All right! Here are some pictures of the inauguration sent by my sister, brother-in-law and nieces.
All but one of the shots were taken at the Kids Inaugural Concert and below show my nieces, Tori and Isabel, with Corbin Bleu and Kevin Jonas. [That's my sister with the girls and a friend.]
That's Isabel at right.
Lots of talent and craziness. Nieces report that Corbin Bleu and Kevin Jonas are as nice personally as anyone can possibly be.
The shots below feature our new president, my man Barack, my niece Tori and Mr. Bleu and Mr. Jonas with Isabel and Tori.
Here's an e-mail from someone close on her experience in D.C. with her husband and daughters. --- HURRAY, the deed is done! Hope is alive! And here is how it looked from our eyes. . .
So we got up at some ungodly hour after our late night with Miley, Corbin Bleu, George Lopez (forgot him) and all of the others (at the kids' inaugural event). We were up and showered and out of the door by 7:31. We assumed this was plenty of time, as we were going from 16th and U to the Capital. Despite being told that we should not take the metro in town we figured we were early enough.
So off we went to the metro. We got in, and amazingly enough got on the first train. We were completely stuffed in, and not one more people could have fit in to our train. But everyone was talking to each other, exchanging stories about where we came from and how happy and excited we were (Except for the jerk standing next to Bruce who was elbowing him the entire time and being a jerk). We were one metro stop away from the switch that we could us directly where we wanted. . . . Then the said we would not be stopping at that stop or several others because the crowds had overwhelmed the stations. So we got out at about 7th and F, headed to 1st and the equivalent of A. No problem, rights?
Wrong.
We were immediately engulfed by the crowds. We were being whisked away and I had this moment of thinking that 'oh my god, we have tickets and we will not be able to make it to the inauguration!' We eventually disengaged ourselves from the scary crowds and managed to continue on. With all of the crowds it took us about and hour and 1/2 to walk the to the capital and then another 1 to 1 1/2 hour to wait in line to get seated. We passed vendors every few feet selling everything you can imagine. (In case you don't want to stick around to the end, I finally got my scarf and matching hat!)
It was very cold, even for we hardy from Wisconsin. We had on our smart wool, which saved us. (Thanks for that tip Lauren! Smart wool may be expensive but boy it keeps you dry and warm!)
I am sure there is stuff I am forgetting but I want to get to when we were seated. I sat next to an African American women and her husband from New Jersey.
People were asking each other to take pictures of them with the capital in the background. Secret Service was everywhere you looked. And all the while there was this mass behind us ... to the Washington monument and beyond, that had a palpable energy. There was electricity -- or maybe it was just happiness, excitement or expectation -- in the air.
Once the program started, everyone sitting around us, the people with tickets were very silent. It was almost as if you could have heard a pin drop. The energy came from the masses behind us.
When the announcer said 'you may sit down' they roared with laughter that bubbled up to the front. When they introduced Bush (W), there was polite clapping from the front section, while there were rounds of boooos coming form behind. When they started the 'Obama' it felt like a wave, coming to overtake us all. It was powerful. The true energy came from those on the mall.
I am not sure what I expected from the oath and speech, but my expectations were so high that no one could have met them. And after 2 days of nothing but Obama and expectation, happiness and hope, I suppose it is no surprise to hear the oath and speech were somewhat of a let down. Now, when I say let down, I mean a let down from my completely unrealistic expectations. It was powerful and impactful (Gretchen, is that a word?) The women I sat next to and I just kept on saying, 'no one has said this before.'
Maybe I didn't get the Obama equivalent of Kennedy's 'ask not' or Roosevelt's 'fear itself' but he said more than any other and he said what he needed to be said... (Although why do democrats have to talk the tough talk against our foreign alleged enemies?) (And why, even as Obama acknowledged the non-believers, do we have to hear so much about god?) But at least we got his repudiation of the false choice between freedom and security. I hope that one goes down in history.
So shortly after the speech was done, Tori had to go to the bathroom. So we were going to sneak out and get her there. It seems like most of the people had the same idea so 1/2 hour later we had still not reached a port-a-potty. The poor poet. Although everyone behind the ticketed seats stayed put, it seems like the ticketed seats emptied out while she was speaking.
I think the aftermath of the inauguration was as impressive as the inauguration was. We were headed to Union Station to get warm, to get food (and of course to get a beer for Bruce, and wine for me!). Turns out the fire marshals closed all of the stores and restaurants at union station because of the crowds. (Or maybe they lied and just wouldn't let anyone else in.) Then they closed the Union square metro because it was too full. And we were our of cash . . . and then we finally found my scarf!! After sending Bruce to three different places for a ATM, we finally got our scarfs!
So how to get home. Street traffic still gridlock so a taxi is a waste. Metros full to overflowing. Buses -- well who the fell knows where to go and no one taking the bus was from DC so no one knew where they were going and it was gridlock anyway). So eventually, we walked, and walked and walked. . . . We finally found an Irish pub with only 1 and 1/2 hour wait to eat. Sold. We drank some beers, gave the girls hot chocolate and finally ate. In the meantime, we were all watching the continued inauguration coverage. Cheers went up when Obama or Michelle came on. We were worried when Kennedy was taken out. And we met people from all over. Bruce got over being mad a me at sending him to 3 different places to get cash for my and the girls' scarves after a couple of beers . . .
So here is the thing . . . We left the bar well after 5, and it was still crazy on the streets. Every restaurant was still full. The metros we saw still overflowing. We walked and walked and walked and finally took a cab and the taxi driver said he had been in the city for 35 years and had never seen anything like this. He said at other inaugurations, the city was clear by 2 or 3, and it was still crazy here.
The closest thing he saw was the million man march and that was not even close. (By the way, our taxi driver was from an African nation - unlike Palin, I know this is not a single country, but I do not know what country he comes from -- and he had a degree in poli sci from Howard. . . so why is he driving a taxi????? I'm thinking a waste of human capital once again)
We made it to our adopted apartment ... .
We will get warm . . . order in. . . . And head home... I'll send pictures when there! Happy inauguration day!
I heard the echoes of Fletcher Knebel, RFK and King in the words of the address.
Beautiful stuff.
Transcript: Inaugural Address of Barack Obama Jan. 20, 2009
PRESIDENT OBAMA DELIVERS INAUGURAL ADDRESS JANUARY 20, 2009 SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama! My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation... (APPLAUSE) ... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. OBAMA: The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. OBAMA: So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, 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. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. OBAMA: These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met. (APPLAUSE) On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. OBAMA: On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. (APPLAUSE) In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. OBAMA: It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. OBAMA: For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. OBAMA: Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (APPLAUSE) For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality... (APPLAUSE) ... and lower its costs. OBAMA: We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply. OBAMA: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. OBAMA: But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. (APPLAUSE) As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. OBAMA: Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. (APPLAUSE) Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. OBAMA: They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan. OBAMA: With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." (APPLAUSE) For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. OBAMA: To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those... (APPLAUSE) To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (APPLAUSE) OBAMA: To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. OBAMA: And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. OBAMA: These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. OBAMA: This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. (APPLAUSE) So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river. OBAMA: The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it." America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. (APPLAUSE) And God bless the United States of America. (APPLAUSE)
Viewers watching CBS News were treated to one of the correspondents reading Obama's speech prior to the inauguration ceremony.
One viewer reports, "It made me so upset that we changed the channel to MSNBC because I wanted to hear Obama reading his own speech, not someone from CBS."
MSNBC said they had speech, but it was embargoed (time-embargoed). It should have stayed embargoed on CBS as well. Holding the speech is routine until after the inauguration and most correspondence certainly honor this.
Seemed like a blatant violation of trust and propriety on what is supposed to be an occasion for history, Americans and their new president.
Transcript: Inaugural Address of Barack Obama Jan. 20, 2009
PRESIDENT OBAMA DELIVERS INAUGURAL ADDRESS JANUARY 20, 2009 SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama! My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation... (APPLAUSE) ... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. OBAMA: The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. OBAMA: So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, 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. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. OBAMA: These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met. (APPLAUSE) On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. OBAMA: On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. (APPLAUSE) In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. OBAMA: It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. OBAMA: For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. OBAMA: Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (APPLAUSE) For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality... (APPLAUSE) ... and lower its costs. OBAMA: We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply. OBAMA: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. OBAMA: But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. (APPLAUSE) As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. OBAMA: Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. (APPLAUSE) Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. OBAMA: They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan. OBAMA: With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." (APPLAUSE) For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. OBAMA: To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those... (APPLAUSE) To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (APPLAUSE) OBAMA: To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. OBAMA: And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. OBAMA: These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. OBAMA: This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. (APPLAUSE) So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river. OBAMA: The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it." America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. (APPLAUSE) And God bless the United States of America. (APPLAUSE)
As President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address to a nation filled with anticipation and hope, the vital signs of the loyal opposition appear worse than worrisome.
Update: MAL's crazy, young nieces are great sports as the hours-long, snaking lines funnel towards the capitol. And a thank you to Rep. Tom Petri's office (R-Fond du Lac) whom my sister reports as the most gracious, welcoming presence that she has encountered during this truly beautiful experience.
Today is a victory for the terrorists. Wait a minute, that's the GOP's SOP McCarthyite lies.
Today, Americans are reinvested with hope that our government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Liberty, privacy, the Bill of Rights: we now have a president who actually believes in these demands and rights of the people.
How strongly Obama acts, and how intently he repudiates through action the ideology of America's worst presidency is the measure of our success for the next four years.
And speaking of demands for liberty, I read that our Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen opposes the proposed police roadblocks that are all the rage: Good for you Van Hollen, don't let the liberty-hating, don't-go-anywhere-without-the-cops-checking-on-you liberals prevent a stand for privacy and freedom that ought to exist when one walks, drives, works or stays home and reads a book.
This is our country, and not Kathleen Falk's personal drama.
The atmosphere in D.C. is described as having an incredible sense of community, the museums, the celebrations, everywhere.
From family members who arrived Saturday.
[On Sunday] we walked to the White House, around the mall, to the Smithsonian, to the concert on the mall, to Georgetown . . . and then the girls (eight and ten) finally rebelled and we cabbed them back to home base (to dress warmer and rest). Of course, we saw every vendor to ensure that we could bring gifts home (in Wisconsin) to the unfortunates who could not attend. My favorite was the Barrack action figure for the bargain price of $15!
The atmosphere at the mall was fantastic. People were uncommonly nice. We met a couple from Alabama and it was so cool to hear that southern accent talk about the historic occasion.
At the Museum of American History there was an actor during the speeches of MLK. At the end, we all held hands and sang 'We Shall Overcome'. I must say, I felt like I was in the 60s. ...
The Inauguration of Barack Obama on Jan. 20 marks the end of the single worst presidency in American history, truly our bleakest days.
Never has an administration been so duplicitous and hostile to the cause of liberty as that of George W. Bush.
Looking forward, we see Jan. 20 as a day that has some 20 minutes more daylight than December 20. The long winter is dying down.
Politically, is it possible to have a president whom we believe is dedicated to the oath he to prepared to swear? Yes.
For those who struggle with long winters and this authoritarian, reckless administration, the answer is not to hang on and endure but rather to get busy, work out and see that a lesson of the Bush administration is this: If you let a president, he can ruin a country and the Andrew Sullivans, David Broders and other such cowardly souls will be there to cheer on the carnage.
For the rest of us, we are ready to move forward like our futures depend on it.
Most here have heard the indictment that Barack Obama's inauguration will include a "humiliating" (Maddow) slap at the LGBT community for the incoming administration's political benefit.
Rick Warren, pastor and author (at right), will deliver the invocation at Obama's swearing-in ceremony on the Capitol steps.
Warren possesses a bright mind, and happens to hold benighted and bigoted views on gays perforce making the man an ignoramus popular in rightwing circles.
Warren's delivery of the Obama invocation has brought down a shower of condemnation from the civil rights community summed up by Rachel Maddow and John Aravosis of AmericaBlog [wouldn't bother reading Andrew Sullivan ...—"[It's] shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now... ."—Sullivan is of the couldn't-make-of-his-mind-to-support-Bush-or-Kerry fame in 2004; and Sullivan's a disingenuous showboat anyway].
Include Warren
Before arguing here for Obama's choice of Warren's inclusion in the inauguration, let's add that Aravosis found this gem at TNR by Alan Wolfe in which "Rick Warren outright told a Jewish woman, in front of a large gasping crowd, that she was going to hell because she hasn't converted to Christianity." Hey, Happy Hanukkah.
But such idiocies that Warren professes as consigning world Jewry to eternal damnation [or whatever fate in hell awaits our functionally fellow heathens, that's going to be some party] is a good place to begin.
Over the 2008 campaign, I wrote 10,000s of words on Barack Obama since I first heard about the man's candidacy, in any length anyway, from my Georgia-bred-and-raised Irish mother—[a greater foe of racism and bigotry I have not met than she, and I have been fortunate to meet many incredible people].
It's difficult to apprehend the American mind when, for instance, in knocking on 100s of doors on the south side of Milwaukee this summer and engaging charming people, a nice elderly house-bound woman proceeds to tell me that yeah, she's voting Democratic this year, things need changing, but it's just too damn bad the Mexicans and Blacks have "taken over" what in the past were largely Polish-white neighborhoods. [A joke among some political circles in Wisconsin is that the 27th street viaduct crossing I-94 in Milwaukee is the "longest bridge in the world" because it connects Africa (a very Black area) with Mexico (a mixed but quite Mexican and other Hispanic-populated area on the south side). The joke used to be Africa to Poland.] By the way, check out Gare-Bear's bar just on the Africa side: Cool people.
The 2008 race was historic. I felt more personally involved this year than in any race that I have worked in, in any manner. But I knew all through this Fall that some 41 percent (in a best-case scenario) of the vote would still go to the John McCain-Palin ticket and the self-conscious ignorance and bigotry this ugly reality of our political culture represents in the modern Republican Party.
Casting Jews to hell. The state controlling a woman's body. Disenfranchising LGBT folks by denying them equal protection under the law. Massive lies and mass murder (aka war). Jailing millions. Starving millions. Preventing the dreams and happiness of millions. An industrial policy that seemingly aims at restoring feudalism.
This is the reality of contemporary American society sustained by ignorance, isolation and depolicalization consonant with broadcast networks dedicating an untold number of hours on the personal lives of hot, blond woman [nothing wrong with hot, blond women mind you] vis a vis discussions of the continuing wars America is waging over the world to catastrophic results.
If one were to exclude from the inauguration and other official functions the imbecilic Americans who fervently believe that those unperfected Christians, aka Jews, are headed for damnation, then many mainline Christians would find themselves thinking, well, who knows what they think. But 10s of millions of Americans (many of them wonderful human beings not withstanding their array of anti-human sentiments) would be told in a message to get lost: All that Obama unity talk was crap.
But the 43 percent of voting Americans who did vote for McCain, or think that dinosaurs frolicked with early man and that biological evolution is a liberal plot are as American as we are.
So, does Obama who campaigned on unity and a presidency representing all American exclude these American among us who hold idiotic views?
And I don't know about you, but I'm into public policy and not the substance of an inaugural invocation. [My sister Joan, Brucie and my crazy nieces are going to the inauguration, but I doubt seriously that the invocation will stay etched into their minds.]
What is an invocation anyway other a banal, insipid address to an imaginary friend? Warren will intend well and I doubt that he'll use the occasion to cast down spells (prayers, whatever) on gays, Jews, and the rational among us.
Warren's just a guy, a fool to be sure, talking. So, lighten up.
Personally, I do without religion and its artifacts remaining in political ceremony, and the other foolish fare to ill-formulated questions from which the religious-minded among us run without apparently caring what precisely so frightens then.
But hey, people believe what they want to believe and they are our fellow citizens, finally being called by a president to engage in a common effort.
Our president is their president.
So to all of my fellow LGBT civil rights workers and political analysts outraged by the soon-to-be-forgotten address by Rick Warren: Forget about this silly exercise of the invocation, enjoy Obama's address, party down, and then get your asses back to work on public policy
All great religions, in order to escape absurdity, have to admit a dilution of agnosticism. It is only the savage, whether of the African bush or the American gospel tent, who pretends to know the will and intent of God exactly and completely. - H.L. Mencken, Damn! A Book of Calumny, (1918)
The presidential inauguration on January 20, 2009 will be huge, historic, with four-plus million people attending.
One tip that I heard for families is to go to museums to go the bathroom, and make sure that you have a solid and versitile itinerary that can be broken with no drama when the magnitude of the event becomes apparent.
You can find a great resource in the Post, updated continually:
Update: Percentage of Americans who believe that God created man pretty much in his present form in one instance within the last 10,000 years: 47 percent. ... Rick Warren is one of these people.
The presidential inauguration on January 20, 2009 will be huge, historic, with four-plus million people attending.
