Notes from the Inauguration
I’m watching the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. I was surprised to become emotional at one point already, when the camera took a long shot and showed that people are stretched from the Capitol building all the way to the Washington Memorial, filling the entirety of the National Mall. It occurred to me that the rest of the world might be watching this, and if they happened to see that very shot, they couldn’t help but be filled with hope, that perhaps after the long, dark years of the Bush Administration, the United States could be seen to be fulfilling its promise at last. I got emotional, because I looked out over all of those people, and I wondered what the rest of the world thought of us now. How could they not be proud of us?
By the time the incredible quartet of Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill began performing a new composition by John Williams, I was sitting here with tears streaming down my cheeks. I realized that I’m unexpectedly emotional right now, but this music is stirring something inside of me. It sums up so well the spirit and mood of the country now. Somehow, it sounds like America.
I just stood up to show my respect as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. I was greatly affected by the tears on the faces of the people in the audience that the cameras panned over. At least for today, we are together. We are one. We are all Americans.
12:51 – President Obama and former President George W. Bush are standing on the east steps of the Capitol building. Obama has escorted Bush to the helicopter now known as Executive One, performing what is essentially the literal transfer of power. He, the First Lady, Vice-President Biden and his wife, stood on the steps and watched the helicopter rise in the air, heading out to take former President Bush out of the city. As the helicopter circled around, the audio feed picked up the crowd singing, at the top of their lungs, “Na Na Na Na / Na Na Na Na / Hey, hey hey … goodbye!”
At the moment, the one thought that keeps going through my mind is that now the most powerful man in the world is a black man. That in itself changes the dynamic of world power and discourse. But more than that, I think people are excited about Barack Obama as a man and a person, irregardless of his race. More than anything, that express how far this country has come.
Welcome to tomorrow.
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I do not know how I came across this… but I just want to say that I really hope that the new president can live up to our hopes and expectations and is not just another politician acting in the interests of the elite. Being familiar with the Art of Illusion and Social Engineering I must say that any time such heavy emotion is invoked in a populace warning lights go off on my control panel. It seems like this guy flew out of nowhere (where did he come from anyway???) to as a savior to our people, promising to fix all of our problems only to reverse his stance and break his word the moment he gets in office. This rampant blind emotion and faith reminds me of the latter days of the Weimar Republic of Germany, especially when I see billboards in Asheville stating: “North Carolina is the Nations Most Military Friendly State”, and I hear about the presidents new “Americorps” which he hopes will be as strong or stronger than our armies and mandatory social service for school ages! I really do hope my fellow Americans have not proved themselves to be so easily manipulated… again… If you really want to invoke an entire political change (for good or bad) then it makes sense to indoctrinate the young. The real question should always be: “Who stands to benefit the most?” From my perspective it does not seem to be us.