?? The Obamas are on vacation in Indonesia. Here are 24 photos from their family trip https://t.co/c5pUHIW5tr pic.twitter.com/ShpYgWgqm2
— POLITICO (@politico) July 2, 2017
Since it’s an extended weekend for some of us, and everybody could use a little break from the relentless Republican assault on everything worth anything.
Vacation planning or not, what’s on the agenda for the start of the new week?
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From the Washington Post (which also has photos) “Obama pushes tolerance, respect in childhood home Jakarta”:
… “I wasn’t worried about what was in the newspapers today,” former president Barack Obama said during a nostalgic visit to Indonesia’s capital, his childhood home. “What I was worried about was, ‘What are they going to write about me 20 years from now when I look back?’ ”
Obama was greeted by a crowd of thousands, including leaders, students and businesspeople, in Jakarta, where he opened the Fourth Congress of Indonesian Diaspora.
He reminisced about moving to Jakarta in 1967 when he was just 6 years old, shouting, “Indonesia bagian dari diri saya!” or “Indonesia is part of me!”…
Obama stressed the importance of stepping away from news sites where only like-minded views are shared, and he warned about social media giving rise to resentment of minorities and bad treatment of people.
He urged the country to be a light of democracy and to never stop embracing differences. Indonesia has faced a rise in Islamist radicalism and anti-gay attacks and was recently condemned by rights groups for jailing Jakarta’s former governor, an ethnic Chinese Christian, for blasphemy.
“The spirit of this country has to be one of tolerance. It’s enshrined in Indonesia’s constitution, it’s symbolized by mosques and temples and churches beside each other,” Obama said. “That spirit is one of the defining things about Indonesia. It is one of the most important characteristics to set as an example for other Muslim countries around the world.”
(I do believe this is one of the most sophisticated examples of ‘throwing shade’ it has ever been my pleasure to read… )
Monday Morning Open Thread: Readership Capture, Vacation EditionPost + Comments (133)