Memorable Inaugural Lines
Barack Obama-Inaugural Address
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply….
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Elizabeth Alexander-Inaugural Poem
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”
Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.
In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.
Reverend Joseph Lowery-Inaugural Benediction
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. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen
I liked his line about how we should not judge our government on whether it is big or small, but if it works.
I liked his line about how we should not judge our government on whether it is big or small, but if it works.
Finally, I feel like a president as spoken to me directly, when he mentioned makers & non-believers.
It’s been kinda funny watching the business new people freak out over “prosperity is not just for the prosperous.”
Finally, I feel like a president as spoken to me directly, when he mentioned makers & non-believers.
It’s been kinda funny watching the business new people freak out over “prosperity is not just for the prosperous.”
This is good:
[Emphasis added] This is an excellent way to put it. A key problem with post-Reagan Republican economic policy has been its casual equation of good news for “haves and have mores” with good news for all of us. That we consider this insufficient hardly qualifies any of us as anti-capitalist.
I also appreciated Obama’s brief acknowledgment of non-believers. Couldn’t bring himself to speak well of ‘atheists’, but at least he didn’t continue the traditional disregard of the theologically disaffected.
This is good:
[Emphasis added] This is an excellent way to put it. A key problem with post-Reagan Republican economic policy has been its casual equation of good news for “haves and have mores” with good news for all of us. That we consider this insufficient hardly qualifies any of us as anti-capitalist.
I also appreciated Obama’s brief acknowledgment of non-believers. Couldn’t bring himself to speak well of ‘atheists’, but at least he didn’t continue the traditional disregard of the theologically disaffected.
.. actually this problem with Republican economic policy goes back a long way before Reagan. I guess I must be feeling generous this morning
.. actually this problem with Republican economic policy goes back a long way before Reagan. I guess I must be feeling generous this morning
Well said Seth. For myself, there was much to like on this historic day. I was pleased that President Obama (man I sure like referring to my President with pride again, may it last through his entire tenure), did not regale with specious oratorical pageantry, but instead, was more controlled, calm and humble to suggest that we have much work to do. And that it is high time we set about it.
I have seen smiling people all day, and I too have been one of them.
To say that our long National nightmare is over, is both overstating the past administration, and understating our current National position on many fronts. However, I feel invigorated by this day. A spring in my step, a gleam in my eye that had not been there for some time.
As though I have awoken from a long, troubled sleep.
Congratulations to our new President. And congratulations America and Americans. We have done ourselves proud this day.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Senators Byrd and Kennedy.
Peace,
- Zhirem
Well said Seth. For myself, there was much to like on this historic day. I was pleased that President Obama (man I sure like referring to my President with pride again, may it last through his entire tenure), did not regale with specious oratorical pageantry, but instead, was more controlled, calm and humble to suggest that we have much work to do. And that it is high time we set about it.
I have seen smiling people all day, and I too have been one of them.
To say that our long National nightmare is over, is both overstating the past administration, and understating our current National position on many fronts. However, I feel invigorated by this day. A spring in my step, a gleam in my eye that had not been there for some time.
As though I have awoken from a long, troubled sleep.
Congratulations to our new President. And congratulations America and Americans. We have done ourselves proud this day.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Senators Byrd and Kennedy.
Peace,
- Zhirem
As one of the “non-believers” who has become increasingly fearful that America is becoming more and more hostile to my “kind”, it felt very good to have the President actually affirm that I am not a second-class citizen because I don’t have religious beliefs. It certainly wasn’t my only take-away from the address, but it meant a lot.
We sure do have a lot of work to do. I think our President is made of stern enough stuff to get thru it, but I wonder about the people who have to do the real work– the American public– and whether we can tighten our belts, come together as a community, and actually make this work.
(And, yes, I do wonder if I am strong enough put aside my own cynicism and mistrust in my fellow Man to be part of the positive change that we need. That’s gonna be tough.)
As one of the “non-believers” who has become increasingly fearful that America is becoming more and more hostile to my “kind”, it felt very good to have the President actually affirm that I am not a second-class citizen because I don’t have religious beliefs. It certainly wasn’t my only take-away from the address, but it meant a lot.
We sure do have a lot of work to do. I think our President is made of stern enough stuff to get thru it, but I wonder about the people who have to do the real work– the American public– and whether we can tighten our belts, come together as a community, and actually make this work.
(And, yes, I do wonder if I am strong enough put aside my own cynicism and mistrust in my fellow Man to be part of the positive change that we need. That’s gonna be tough.)
From this sorry old curmudgeon, I have to point to a line, and an agenda item from the new whitehouse.gov web site:
“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. ”
And this
“President Obama and Vice President Biden will invest in a 21st century military to maintain our conventional advantage while increasing our capacity to defeat the threats of tomorrow. They will ensure our troops have the training, equipment and support that they need when they are deployed.”
And this:
“Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security — the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
“Pakistan: Obama and Biden will increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan.”
There is so much wrong with this set of notions that one is hard pressed to know where to begin. The land mass known collectively as Afghanistan is nothing but a Tar Baby. To start with the notion that this congeries of tribal, ethnic, clan and family units, ruled over by opium-funded warlords whose “loyalties” can be rented (not bought) by a handful of Viagra pills and more weapons and cash “tribute,” and with a level of corruption that by all reports may not be exceeded even in Our Nation’s Capital.
Does our new President really believe that “Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred”? And that the Google Maps entry labeled “Afghanistan” is where we are going to fight the good fight against what sounds mighty like a new “Axis of Evil,” because that far-reaching bunch of violent haters are going to volunteer to duke it out in the Wasteland? That “the Taliban” is some kind of new Communist Monolith? I thought I heard al Quaeda was pretty much a non-entity any more. Cripes, bring back John Foster Dulles – HE was sharper than that. More troops, more Allies’ troops, LOTS more money including more billions to “disappear” into the capacious retirement accounts of Karzai and his cronies? More chances for guys in sweeping robes and long beards to blow the f___ out of those troops, with IEDs and EFPs and booby traps and all? No mention I can see of reducing, or better, killing off, the roles of contractors like Blackwater and KBR? Is the new administration afraid to bring all those thousand-yard-stare-ers back home to Indiana? And now “we” are going to build another nation on the rocky fractured basalt and sand of that dry quagmire? Have we learned NOTHING?
And “Defense,” taken with the language of the Address, looks a lot like more of the same to me — lots of continued emphasis on big weapons systems and “projecting power” and multiplying the military’s missions, maybe at the expense of what should be, like, y’know, totally diplomatic or people-to-people kinds of stuff?
Right out of the blocks, it sounds to these jaded ears like we have a new serving of the Bush Doctrine (“Stupidity and futility and killing people can take the place of good sense any day, as long as somebody is making Big Bucks off it.”)
But I’m sure I’ll be told all the reasons why I’m off the beam or off my rocker.
From this sorry old curmudgeon, I have to point to a line, and an agenda item from the new whitehouse.gov web site:
“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. ”
And this
“President Obama and Vice President Biden will invest in a 21st century military to maintain our conventional advantage while increasing our capacity to defeat the threats of tomorrow. They will ensure our troops have the training, equipment and support that they need when they are deployed.”
And this:
“Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security — the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
“Pakistan: Obama and Biden will increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan.”
There is so much wrong with this set of notions that one is hard pressed to know where to begin. The land mass known collectively as Afghanistan is nothing but a Tar Baby. To start with the notion that this congeries of tribal, ethnic, clan and family units, ruled over by opium-funded warlords whose “loyalties” can be rented (not bought) by a handful of Viagra pills and more weapons and cash “tribute,” and with a level of corruption that by all reports may not be exceeded even in Our Nation’s Capital.
Does our new President really believe that “Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred”? And that the Google Maps entry labeled “Afghanistan” is where we are going to fight the good fight against what sounds mighty like a new “Axis of Evil,” because that far-reaching bunch of violent haters are going to volunteer to duke it out in the Wasteland? That “the Taliban” is some kind of new Communist Monolith? I thought I heard al Quaeda was pretty much a non-entity any more. Cripes, bring back John Foster Dulles – HE was sharper than that. More troops, more Allies’ troops, LOTS more money including more billions to “disappear” into the capacious retirement accounts of Karzai and his cronies? More chances for guys in sweeping robes and long beards to blow the f___ out of those troops, with IEDs and EFPs and booby traps and all? No mention I can see of reducing, or better, killing off, the roles of contractors like Blackwater and KBR? Is the new administration afraid to bring all those thousand-yard-stare-ers back home to Indiana? And now “we” are going to build another nation on the rocky fractured basalt and sand of that dry quagmire? Have we learned NOTHING?
And “Defense,” taken with the language of the Address, looks a lot like more of the same to me — lots of continued emphasis on big weapons systems and “projecting power” and multiplying the military’s missions, maybe at the expense of what should be, like, y’know, totally diplomatic or people-to-people kinds of stuff?
Right out of the blocks, it sounds to these jaded ears like we have a new serving of the Bush Doctrine (“Stupidity and futility and killing people can take the place of good sense any day, as long as somebody is making Big Bucks off it.”)
But I’m sure I’ll be told all the reasons why I’m off the beam or off my rocker.
JTM, agreement from this outpost on the left coast. Get the fuck out of there and let the warlords melt down in their own shit. Legalize heroin as a prescription drug, and watch the warlords’ money supply dry up. Even from an imperialistic point of view, there’s nothing in Pakistan or Afghanistan that we need or should want. OK, I like some of the fabrics, and I have a really nice Afghani belt buckle…
JTM, agreement from this outpost on the left coast. Get the fuck out of there and let the warlords melt down in their own shit. Legalize heroin as a prescription drug, and watch the warlords’ money supply dry up. Even from an imperialistic point of view, there’s nothing in Pakistan or Afghanistan that we need or should want. OK, I like some of the fabrics, and I have a really nice Afghani belt buckle…
JTM-Obama used the phrase “peace” not the phrase “victory” when talking about Afghanistan in the speech. I think he is backing away from the campaign rhetoric about Afghanistan.
JTM-Obama used the phrase “peace” not the phrase “victory” when talking about Afghanistan in the speech. I think he is backing away from the campaign rhetoric about Afghanistan.
JTM,
Do not adjust your set, the signal on your monitor is haywire. We’re gonna have to educate our new President — and Congress — on the Tar Baby called Afghanistan.
We’re up against Eisenhower’s Military-Industrial complex on this one. So far, the score is MIC 1, American National Interest: 0.
JTM,
Do not adjust your set, the signal on your monitor is haywire. We’re gonna have to educate our new President — and Congress — on the Tar Baby called Afghanistan.
We’re up against Eisenhower’s Military-Industrial complex on this one. So far, the score is MIC 1, American National Interest: 0.
Hey, he promised change and he’s changing already. I’m with Turner, get the fuck out of everywhere and protect our nation from a direct threat coming from mexican drug lords heavily entrenched in America. Here’s some stupid crap….
http://www.vbs.tv/full_screen.php?s=DGFE2305DC&sc=1363196
Hey, he promised change and he’s changing already. I’m with Turner, get the fuck out of everywhere and protect our nation from a direct threat coming from mexican drug lords heavily entrenched in America. Here’s some stupid crap….
http://www.vbs.tv/full_screen.php?s=DGFE2305DC&sc=1363196
Wow, Dave, that’s some real and crazy stuff…
BTW, if heroin and coke were prescription drugs sold at a “reasonable” markup to registered addicts, the Mexican drug lords would also be out of business…
Most of the former drug dabblers I know stopped because they had better things to do with their lives and smarter things on which to spend their money. Laws had nothing to do with it.
Wow, Dave, that’s some real and crazy stuff…
BTW, if heroin and coke were prescription drugs sold at a “reasonable” markup to registered addicts, the Mexican drug lords would also be out of business…
Most of the former drug dabblers I know stopped because they had better things to do with their lives and smarter things on which to spend their money. Laws had nothing to do with it.
It’s the prohibition that does the damage. It sets up the gangs, the control, the violence and the seduction. If it was available thru prescription, all that would be gone. Nobody likes where dope takes them.
It’s the prohibition that does the damage. It sets up the gangs, the control, the violence and the seduction. If it was available thru prescription, all that would be gone. Nobody likes where dope takes them.
The inauguration (or rather, the media coverage of it) seemed more like the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation (“did you in your wildest dreams imagine that you would ever see this day?”) than what it was: The orderly transfer of power from a bunch of corporate gangsters to someone who will hopefully prove to be much better than that.
I’m glad Obama is president. I’m glad that we can elect someone other than a white man. I hope that Obama will make things better. His race made this inauguration historic.
But it wasn’t the only historic component to the day.
Yesterday was, to me, more about getting the stunted little Goober and his crony-shooting Strangelove out of the White House than anything else. I think they posed just about the most dire internal threat our republic has ever seen. It’s with a profound sense of relief that they’re now (apparently) safely away from the controls, even if the frightening single-branch superspy powers they created for themselves are now in sombody else’s hands. And even though we’re still mired in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
If there were any justice, the cameras would have stayed on Bush’s face while Obama read a litany of Bush’s crimes, blunders, and malapropisms.
George W. Bush, I hereby metaphorically throw my smelliest pair of shoes at you.
The inauguration (or rather, the media coverage of it) seemed more like the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation (“did you in your wildest dreams imagine that you would ever see this day?”) than what it was: The orderly transfer of power from a bunch of corporate gangsters to someone who will hopefully prove to be much better than that.
I’m glad Obama is president. I’m glad that we can elect someone other than a white man. I hope that Obama will make things better. His race made this inauguration historic.
But it wasn’t the only historic component to the day.
Yesterday was, to me, more about getting the stunted little Goober and his crony-shooting Strangelove out of the White House than anything else. I think they posed just about the most dire internal threat our republic has ever seen. It’s with a profound sense of relief that they’re now (apparently) safely away from the controls, even if the frightening single-branch superspy powers they created for themselves are now in sombody else’s hands. And even though we’re still mired in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
If there were any justice, the cameras would have stayed on Bush’s face while Obama read a litany of Bush’s crimes, blunders, and malapropisms.
George W. Bush, I hereby metaphorically throw my smelliest pair of shoes at you.
Dan, add my shoes to the barrage. What a wonderful sendoff that was! And are you really sure that the Goober and Dickless yielded up their Secret Decoder Rings when they rolled out of town? Does anybody know where Dickless is right now? Can anybody hack the national heart transplant waiting list to see if Mr. Perpetually Evil Go F__ Yourself “So?” is on it? BTW, I loved Dickless’s impersonation of Mr. Potter from “Wonderful Life.” Too bad mean people, EVIL people, call forth the worst in so many of the rest of us.
Dan, add my shoes to the barrage. What a wonderful sendoff that was! And are you really sure that the Goober and Dickless yielded up their Secret Decoder Rings when they rolled out of town? Does anybody know where Dickless is right now? Can anybody hack the national heart transplant waiting list to see if Mr. Perpetually Evil Go F__ Yourself “So?” is on it? BTW, I loved Dickless’s impersonation of Mr. Potter from “Wonderful Life.” Too bad mean people, EVIL people, call forth the worst in so many of the rest of us.
I do still have nagging doubts about Cheney and his ability to call forth his Army of Darkness. It’s inconceivable that a snarling djinn like him would willingly let go of power. And they did so many things in the shadows. The contracts with Blackwater are still in effect. I’m sure there are plenty of secret ones with language about national emergencies and provisional government.
And I don’t know if I’m being paranoid in worrying about these things or complacent in not worrying enough.
I do still have nagging doubts about Cheney and his ability to call forth his Army of Darkness. It’s inconceivable that a snarling djinn like him would willingly let go of power. And they did so many things in the shadows. The contracts with Blackwater are still in effect. I’m sure there are plenty of secret ones with language about national emergencies and provisional government.
And I don’t know if I’m being paranoid in worrying about these things or complacent in not worrying enough.