Brief Inaugural Speech Thoughts
In a post for a later date I will spend a few
moments with my discomfort of all the God-talk and sermonizing by Christian
clergy at our secular government events. Neither the invocation nor the
benediction particularly represented Christianity or America
well.
President Obama's Inaugural Words
kept the audience quiet either because they were so moved or because many didn't
understand the relevance given the dominant 'reality TV' culture. I tried to
not have expectations, but I did. The speech felt five minutes too long, but
had a depth and authenticity that I think represents our new President. Now,
can he convince our congressional leaders like our own McConnell from Kentucky
who campaigned for re-election on the notion that he would be the gatekeeper to
Obama's vision and the evil desires of liberals.
Here are the last few paragraphs of President
Obama's Inaugural Address. The New York Times has a great site listing all the
Inaugural words shared by our Presidents. You can read the text of the
President's address on either the New York Times or on Huffington Post where I got this
snippet:"So let us mark this day with
remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of
America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by
dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The
enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the
outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered
these words be read to the
people:"Let it be told to the
future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue
could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger,
came forth to meet [it]."America.
In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us
remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the
icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's
children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we
did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and
God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered
it safely to future generations."
Filed Tue - January 20, 2009, 01:41 PM in
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