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Former President Barack Obama on Thursday remembered Dan Rooney as a great friend of mine, but more importantly, he was a great friend to the people of Pittsburgh, a model citizen, and someone who represented the United States with dignity and grace on the world stage.

The relationship between Mr. Rooney and Mr. Obama began late on a cold January night in 2008 when Mr. Rooney a lifelong Republican saw Mr. Obama deliver a speech following his victory in the Iowa caucuses.

This is the greatest speech Ive seen since John Kennedy, Mr. Rooney told his son, Jim, in a midnight phone conversation. He convinced me that this is more than just a good politician. I want to stand up and say something for this guy. I want to be involved in this.

Mr. Rooney would go on to publicly endorse Mr. Obama after meeting him during an April event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Six months later, barely a week before the election, Mr. Rooney introduced the candidate at a packed rally in Civic Arena.

Shortly after being inaugurated as president on St. Patricks Day, no less Mr. Obama showed his appreciation to his newfound friend by tapping Mr. Rooney as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

Despite his lack of political experience, few questioned Mr. Rooneys qualifications for the job. His family came from the Northern Ireland border town of Newry, and he had long been an advocate of Irish cause. In 1976, he and Tony OReilly, then president and CEO of H.J. Heinz Co., co-founded The American Ireland Fund, raising hundreds of millions of dollars to further peace efforts and other charitable Irish causes. Mr. Rooney and his wife, Patricia, also created the annual Rooney Prize for Irish Literature to recognize young Irish writers.

Mr. Rooneys Senate confirmation was a mere formality.

Anybody who would vote against Dan Rooney for ambassador will do so at their peril, said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., before the meeting. The sooner theres an Ambassador Rooney in Dublin, the better off well be. ... Hes not a political appointee.

Confirmed in July 2009, Mr. Rooney tackled the job with enthusiasm, becoming the first U.S. ambassador to visit all 32 counties in Ireland, including the North, with his wife, Patricia, by his side. He held a town hall meeting during each visit, and in May 2011 accompanied Mr. Obama during the presidents visit to Dublin.

Upon leaving the foreign service office in 2012, Mr. Rooney called the time in Ireland a tremendous experience.

I have had a lifelong commitment to advancing the relationship between the American and Irish people and building peace on this beautiful island, but came unexpectedly into politics and diplomacy, Mr. Rooney wrote in an op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ours is not a foreign relationship between two countries; our relationship is a shared kinship between two great peoples.

I knew hed do a wonderful job, Mr. Obama said in his remembrance Thursday. But naturally, he surpassed my high expectations, and I know the people of Ireland think fondly of him today. And I know the people of Pittsburgh, who loved him not only for the Super Bowl championships he brought as the owner of the Steelers, but for his generosity of spirit, mourn his passing today.

Michelle and I offer our condolences to the Rooney family, some of the most gracious and thoughtful people we know even as we celebrate the life of Dan Rooney: a championship-caliber good man.

Dan Majors: dmajors@post-gazette.com.

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Obama remembers lifelong Republican Dan Rooney - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With the House in recess from April 11 to April 20, many representatives have returned to their respective districts to hold town halls and hear the voices of local constituents.

However, these constituents have come armed with lists of complaints, hoping that their representatives will take their thoughts and opinions into account when they return to the Capitol.

Since the beginning of the recess, several House GOP members have faced crowds of angry, vocal constituents at these town hall meetings. Below are a few examples, as reported by AP, of House Republicans who have faced town hall goers described as boisterous, heated and critical:

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MESA, Ariz. U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs was met with applause and boos at the Arizona Republicans first town hall meeting since taking office in January.

Biggs addressed topics such as health care and climate change during his town hall in Mesa Tuesday, which was attended by approximately 600 people. Some attendees said there was not enough time for everyones questions.

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Republican lawmakers are getting grilled by constituents at town halls across the country. CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports on the vocal Trump oppo...

Constituents from Biggs 5th Congressional District in southeastern metro Phoenix had been asking Biggs to hold the meeting.

In February, police were called to Biggs office in Mesa during a rally hosted by a group of protesters who said the representative did not make himself available to his voters.

Boos erupted from the crowd, filled with liberal and conservative constituents, when Biggs said he was skeptical of scientists who believe in human-caused global warming after reading reports from both sides.

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TROY, Ohio An Ohio town hall for the Republican who succeeded former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner in Congress got heated as a small but vocal group reacted to his comments on issues from the Environmental Protection Agency to Planned Parenthood.

The protesters were eventually forced to leave after about an hour of vocal opposition to Rep. Warren Davidson.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the protest group was chanting we the people as they left the room Tuesday night in Troy, about 68 miles (109 kilometers) north of Cincinnati. Although protesters voiced their disapproval, the majority of the 250-seat town hall was supportive of Davidson, with many wearing Trump stickers.

Davidson won a special election in the western Ohio district seat after Boehner resigned from the House in 2015.

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DENVER It was one of the most exclusive tickets in town: Only 800 were made available, and those lucky enough to score one had to show photo ID at the gate, where they were issued a wristband and a number. No signs bigger than a sheet of notebook paper were allowed, so as not to obscure anyones view.

The rules werent for a rock concert but for a town hall meeting Wednesday evening between Republican Rep. Mike Coffman and his suburban Denver constituents.

Town halls have become a risky proposition for GOP members of Congress since President Donald Trumps election. Liberal groups and constituents angry about the Trump agenda have flooded public meetings, asking their representatives tough questions, chanting, heckling them and even shouting them down in skirmishes that have made for embarrassing online video.

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Many members of Congress are facing heated questions from constituents at town hall meetings in their districts. More than 2,000 people showed up...

On Monday, for example, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, who became infamous for yelling You lie! at President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress in 2009, was himself confronted at a town hall by constituents chanting, You lie!

As a result, some Republicans arent holding town halls. And some of those who are going ahead with such events are taking steps to keep things from getting out of control.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn faced tough questions and jeers during his first town hall meeting of the year in Colorado Springs.

The Gazette reports that more than 140 people packed into a room at a police substation for Wednesdays raucous meeting with the Republican lawmaker, including dozens of anti-Trump activists. At least 40 people waited outside, unable to fit in the room.

Whenever Lamborn referred to Obamacare, some in the crowd would shout back its official name Affordable Care Act or ACA.

Lamborn said long distance work was still being done by members of Congress on health care during the current recess.

After the meeting, Lamborn said he enjoyed it, calling it democracy in action. He is holding meetings in Canon City and Cripple Creek on Thursday.

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FLANDERS, N.J. New Jersey Republican Rep. Leonard Lance faced skeptical and boisterous voters Wednesday night who said they would be voting him out of office when he held his first town hall since the GOP effort to replace the Affordable Care Act failed.

Lance met with hundreds of constituents in his northern New Jersey district at Mount Olive High School in Flanders. It was his third town hall since Republican President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January.

The event came while lawmakers are on their Easter and Passover recess, with Trumps approval ratings flagging and after the presidents health care legislation fell apart last month thanks in part to Republicans like Lance who said they opposed it.

Unlike the previous events where protesters carried signs and held makeshift rallies outside the event, Wednesdays town hall had fewer people and placards, though police blocked people from taking them inside the auditorium.

Lance, who was first elected in 2008, was booed loudly when he said he supported blocking federal funding for abortion. He was also booed after he told voters President Barack Obama should have tried to work with Congress more on regulations, which led to an outburst from the audience that got Lances attention.

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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. An Oklahoma congressman canceled one of several planned town hall meetings in his district, citing safety concerns as his reason for not meeting with voters, who have been venting at Republican officials at such events in recent months.

U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin planned a stop Tuesday night at a high school in Tahlequah, about 145 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. But the three-term GOP congressman, who has been shouted down at recent town hall meetings, canceled the event shortly before the start.

In a statement, Mullin mentioned an escalation of protesters at recent town halls throughout the country and said he needs to provide a safe environment for all attendees. Mullin has planned 26 town halls in his district during Congress recess.

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House Republicans on recess face angry constituents at local town halls - CBS News

Posted by Ken Fine on Thu, Apr 13, 2017 at 6:28 PM Well confess to not knowing much about state Representative William Brawley of Mecklenburg County at the moment, other than that the bills hes sponsored suggest hes a fairly mainstream Republican. But his response to the Larry Pittman Lincolngate fiascoPittman, youll recall, wrote on Facebook that the Civil War was unconstitutional and Lincoln was a "tyrant" like Adolf Hitlerearned him points.

Take it away:

The fact that another Republican took a stand against Pittman's comparison of Abraham Lincoln to Adolf Hitler when House Speaker Tim Moore and the N.C. GOP have remained silent.

The glasses Honest Abe is rocking.

The use of "W/" when "WITH" would have fit just fine.

But it's the hashtag we're really digging. So come on, everyone. Let's get #NCForLincoln trending, shall we?

Tags: Hitler, Abraham Lincoln, ncpol, statehouse, republican, top, Larry Pittman, Facebook, scandal, Image

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In Larry Pittman's Hitler/Lincoln Fiasco, One Republican Wins - The Independent Weekly

IT WAS NEW YEARS EVE, AND EVERYTHING WAS SUPPOSED TO CHANGE.A number oflocal friendscame over to my apartment in Istanbul, where we toasted the end of 2016the bloodiest year in Turkeys recent history. At midnight, a woman named Ozum screamed with joy: Thank God it's over. Moments later, my WhatsApp erupted with panicked messages from acquaintances who were barhopping that night. A deadly attack had taken place at anightclub called Reina, a short drive away.I rushed to the scene to report on the terror incidentforUSA Today.

I remember the rotating drum of red lights from the ambulance parked outside, along with a man weeping so stiffly he choked. But what lingersmost strongly may be two women in their 20s lurching out of Reina, the first carryingherwounded friend usingone arm;she used the other to support her own injured knee. Together, the two limpedurgently get out of the frenzy. I hurriedto help themand pressed a water bottle to the injured womans mouthso she could drink. She smiled and said Tashakula(thank you).

Once one of the worlds greatempires, Turkeywhich shares its largest borderwithSyriais a member of NATO, and onlyfour years agowas hailed as amodel of democracyby the European Commission, which extended an invitation to join the European Union.

Since then, internal politics and regional meddling by Turkeys sitting party have caused the EU to reconsider its democratic values,freezing its membership process. The nations then-Prime Minister, now President Recep TayyipErdogan, has beenconsolidating powerfor himself, makingnew alliances only to abandonthem, working to instill fear and alack of trust within hisnation so severe that even anattempted military couplast July hasntstopped him.

On Sunday, April 16, Turkey will hold one of the most important votesin itshistory:whether or not to relinquish a parliamentary democracy in favor of an executive presidency (essentially a dictatorship). If thepolls are to be trusted, those in favor of democracy are losing, and the predicted outcome will set a precedent for authoritarian rule that may irreparably disrupt the Middle East and possibly much of the West, as well.

Since he was elected in 2014, Erdogan hasveered down a dangerously tyrannical path, hunting down so-calledterroristsagainst the state, arresting and imprisoning tens of thousands of journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, and security officials, paralyzing national institutions and throwing nearly everyonewhether they support Erdoganor oppose himinto a near-constant state of panic.

Turkish citizens are alert at all times, suspicious of what might lurk around the corner, overly grateful whenever a stretch of time passes and nothing has gone wrong. Each time I see him, my grocer says thingslike this to me: Thank God you were not hurt at Reina. A few weeks later, after a car bomb goes off at a courthouse:Thank God you were not inIzmir. The following month, after a suicide bombing at police headquarters: Thank God you were not inGaziantep. Then we nod at each other, rather than acknowledge our shock that were both still alive aloud.

There is something about living in fear that I dont trust, says my good friend and psychologist Pinar Din, who at 41 has so far been successful in keeping her 2017 resolutionto practice making scrambled eggs and learn how to swim.Ordinary life is her resistance.There is something wrong with silently fearing something. I think we should speak out every time we dont trust something we are told. Pinar often comes by my apartment to seek a couch from which she can furiously typenotes to friends, nudging them to participate in a protest. We must ask, Who is a terrorist? Why cant the government protect us from them? Why are so many people in prison? she writes. We should ask until we find clarity.

Elif Kaya, a 36-year-old who runs a coffee shop in the hip Istanbul neighborhood of Cihangir,is also suspicious of her government for not prioritizing the safety of its citizens. Erdogan is not doing anything for his country. He just wants to draw power for himself, she says. Even if there are terrorists who hurt us, it is the governments job to protect us.

What I saw at that massacre taught me a lot about whats at stake for the Turkish government, its people, and for democratic countries with populist leanings, including France,Britain,and theUnited States. Ozum later told me she wasstunned that the new year didnt bring new tides as shed expected, insteadsnatchingaway any reassurance she hadthat instability would be over soon.For me, what has remained istheperson who rememberedto saythank youin a crisis. Even in daunting times, when our long-standing democratic protections do not hold, theresplenty of reason to keep faith in ourpower to resist.

As Sundays voteapproaches, people rush to ferry boats as if the fear of crowds has completely vanished from their minds. Theres an old saying here in Istanbul,a city of 15 million tobacco-chewing artistsand builders who cross itshistoric bridges over the Bosphorus Strait every day; parents take their childrentograffiti-dottedplaygrounds, and pedestrianshop intotaxicabs during rush hour to race to work,and fishermentoil beneath them just before dawn:We are the bridge people, and for some reason everyone knows that everybody will pass through.

My journalist and writer friend, 43-year-old Ece Temelkuran, puts it more simply:There is a wisdom in this country, to wait for things to be over. I fear that if those who want to resist Erdogan do not come out to vote, waiting for things to pass could be their only option.

Of course, being patient is, in its way, a form of resistance, or at least resilience. It remindsmeofchewed tobaccowretched and somehow beautiful, too. Having spent more two years in and out of Turkey, traveling through its oft-forgotten Kurdish towns along the border, witnessing the flux of refugees from Syria and elsewhere, I can say that the country offers a case study about what can happen when we allow those in power to increase their strength too quickly. But, depending on what happens on Sunday, it may also reveal whats possible when citizens fight back.

Top image:Turkish anti-coup rally in Istanbul via Wikimedia Commons.

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A Massacre For Democracy - GOOD Magazine

New York Times

Turkey's Erdogan: Democracy's Savior or Saboteur? New York Times A billboard in Malatya, Turkey, featuring the nation's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the Evet (Yes) campaign to expand the constitutional powers of the president. Turkey will vote in a referendum on Sunday. Credit Chris McGrath/Getty Images.

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Turkey's Erdogan: Democracy's Savior or Saboteur? - New York Times