First lady: Nigeria kidnappings 'unconscionable'

[The Straight Story]

First lady Michelle Obama on Saturday condemned the "unconscionable" kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian school girls, saying the action was taken by "a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education."

She made the comments in the White House weekly address.

"Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken" over the mass kidnappings, the first lady said.

President Obama has directed the government to do everything possible to help the Nigerian government, she said.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/10/world/africa/nigeria-abducted-girls/index.html

Video:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/10/weekly-address-first-lady-marks-mother-s-day-and-speaks-out-tragic-kidnapping-nigeri

[pinboy3niner]

1. K&R

After seeing an OP that actually criticized the First Lady for doing this, I just had to come back to give this a kick and a rec.

[greatlaurel]

2. Good for her

She has done a lot of good highlighting these issues. She is a brave and thoughtful woman.

K&R from me, too, because of that absurd other OP.

Thanks for the links.

[Supersedeas]

16. Yep, the bravest, best and most beautiful FL in decades

[pinboy3niner]

3. k

[MoonRiver]

4. So happy we have a First Lady with intelligence and a social conscience.

Big improvement over our former first bimbo.

[Supersedeas]

18. one of the best most engaged ever

[pinboy3niner]

5. k

[okaawhatever]

6. K & R nt

[pinboy3niner]

7. k

[Aerows]

8. The whole situation is awful

I hope the people that kidnapped those poor girls burn in hell for it (if I believed in hell, which I don't, but they have me wishing for it!)

[Supersedeas]

17. as well as the ideology that justifies the act

[ProSense]

9. Support #BringBackOurGirls

https://twitter.com/AmnestyOnline/status/463985333190025216

[rudolph the red]

10. #bringbackourgirls is a Twitter hashtag

It's going to take direct action to bring them back.

[The Straight Story]

11. Direct action comes from awareness and pressure

A lot of which was generated with that hashtag. Media outlets and politicians use and read twitter and were bombarded - a story they originally let slide they could no longer ignore.

[rudolph the red]

13. i agree to a point,

But social pressure only does so much. Eventually, someone is going to have to step up and kick down some doors in order to end this. There are only a few countries that have SF capable of doing that.

[The Straight Story]

14. U.S. Experts Arrive in Nigeria to Join in Hunt for Schoolgirls

Six military advisers arrived in Nigeria Friday to help locate the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, bringing the total number U.S. military personnel there to 18. But a senior defense official told NBC News that Nigeria's military needs to "step up" after having received U.S. training assistance for the past two years. Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group, has been terrorizing northeast Nigeria for years, destroying churches, kidnapping scores of people and burning down schools.


http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/258604991.html

[rudolph the red]

15. Thanks for posting that.