WEEKLY ADDRESS: Remembering the Victims of the Aurora, Colorado Shooting

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.govat 6:00AM ET, Saturday, July 21, 2012.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
July 21, 2012

As many of you know, early on Friday, at least twelve people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.  Dozens more are being treated for injuries at local hospitals.  Some of the victims are being treated at a children’s hospital. 

We are still gathering all the facts about what happened, but we do know that the police have one suspect in custody.  And the federal government stands ready to do everything necessary to bring whoever’s responsible for this heinous crime to justice.  We will take every step possible to ensure the safety of all our people.  And we will stand by our neighbors in Colorado during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Even as we come to learn how this happened and who’s responsible, we may never understand what leads anyone to terrorize their fellow human beings.  Such evil is senseless – beyond reason.  But while we will never know fully what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes that life worth living. 

The people we lost in Aurora loved, and were loved.  They were mothers and fathers; husbands and wives; sisters and brothers; sons and daughters; friends and neighbors.  They had hopes for the future and dreams that were not yet fulfilled.  And if there’s anything to take away from this tragedy, it’s a reminder that life is fragile.  Our time here is limited and it is precious.  And what matters in the end are not the small and trivial things which often consume our lives.  It’s how we choose to treat one another, and love one another.  It’s what we do on a daily basis to give our lives meaning and to give our lives purpose.  That’s what matters.  That’s why we’re here.

I’m sure many of you who are parents had the same reaction I did when you first heard this news: what if it had been my daughters at the theater, doing what young children enjoy doing every day?  Michelle and I will be fortunate enough to hug our girls a little tighter this weekend, as I’m sure you will do with your children.  But for those parents who may not be so fortunate, we need to embrace them and let them know we will be there for them as a nation.

This weekend I hope everyone takes some time for prayer and reflection – for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for those who are still struggling to recover, and for all the victims of the less publicized acts of violence that plague our communities on a daily basis.  Let us keep all these Americans in our prayers.  And to the people of Aurora, may the Lord bring you comfort and healing in the hard days to come. 

###

Executive Order -- Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia

EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -

TAKING ADDITIONAL STEPS TO ADDRESS
THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SOMALIA

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, in order to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency with respect to the situation in Somalia declared in Executive Order 13536 of April 12, 2010, in view of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2036 of February 22, 2012, and Resolution 2002 of July 29, 2011, and to address: exports of charcoal from Somalia, which generate significant revenue for al-Shabaab; the misappropriation of Somali public assets; and certain acts of violence committed against civilians in Somalia, all of which contribute to the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, hereby order:

Section 1. Section 1(a) of Executive Order 13536 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"(a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person, including any foreign branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn or otherwise dealt in:

(i) the persons listed in the Annex to this order; and

(ii) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(A) to have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia, including but not limited to:

(1) acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of August 18, 2008, or the political process;

(2) acts that threaten the Transitional Federal Institutions or future Somali governing institutions, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or other future international peacekeeping operations related to Somalia; or

(3) acts to misappropriate Somali public assets;

(B) to have obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia;

(C) to have directly or indirectly supplied, sold, or transferred to Somalia, or to have been the recipient in the territory of Somalia of, arms or any related materiel, or any technical advice, training or assistance, including financing and financial assistance, related to military activities;

(D) to be responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or to have participated in, the commission of acts of violence targeting civilians in Somalia, including killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, taking hostages, and forced displacement;

(E) to be a political or military leader recruiting or using children in armed conflict in Somalia;

(F) to have engaged, directly or indirectly, in the import or export of charcoal from Somalia on or after February 22, 2012;

(G) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities described in subsections (a)(ii)(A) through (F) of this section or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(H) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order."

Sec. 2. (a) The importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of charcoal from Somalia is prohibited.

(b) The prohibition in subsection (a) of this section applies except to the extent provided by statutes, or in

regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.

Sec. 3. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 4. For the purposes of this order: (a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;

(b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;

(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States; and

(d) the term "charcoal" means any product classifiable in heading 3802 or 4402 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

Sec. 5. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA and the UNPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.

Sec. 6. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Sec. 7. This order is effective at 2:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on July 20, 2012.

BARACK OBAMA

Readout of the President’s Call with Police Chief Oates and His Oval Office Briefing with Senior Administration Officials

This afternoon, the President telephoned Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates from the Oval Office to tell him that his and Michelle’s thoughts and prayers are with the community of Aurora, particularly the local first responders who have performed well under difficult and stressful circumstances.  The President also told Chief Oates that he should expect the full support of the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies moving forward, including any resources they need to handle the ongoing situation at the suspect’s apartment.

Earlier today, upon his return to the White House from Florida, the President, along with Vice President Biden, received a briefing on the investigation of the Aurora, Colorado, shooting from: FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.