Saturday, July 18, 2015

President Obama goes where none have gone before him: a federal prison



Unlike Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Barack Obama did not sing.  But he was the first President to visit a federal prison.  - gwc

Obama, in Oklahoma, Takes Reform Message to the Prison Cell Block - The New York Times

by Peter Baker

EL RENO, Okla. — They opened the door to Cell 123, and President Obama stared inside. In the space of 9 feet by 10 feet, he saw three bunks, a toilet with no seat, a night table with books, a small sink, prison clothes on a hook, some metal cabinets and the life he might have had.
In becoming the first occupant of his high office to visit a federal correctional facility, Mr. Obama could not help reflecting on what might have been. After all, as a young man, he smoked marijuana and tried cocaine. But he did not end up with a prison term lasting decades like some of the men who have occupied Cell 123.
As it turns out, Mr. Obama noted, there is a fine line between president and prisoner. “There but for the grace of God,” he said somberly after his tour. “And that, I think, is something that we all have to think about.”

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