One Word about the Inauguration by Emily Troutman

I found this at Crooks & Liars and had to share it. The artists name is Emily Troutman and she has a web site also. She also has a blog where you can find this video and her other writings. She choose 26 words and let people decide which they wanted.

The 26 words were: "Alive, Angry, Anxious, Awed, Believe, Curious, Dancer, Excited, Grateful, Happy, Hopeful, Human, Humble, Jealous, Joyful, Love, Obama, Patient, Proud, Ready, Scared, Skeptical, Tired, Together, Wonder, Worried."

There were people who chose every word there. Some children took the easy words, Obama, Love, Happy, and there were some who took Worried, Skeptical, and Scared. It is neat to see and watch the differences in the faces of the people and how they react to the inauguration of our President.

Hope and Progress for President Obama

This is OUR day...the day of HOPE for PROGRESS toward the future. We must remember that it can't be done with just hope, and with just depending on our president. We have to help, we have to work for that progress too.

We must start to learn how to live differently. We need to teach our children what the meaning of sacrifice and sharing is. We have allowed ourselves to become lazy, and forgotten the lessons of our parents and grandparents.

I am guilty of it. I did for my daughter, much more than my parents did for me, because I thought I was giving her things that were withheld from me. Now, as I have gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I see that I was really wrong. Oh, I didn't always just give her things...I couldn't. But, there were lots of times I did without so she could have toys she really didn't need.

I see things like that happening now. I hear some of the talking heads saying they see people lining up to buy $400 phones, $800 teevees and things like this so we can't be in a recession. Are they really serious?? I sometimes wonder if they are on the same planet I am on.

Yes, some people are spending money. It is probably money they have saved for a long time, or it could be they have put it on their credit cards. But this too will come back in the end.

We each need to look at our lives, think about our priorities and get them straight. We have been through 8 years of the worst kind of misery I can imagine. We have had a president that didn't care about our families, didn't care about our country really. He didn't care about much of anything except how he looked to his self, and evidently he liked what he saw when he had his picture painted, I thought it looked silly. Where is Dorian Gray when you need him??

We are ready to begin anew...this is an awakening for us all. So as we start a new administration, as we bring in a new president, lets start anew with purpose. With HOPE for the future, for PROGRESS of our Country and our lives.

Inauguration schedule

Just in case anyone is wondering...here is the tentative schedule for today. Of course all these times are approximate. There can be no absolutes with people involved....lol

Tuesday, Jan. 20 -- Inauguration Day:

The president-elect and vice president-elect will participate in the traditional inaugural ceremonies and events. For the first time ever, the length of the National Mall will be open to those wishing to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Festivities will commence at 10 a.m. EST on the west front of the U.S. Capitol and will include:
Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus

Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein

Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren

Musical Selection: Aretha Franklin

Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the Honorable John Paul Stevens

Musical Selection: John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet)

At approximately 12 p.m. EST, President-elect Barack H. Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln's Inaugural Bible, administered by the Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

At approximately 12:05 p.m. EST, Obama will deliver his Inaugural Address.

Poem: Elizabeth Alexander

Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”

After Obama gives his Inaugural Address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. More Details

Starting at about 2 p.m. EST, the 56th inaugural parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House with groups traveling from all over the country to participate.

In the evening, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host 10 official Inaugural Balls, including:

Youth Inaugural Ball – Young Americans aged 18-35; Washington Hilton

Obama Home States Inaugural Ball – Illinois and Hawaii invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Biden Home States Inaugural Ball –Delaware and Pennsylvania invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Eastern Inaugural Ball - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, PR, and USVI invited guests; Union Station

Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball - MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ, WV, Dems Abroad, and invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Midwest Inaugural Ball - KS, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI, and MO invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Southern Inaugural Ball - AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, and TX invited guests; National Guard Armory

Western Inaugural Ball - AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT, OK, GUAM/AS invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Neighborhood Inaugural Ball – DC residents, additional guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Commander-in-Chief's Inaugural Ball – Enlisted active duty and reserve military; National Building Museum

Another of those... You just can't make this shit up things.

Federal Way, WA....Permission slips sent home to parents so child can watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Yes, that's what I said... PERMISSION SLIPS REQUIRED!! for children to watch the inauguration of our next president.

From KING5 TV:

Millions of people will be glued to the TV next week when President-elect Barack Obama takes his oath of office. But in Federal Way, students will need to get permission from their parents to watch the historical inauguration in school.

The concern is that the televised inauguration was not listed in syllabus handed out at the beginning of the term. The district considers the inauguration a full length documentary, unlike some newspaper or internet reference articles which do not require pre-approval.

“There is no big deal. The goal is to once again build partnerships, keep parents informed. Say ‘Hey. This is your child. Your education.’ We think it's a great opportunity. We're going to afford the kids that opportunity, but we want the parents to make that call,” said Dr. Joshua Joseph Garcia, Federal Way's Executive Director of Teaching for Learning.

Something I would be remiss if I did not point out from the story:

Federal Way is the same district that put a moratorium on Al Gore's Oscar winning film about global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth,” while the board investigated whether a screening adhered to district policies.

HMMM, do I detect a little RIGHT lean in the policy of this school district?? How sad and how small this makes the school district and the city itself look in doing this. I was reading the comments under the story and of course there were the usual hate comments, then the love comments, then the reasonable comments. Several, I didn't vote for him, but this is history, why not show it, I didn't vote for him but why not show the peaceful transfer of power that happens only in our country. Once you get past the rhetoric you find the truly profound.

Of course, there was also the one commenter who stated that they were very right leaning...which I found rather funny. Someone else wondered why they didn't have it in the schedule from the start. I wonder that too...did they forget it was an election year?? That we were going to have an inauguration?? Maybe they believed George when he said he wanted it to be a dictatorship. God Forbid.

One other thing to note from the article. Just so you don't think this is a state requirement. There was this:

Neither Seattle nor Tacoma schools require parental permission before students can watch the inauguration.

Federal Way is an area near Seattle, I guess you could call it a suburb. I wonder if there are other areas that are doing the same and we just haven't heard of them because they aren't as big nor as close to a major metro area.

How sad, that children again are the ones being singled out for punishment, they are the ones that will miss seeing history in the making, so adults can feel they have done their jobs. Why, do we adults feel we have to push our agenda's onto our children??

Think about it.....

Will.I.Am. and Barack Obama

This is something that I think is just wonderful. How Will.i.am. put these together is amazing to me. The 1st one "Yes We Can" he took some time with. The 2nd, he did overnight right after the election. I remember seeing him on Nov. 5th and he talked about it. He wrote it after being in Chicago on Nov. 4th at Grant Park and listening to Barack Obama's acceptance speech. they are both wonderful. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. The 2nd song is called..."It's A New Day". I think a lot of people felt that way. I know I sure did...and still do. When January 20th rolls around, it will be even better.

Nov. 22, 1963 the day that changed the world.

I should have done this the other day. At least 2 days ago. Nov. 22, 1963, 45 years ago. The day I saw my dad cry for the 1st time. The time I felt afraid of what was going to happen to the world and our country. My dad thought John Kennedy was a great man, a great president. He was so upset by him getting killed.

I remember when it happened. I was at school, I was 11 years old, in 5th grade. I was afraid, I imagine so were a lot of others in school, my teacher let me go to the office and call home. I don't remember if we got to leave early or if we stayed in school. But, I do remember talking to mom on the phone.

Then, later when dad was home from work and we were watching the news on TV he cried, I don't think he liked President Johnson. But, we watched them swear him in on the airplane.

It was a scary time for our country. No one knew what was going to happen next. There were a lot of suspicion, conspiracy theories, still are for that matter as to what or who was behind it. Could one man have done it?? Will the truth ever be known??

John Kennedy was a good man. Yes, he had his faults. No one is perfect. I don't think it was as bad as people like to say it was now, at least not that I remember, but that was a different time then. What might our country have been like if he had not been killed?? What would have been different?? What would have been the same??

Listen to the speech he gave at his inaugural, it is in 2 parts, the 1st about 10 minutes the 2nd about 5. I had heard clips of it before, mostly the "Ask not what your country" portion, that I am sure everyone has heard, but I think this is the 1st time I have ever heard the entire speech. No wonder I have heard people say that Barack Obama reminds them of John Kennedy. They both have a way with words. I don't know if Pres. Kennedy wrote his speeches like Barack writes a lot of his or not, but the words are eerily similar. No, not in that way, just that they seem to have some of the same ideals, the same visions for this great country and our people. How wonderful.

My dad thought so much of John Kennedy, and I think a lot of Barack Obama. My mom didn't think my dad would vote for Barack but I think he would have. Yeah, my dad would have been one of those who said he would never have voted for the black guy, then walked into the voting booth and voted FOR the black guy...lol That reverse Bradley effect. I miss my dad.

One of the regrets I have, is living in Dallas and never taking him to see the place where Kennedy was shot. But then again, he said he didn't want to go there. We talked about it. He said it wasn't something he wanted to see. I did get to take him to Arlington. He got to see his grave, see the eternal flame. He cried then too.


Part 1

Part 2