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Obama: Diplomats' Deaths Won't Deter US
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President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Golden, Colorado, Sept. 13, 2012.
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Dan Robinson
September 13, 2012
WHITE HOUSE
— President Barack Obama is monitoring the situation in the Middle East, North Africa and other areas of the world amid anti-U.S. demonstrations sparked by a film mocking Islam. Obama says the killing of U.S. diplomats in Libya will not deter the United States from projecting its core principles.
Obama kept a close watch on developments as he completed a two-day political campaign trip to two western states.
In Colorado, he paid tribute to U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other diplomats killed Tuesday when a mob stormed the U.S. consulate in the city of Benghazi.
Obama repeated his vow to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of American diplomats in Libya and said the losses will not deter the United States in upholding its principles.
"I want people around the world to hear me, to all those who would do us harm," he said. "No act of terror will go unpunished. It will not dim the light of the values that we proudly present to the rest of the world. No act of violence shakes the resolve of the United States of America."
The White House released summaries of Obama's telephone conversations with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, and Libyan National Assembly President Mohammed Magarief, in which he sought security assurances for U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.
To President Magarief he stressed the importance of cooperation in the investigation to identify those responsible.
President Morsi, according to the White House account, pledged to maintain security for American personnel. Protests continued Thursday outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo.
Obama also reiterated his rejection of efforts to denigrate Islam, saying there is never any justification for violence against innocents and acts that endanger American personnel and facilities.
Photo Gallery of anti-U.S. protests in Yemen, Egypt and Libya
Yemeni protestors break a door of the U.S. Embassy during a protest about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Mohammed, Sana'a, Yemen, September 13, 2012.
Yemenis protest in front of the U.S. Embassy during a protest about a film ridiculing Islam's Prophet Mohammed, Sana'a, September 13, 2012.
Egyptian protesters burn tires as they clash with riot police outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt, September 13, 2012.
An Egyptian protester throws back a tear gas canister toward riot police outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo, September 13, 2012.
A policeman stands in front of a police car set on fire by protesters in front of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt, during clashes between protesters and police, September 13, 2012.
White House staff are pictured after they lowered the U.S. flag to half staff on the roof of the White House in Washington, September 12, 2012, following the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.
President Barack Obama delivers a statement with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, September 12, 2012
A burnt car is parked at the U.S. consulate, which was attacked and set on fire by gunmen, in Benghazi, Libya, September 12, 2012.
An exterior view of the U.S. consulate, which was attacked and set on fire by gunmen yesterday, in Benghazi September 12, 2012.
An interior view of the damage at the U.S. consulate, which was attacked and set on fire by gunmen yesterday, in Benghazi, Libya, September 12, 2012.
Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was killed along with three of his staff on September 11, 2012 during a demonstration at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. This photo was taken at his home in Tripoli, June 28, 2012.
A vehicle sits smoldering in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on September 11, 2012.
An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya, late on September 11, 2012.
U.S. Consulate in Benghazi in flames during protest, September 11, 2012
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a strong condemnation of the amateur film that sparked violence across the region, as she addressed a visiting delegation from Morocco.
"This video is disgusting and reprehensible," she said. "It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage. But as I said yesterday, there is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence."
Clinton Statement on Anti-Islam Film Protests
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Vice President Joe Biden paused before a political campaign speech in Wisconsin to pay tribute to the Americans killed in Libya, saying they gave their lives while working for democracy, partnership and tolerance.
"We will not be run off, we will redouble our work that those courageous Americans had been doing to ensure a more tolerant, more secure world in the interests not only of the people in those countries but in the security of the United States of America," he said.
At an event in Washington on Libya, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council, Karim Mezran, said all signs point to the assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi having been carefully planned.
"There is no doubt now that it was a prepared attack," said Mezran. "Calling it an accident or an incident is preposterous. It went on for hours and nothing like that would have gone on for hours if it was not prepared."
President Obama also continues to be briefed on other situations in which demonstrations against the film mocking Islam broke out, including Yemen where protesters stormed the grounds of the U.S. embassy in Sana'a.
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by:
almoros
from:
cameroon
September 14, 2012 7:20 AM
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Yes, thank you and ever be blessed the first world donator, greatest innovations, sciences, develoments and financials leader, the USA!
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Fareed
from:
san Francisco
September 14, 2012 12:05 AM
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Enemies foreign and domestic have crawled into the Hate pit where all cowards reside. Cowards can be dangerous and must be dealt with where ever they are found.
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johncorn
from:
sandpoint, id
September 13, 2012 11:42 PM
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"Deter us from what?" Obama is a lot of talk, most of it erroneous or bluff.
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by:
violet
from:
canada
September 13, 2012 10:19 PM
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Arabs aren't peaceful as they claim themselves. Very angy, wild people with two faces. Definitely.
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by:
Personage
from:
USA
September 13, 2012 10:18 PM
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I always find it unbelievable that we Americans keep pumping financial aid into these anti-American countries. $1.5 BILLION to Egypt??
The USA mission to liberate the Libyan people cost $1 BILLION plus the Humanitarian aid.
FACT: You can't just liberate people like this - it doesn't work - they need to have a Dictatorship to keep them under control because they are like wild animals that can't be domesticated. Why civilized nations think they can clone themselves in these countries is puzzling.
STOP THE AID NOW!!! Let them sink back into the quagmire we liberated them from. This is a can of worms!!
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by:
Anonymous
September 13, 2012 9:56 PM
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Islam is truth and eternal and Muhammad(PBUH) is the final prophet by Allah. Turning away from the truth and using dirty ways to insult Islam and demoralize Muslims is not the solution worlds problems. Lets everybody rethink and do your research and don't just believe the propaganda shared by media around the world.
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by:
KNOT
from:
Planet Earth
September 14, 2012 12:17 PM
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But there is no such thing as a god. Gods are something that was created by people in the dark ages to provide answers to the unknown. There is no Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, or any other god.
Prophets were people who were just smarter than the rest. They had better brains and could tell people things that amazed them and so they were revered as prophets - which ultimately turned them into "Profits". There were treated with respect and lived freely as the people fed them and gave them anything they wanted.
Religion is still the cause of much death and destruction. Imagine people fighting over whose god is more powerful, each claiming their god is the only true god - but all the while and throughout history there has never been any evidence of a god except the one that spews from the mouths of the people who believe there is a god. How ridiculous!! It is just an excuse for people who are inherently violent to proceed with violent acts upon people who are inherently peaceful.
Religion and Greed = Violence and Death
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by:
DanKosh
from:
USA
September 13, 2012 9:23 PM
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deter us from our core principles? the President must be referring to giving away money and visas.
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by:
Krug Simmons
from:
Westmont
September 13, 2012 9:12 PM
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Obama really dropped the ball on this one. The Arab Spring is out of control and the first reaction is to apologize? This president's entire foreign policy is falling apart. It's time for a change in leadership. We tried Obama and it didn't work, not economically, not domestically, not diplomatically. It's been a disappointment.
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by:
Robert P
from:
USA
September 13, 2012 10:27 PM
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You are behind the times - there was no apology - that rumor was spurious blather.
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by:
Kad
September 13, 2012 6:28 PM
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Wh is it the Americans are choosing to prevoke the Muslim by publishing such movies or articles that are insulting their Religion & believes?
Prophet Mohamed is in Every true Muslim Mens heart.
Please stop insulting the Muslim people & the Muslim people will stop the outrage.
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by:
shoby
from:
Miami , USA
September 14, 2012 9:22 AM
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good and bad people are everywhere. problem is, these people dont understand difference between good and bad. they get outraged \ destroy other people's properties and even get out of control and kill other people.
I am a muslim and i believe doing all this is NOT going to change anything. a peaceful protest is a better answer than voilence.
on the other hand, people who made that video, they knew whats going to happen but they still did. didnt they provoked more hate towards our country? arent those people equally responsible for this disaster ?
i just dont know what to say. I always get disappointed when i see muslims doing this because they make us (normal muslim human beings) look bad. I condemn attacks on us embassy.
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by:
American
from:
New Zealand
September 14, 2012 2:53 AM
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In our country, freedom of speech is protected under the constitution. We have fought wars to protect our freedom to think and say what we feel. Stop insulting our culture and freedom of speech and stop murdering us in the name of your outrage.
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In Response
by:
Mike
from:
Canada
September 13, 2012 10:40 PM
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Sir, an American did this, not all Americans. Your comment is like saying all Muslims are violent. Clearly that is not the case, but obviously nations and religions are not to be blamed for the actions of individuals.
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by:
George Douglas
from:
Fairplain
September 13, 2012 10:25 PM
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As far as I am concerned the Muslim "men" are ignorant barbaric savages who are cowards. They have slaughtered people who were in Libya helping the people of that country. We have freedom of speech in our country. You can say whatever you want to, because we are civilized and intelligent enough to know words do not hurt anyone. Our children even have a saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," Even our children are smarter than Muslim "men". Why do you think most Muslim countries are still primitive and in poverty when their countries are over 2000 years old and the USA, only a little over 200 years old,is rich, educated, and advanced? It us because of the primitive religious beliefs Muslims have.
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by:
YD
from:
USA
September 13, 2012 10:23 PM
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All Americans did not make the movie. A few people did. Should we be outraged at all Muslims for what a few Muslims did to us on 9/11?
People insult Christians, Jews, Buddhist, etc, all the time and they DON'T KILL in retaliation, because killing is a worse sin. So why do you excuse Muslims that kill when their faith is insulted? Why do you try to stop the insults, but not the killing? What is worse in Islam, insulting the prophet or taking a human life?
Please answer.
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by:
JMR
from:
USA
September 13, 2012 10:18 PM
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Kad, the United States is a country of 300 million people. A tiny tiny tiny percentage of those 300 million people choose to provoke you and your fellow Muslims. In our view, it is better to tolerate a few people with strange ideas than to start down the dangerous path of trying to decide which speech is allowed and which is not. We do not believe that any speech, article, movie, music, or any belief should result in violence. You can 100% disagree with someone, even to the point of HATING them, but you cannot commit violence against them simply because of that feeling or their beliefs. That is the way of barbarity.
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Roger
from:
Chicago
September 13, 2012 9:46 PM
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I can understand that point entirely. That said, I am a christian. And the world is littered with videos that make a mockery of Christians and Jesus. But the Christians are not out doing these things.
I understand the Muslim world is offended but that is no reason to act out like this.
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by:
Derek Myles
from:
Belmont
September 13, 2012 6:07 PM
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How anyone can vote for an appeaser such as Obama... it's beyone me.
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by:
Andy
from:
Tennessee
September 13, 2012 10:30 PM
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Because majority of us do not wars, we want peace. We do not want republican warmongers in the white house. No one has apologized about anything , just listen to what president says. And if you know all the answers then why aren't you running for president.
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