President Obama delivered the eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney with incomparable reverence and dignity and once again he demonstrated his natural ability to lead.

Such a president we have! We have never been prouder of our president or of our country as we have been during these past tumultuous days. Were it not for our sincere affection for the first family we would be calling for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment.

The Black community of Charleston, S.C., showed all the awesome power of forgiveness.

The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is the law of the land. We see this decision as the largest expansion of civil liberties in decades.

The Supreme Court, once again, ruled in favor of The Affordable Care Act and now perhaps we can begin the task of improving on that model instead of the incessant assault on its legitimacy.

The Supreme Court sided with the NAACP in defining what discrimination is in respect to housing.

The Confederate battle flag that symbolizes discrimination and hate is coming down from public buildings and public places across the land.

Let Charleston be the last American mass murder and may it provide the impetus for meaningful discussions of gun control as called for by our president.

The United States of America is an ever expanding definition of freedom and personal liberty. That journey now continues pushing ever back against the darkness of fear and hate.

Lincoln’s great biographer Carl Sandburg made the observation that our Civil War was fought over one word. Before the Civil War our country was referred to as “These United States,” and after the Civil War we became “The United States.”

We now stand more united than ever.