Thoughts on Historic Inauguration
Yesterday I watched, like the majority of everyone else, the swearing in of our 44th President of the United States. It was neat to see all the past presidents and vice-presidents who have led this great country. It was interesting to see the turnout that occurred for # 44. (I wonder… if Obama was a conservative would the “excitement” for him match the current superstar liberal following and the “celebration” that occurred…just a thought.) Anyway, I watched what unfolded over the course of the afternoon just to see if I could get a feel for what the next 4 (maybe more) years would look like. And I came away with several observations. Some that made me mad and some that I celebrated. So here we go…
- Obama is a leader and carries himself with confidence. I will support and follow this man, even if I don’t agree with everything he is doing. I hope for him the same I hope for everyone who has held that office. That they will be the best president this country has ever seen.
- It was truly inspiring to see the exchange between the Bush’s Sr. and the Clinton’s. Here are two families that share different political convictions (heck the Clinton’s bashed the Bush’s boy f0r the past 2 years.) But they put those differences aside and have built a friendship with the foundation of patriotism and respect. They have been apart of the most exclusive of fraternities and have shared the same joys and tears. To see the reverence Bill Clinton had for George Sr was humbling at the least. It was a prime example of Christ’s calling to “love one another just as I have loved you. Jesus did not add a stipulation to love or extra credentials, he just said do it. So my hat is off to Bush’s and the Clinton’s.
- Rick Warren did an acceptable job with the convocation, leading a nation to the feet of God. But it also proved that we live in a fallen world. When we are in the presence of Almighty God, declaring Him as the creator of all things and then we have people whooping and hollering over our first “African American” president during the prayer, our nations priorities our out of whack. You don’t see anyone giving that same excitement for the King of Kings and the Maker of us all. I am not mad, it just makes me even more adamant about sharing the Holiness and the value of Christ the King and God the Father.
- When they were announcing the different Washington big wigs it was neat to see them all and here the applause but I was appaled at what I heard when “Commander and Chief” was played and the reaction as Bush walked out. To hear loud boo’s and loud gesturing was in no other words “CLASSLESS”. Here is a man who gave 8 years of his life to lead this country. I do not agree with some of the decisions that W. made, and I stand behind some as well. Here is a man that experienced the largest most lethal terrorist attack on our country and one of the most devastating natural disasters ever, under his watch and had the difficult and almost impossible job of leading us through those awful periods of american history. Which ever decision he would make, he felt he was doing what was best for America. I respect the man and the position but not all of the decisions…I am still smart enough not to boo the President. And then to see a clip of several african american men singing “na na na hey hey hey goodbye” it made me ashamed to be an american. Let me ask you a question, four years from now if we elect a new president and me and some of my “white” buddy’s start singing that song as Obama makes his last march as president, what do you think will be the talk of the town? I am willing to bet an uproar would follow and we would be looked on as racist. (And for the record, I am not racist, I have several friends of all shapes, sizes, and colors.)
- Finally I move to the closing prayer where Rev. Lowrey eloquently began the prayer, but left so much to be desired on the closing. His rhyme at the end I felt made a mockery of prayer and I was absolutely offended when he stated for “the white to get it right”. Now I know there are a handful of white nut-jobs out there (i.e. KKK) that think their poop don’t stink and that all races except for white are in the wrong. And without question, those handful are ignorant beyond recognition. But I also now there are a handful of black nut-jobs that think white people are stupid too. Both of those are the minority of this wonderful melting pot called America. We are all created equal, and there is no reason that children from different races can’t play on the same playground. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream was a dream that 99% of us share. I have more respect for Dr. King than I do for many past presidents. But Rev. Lowrey went too far with his “declaration”. I take offense to that and whole-heartedly disagree with your evaluation of the “white” race. As long as we continue to segregate(no matter the color) there will be issues. Instead we should focus on the fact that God made us all and we are all beautiful in his sight. And we should all be beautiful in ours too.
By no means do these opinions reflect anyone other than myself. And I hope not to offend anyone, and I do want us to celebrate the historical significance of what took place on Jan 21, 2009. But lets celebrate with class and dignity. I will be praying everyday for President Obama, that God will guide his steps as he leads our country. That he will send a hedge of protection surrounding him, his family, and the rest of our countries leadership. I support our president, I believe in our president, and may God’s grace fall on him as he take’s the reigns from a man I prayed the exact same things for.
