proud to nominate Kristine Gerhard Baker to serve on the United States District Court,” said President Obama. “I am confident she will serve on the federal bench with distinction.”
Kristine Gerhard Baker: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Kristine Gerhard Baker is a partner at the law firm Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow PLLC in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she specializes in commercial, employment, and First Amendment litigation. Baker joined the firm as an associate in 2000 and became a partner in 2002. She previously worked at the law firm Williams & Anderson LLP from 1998 to 2000. Baker began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan Webber Wright of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 1996 to 1998. She received her J.D. with high honors in 1996 from the University of Arkansas School of Law and her B.A. summa cum laude in 1993 from Saint Louis University.
Release Time:
For Immediate Release
PRESIDENTIAL STUDY DIRECTIVE/PSD-10
MEMORANDUM FOR
THE VICE PRESIDENT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF
DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO THE VICE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
DIRECTOR OF THE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
SUBJECT: Creation of an Interagency Atrocities Prevention Board and Corresponding Interagency Review
Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
July 4, 2011
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT WHITE HOUSE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
South Lawn
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! Happy Fourth of July! (Applause.) On behalf of the entire Obama family, we want to welcome you here to the White House.
Right now, in small towns and big cities all across America, folks are getting together in their backyards; they're raising flags, firing up grills, and enjoying time with family and with friends. It's a tradition that we try to follow here at the White House -- although I've got to say we've got a few more people here than most. And I cannot think of anybody I would rather celebrate with than all of you -- the men and women of our military and our extraordinary military families. (Applause.)
So let me just check to see who we've got here. I understand we've got some Army here. (Applause.) How about Navy? (Applause.) Air Force! (Applause.) Marines! (Applause.) And we've got some Coast Guard. (Applause.)
After all that you do for our country every day, we wanted to give you guys a chance to get out of the uniform, relax a little bit and have some fun.
Yes Obama will be coming to Durham on the 13th of June.. Lets party!!!
While in Durham he plan to talk about jobs initiatives and promote job creation.
