(January 21, 2009) The oath has been taken and the partying has been done. It was a fine day yesterday, and a new day today. Everyone in the American neighborhood of Anglican Blogland has posted materials from the day. On reflection I want to post just these two:
Aretha Franklin sings out "My Country Tis of Thee." (This is from German Television, used because the sound is better.)
About half way through there is this still picture that made me know why I believe President Obama is good for the country. He listens with his heart.
We have remembered one more time how to do it: We seem to have figured out a way to have a head of state whose powers are constrained by time for sure, by restraint of law and congress, by the citizens right of repeal and rejection. The transfer to a new presidency has happened. Now, having figured out how to make a citizen President who comes from us and returns to us, we are beginning to learn that no citizen can at the last be denied the right to try to become president, knowing and perhaps hoping that new and surprising citizens will find their way to that office.
President Obama is an idol-smasher, or better in electing him we are all hammering out justice. The breaking of the idols of class, caste, privilege and prejudice is practice for the life of abundance for the people in this land. May we practice and learn well. Practice hammering out justice. Practice, practice, practice.
And I am again and again impressed by the notion that lies behind the matter of practice: Yes, we can.
Mark, thanks. I'm going to steal this version and post it. I love your comment that the new president "listens with his heart".
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, today, civilians were kill in Pakistan in drone raids, just like the Bush Administration.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, we're going to close Gitmo - A YEAR FROM NOW. Heck George Bush could have done that.
When he said close Gitma I thought he would fly a Starlifter C-5 to the base pick them all up and have them back in U.S. prisons by Jan. 21.
It does not take one year to close a prison with 250 people in it.
So President Obama pulled the rope-a-dope, appointed a defense secretary holdover from the Bush Administration the the tragedy continues unabated.
Way to go Obama.