Inauguration Reflections

After fielding client phone calls and a couple discussions with my firm staff throughout the morning, the boyfriend and I and friends/clients watched the main inaugural ceremonies at the Bourbon Street Pub on Duval Street along with an assortment of gays, lesbian couples and straight couples. It was a moving experience both in terms of what we watched on the TV screens around the establishment and the reactions from members of the crowd. In many ways, it was as if there was a collective sigh of reflief that the long national nightmare of the last eight years was over. As Pam's House Blend has already noted, the White House website has already been reworked and there is an LGBT section in the civil rights directory that speaks to needed protections for LGBT Americans. I can only hope that the Obama administration follows through on these measures and makes the following concept from the inaugural speech a reality:

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The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

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To me the one blight on what was otherwise a wonderful event was the appearance of obese, lying, disingenuous hate merchant Rick Warren. I will never understand Obama's selection of this nasty individual to give the invocation when - if one does his/her homework on Warren - it is obvious that his policies and preaching oppose almost all of the principles enumerated in Obama's speech. Warren deliberately gave an invocation that was exclusively Christian and more or less told non-Christians to go to Hell. It was a most discordant note in an otherwise inclusive event.

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As for Obama's address, the full text of which can be found here, I believe that he gave a very moving speech. Among other things, it was a strong rebuke to the Chimperator in several ways. I found the following passage most telling:

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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.

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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. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

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They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

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Clearly, Obama has the potential to be one of our greatest presidents. I truly hope and pray that he delivers on the hope and inclusiveness that he talked about throughout the campaign. Now, we can only wait and watch and work to hold him accountable to follow through on the principles he enunciated on the campaign trail.