What was Potter doing there, and why did everyone keep referring to that “warped, frustrated old man” as Dick Cheney? And if it was, indeed, Dick Cheney and not Mr. Potter, why didn’t anyone push him down the steps of the U.S. Capitol in that wheelchair? Well, because that wouldn’t be very Christian, would it? And everybody knows that there is no country more God fearing than the United States of America where church and state are so clearly separated. HA! Rick Warren didn’t have to say anything infuriating as we feared he might. He just had to be there along with all the other clergy to remind us that God is still alive and well in politics.
Lucky for me, all the prayer did not take away the joy of the day. First black president-emotional and thrilling for all to witness. There was an announcer on MSNBC who talked about the significance of this day in history when a black man can become president. He referred to the injustices of the past and the opportunities of our future, and, I kid you not, he said that black people all over the nation now feel that “they finally got a piece of the pie.” Weezie? Did you hear that? I wonder if his co-anchor kicked him in the shin before he was able to refer to the White House as a deee-luxe apartment in the sky. Well, the only fitting response to his reference is, "DY-NO-MITE!"
Just as exhilarating as the inauguration of the first black president, was the fact that this was the first time in 8 years I was not embarrassed by our president and constantly apologizing to friends abroad. “Honestly, we didn’t all vote for him! We’re not all religious fundamentalists who vote for leaders based on whether or not we want to party with them.”
There is intelligence in the White House now. You know that change is finally here because at the exact minute that Obama was sworn in as President, the official White House website was re-launched with the new administration and its agenda. Any administration capable of re-launching a website on time is capable of achieving the impossible. The economic crisis should be a doddle after that.
Will all our problems be solved? Will Obama save us from economic ruin, terrorism and environmental disaster? As my Sicilian lady friend would say, “Bo.” (That’s ‘you got me!’ in Sicilian) But with Obama in office, I find it much easier to hope. Buh-bye, Bush. Don’t let the door hit you on the way....oh, fuck it. I don’t care if it does hit you on the way out.
Deborah: Asher, today is an exciting day. We have a new president.
Asher: New?
D: Yes, and his name is Barack Obama. Remember how we have been talking about him?
A: Why do we have a new one?
D: Well, every 4 years, a new president is elected. (I figured I could hold off on the 8 year foot note).
A: Next time, will it be John McCain?
D: Maybe he’ll try again, yes. Or it could be someone else. We’ll have to see.
Asher has never forgotten that Obama had to square off against an opponent in his bid for the presidency. I mean the one AFTER Hillary. During this election, he has been acutely aware that when one candidate wins, another loses. And when we expressed our support for Obama, Asher would always ask after the other guy. “What about John McCain? Will he feel sad if he doesn’t win?” Asher loves to play games and loves to win even more, but he is not a bad sport. “I’m sorry you didn’t win,” he’ll say after clobbering us at a game of UNO. He cares about the losers, and he cares about John McCain. I have a lot to learn from him. God bless him-Asher I mean. Can I get an “Amen”?
Brilliant! And so well said. Too funny, the "piece of the pie" comment. Wish I'd seen that. I had to make do with Dutch coverage (thankfully, they showed the entire inauguration without commentary, though they could've jabbered away during the religious parts if you ask me).
ReplyDeleteI was asking myself, "whatever happened to separation of church and state?" I've never watched an inauguration before, and didn't know there would be prayer. How awful. How NON separation of church and state. And the "God" stuff in the oath itself--isn't this a towering violation of article 6 of the Constitution? Doesn't this mean an atheist could never be President (because he or she couldn't commit to that oath)?
Oooh, I feel a blog post coming on...... :-)
Awww...how adorable of Asher to be concerned about John McCain's feelings :) Seriously...that's uber-adorable.
ReplyDeleteBring it on, Kisa! Get writing. So much to say, isn't there? I wasn't surprised by all the prayer, but that doesn't make it right.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about an atheist never becoming president. I wonder if the country would elect an atheist at all. Then he/she would have to swear on his/her mother's eyes or something. Or maybe they could just cross their fingers behind their backs. Seems like most of our previous presidents have done so!
Thanks, Rhea! We think he's a pretty sweet kid, too.
Excellent entry, Kisa! Hey people-click on Kisa's link for her take on the inauguration.
ReplyDeleteor here: http://midnightkisa.blogspot.com
Crap--you mean to say you didn't tell Asher that McCain is an evil bastard who hates his country?
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