Welcome, President Obama
Four years ago America was swearing in George W. Bush. A certain element of our society took his re-election as a mandate to return our nation to the Middle Ages. Across the country, and even in our deep Blue county, there was an uprising of haters hoping to seize the moment, to take the enlightened philosophy of our forefathers and trash it. The President had declared that "dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life." Until his Presidency America was proud not to have a "way of life," but many ways of life. The administration built its power on the fear that people like us were threatened by people who are not like us.
It is time now for the United States of America to join the world. We can't live in fear of foreigners, we can't base every decision on our fear and mistrust of one another. We're good people in this country, and there are good people around the world, and we need to work with them to the benefit of all of us.
Today we inaugurate President Barack Obama. Nobody knows how the new guy will do. He will probably get caught up in some Washington politics sometimes, he will certainly be criticized and attacked by those who prefer to live in fear of the unknown. His proposed changes will be tempered by the unforeseen demands of reality and the erosive effect of operating in a gigantic governmental bureaucracy, so be it.
Today people will be dancing in the streets. Washington has never seen a crowd like this, I have never seen this kind of glow in people. Four years ago people were gloomy, walking slowly with their heads down, today strangers talk to strangers, people sing walking down the street.
The next four years may not be as good as we hope, but they will be better than the last four.
It is time now for the United States of America to join the world. We can't live in fear of foreigners, we can't base every decision on our fear and mistrust of one another. We're good people in this country, and there are good people around the world, and we need to work with them to the benefit of all of us.
Today we inaugurate President Barack Obama. Nobody knows how the new guy will do. He will probably get caught up in some Washington politics sometimes, he will certainly be criticized and attacked by those who prefer to live in fear of the unknown. His proposed changes will be tempered by the unforeseen demands of reality and the erosive effect of operating in a gigantic governmental bureaucracy, so be it.
Today people will be dancing in the streets. Washington has never seen a crowd like this, I have never seen this kind of glow in people. Four years ago people were gloomy, walking slowly with their heads down, today strangers talk to strangers, people sing walking down the street.
The next four years may not be as good as we hope, but they will be better than the last four.
posted by JimK at 7:54 AM
20 Comments:
A poll by CNN released today is showing that most black Americans believed that MLK's vision has been fulfilled.
With this mission accomplished, we can start tearing down discrimination laws, which were temporary impediments to personal freedom to rectify systemic social injustice. These laws are now obselete and antiquated intrusions. Obama's election demonstrates this.
In a first step, the Supreme Court has accepted a case to consider whether the Voting Rights Act, which allowed the Federal intervention in state election agencies, is still valid after the election of an African American President. Think I know where they're going on this.
Good luck to President Obama. He's got some incorrect positions and needs some education but he's already proved that America is not the bigoted place that gangrenous groups like TTF have always insisted it was. We owe him a debt of gratitude for disproving a central tenet of leftist ideology.
A poll by CNN released today is showing that most black Americans believed that MLK's vision has been fulfilled.
In 2004, the FBI reported that 53.8% of all hate crimes committed in the USA were motivated by race, and by a ratio of approximately 4:1, these hate crimes were directed against non-whites.
The poll reflects that King's vision that a black man in America would someday be judged by the content of his character rather than by the color of his skin has been fulfilled. But it's obvious King's vision of a promised land of equality and racial harmony has not yet been achieved, as the FBI hate crime stats demonstrate. The Obama family residing in the White House for the next four years will do much to help us fulfill the rest of King's vision.
The crowds on the mall were spectacular, but it was a long walk from Arlington. At the memorial bridge, someone had put up a big blowup statue of Bush in imitation of the Hussein statue, and they were pretending to topple it. People were throwing shoes at it.
It was fun, not to be missed.
rrjr
that's sad, Robert
people prefer to dwell on their hatred than moving on to better things
Bea, discrimination laws and hate crimes have no connection
guys, your man, Obama, the first African American president, has an 80% approval rating in a land that Bea imagines is seething with bigotry
get out of the way if you can't lend a hand 'cause the times they are a-changin'
I think the President had a racist deliver the benediction this afternoon:
"we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right"
you notice that this is a call to "work for that day....when white will embrace what is right"
I'll admit, I chuckled when I heard this.
Still, is this an example of uniting us as a people?
As someone who remembers segregated schools and Anita Bryant, I agree with anonymous:
"the times, they are a-changing."
We watched a huge step in that change on the mall today.
Well at least anonymous didn't throw out the talking point about "how Obama flubbed the oath."
It's the Michelle Malkin talking point of "Reverend Lowery is a racist because of that poem."
But I don't like this practice that anonymous does of throwing out straw man arguments in order to shoot them down.
The idea that TFF or "the left" thinks that America is inherently racist is something YOU said, anonymous. I never said it and I don't recall anyone here saying it.
Of course now I wonder how long it will take you to dig through past posts to find a comment you will take out of context to prove your point.
hey Alvin
I thought Roberts actually messed up Barack, maybe intentionally, by not pausing at the appropriate places but stringing too many words together.
Anyway, I'm sure that moment endured Obama to the American people. Who couldn't empathize? Basically, the whole wide world's watching and he gets nervous and distracted. We're all on his side.
Obama's not another Reagan but he's definitely more likable than the last three.
We're just hoping to lure him back from the dark side of the force.
btw, I wasn't using a straw man. I was referring to Bea's comment above:
"it's obvious King's vision of a promised land of equality and racial harmony has not yet been achieved"
But, as I said at the top, the majority of blacks in America disagree with Mrs. TTF.
“in a land that Bea imagines is seething with bigotry”
Bea gave you actual FBI statistics - AKA facts.
So it would seem that you're imagining that facts can just up and be imagined.
That being that case, would you characterize this fantasy of yours as recurring or periodic?
--
“But, as I said at the top, the majority of blacks in America disagree with Mrs. TTF.”
So, Aunt Bea is now “Mrs. TTF” -- should be referred to as such -- and now speaks for every single person who has anything to do with Teach The Facts as an organization.
And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Anonymous now speaks for the “majority of blacks in America.”
Below is Obama´s stance on LGBT issues and I hope that, in the near future, this will all make it illegal for ¨ex-gay¨ practices to take place, as they are harmful to one´s health and well-being.
From the WONDERFUL new website, www.whitehouse.gov:
CIVIL RIGHTS
"The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen -- they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs.... We have more work to do."
-- Barack Obama, Speech at Howard University, September 28, 2007
President Barack Obama has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. Whether promoting economic opportunity, working to improve our nation's education and health system, or protecting the right to vote, President Obama has been a powerful advocate for our civil rights.
* Combat Employment Discrimination: President Obama and Vice President Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.
* End Deceptive Voting Practices: President Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.
* End Racial Profiling: President Obama and Vice President Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
* Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support: President Obama and Vice President Biden will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama and Biden will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.
* Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
* Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.
Support for the LGBT Community
"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
* Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
* Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
* Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
* Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
* Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
* Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
* Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.
Direct Source URL:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/
Derrick said: "...and I hope that, in the near future, this will all make it illegal for ¨ex-gay¨ practices to take place...."
Huh? So if a man is gay, he's never going to be allowed to be attracted to women? It will be against the law?
What will his punishment be for sleeping with a woman, Derrick?
Or are you saying that if he's gay, then he's allowed to tell the world he's gay. But if he's not gay anymore, then he's not allowed to talk about it or write about his experiences?
Gee, that sure sounds tolerant, Derrick. No one can say you're not tolerant.
No, AnonBigot, I am not tolerant of lies, fake science and hate. Not one bit.
¨Ex-gays¨ do not exist. They are simply people who, unfortunately,have been brainwashed to be afraid of and feel guilty about their true being. Nope, I am not tolerant of that.
Anonymous,
I won't even comment on how patronizing your comments are to me, especially in light of the fact that neither I nor anyone in my household nor anyone in my neighborhood was asked to be a part of that CNN poll.
You do forget that I am an African-American.
Derrick,
Your belligerent tone here reminds me of a rebellious, jealous child. Could it be that you are jealous that some other gay men have found a way out? It seems to be the only reason that you could possibly have to begrudge them their newfound happiness.
If they want to share their experiences so that others might benefit, why in the world should that be OUTLAWED?
You sure do know how to make a person laugh out loud (LOL), AnonBigot.
Now you are calling me belligerent because I don´t tolerate hate, fake science and lies?
Then, fine, I will admit it..I am belligerently OUTSPOKEN... for tolerance, real science and truth. Yes, I sure am.
Keep trying, AnonBigot. Your hate and intolerance just simply can not be justified. It never will be, no matter how much you try (lie).
¡Viva Obama!
For the record, anonymous, I don't have a problem with anyone who declares themselves as 'ex-gay.' I have a HUGE problem when try to make life harder for those who are comfortable with our orientation. When they team up with groups like Focus on the Family and tell lies about laws that would protect lgbts from discrimination and the like, that tells me that they are not interested in merely 'sharing their story with people who are not comfortable as lgbts.' They are clearly trying to manipulate the process to create more uncomfortable lgbts.
Today is the first day of the 21st century.
Happy New Era, everyone!
As I've said before, "ex-gay" "therapies" are likely to be injurious to those subjected to them. All reputable professional medical and counseling organizations oppose them.
I think they should be treated as medical malpractice. I also think that parents who force their children into these programs should be charged with abuse and neglect.
I realize these are strong statements. As I've said, this movement has the potential, indeed the repeated effect, of significant harm to those involved.
It is not a neutral issue.
I think the President had a racist deliver the benediction this afternoon:
"we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right"
Did you think it was a racist who delivered this line too?
Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
In the interest of full disclosure of all the facts, here is the full text of Reverend Joseph Lowery's benediction at Obama's Inauguration:
God of our weary years, god of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our god, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed -- the wind of greed and corruption -- and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, first lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
"Did you think it was a racist who delivered this line too?"
It was the same giy wasn't it?
Post a Comment
<< Home