the inauguration

Truth be told, I am not a political type.  I'm dismissive of the high
flying words of inspiration filled with promises and ideals that drip
from the lips of politicians.  It doesn't matter if I believe in what
they say or if I oppose the essence of their message– it's all talk to
me.  As for those in power, they're there to do their jobs without me
to nitpick at every turn and demand answers to questions that are
likely simplistic at best.  So I leave it to them and hope for the best.

So
with that said, I followed the fringes of the elections, did my civic
duty and voted, then went on with my life.  Yesterday's inauguration
was the first I've sat down to watch.  Is that horrible to say,
considering my age?  Well, it's true.  And as I said in my regular
blog, I'm glad I did watch it.  And here's my take on it.

The
inauguration is not a political moment, it's a moment in our nation's
history.  President Obama is our first multi-racial president (because,
you know, he's not just black, no matter what people would have you
believe).  But the inauguration was a changing of the guard.  For
better or worse, only time will tell.

I read a blog today in
which I wholeheartedly agreed.  The writer (fine, it was Ashton
Kutcher) was lucky enough to be there for the inauguration and he was
"less than impressed" and "appalled" (yes, he used those words) by the
crowd's lack of respect when it came to former President Bush and one
of the Republican representatives.  As he went on to say, President
Bush gave 8 years of his life to serve this country.  How many of us
could say the same?

He makes a very valid point which I think is
rather lost on most of the masses.  President Bush is a man and did the
best he could in hard times.  Sure, folks want to lay ALL THE BLAME on
him, but considering we live in a democratic nation and not a monarchy,
how does that fit?  The President is not the ultimate power.  He is
merely a piece of the mechanism.  Sure, he's a large part, but he's
still just a part.  Just as we are part of it.  So, regardless of your
opinion of the man, you should still respect the office of the
President.

I will confess that I do get a bit emotional during
highly patriotic moments and listening to President Obama's speech was
one of those moments.  For those minutes listening to him, I let myself
believe in his words and his ideas and his message.  He's a great
speaker.  I felt a surge of pride for the way he spoke and for what he
said.  It's good to know that we have a president who can speak well
and get his point across.

And I've said this before, but I'll
say it again– I don't have an emotional stake in President Obama.  You
won't find me crying in joy to the heavens because a man of color is
now the President of the United States (although I do think it rocks
that he grew up in Hawaii).  I don't give a rat's ass about that.  I
expect him to do the job because the people voted him into office. 
Perhaps I will pay more attention to the happenings in Washington DC. 
Perhaps I'll be less passive and more active in keeping myself
informed.  But guess what, I don't think he's some savior here to
rescue us from the pits of hell.  No, he's a man who will do his best. 
Just as the man before him did.