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chibirhmSo, has something been going on the last couple of days? Because I... didn't notice.
THE OBAMA INAUGURATION IE: THE AWESOMEST THING TO HAPPEN SINCE SLICED BREAD
(But First, a recap!)
Pre-Game Show
I would like to state, for the record, how tickled I am that the Lego replica got
Obama and Biden's tie colors exactly right.
Shut up. It's the little things.
Whistle-Stop Tour
We Are One Concert
JAMES TAYLOR AND JOHN LEGEND! I actually screamed when I heard James Taylor, and you
can all SHUT UP, okay? Sweet Baby James was the soundtrack for my organic granola-filled
childhood and there is no shame in that. And then they added John Legend! And...Some other
chick! Whatever!
But EASILY my favorite performance was:
OMG OMG OMG. YOU GUYS. HOW IS PETE SEEGER SO CUTE!? He's ADORABLE. I just want to cuddle
him and his silly hat and flannel shirt and oh my GOD. I still want to adopt him. I would walk
him and feed him and everything! Look how TICKLED he is to be there!
PETE SEEGER, YOU GUYS. PETE SEEGER.
National Day Of Service
If there is a way for a man to be MORE DELIGHTFUL, I'm not sure I can handle knowing
about it.
The Big Day
STAY CLASSY, RAHMBO.
"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our
economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some,
but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our
schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy
strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no
less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's
decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
(ed: At this point I went "THANKS, DEBBIE DOWNER" at the television.)
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.
They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be
met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over
conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false
promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our
politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside
childish things. 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...
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and
begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action,
bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for
growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our
commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield
technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the
sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform
our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can
do. And all this we will do.
...What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the
stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we
ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether
it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is
dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs
will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account- to spend
wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we
restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
...Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and
tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. 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.We are the keepers of this
legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even
greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations...
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of
Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language
and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of
civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we
cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall
soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and
that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
...Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those
values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance
and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have
been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to
these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the
part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties
that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is
nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a
difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our
confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race
and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose
father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand
before you to take a most sacred oath.
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.
I would like to state for the record that no one in my family won BingObama. It wasn't that sad, though, since we didn't have, like, a prize prepared or anything. But, as Robin pointed out, America was clearly already the real winner that day, and as Americans it was really greedy to ask to win more. WELL SPOKEN.
NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE. (And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.)
Celebration time! We had a small party at my house where some family friends came over. After pineapple chicken (in honor of Obama's Hawaiian-ness, I guess? Who cares, it was delicious) we had, as Robin is demonstrating Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream & Imagine Whirrled Peace (since they don't sell pints of Yes PeCan!, which is TRAGIC). My mom also made pinwheel cookies instead of black and white cookies (or half moon cookies or whatever you strange fascists in other parts of the country call them), but she decided the pinwheels were a classier option. I personally thought her original idea was hilarious, but what she settled on was tastier.
Also, we were going to get red, white, and blue balloons, but they were out of the nice color blue I wanted, so we got every color. Which turned out for the best, because I think it looked nicer. Also, it's celebrating, uh, our diversity as a nation. Or something. Think up your own flowery and ridiculous explanation yourself.
President Barack Obama
(Because Typing That Never Gets Old)
Joy-Making News Stories (Change I Can Get Used To Believing In)
Sources:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
obama_daily, biden_daily, ontd_political, and The New York Times.
The Soundtrack Of Change
(Or: These Songs Are Pop-y And Cliched And I Don't Give A Shit, So Bite Me.)
(Or: After Anal Amounts Of Research I Learned Our President Likes These Songs Too.)
The Star-Spangled Banner - Miri Ben-Ari
American Tune - Paul Simon
A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
Where Is The Love? - Black Eyed Peas
Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
Champion - Kanye West
One Love - Bob Marley
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
It's A New Day - will.i.am
Love Train - The O'Jays
America the Beautiful - Ray Charles ft. Alicia Keys
Bonus Track: We Believe (In Barack Obama) - The Hush Sound
(But First, a recap!)
Pre-Game Show
I would like to state, for the record, how tickled I am that the Lego replica got
Obama and Biden's tie colors exactly right.
Shut up. It's the little things.
Whistle-Stop Tour
We Are One Concert
JAMES TAYLOR AND JOHN LEGEND! I actually screamed when I heard James Taylor, and you
can all SHUT UP, okay? Sweet Baby James was the soundtrack for my organic granola-filled
childhood and there is no shame in that. And then they added John Legend! And...Some other
chick! Whatever!
But EASILY my favorite performance was:
OMG OMG OMG. YOU GUYS. HOW IS PETE SEEGER SO CUTE!? He's ADORABLE. I just want to cuddle
him and his silly hat and flannel shirt and oh my GOD. I still want to adopt him. I would walk
him and feed him and everything! Look how TICKLED he is to be there!
PETE SEEGER, YOU GUYS. PETE SEEGER.
National Day Of Service
If there is a way for a man to be MORE DELIGHTFUL, I'm not sure I can handle knowing
about it.
The Big Day
STAY CLASSY, RAHMBO.
"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our
economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some,
but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our
schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy
strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no
less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's
decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
(ed: At this point I went "THANKS, DEBBIE DOWNER" at the television.)
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.
They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be
met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over
conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false
promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our
politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside
childish things. 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...
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and
begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action,
bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for
growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our
commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield
technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the
sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform
our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can
do. And all this we will do.
...What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the
stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we
ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether
it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is
dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs
will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account- to spend
wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we
restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
...Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and
tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. 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.We are the keepers of this
legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even
greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations...
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of
Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language
and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of
civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we
cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall
soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and
that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
...Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those
values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance
and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have
been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to
these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the
part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties
that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is
nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a
difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our
confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race
and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose
father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand
before you to take a most sacred oath.
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.
I would like to state for the record that no one in my family won BingObama. It wasn't that sad, though, since we didn't have, like, a prize prepared or anything. But, as Robin pointed out, America was clearly already the real winner that day, and as Americans it was really greedy to ask to win more. WELL SPOKEN.
NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE. (And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.)
Celebration time! We had a small party at my house where some family friends came over. After pineapple chicken (in honor of Obama's Hawaiian-ness, I guess? Who cares, it was delicious) we had, as Robin is demonstrating Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream & Imagine Whirrled Peace (since they don't sell pints of Yes PeCan!, which is TRAGIC). My mom also made pinwheel cookies instead of black and white cookies (or half moon cookies or whatever you strange fascists in other parts of the country call them), but she decided the pinwheels were a classier option. I personally thought her original idea was hilarious, but what she settled on was tastier.
Also, we were going to get red, white, and blue balloons, but they were out of the nice color blue I wanted, so we got every color. Which turned out for the best, because I think it looked nicer. Also, it's celebrating, uh, our diversity as a nation. Or something. Think up your own flowery and ridiculous explanation yourself.
President Barack Obama
(Because Typing That Never Gets Old)
Joy-Making News Stories (Change I Can Get Used To Believing In)
- Obama's People.
Or: if they all gave me their t-shirt sizes I would make baseball jerseys with a "Team Awesome" logo. IT'S CUTE BECAUSE YOU THINK I'M JOKING. - Bye Bye, Gitmo.
Hello, civil liberties! Now personally I think sorting this mess and getting fair trials will take way longer than a year, but I will not turn my nose up at this progress. NO SIR.
Sources:
obama_daily, biden_daily, ontd_political, and The New York Times.The Soundtrack Of Change
(Or: These Songs Are Pop-y And Cliched And I Don't Give A Shit, So Bite Me.)
(Or: After Anal Amounts Of Research I Learned Our President Likes These Songs Too.)
The Star-Spangled Banner - Miri Ben-Ari
American Tune - Paul Simon
A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
Where Is The Love? - Black Eyed Peas
Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
Champion - Kanye West
One Love - Bob Marley
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
It's A New Day - will.i.am
Love Train - The O'Jays
America the Beautiful - Ray Charles ft. Alicia Keys
Bonus Track: We Believe (In Barack Obama) - The Hush Sound
