11:00 AM EDT 31 May 2009: one doctor killed (George Tiller) in shooting attack at Reformation Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas.
(The shooter, Scott Roeder, was arrested that day 235 km away in Gardner, Kansas; Roeder, who was previously suspected of vandalizing abortion clinics and had been arrested for possessing bomb-making materials in 1986, targeted Tiller as operator of one of three U.S. clinics performing partial-birth abortions after viability.)

6:12 PM EDT 31 May 2009: STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT ON THE MURDER OF DR. GEORGE TILLER:

I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.

11:15 AM EDT 1 June 2009: one Army private killed (William Long), second injured in shooting attack at Army Navy Career Center, Little Rock, Arkansas.
(The shooter, who had changed his name from Carlos Bledsoe to Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, was arrested shortly afterwards 10 km away. Muhammad had been under investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force following an arrest in Yemen where he apparently became involved with Islamic radicals; he stated the act was an act of retaliation against the U.S. military, and the FBI issued a joint alert on 2 June based on Muhammad's internet searches mapping various Jewish, Christian, and U.S. Army sites.)

morning of 3 June 2009: White House statement (note: statement was issued to stations in Arkansas but not posted to the White House web site):

I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long's family as they mourn the loss of their son.

12:50 PM EDT 10 June 2009: one guard killed (Stephen Johns) in shooting attack at the Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C.
(The shooter, James von Brunn, was shot by two other guards and hospitalized; von Brunn espoused white supremacist and other extremist views and had a history of convictions including attempting to enter the Federal Reserve boardroom in 1981 with a shotgun to kidnap board members.)

7:04 PM EDT 10 June 2009: Statement by President Obama on Holocaust Museum Shooting:

I am shocked and saddened by today's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. This outrageous act reminds us that we must remain vigilant against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all its forms. No American institution is more important to this effort than the Holocaust Museum, and no act of violence will diminish our determination to honor those who were lost by building a more peaceful and tolerant world.

Today, we have lost a courageous security guard who stood watch at this place of solemn remembrance. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this painful time.

7:20 AM CDT 11 September 2009: one abortion protestor killed (James Pouillon) in shooting attack outside high school in Ossego, Michigan; one businessman killed (Mike Fuoss) in second shooting attack 11 km away.
(The shooter, Harlan James Drake, was arrested en route to a third intended target, police believe; Drake reportedly objected to Pouillon's regular protests outside the high school. The shooting of the second victim appears to be non-political.)

morning of 14 September 2009: Statement by President Obama:

The shooting last week in Michigan was deplorable. Whichever side of a public debate you're on, violence is never the right answer.

5 November 2009: thirteen Army servicemen and servicewomen killed (Michael Cahill, Libardo Caraveo, Justin DeCrow, John Gaffaney, Frederick Greene, Jason Hunt, Amy Krueger, Aaron Nemelka, Michael Pearson, Russell Seager, Francheska Velez (pregnant), Juanita Warman, and Kham Xiong) and 43 injured in shooting attack at Soldier Readiness Center, Fort Hood, Texas.
(The gunman, Nidal Malik Hasan, was shot and injured by two police officers; Hasan was an Army psychiatrist and had expressed indications of Islamic radicalization, and had come to the attention of the FBI in early 2009 for email exchanges with terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki.)

5:02 EST 5 November 2009: Comments by President Obama at the Closing of the Tribal Nations Conference:

Now, I have to say, though, that beyond that, I plan to make some broader remarks about the challenges that lay ahead for Native Americans, as well as collaboration with our administration, but as some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. We don't yet know all the details at this moment; we will share them as we get them. What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed, and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.

My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and with the families of the fallen, and with those who live and serve at Fort Hood. These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.

I've spoken to Secretary Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and I will continue to receive a constant stream of updates as new information comes in. We are working with the Pentagon, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, all to ensure that Fort Hood is secure, and we will continue to support the community with the full resources of the federal government.

In the meantime, I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers. We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident. And I want all of you to know that as Commander-in-Chief, there's no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for.

So we are going to stay on this. But I hope in the meantime that all of you recognize the scope of this tragedy, and keep everybody in their thoughts and prayers.

Statements and addresses by President Barack H. Obama on the 5 November 2009 Fort Hood attack--link to five additional statements and addresses regarding the Fort Hood attack, delivered 6-14 November 2009.

25 December 2009: Two passengers injured when a terrorist attempted to detonate an improvised explosive on an airliner on approach to Detroit airport; the terrorist was also injured.
(The perpetrator, Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab, was subdued by passengers and crew when observed attempting to detonate explosives concealed in his clothing; the explosive burned instead, causing serious injuries to Abdulmutallab. British authorities had identified Abdulmutallab as a security concern earlier in 2009, and on 19 November 2009 Abdulmutallab's father had warned the U.S. embassy in Nigeria that his son was a possible threat.)

11:26 AM 29 December 2009: Statement by the President on Preliminary Information from his Ongoing Consultation about the Detroit Incident:

Good morning. Yesterday I updated the American people on the immediate steps we took -- the increased screening and security of air travel -- to keep our country safe in the wake of the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day. And I announced two reviews -- a review of our terrorist watch list system and a review of our air travel screening, so we can find out what went wrong, fix it and prevent future attacks.

Those reviews began on Sunday and are now underway. Earlier today I issued the former [sic] guidelines for those reviews and directed that preliminary findings be provided to the White House by this Thursday. It's essential that we diagnose the problems quickly and deal with them immediately.

Now, the more comprehensive, formal reviews and recommendations for improvement will be completed in the coming weeks, and I'm committed to working with Congress and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security communities to take all necessary steps to protect the country.

I wanted to speak to the American people again today because some of this preliminary information that has surfaced in the last 24 hours raises some serious concerns. It's been widely reported that the father of the suspect in the Christmas incident warned U.S. officials in Africa about his son's extremist views. It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community, but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect's name on a no-fly list.

There appears to be other deficiencies as well. Even without this one report there were bits of information available within the intelligence community that could have and should have been pieced together. We've achieved much since 9/11 in terms of collecting information that relates to terrorists and potential terrorist attacks. But it's becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now is not sufficiently up to date to take full advantage of the information we collect and the knowledge we have.

Had this critical information been shared it could have been compiled with other intelligence and a fuller, clearer picture of the suspect would have emerged. The warning signs would have triggered red flags and the suspect would have never been allowed to board that plane for America.

The professionalism of the men and women in our intelligence, counterterrorism and law enforcement and homeland security communities is extraordinary. They are some of the most hardworking, most dedicated Americans that I've ever met. In pursuit of our security here at home they risk their lives, day in and day out, in this country and around the world.

Few Americans see their work, but all Americans are safer because of their successes. They have targeted and taken out violent extremists, they have disrupted plots and saved countless American lives; they are making real and daily progress in our mission to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and other extremist networks around the world. And for this every American owes them a profound and lasting debt of gratitude.

Moreover, as Secretary Napolitano has said, once the suspect attempted to take down Flight 253 -- after his attempt it's clear that passengers and crew, our homeland security systems and our aviation security took all appropriate actions. But what's also clear is this: When our government has information on a known extremist and that information is not shared and acted upon as it should have been, so that this extremist boards a plane with dangerous explosives that could cost nearly 300 lives, a systemic failure has occurred. And I consider that totally unacceptable.

The reviews I've ordered will surely tell us more. But what already is apparent is that there was a mix of human and systemic failures that contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security. We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix the flaws in our system, because our security is at stake and lives are at stake.

I fully understand that even when every person charged with ensuring our security does what they are trained to do, even when every system works exactly as intended there is still no one hundred percent guarantee of success. Yet, this should only compel us to work even harder, to be even more innovative and relentless in our efforts.

As President I will do everything in my power to support the men and women in intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security to make sure they've got the tools and resources they need to keep America safe. But it's also my job to ensure that our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security systems and the people in them are working effectively and held accountable. I intend to fulfill that responsibility and insist on accountability at every level.

That's the spirit guiding our reviews into the attempted attack on Christmas Day. That's the spirit that will guide all our efforts in the days and years ahead.

Thank you very much.

10:00 AM CST 18 February 2010: One IRS employee killed (Vernon Hunter), two injured by the intentional crash of a small private plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas, and subsequent fire.
(The perpetrator, Andrew Joseph Stack III, left a suicide note making statements against the government, corporations, and the Catholic church; he was being audited by the IRS at the time.)

4:44 PM CST 18 February 2010: White House Blog statement On the Plane Crash in Austin:

Shortly after the plane crash in Austin, TX, John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism informed President Obama of the incident. The President expressed his concern, commended the courageous actions of the first responders and asked to be kept up to date as the investigation moves forward.

7:02 PM EDT 22 February 2010: White House statement:

To the men and women of the Internal Revenue Service at Austin:

I asked Secretary Geithner to carry this message to you.

It is with great sadness that I write to you on the tragic events of February 18th. You, your families and colleagues are in my thoughts and prayers.

Michelle and I extend our condolences to you on the death of your colleague, Mr. Vernon Hunter. Vernon dedicated his life to service to this great country, serving over 20 years in the military before joining the IRS. We mourn his death.

As we work with law-enforcement agencies to investigate the events leading up to this plane crash, I want the dedicated employees of the IRS to know that I am thankful for your dedication, courage and professionalism as we rebuild in Austin. And as you continue your work, we will do what is needed to ensure your safety.

We are grateful for your service to this country.

May God bless you and the United States of America.

4 March 2010: two guards injured in shooting attack at an entrance gate to the Pentagon, Alexandria, Virginia; the gunman was shot and killed.
(The gunman, John Patrick Bedell, had espoused anti-government and anti-military views and 9/11 conspiracy claims, and had an arrest record for marijuana violations.)

(no White House statement)

10:11 AM MST 8 January 2011: Six killed (including U.S. District Judge John Roll, a 9-year old child, and an aide to Rep. Giffords), 13 injured in a shooting attack at a political event at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona; U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, hosting the event, was targeted by the gunman and was injured along with at least one member of her staff.
(The gunman, Jared Loughner, was tackled by a bystander while trying to escape and was arrested. He had previously made anti-government posts on his web site.)

1:10 PM MST 8 January 2011: Statement by the President:

This morning, in an unspeakable tragedy, a number of Americans were shot in Tucson, Arizona, at a constituent meeting with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And while we are continuing to receive information, we know that some have passed away, and that Representative Giffords is gravely wounded.

We do not yet have all the answers. What we do know is that such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers.

As many of you are aware, earlier today a number of people were shot in Tucson, Arizona, including several who were meeting at a supermarket with their congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. We are still assembling all the facts, but we know that Representative Giffords was one of the victims. She is currently at a hospital in the area, and she is battling for her life.

We also know that at least five people lost their lives in this tragedy. Among them were a federal judge, John Roll, who has served America’s legal system for almost 40 years; and a young girl who was barely nine years old.

I’ve spoken to Arizona governor Jan Brewer and offered the full resources of the federal government. A suspect is currently in custody, but we don’t yet know what provoked this unspeakable act. A comprehensive investigation is currently underway, and at my direction, Director Bob Mueller is en route to Arizona to help coordinate these efforts. I’ve also spoken to the Democratic and Republican leaders in the House.

Gabby Giffords was a friend of mine. She is not only an extraordinary public servant, but she is also somebody who is warm and caring. She is well liked by her colleagues and well liked by her constituents. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is a Navy captain and one of America’s valiant astronauts.

It’s not surprising that today Gabby was doing what she always does -- listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors. That is the essence of what our democracy is all about. That is why this is more than a tragedy for those involved. It is a tragedy for Arizona and a tragedy for our entire country.

What Americans do at times of tragedy is to come together and support each other. So at this time I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping all the victims and their families, including Gabby, in our thoughts and prayers. Those who have been injured, we are rooting for them. And I know Gabby is as tough as they come, and I am hopeful that she’s going to pull through.

Obviously our hearts go out to the family members of those who have been slain. We are going to get to the bottom of this, and we’re going to get through this. But in the meantime, I think all of us need to make sure that we’re offering our thoughts and prayers to those concerned.

Thank you.

© 2009-2010, 2011 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 8 January 2011.
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