As more and more people continue to fill the streets of Washington, DC, in anticipation of catching a glimpse of the one man who has inspired hope in our country, it is hard to imagine that this is all for a Presidential inauguration. The position of the President of the United States of America, unfortunately has had too many downs, rather then ups during the last two decades. But now, on the dawn of new era, that position is about to be positively altered and made popular again, thanks to Barack Obama. There has always been some excitement surrounding the day when a new President of the United States would be sworn in, but there hasn't been this many Americans gathering and unifying for a cause bigger then just politics in a long time. The March on Washington, Woodstock, Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech and John F. Kennedy's inauguration speech, just to name a few, drew millions. All of these were amidst events in our country that were about to define us as humans and as Americans. Today, January 20Th, 2009, as Barack Obama steps into the biggest shoes in the world, there is a real feeling of unity and togetherness, leaving behind partisan politics, race, gender, class and age. The US is at a critical time in it's history, as is the world and we are all at the brink of chaos, but as things go, a glimmer of light is shining in our capitol and we have the opportunity to get behind something; someone, and move forward into a time of change. No matter what your political affiliation is or has been, it is a clear fact that the leaders in our country have taken us to a dark, sinister and lonely place. We have lost our respect in the world and because of the actions of a few powerful people, our country is in turmoil. We as a nation have a chance though, to regain the trust of our own citizens and those abroad because of the determination and heart felt leadership of Barack Obama. Whether you agree or disagree with all of his politics, it seems that his inspiration and motivation goes deeper and President-Elect Obama was meant to bring us all to the top together as one, to push forward with our future. It looks as though, that all of the people in Washington, DC and all of those at home watching today, have been waiting for this for a long time. We have been waiting for change. We have been waiting for truth. We have been waiting to see ourselves in a leader, where we can be comfortable and can relate to this fellow American like never before. Barack Obama is the only one who can do this, no other candidate could have inspired us all as much as he has. I am proud to be an American today and I am excited for whatever comes about because I trust our incoming President and I know that he stands for greatness. His beliefs and morals are what I always imagined a President to have, but haven't seen in my lifetime. At 28 years old, I am grateful to all those that have sacrificed in their lives to make what I have possible and to make today possible. Swearing in Barack Obama as our 44Th President is a true sign of change. We will overcome the tragedies and difficulties we've faced and with Obama leading us, we will see what it is really like to be President of the United States of America.
1 comment:
Interesting perspective.
And yet no matter what our beliefs are as those who actually have to pay the price of this "change" we will still continue to respect and support the position, regardless of who is in it, which is a responsible attitude that is from another time and place, one we will never see again in our lifetime. Because honor and integrity for the good of all, and not beholden to a political party for individual gain is what some of us believe in, and our hope is that we finally have a president who commands the honor and respect of his followers due to his actions, and not a carefully engineered perception of popularity. To date, "change" is simply a word describing a polished marketing plan to achieve the office of the president as an outcome. Lets not forget that it took Obama almost three quarters of a billion dollars to market his "message" and gain a following, something that Martin Luther King Jr was able to do simply with his own actions. Now that's a lot of Kool-Aid.
I have had in my own life the opportunity to witness the best and worst of presidents, and as you rightly point out the worst outweigh the best in recent history. Just eight short years ago we had witnessed the disgrace of our country in Bill Clinton. He didn't care about respect, if you respected him, or even you. That "man" couldn't swallow his pride and show at least enough character to leave the office he was removed from -- but why would he? He was in a perfect situation that would allow for his continued sexual gratification and wife's political gain. After this point in our proud history where we had to impeach a president who cared more for himself than the integrity of our country it really is no wonder that the rest of the world thought we were easy prey and vulnerable enough to attack (twice) due to our casual attitude towards The Office and those who supported it. His continued lies about his adventures cost our country time, money, and credibility. What truth is it that you seek? Thank God someone had the guts to stand alone the third time and make the difficult decisions that no one before him would make to ensure our safely long enough to continue our pitiful lives of complacency regardless of his popularity factor. So now he too becomes easy prey.
I feel in my heart real distress and disgust at how the "citizens" of this country turn their back on their own leader. I am hurt and disappointed that are those who depend on my support and ask for my help yet feel they have the "right" to make a mockery of my own beliefs, then throw it in my face on bumper stickers and coffee mugs as though they are intellectually superior to my own independent thinking.
The irony in all of this is that while Martin Luther King Jr dreamed of equality for all human beings, it is looked upon now as though it is based on race, which is what he intended to shatter, and is today celebrated. He accomplished great things, but were it not for another Republican President in the name of Abraham Lincoln who had the guts to stand up for his own beliefs, Martin Luther King would never have been able to make that speech, and you would now not be reading this message.
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