Give them their day....

Following is my article I wrote for class today on the inauguration. It isn't exactly what I wanted to write, but I was trying to take on the opinion of everyone else so I could maybe get a good grade this time.


A chapter made for history books was unveiled today as Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the first African-American president of the U.S.

The estimated crowd of 2 million camouflaged the national mall as far as could be seen from the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Distinguishable chants of “Obama” rang through the sea of audience as they waited for the man of the hour to make his appearance.

After Vice President Joe Biden, clad in a democratic-blue tie and the smile of a next-in-line president, swore his oath and kissed his family, Obama and his entourage filed out onto the platform amid cheers and tears.

With his right hand raised and his left placed on the same Holy Bible that President Abraham Lincoln once himself swore upon, Obama repeated after Chief Justice John G. Roberts the words that would deem him Mr. President.

But along with one third of the country and nearly the entire governmental staff, Obama’s nerves were present. He stammered through the first few words of the oath and even required Roberts to repeat a phrase he was to recite.

A kiss on the cheek to his golden-clad wife, Michelle, and a scan of his audience of millions began the speech that, for some, would be as inspirational and monumental as the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I thank President (George W.) Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition,” Obama said in his opening statement.

Bush, who was minutes out of his legacy as forty-third U.S. president, kept a straight face for the cameras as Obama uttered gratitude and throughout the inaugural address.

But Obama continued the inauguration that the New York Daily News estimated cost nearly $150 million.

“Our economy is badly weakened,” he said, “a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.”

He conceded that the challenges America now faces are real, they are serious, and they are many. He promised, however, that those challenges will be met, although not easily or quickly. Applause erupted throughout the national mall and inevitably in homes across the nation.

With the sun reflecting off his American flag lapel pin, Obama praised his country.

“We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth,” he said. “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

In the crowd, a man keeping warm in a crocheted cap yawned as the camera zoomed in on his face. But the new president was not retiring from his speech just yet.

He addressed the “guardians of our liberty,” soldiers who Obama said “have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.” And although the government has power to change and uses that power to do so, he said it is “ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.”

With a “God bless the United States of America,” Obama concluded his speech that will inevitably make its way to history books.

Chants of “yes we can” from the millions looking on sang through the national mall as Obama and Bush walked side by side into the Capitol building, and as Obama possibly thought, “yes, I did.”

Read more...

Crying out Dubya, Crying in Obama

it's the beginning of the last day of administration for my main man Dubya. truly, it is a sad day in the history of America. George Walker Bush was a great president, and nice to look at too. (what can i say, i'm a fan) but tuesday, he's gone forever as commander in chief of my country. instead, a celebrity will take his place. a relatively inexperienced man who won the presidency because of the color of his skin, and i believe that with everything in me.

i'll be the first to tell you that having a black man as president is fine. a human is a human, regardless of the contrast of the skin color. HOWEVER, it is not in any way okay to have the presidency (or any office or seat, for that matter) filled by election of a person based in any means on their skin color. that is racism.

everyone is telling me how big of an event this is: the first black president in the history of America. big deal. you want equality? then maybe we shouldn't throw a big shindig. we haven't for any other president-elect. not to mention, this will be the most expensive inauguration party EVER ... and we are right in the middle of a recession. maybe we could distribute that money you're spending on Beyonce to struggling Americans across the country. what am i saying? we need Beyonce.

i'll be watching the events, i can't say i wont. i'd be watching no matter who was being inaugurated. id watch in between vomits if it were hillary. i'll be watching in between tears on tuesday.

prove me wrong, Obama. please. i love my country and i want to continue to be proud to be an American.

Read more...

free speech, but for a price

i got a 75 on this in my public affairs class. of course. the assignment was an opinion piece, but clearly i was supposed to use someone else's opinion.

Change has been his motto, and subsequently throughout the last year and a half, the majority of the country has jumped onto President-elect Barack Obama’s bandwagon.

It is nearly inevitable his inauguration speech will mimic the same theme, addressing the last eight years of so-called failed leadership and promising revolutionary actions. He will advocate for the American dream and vow to give every American the opportunity to achieve their dreams. His pledge to resolve the economic crisis will be empowering and optimistic. The nation will be relieved that finally, finally, there is a leader that will make the right changes.

But it won’t be the first time.

Coming out of the Vietnam War and Watergate, America was needful of something fresh and new. It needed a leader who was honest and intelligent, willing to restructure the country into the greatness it was known for. In came Jimmy Carter. A Georgia governor with minimal national and foreign-policy experience, his ideals of change alleviated the nation’s anxiety that had built up over the last few years. He pledged to create jobs, albeit by increasing federal spending. In his inauguration speech, he addressed the American dream.

“The American dream endures,” Carter said. “We must once again have full faith in our country and in one another. I believe America can be better. We can be even stronger than before. … These are not just my goals, and they will not be my accomplishments, but the affirmation of our Nation's continuing moral strength and our belief in an undiminished, ever-expanding American dream.”

But it didn’t take long for Carter’s approval rating to drop dramatically. His failed attempts to deal with an Iranian seizure as well as U.S. economic problems consequently flushed his popularity.

Although the Obama-infatuated country may refuse to see it, the president-elect is not exempt from the risk of failure – especially with the tremendous platform of change he has promised America, which he will likely reinforce during his inaugural speech.

The risk has nothing to do with Obama as an individual, except perhaps that he has vowed things he may not be capable of delivering. It is, however, his appeal to such great change that the country now expects. It may be that once he doesn’t perform like he said he would, his popularity may be drowned, just as Carter’s.

Think of the powerful, patriotic words President George W. Bush spoke during his post-Sept. 11 speech in 2001. The country was on his side ready to “make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”

Eight years later, that same country despises their once-adored leader and condemns the actions of security measures, like wiretapping.

Unfortunately, those are the results of a free nation, and that is the risk Obama takes by making such big promises of change during his campaign and his inaugural address. With good fortune, he’ll thrive and go down in history books as one of the biggest presidential success stories of all time. But it is likely he will make mistakes, as do all leaders good and bad, and those once adoring fans will turn on him as they have his predecessors.

Nevertheless, the soon-to-be President will inevitably deliver a typical Obama speech during his inauguration that will knock the socks off the nation, if not the world. It will be a message representative of the powerful and persuasive orator he has proven to be throughout his campaign. It can be assumed, with regard to his previous speeches, that he will not imitate George Washington’s second inaugural address, which was a whopping 652 words.

But whatever Obama brings, whether it be a simple smile or an all-day event, it is sure to be unforgettable. It will be a day America will remember forever.

Read more...