January 21 Thoughts- Inspired and Empowered

I was inspired and empowered today. I watched the Facebook posts of friends and family who were at some of the marches around the country. I was excited that so many people were standing up for their rights and the rights of others.

I watched the news and saw more people on the Mall in Washington today than there were yesterday. I watched a little of the feed on Facebook from back home in St. Paul, MN. A crowd of 60,000, three times the expected turnout, was exciting.

I saw several posts about people feeling empowered by the activities they participated in. They know they are not alone in their feelings and reactions.

THESE are the people that the press should be covering, in depth, and not the few who "riot" and are nothing more than destroyers of hope. But a peaceful protest, even of this size, is not "news." Or more to the point, it's not big news. It does not grab attention.

Even though it should. It is BIG news. THESE are the people who can- and will- be able to make a difference in the next four years. THESE are the people who will stand up for what is right. THESE are the people who have already made America great.

Let us learn to work together to maintain our dignity and wonder as a nation. Let us learn to work together as "we the people." In the end it has to be us, or we will never make it.

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 This week, perhaps more than in any year since Dr. King died:

The work continues, 

the truth marches on.

(Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe, 1861,

in support of the Union forces in the Civil War.)

Just.Plain.Awesome

It is 1,474 megapixels BIG. You can zoom in and see the most remarkable details. It is made up of 220 separate photos by David Bergman.

It is probably the Best Inauguration Photo. Ever!

What's fun is just panning and zooming and seeing what you can find. One that I found is straight up from Obama's forehead in the last row of the lower section, only about 4 rows above his head is a Green Bay Packer knit cap being worn.

Hours of fun!

Inauguration 2009: Wow!

GeoEye-1 Satellite Picture of Capitol taken 1/20/09

Well, we are on the 3rd day of the new administration. I made some notes on Tuesday about what I was seeing and hearing that I think captured the day for me. As a disclaimer, I am a born and raised Democrat from a VERY Republican part of Pennsylvania all the way back to the mid-1950s. I am also a strong civil rights supporter from that era and remember the day of Dr. King's death as one of deep grief. So here goes on this historic day.

• Majestic and elegant. So said Meet the Press moderator David Gregory. I would agree. But that was the "official" ceremony- a part of a great history that deserves that pomp and circumstance. This was not the first to do so. It won't be the last. But beyond that it was a day of amazing celebration. Even those of us Euro-Americans who were there in the 50s and 60s cannot even begin to feel the depths of what this must feel like to our African-American sisters and brothers. THAT celebration which went long into the night was the true experience of the day.
  
• On the news were many stories of sitting and watching the Inauguration in schools. (All we could do in 1960 was listen on the radio.) One interview with a young teenager of color showed a meaning that white males have never had to think twice about. He said, "I want to be President, I really do." After Tuesday he knows it is possible!


• Firm and confident, perhaps as only a "younger" President can be. Over and over I watched Obama especially since the election. Over and over I kept seeing that confidence and firm resolve, no doubt deeply aware of the weight of what he was about to undertake. What came through and is perhaps expressed in the high support ratings is one who shows the ability to do what he was elected to do. The passion involved in that was also quite evident. Yet I never felt he was talking down to us, but challenging us to join with him. A powerful change from many Presidents of both parties.
  
• Harsh realities: worst day for stocks on any Inauguration Day. Not that he needed to be reminded but the Inauguration did not stop bad news. It only highlighted the depth of the economic problems. It seemed to underscore many of his words. (Which I will reflect on and probably blog about next week.)
  
• Tuskegee Airmen and old Civil Rights activists were very obvious even if their numbers have dwindled. The Airmen were of course the African-American pilots from WW II. Their pride at seeing the nation they fought for as part of the greatest generation living up to their support and dreams seemed to make them stand taller and more patriotic than ever.
  
• WE are the rainbow- the promise of hope. I saw that in one of the editorial cartoons on Tuesday with the awareness of the rainbow as God's Promise from Genesis. The WE is the WE of "We the people of these United States." The WE is the crowd gathered on the mall. The WE is the amazing diversity that our nation represents. As an AA saying goes- "We can do what I can't." The truth of Tuesday in more ways than one.
  
• Graceful. That word came to mind during the Inaugural Balls. As he spoke and danced and smiled and joked with his wife at his side their natural grace was refreshing. No, that's not a requirement for being President. Lincoln probably didn't have it physically (but he did in bucket loads inwardly!) Roosevelt had it even as he sat in his wheelchair. The grace I saw was perhaps something we can watch for to become evident, hopefully, in his relations with other nations and peoples. (And the evident love that the Obamas share for each other was exciting and fun. I think that was one thing that George and Laura did have, too.)
  
• Taking time at the Commander-in-chief Ball to do a satellite link with Illinois troops in Afghanistan moved me. He had fun yet clearly wanted people to know he is not anti-military and has never even done anything that would say that. He clearly respected the soldiers and what they were doing. Neat.
  
• Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (Civil War, WW II, Baseball) was being interviewed the other evening. He was asked that if some of the great speeches of the past were 10s, what was Obama's speech. He said that from his perspective the day on Tuesday was an 11. He said that it was "the beginning of our 3rd act" as a nation. He was of course referring to 1776-1865 as the first act; 1865 - 2009 as the second act; now beginning a completely new era. Someone else also commented that even if Obama ends up being a "bad" president, it will never change the fact that on Tuesday many, many things DID change. Not the least of which hopefully was the move into a new understanding of our nation as diverse and willing to live and work with it.

As I said above I want to reflect on Obama's words on Tuesday and see how I feel by Monday.

P.S. Yes, it was good to take the oath of office again after Roberts' goof. At least that wasn't a first since it has happened twice before.

Inauguration 2009: Two Prayers-Two Styles

First there's the Invocation by Rev. Rick Warren:

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.

History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus (Spanish) pronunciation, Jesus, who taught us to pray:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Then the Benediction from Rev. Joseph Lowery. (Note the use of James Weldon Johnson's great hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing):

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, O God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day. We pray now, O 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 hand, 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're 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 or 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 mountaintop, 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, 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 nation 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 back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: Say amen --

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: -- and amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen! (Cheers, applause.)

The difference was amazing in style, more than content. Yet each was, in many ways, quite representative of their different traditions. I am sure though that Warren may get in more trouble with his Evangelical brethren for being a little less exclusive than some would want him to be.

Inauguration 2009: This Gave Me the Shivers

Thanks to Street Prophets for the link to this truly scary, truly unChristian thought:

That's why I do not hesitate today in calling on godly Americans to pray that Barack Hussein Obama fail in his efforts to change our country from one anchored on self-governance and constitutional republicanism to one based on the raw and unlimited power of the central state.

It would be folly to pray for his success in such an evil campaign.
--Joseph Farah, World Net Daily

I am speechless and offended as a Christian and as an American citizen. I am saddened as well. But I am not surprised. Fortunately this is an extreme view that is better left aside.

Inauguration 2009: Before the Fact

Prior to the Inauguration yesterday there were a number of moments over the past week that gave a sense of what all this was really about. Off the top of my head here were the things that struck me as important- whether materially or symbolically.

• The train trip from Philadelphia to Washington on Saturday. Yes, he was specifically invoking Abraham Lincoln's (secret) trip in 1861. But to many of us it was also reminiscent of the trip that Bobby Kennedy's casket took from New York to Washington over 40 years ago. It was the same kind of grass roots movement as the people stood along the tracks and waved. In 1968 it was in deep grief for the passing of a leader and potential President as well as the passing of an ideal. On Saturday it was a celebration that this ideal may have finally been reborn.

• Starting Sunday morning at Arlington Cemetery was a fine way for the future Commander-in-chief to begin. It was a clear message that even if he was opposed to the war in Iraq he was not about to be seen as anti-military or even a strong military used in support of hope and peace.
  

• The Lincoln Memorial celebration set another tone- a tone of celebrating something never before occurring in all our years as a nation. Who else could bring Bruce Springsteen, Jack Black, Tom Hanks, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, etc. into one place with such diverse and eclectic joy?
  

• A day of service on Monday for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was more than appropriate. But to roll up one's sleeves and paint walls? Quite a statement.
  

• Honoring McCain the night before the Inauguration showed the bi-partisan class that Obama has been living since, well, since he broke into the news at the 2004 Democratic Convention, and probably before. He has an obvious respect for McCain and also knows the importance of building these bridges if he is to get done what needs to be done in these difficult times. He really does want to get away from the unyielding partisan politics that has been causing us so much pain for so many years.
  

Beyond the specific events, though, there was the atmosphere and style he brought to the transition and planning. He made it clear from the start that he was in charge and had a vision for his job and administration. He did this by:

• Maintaining a sense of balance and calm exuded the confidence that he showed over and over from the start. No wonder his approval rating skyrocketed. You felt he was the real thing and would not crumble if things got tough.
  
• Acting Presidential even when not the president... yet. He affirmed over and over that there is only one President at a time and he was not him. He did not criticize the Bush administration during this time and worked to maintain the solid American front that the world needed to see.
  

But over and over what struck me in the days before the Inauguration:

• People, people, people streaming into DC for the Big Day. Whether it was stories on the national news about the expected crowds or the local news stories about local people making the trip and why, it was clear that this was a "people's" Inauguration. Excitement grew and grew. Even though I saw a FoxNews story on the 'net yesterday morning trying to deflate the numbers as hype, from all I was seeing and hearing (and feeling) was that this would be truly historic. No one can ever take that away.
  

A Bishop's Prayer

Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church gave the following invocation at the "We Are One" celebration at the Lincoln Memorial..

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.
--Episcopal Cafe

Sadly this prayer took place 10 minutes before the "official" start of HBO's programming of the event. Perhaps somehow it will end up on YouTube.