Michelle Obama visits Sikh temple victims' family
"It's my honor to be here with you," Obama said during the visit to the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek. "I'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but I am anxious to meet with the families and lend whatever support I can."
The Sikh community said in a statement following the visit that Obama had "brought comfort and assurance during a period that has been marked with tremendous sorrow and grief."
Police blame the August 5 shooting, which killed six people and wounded three, on Wade Michael Page, a 40-year-old former US Army specialist.
Page, who killed himself with a gunshot wound to the head, was associated with neo-Nazi groups and the authorities are treating the incident as a case of domestic terrorism.
US investigators have yet to establish a motive for the killings, but they are looking into Page's links with white supremacist hate groups.
President Barack Obama has condemned the "senseless violence," which came just days after a July 20 shooting at a packed midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie in Colorado that left 12 people dead and dozens wounded.
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@BlackJack: You said it better than I could have. @Cautious : Agree with you directionally but USA guarantees life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. IT does not guarantee happiness - no-one can do that. It just says you are free to pursue happiness. While the difference might seem trivial it really is not.Life and liberty are absolute (though after Patriot act the commitment to liberty has surely been compromised). Both are also unambiguous terms. However, in a society that values diversity, there is recognition that happiness can mean vastly different things to different people. So you can pursue whatever floats your boat freely. In more closed societies there is just one acceptable form of happiness and anyone marching to the beat of his own drummer pays a heavy price.
The leaders of Pakistan should take note. It's important that the leaders of a country send a message to minorities that they have the same rights to life, liberty and happiness and that extremist won't be tolerated.
It was so gracious of the First Lady. Thank you, Michelle!
Obama's have learned from bill Clinton how to reach out to Joe Average American. Bill Clinton's famous picture with a black gentleman after a tornado hit a village is the ultimate lesson 101 for head of state. It showed how to be a President or PM for each and everyone and not that for few select ones. Also how to get invited to Joe average's living room through the TV. Obama will be rewarded for this visit with Sikh vote bank and will counteract the growing influence of Nikki Haley (a Sikh) governor of South Caroline.
I am really touched to see the tremendous outpouring of support from the highest levels that this tragic incident has seen. Doesn't bring back those lost but certainly reassures those who remain.