I have complete confidence in Secret Service. These guys and gals are unbelievably professional. They know what theyโre doing and I basically do what they tell me to do. Now, sometimes Iโm the first one to admit that it chafes a little bit being inside this bubble. Itโs the hardest adjustment of being president, not being able to just take a walk.
Barack ObamaThe underlying struggle - between worlds of plenty and worlds of want; between the modern and the ancient; between those who embrace our teeming, colliding, irksome diversity, while still insisting on a set of values that binds us together, and those who would seek, under whatever flag or slogan or sacred text, a certainty and simplification that justifies cruelty toward those not like us.
Barack ObamaWhile I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown, giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns, and even attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos.
Barack ObamaIn our democracy and our civic discourse, it seems as if folks who take religion the most seriously are sometimes also those who are suspicious of those not like them.
Barack ObamaEven as Ramadan holds profound meaning for the worldโs 1.5 billion Muslims, it is also a reminder to people of all faiths of our common humanity and the commitment to justice, equality, and compassion shared by all great faiths. In that spirit, I wish Muslims across America and around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.
Barack Obama