Impressions of Inauguration Day 2009
I am working in the stained glass store today which thankfully has a TV. Aside from 30 seconds during Obama's speech, the day has been uninterrupted (bad for business, good for me). I know I am posting like a mad fiend today, and not in a very cohesive manner, but I keep finding myself with thoughts.
I watched CBS coverage. Before the ceremony, they had Bush's former chief of staff, Andy Card, as a commentator. I almost fell off my chair laughing when Katie Couric asked about Bush's failures, including the moment on the aircraft carrier with the "MIssion Accomplished" banner. Card actually tried to spin it buy saying that the banner referred specifically to the carrier's own mission, not the war/action in general. OMG are you serious? After all of this, you want us to take that spin sitting down? Good grief.
Even though I am sitting by myself in a room, the energy emanating from D.C. has been palpable. I would not have been able to tolerate it very well because big crowds mean massive sensory overload. So it was fine to watch from inside (not to mention much warmer!)
I don't tend to go for all of the patriotic stuff. I've become too cynical, especially after the past 8 years. But there were several times today where I felt gladly compelled to stand - when they got to the White House, when Obama emerged from the Capital building, when he was sworn in. I even stood with my hand over my heart for the national anthem. My only fear is that the expectation of Obama is so high... how much satisfaction can we have? It is going to be interesting to see just how much, but any at all will be a major improvement.
Rick Warren - the smug part of me wants to say he buckled under he pressure and controversy. I thought his invocation was stilted and rough and not at all impressive. I am not sure he *could* have impressed me, but still. I remain very skeptical about his being picked for this task, because he publicly compared gay marriage to incest and pedophilia and has not publicly repudiated his remarks (I don't care what he told Melissa Etheridge in private - he needs to say it to ALL of us). Rev. Lowery - now that's how to get people into a prayer. I am not a religious person, though I love me that Gospel Wake Up Call at Falcon Ridge (I don't care what your spiritual leanings, just about everyone present is on fire for that time on that Sunday). I loved how Lowery had the whole crowd chiming in to his Amen! which felt like a great pulling together of everything at the end. I say "amen" not in the religious sense, but in the "let's all do this TOGETHER" sense.
Obama's speech was terrific. It was to the point and direct. It did its job with me, making me feel like I need to get busy, dammit! There was one bit of contradiction that hit me. He commented at one point that we as a nation were not going to apologize for who we are or how we live. But then later he commented on how nations of some relative plenty need to be conscious of the resources we use and how that affects the whole planet. Part of the problem with American is consumer excess. Four percent of the world uses 25% of the resources. We do need to apologize for that, and change it. It's our demand for cheap crap that affects so much of the rest of the world which uses up resources so excessively. That's just me being nitpicky.
It struck me while watching all of this pomp and circumstance, the crowds, the enormous preparation and structures put in place, that this is all for ONE MAN. ONE human being. No matter who is President, it is rather messianic. Talk about use of resources. That said, it has to have been awesome to be present for this event. And when Obama was moving through the Capital building, he was led by Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein. Two powerful woman politicians leading the first African- American president to take his office. How far we have come, and how much promise there is for how much farther we can go.
Bye bye Bush. I have so much enmity for you that all I will say here is Good bye and Good Riddance. Oh and Dick Cheney? That goes double for you.
There may be more later. But that's good for now :-)
Happy New President Day!
I watched CBS coverage. Before the ceremony, they had Bush's former chief of staff, Andy Card, as a commentator. I almost fell off my chair laughing when Katie Couric asked about Bush's failures, including the moment on the aircraft carrier with the "MIssion Accomplished" banner. Card actually tried to spin it buy saying that the banner referred specifically to the carrier's own mission, not the war/action in general. OMG are you serious? After all of this, you want us to take that spin sitting down? Good grief.
Even though I am sitting by myself in a room, the energy emanating from D.C. has been palpable. I would not have been able to tolerate it very well because big crowds mean massive sensory overload. So it was fine to watch from inside (not to mention much warmer!)
I don't tend to go for all of the patriotic stuff. I've become too cynical, especially after the past 8 years. But there were several times today where I felt gladly compelled to stand - when they got to the White House, when Obama emerged from the Capital building, when he was sworn in. I even stood with my hand over my heart for the national anthem. My only fear is that the expectation of Obama is so high... how much satisfaction can we have? It is going to be interesting to see just how much, but any at all will be a major improvement.
Rick Warren - the smug part of me wants to say he buckled under he pressure and controversy. I thought his invocation was stilted and rough and not at all impressive. I am not sure he *could* have impressed me, but still. I remain very skeptical about his being picked for this task, because he publicly compared gay marriage to incest and pedophilia and has not publicly repudiated his remarks (I don't care what he told Melissa Etheridge in private - he needs to say it to ALL of us). Rev. Lowery - now that's how to get people into a prayer. I am not a religious person, though I love me that Gospel Wake Up Call at Falcon Ridge (I don't care what your spiritual leanings, just about everyone present is on fire for that time on that Sunday). I loved how Lowery had the whole crowd chiming in to his Amen! which felt like a great pulling together of everything at the end. I say "amen" not in the religious sense, but in the "let's all do this TOGETHER" sense.
Obama's speech was terrific. It was to the point and direct. It did its job with me, making me feel like I need to get busy, dammit! There was one bit of contradiction that hit me. He commented at one point that we as a nation were not going to apologize for who we are or how we live. But then later he commented on how nations of some relative plenty need to be conscious of the resources we use and how that affects the whole planet. Part of the problem with American is consumer excess. Four percent of the world uses 25% of the resources. We do need to apologize for that, and change it. It's our demand for cheap crap that affects so much of the rest of the world which uses up resources so excessively. That's just me being nitpicky.
It struck me while watching all of this pomp and circumstance, the crowds, the enormous preparation and structures put in place, that this is all for ONE MAN. ONE human being. No matter who is President, it is rather messianic. Talk about use of resources. That said, it has to have been awesome to be present for this event. And when Obama was moving through the Capital building, he was led by Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein. Two powerful woman politicians leading the first African- American president to take his office. How far we have come, and how much promise there is for how much farther we can go.
Bye bye Bush. I have so much enmity for you that all I will say here is Good bye and Good Riddance. Oh and Dick Cheney? That goes double for you.
There may be more later. But that's good for now :-)
Happy New President Day!