Inauguration Retrospective

In honor of Barack Obama's presidency, today I'm reposting my thoughts from the 2013 Inauguration.  A new president will be installed today.  It's fair to hope that he will rise to the challenge.  It's also reasonable to expect that he is not up to it.

Four More for Forty-Four

Barack Obama’s second inauguration, they say, is one where hope gives way to the practical business of running the country in a time of extreme partisanship.  In my short post today, that will be all I acknowledge of what’s going on in Congress or elsewhere as we debate gun control, the national debt, or immigration.  I’d rather spend some time reflecting on the historic moment as we observe MLK day and see our president rise to the challenge of his second term.

You can click on the link at the end of this post to see a number of posts about the inauguration in 2009, but today, I am going to simply repeat a few of the messages that I had posted there for a retrospective.  Whatever the future holds for the president today, it is good to take a moment to consider the hope of the past – let’s not forget that.  So here we go:

From Mom:
“As a senior citizen,I am once again having hope in our country. This is a great day in American History and I am very glad and proud to be an American today in History.”

From Dad:
“On inauguration day in 2001 and 2005, I was full of fear and worry, because I knew that the USA had made the wrong choice for leadership. Today, I am full of peace and joy because finally we have gotten it right! It is about hope and optimism not about fear and dread. The upcoming changes to our country and even to our way of life will be slow coming, but will be drastic, and will be the foundation of a new and lasting legacy of hope and security for us all.”

From Aunt Rusti:
“It has been a long long march. It was wonderful having Sterling here with me and sharing with him my joy. I remember getting together in a subsidized housing complex in 1955 and meeting Martin Luther King just one of ten or twenty Duke Students; I remember refusing to get married in the First Baptist Church in Greensboro unless Yank and Effie could be seated with my family; I remember hearing noises in the woods behind my house in Durham and peeping through the woods to a field with a huge cross burning and men in robes (1961); My list is long. But these just help to let you know how deeply thrilled I am that he proved himself to me and to others, we elected him, and we must work for and with him for changes.”

From Greg, my former roommate in Berlin:

James Joyce wrote a brilliant line in "Ulysses," “history is a nightmare from which i am trying to awaken." …time to wake up.

From Yiming, another USAF friend:
"As far as the inauguration goes, I have great hope for the coming years and am extremely impressed with the transition so far. I am mindful that 48 million Americans do not support what he stands for, though I'm sure he will win some of them over. “

And from my friend Janice, who posted after attending the Inauguration in person:

"All I can say is...Wow. Today was truly a once in a lifetime experience. There is no way to describe what this day meant to me personally as a young African-American woman and an American citizen. I'm so taken by what this man has created…A movement of hope and change, and a renewed faith for everyone. His sincerity and warm demeanor is contagious and it was evident in the crowd today. The idea that was so stunning, so phenomenal, so breath taking that all I could all say was ‘Wow.’ ”

I’ll close with my own words from that day four years ago – a sentiment I feel even now. 

We heard the call to action this week, the call to service. Each of us has to make a contribution in the days ahead. What is the best way to have an impact? What is the best way to make that contribution?

One thing is for certain, this is a journey with many steps. The most important one is this first one, the one we take today, when President Obama is inaugurated.

(The poster pictured is Shepard Fairey's great work, which became the iconic image of the first Obama campaign).

http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/search/label/inauguration

Four More for Forty-Four

Barack Obama’s second inauguration, they say, is one where hope gives way to the practical business of running the country in a time of extreme partisanship.  In my short post today, that will be all I acknowledge of what’s going on in Congress or elsewhere as we debate gun control, the national debt, or immigration.  I’d rather spend some time reflecting on the historic moment as we observe MLK day and see our president rise to the challenge of his second term.

You can click on the link at the end of this post to see a number of posts about the inauguration in 2009, but today, I am going to simply repeat a few of the messages that I had posted there for a retrospective.  Whatever the future holds for the president today, it is good to take a moment to consider the hope of the past – let’s not forget that.  So here we go:

From Mom:
“As a senior citizen,I am once again having hope in our country. This is a great day in American History and I am very glad and proud to be an American today in History.”

From Dad:
“On inauguration day in 2001 and 2005, I was full of fear and worry, because I knew that the USA had made the wrong choice for leadership. Today, I am full of peace and joy because finally we have gotten it right! It is about hope and optimism not about fear and dread. The upcoming changes to our country and even to our way of life will be slow coming, but will be drastic, and will be the foundation of a new and lasting legacy of hope and security for us all.”

From Aunt Rusti:
“It has been a long long march. It was wonderful having Sterling here with me and sharing with him my joy. I remember getting together in a subsidized housing complex in 1955 and meeting Martin Luther King just one of ten or twenty Duke Students; I remember refusing to get married in the First Baptist Church in Greensboro unless Yank and Effie could be seated with my family; I remember hearing noises in the woods behind my house in Durham and peeping through the woods to a field with a huge cross burning and men in robes (1961); My list is long. But these just help to let you know how deeply thrilled I am that he proved himself to me and to others, we elected him, and we must work for and with him for changes.”

From Greg, my former roommate in Berlin:

James Joyce wrote a brilliant line in "Ulysses," “history is a nightmare from which i am trying to awaken." …time to wake up.

From Yiming, another USAF friend:
"As far as the inauguration goes, I have great hope for the coming years and am extremely impressed with the transition so far. I am mindful that 48 million Americans do not support what he stands for, though I'm sure he will win some of them over. “

And from my friend Janice, who posted after attending the Inauguration in person:

"All I can say is...Wow. Today was truly a once in a lifetime experience. There is no way to describe what this day meant to me personally as a young African-American woman and an American citizen. I'm so taken by what this man has created…A movement of hope and change, and a renewed faith for everyone. His sincerity and warm demeanor is contagious and it was evident in the crowd today. The idea that was so stunning, so phenomenal, so breath taking that all I could all say was ‘Wow.’ ”

I’ll close with my own words from that day four years ago – a sentiment I feel even now. 

We heard the call to action this week, the call to service. Each of us has to make a contribution in the days ahead. What is the best way to have an impact? What is the best way to make that contribution?

One thing is for certain, this is a journey with many steps. The most important one is this first one, the one we take today, when President Obama is inaugurated.

(The poster pictured is Shepard Fairey's great work, which became the iconic image of the first Obama campaign).

http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/search/label/inauguration

Tea Party Irony

I’ve stayed away from political commentary this election season on the blog, readers pretty well know where I come down in the spectrum (for a refresher, just click the “inauguration” label below…or let me help you this way: Mary and I met during the 1992 Clinton campaign, after an introduction from a fellow volunteer). But, I saw something Sunday that begs a comment. As I started writing, two or three other things came to mind - and then, a message from an old friend.  So now I’ve got to post a two-parter - I'll try not to rant.

 

Last Sunday I was driving on Skyline Drive on my way to Blackrock. Up ahead, I saw a large RV winding its way along, pulling a car. Soon enough I caught up, and when I did, I saw the membership bumper sticker for some Tea Party organization in Illinois. The irony just began to hit me as I thought about how the Tea Partiers claim they aren’t an organization, but for some reason we often see this kind of organizational identification association with them.

 

Turning my thoughts to the RV, I remember seeing a recent lifestyle segment on some news program about these vehicles, about how when gas prices went up during Bush to $4 per gallon, these vehicles went out of style. Now that gas is back in the mid-$2 range, they are making a comeback.

 

That same segment told me the average price of a used “Class A” RV is around $90K, although you can find them for less (a search this morning shows one for sale in California for $65K). An analysis of cost of ownership tells me that the life-cycle cost of one of these vehicles shows that as an owner you will spend the purchase price on maintenance every 6 to 8 years…

 

…so the Tea Party couple tooling along Skyline drive effectively has in the neighborhood of $15K to $20K a year to spend on recreation. Now, I started to wonder if this lifestyle is made possible because they are collecting Social Security, or using Medicare. Are they benefiting from the prescription drugs programs for seniors? I’m going to make an assumption here that they have not rejected taking benefits from these programs, despite the Tea Party’s frequent assertion that they aren’t Constitutional, that the provision of programs like this isn’t an appropriate governmental role.

 

My thoughts came back to the drive and maintaining a safe distance, since I had caught up with the RV.

 

We passed a sign that said, “Overlook closed ahead.” For those who aren’t familiar with Skyline Drive, the overlooks are the pull-offs along the way that feature often monumental views of our beloved Page Valley. As we passed the closed overlook, a sign at the entrance and exit points reminded us, “Your stimulus dollars at work…”

 

Back to my well-off fellow travelers driving along in their federally subsidized life-style…another Tea Party contention is that the stimulus program was a stretch for the federal government, an overreach. Many economists now say it likely should have been bigger, even though it put the brakes on the recession we were skidding into at the time.

 

Still waiting for an opportunity to pass, we passed by another overlook, again closed for stimulus-funded renovation. Now I was getting angry and impatient. Fed up with the irony that this pair of jerks espouses membership in a Tea Party organization when the evidence that we have a great country here was right there in front of them – indeed, they are living it!

 

Don’t even get me started on the statements that many of these unprepared Tea Party candidates have made about elements of the Constitution they would repeal – that is the next place my thoughts went as we continued along:

 

• Rand Paul, who would repeal civil rights provision. 
• Christine O’Donnell, who claims the establishment clause of the first amendment does not separate church from state. 
• So many of them, who believe this country can be governed by taking a no compromise stand with those who – with the same commitment to keeping this country great – disagree with them.

…and that one in ten of their supporters, in this day and age, says that the President’s race is an issue.

 

Finally, we came to an overlook that is due for renovation in a future phase of construction. The RV pulled off. For a moment I thought about following them, parking in front of them, my “Veterans for Obama” bumper sticker showing in full glory.

 

But then, a confrontation of that sort wasn’t what I was after on Sunday. And protecting their right to an opinion is part of what my USAF service was all about.

 

Still, as I drove on, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at the irony from my fellow travelers. I hope that some Tea Party candidates are elected next week - it appears inevitable in any case. They will caucus with the Republicans, and that leadership will have to deal with them and these viewpoints. They won’t have the opportunity to make an unwise change to the Constitution, I can’t imagine they’ll even have the opportunity to discuss it for long. They’ll serve their two years and this “movement” will be flushed into the history books.

 

And any damage that they do won’t last long. The rest of us – the majority of us – will see to that.

Inauguration Day - a wrap

Here's a final post to go with the new video I've posted. Thanks everyone for keeping an eye on our blog here, and for your very special and important posts, as we experienced the peaceful change in our government once again, and as we celebrate our democracy in this special way we do once every four years.

The first week hasn't been without its shenanigans from the press, comically focusing on so many misdirected and frankly not-newsworthy elements of the Inauguration. The taped music, the flubbed oath.

My own attribution of this kind of comedy is that it started with the Newt era in 1994...it's a failed movement, and it's over. Although there are still the pitiful remarks eminating from the likes of Chris Wallace and Rush Limbaugh. They have nothing new to offer and I hope that their listeners will come around to that fact - and they will, unless they are listening solely for entertainment value.

Getting back to the change, I've dug up this old video of Mick and Keith at the 9-11 concerts. While this event was directed at marking the events of that time, I think the song has a broader connection to us all. It's rarely performed live, but let's keep the Salt of the Earth in our minds and hearts as the change takes hold, it's a big part of what this is all about.

One warning, if you stay with it and watch to the end, there is an f-bomb after the song is over. I know it's there and this is an advisory to you. It's an accurate statement, however, and was meant as a comfort to the audience.

Inauguration Day - a few more comments

These posts were in the comments we received during the Inauguration Day observances. They are from relatives, but I thought they were worth being brought out into a single post that stands on its own. Putting them up in chronological order – thanks all for a special, virtual Inauguration experience.

From Mom:
“As a senior citizen,I am once again having hope in our country. This is a great day in American History and I am very glad and proud to be an American today in History.”

From Dad:
“On inauguration day in 2001 and 2005, I was full of fear and worry, because I knew that the USA had made the wrong choice for leadership. Today, I am full of peace and joy because finally we have gotten it right! It is about hope and optimism not about fear and dread. The upcoming changes to our country and even to our way of life will be slow coming, but will be drastic, and will be the foundation of a new and lasting legacy of hope and security for us all.”

From Aunt Rusti:
“It has been a long long march. It was wonderful having Sterling here with me and sharing with him my joy. I remember getting together in a subsicized housing complex in 1955 and meeting Martin Luther King just one of ten or twenty Duke Students; I remember refusing to get married in the First Baptist Church in Greensboro unless Yank and Effie could be seated with my family; I remember hearing noises in the woods behind my house in Durham and peeping through the woods to a field with a huge cross burning and men in robes (1961); My list is long. But these just help to let you know how deeply thrilled I am that he proved himself to me and to others, we elected him, and we must work for and with him for changes.”

Inauguration Day - Eyewitness blog from a volunteer

Blue Ridge Data, one of the H-burg blogs in my blogging community, has this post up today, from volunteer Jill who worked on the Mall during the festivities yesterday:

http://blueridgedata.blogspot.com/2009/01/eyewitness-blog-from-obama-inaugration.html

Good on you, Jill!

Inauguration Day - Satellite Image of the Mall

My friend Karl sent along a link to this image, published at geoeye.com, where it is currently available for download.

MSNBC was quoting crowd estimates of 1.8 million at the swearing in, this part of the crowd is likely to be less than 20% of them!

Inauguration Day - the West Coast checks in

This from Brian, in San Francisco, a frequent commenter:

"I think it is very cool that Barrack is basically our age and rose to the
highest elected post (I say elected ~ because we all know that Oprah wields much
more power than any ol' President of these here United States) in our country
from a very common background. No spoiled silver-spoon-in-my-mouth Yalie there.

I was watching some of the Inauguration festivities at work during lunch and
thought it both exciting and gutsy when he got out and walked several blocks
along the route to the White House. The whole procession seemed a bit surreal...
this was better than watching your home team win the Superbowl and have a parade
down Main Street. Who knew that Barrack is a Rock star?! "

Inauguration Day - some late arriving texts

From Greg, my former roommate in Berlin:

“…but I loved hearing the phrase ‘former President Bush’… it started bad, it framed his presidency...a farce from day one.”

I don't want to hear anymore [bs] about red states and blue states and Jesus and SCARY [homosexuals] and any of that other divisive Rovian [stuff]!!

James Joyce wrote a brilliant line in "Ulysses," “history is a nightmare from which i am trying to awaken." …time to wake up.

...and from Yiming, another USAF friend:

"As far as the inauguration goes, I have great hope for the coming years and am extremely impressed with the transition so far. I am mindful that 48 million Americans do not support what he stands for, though I'm sure he will win some of them over. He's a calm cucumber, that's for sure too. I was kind of p'o'ed at Roberts for flubbing a simple 30 some word oath.

As far as the other stuff, I liked Michelle's Toledo outfit, very courageous statement, her own fashion sense and proud of it. I actually liked the grand dame Aretha Franklin's hat, very dapper, early 20th century feel. I was wondering why GHW Bush was limping with a cane - will have to research it a little. I was struck by how the VP wives were all in such good shape physically, Carter is shrinking because of his age. The president and VP men all are aging much quicker than their wives.

And one comment on the crowd. Obviously very few of those folks had ever been to a big event on the mall. The fact that they had to stand in line just to get into the museums and other buildings to get/stay warm after the ceremony was a bummer I would not have subjected myself to without adequate preparation.

And lastly, I'm not sure partying is something I would be doing. Commemorating the occasion and then rolling up the sleeves and getting to work is the only way to go. We've been partying with wall street excesses for too many years now. All that wealth and prosperity during the Bush administration, well, it was not real wealth and prosperity. Some ugly truths need to laid bare for those who think we can return to that. And that's not a job I want."

Inauguration Day - From Janice, on the Mall

Janice has just posted me after attending the Inauguration in person.

"All I can say is...Wow. Today was truly a once in a lifetime experience. There is no way to describe what this day meant to me personally as a young African-American woman and an American citizen. I'm so taken by what this man has created.

A movement of hope and change, and a renewed faith for everyone. His sincerity and warm demeanor is contagious and it was evident in the crowd today. The idea It was so stunning, so phenomenal, so breath taking that all I could all say was "Wow."

Barack Obama has set a defining moment for the US and the world. I believe that because of the gift God created in President Obama, this world is forever changed for the better.

I am so honored and blessed to have been a part of it and to have shared this experience with my children; especially my young sons who will never remember a world where a black man couldn't be president. I rejoice in the fact that their norm is that of a more equal and just America, an America more like the one their ancestors dreamed of and prayed for. They have no idea how greatly this moment will forever impact their lives.

I'm looking forward to responding to the call of President Obamato take personal ownership in the restoration of our magnificent country. Change has come and more change is coming. As you said Jim, today is the first of many steps. So let's get to work! This is going to be an AWESOME 4 years!"

Inauguration Day - activities update

For our own observation of the inauguration, Mary and I decided to put our bunting up – we’ll keep it up for the rest of the week – and we took our chances on driving to friends Pris and Art’s house in Arlington. We hit the road after 10am, and we very surprised to see almost no traffic on the roads by that time.
When we arrived, the brunch spread was on. Art cooked up barbeque with cole slaw, Memphis style, and there were all kinds of other goodies to munch on.




Here are two of my photos from significant events during the program – the inauguration of the Vice President – at that moment, change was official; and then the inauguration of the President, at last.








Finally, here is the photo of ex-President Bush getting on the helicopter. It is a fond memory of mine to think back to the ’93 inauguration, I happened to be on the east side of the Capitol when the Bushes came out and boarded their flight away. Mary and I met during the '93 campaign.

I sent a congratulatory “wheels up” message to many of the friends in my phone directory – and rec’d a half dozen “cheers” in response.

Now it’s time to put these last 8 years behind us. It is a new and beautiful day. Let’s get started.

Inauguration Day - some more text greetings

I had notes from two friends who went down to the Mall to be a part of the events today, Janice and Stan, and another, Jack, who texted in from LA.

Janice, a great friend from a few years ago at Jacobs, brought the family up from Raleigh to be a part of the event. She, her husband and kids, all were part of this great experience on the Mall today with an estimated 1.8 million.

Also from Stan, a USAF friend from Berlin, who’s family went downtown to be part of the events.

And finally, Jack, one of my mentors and a professor at USC, who watched the festivities in LA. Last summer during my visit out to the campus, I happened to follow Jack in from the beaches and saw his Obama bumper sticker. This is significant for him, he said, a long road from the sixties. Jack demonstrated against the Oakland draft board in 1964, something I just learned today.

Inauguration Days Thoughts from Friends

I'll post the emails and thoughts coming in as I can today.

Here's one from Roy, an Air Force buddy in Illinois:

"In my mind, growing up in Central Illinois and living here now, I think our perspective is a little different - we tend to lean to the right. One thing that is amazing is that it does feel that we've finally moved past something in electing this president. There is new hope, new energy that may just help pull us out of a long period of not feeling good about ourselves and questioning our country's purpose. I'm impressed by the new President's pragmatism and willingness to move past ideology. Hopefully he help unite all of us for the better."

Yes We Will

Something big is happening today and I don't think there's anyone not feeling the energy. You have to admit that there is a charge in the air - that everyone has something to look forward to, today - when our government will go through a peaceful transition.

The papers are full of stories today on what's ahead, on the historic nature of this dawning presidency. Here on the morning of the big day, something we've been looking forward to for eight years, a couple of perspective induced thoughts come to mind.

While we didn't agree with him then, and we never came around to any sort of agreement with outgoing President Bush's perspective, views or direction, he came to office with no less an enthusiastic group of supporters. And they set out to do what they thought were great things - a promise and optimism that was quickly squandered and then lost when it became clear this wasn't a vision that included everyone, only a powerful few.

Change we can believe in became the theme, echoed in 2004 and then again in 2006, and now, finally, creating the change will absorb the bulk of not just President Obama's energy - but the energy of the entire country, and it will be a long road ahead.

We heard the call to action this week, the call to service. Each of us has to make a contribution in the days ahead. What is the best way to have an impact? What is the best way to make that contribution?

One thing is for certain, this is a journey with many steps. The most important one is this first one, the one we take today, when President Obama is inaugurated.

(The poster pictured is Shepard Fairey's great work, which became the iconic image of the Obama campaign).

Inauguration Traffic - Update from Alexandria

It's America's big celebration of democracy, and the peaceful transition of government. But if yesterday is any example for what's to come, folks planning to attend the celebrations at the Mall tomorrow should be prepared for some challenging logistics. There is a link to a WaPo pdf map of the mall at the end of this post.

We went into Old Town Alexandria yesterday, a short trip for us that takes us by the King Street Metro station, which offers a direct trip into DC via the Blue or Yellow lines (they will both be re-routed tomorrow, a standard practice for big Mall events).

In every direction, for six blocks around the station, all of the street parking was taken. Fortunately as residents we know some secret back street locations to park and had no problem, however, I'd expect the parking challenge to be worse tomorrow.

Once you are on the train, from King Street you progress through Crystal and Pentagon City stations - both areas are rich with tourist and business hotels, so already crowded trains will be delayed and only get more crowded.

Finally, at the destination, there will be all the walking and check points - not to be underestimated, the distance from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol is 2 miles. So this note is not to discourage attendance, but to let everyone know to be prepared.

A few more random notes. A big news story going around is about the lack of sanitary facilities - they are saying that only about half of the number of port-a-potties for the estimated crowd size will be available. Also, we heard that yesterday there were more police in DC than there are soldiers in Afghanistan.

Here is a link to a pdf on WashingtonPost.com - a map of the Mall.
http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/inaugcentral/maps/parade.pdf