Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Evolution # 44: Change Through Time

Ah, happy days! We have a new president! Georgie Bush looked like he just ate a lemon there on the podium, did he even smile once? And change is in the air! It is OK to be liberal, intellectual, practical, curious, scientific, pacific, caring, knowledgable and well-informed, again. Out with the old greedy, fakely patriotic, stupid, non-Googling president and administration. The new administration's website is already up, see whitehouse.gov (which has links to Youtube and a blog).

From Obama's inauguration peace (my bolds):
"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."

This is the biggest change in politics I have ever lived through, and it feels great! Bush is gone! And he mentioned non-believers and pacifists. I feel included in a way that is a totally new feeling.

Some other thoughts:

  • Laura Bush had the mousiest colored jacket and skirt I have ever seen. Dirty white.
  • CNN and C-SPAN both crashed on-line - didn't they expect 100 million viewers online?
  • Aretha Franklin's hat looked like a giant sparkling moth.
  • The republican Supreme Court judge said the presidential oath wrong. The liberal Supreme Court judge said the vice-presidential oath right.
  • It looked cold to be out there in Washington DC. But happy cold.
  • The best speech was the at the end of the benediction (see here, around 4:30 min). Black, brown, yellow, red, and white - we are all humans.
I might be hard to understand for non-Americans the sigh of relief, the happiness, and the incredibly joy and hope we feel now here in the US. It is like coming out of an 8-year long tunnel of darkness and despair. As a Swede I feel like the American people finally did the right thing. Now, could a black man named Barack Hussein Obama become prime minister in Sweden? This is something to ponder...

3 comments:

EH said...

I keep coming back to the same thing, a comment from a black person interviewed in Washington, on the inauguration day.

"I wanted to be here when they take down the sign on the Oval Office, 'Only for whites'.

And I don´t think it´s impossible to get someone named Barack or Hussein or Obama elected in Sweden, but it demands a good politician. We don´t have many of those...
Normally elections is mostly voting for one or the other of the two sides.

LS said...

And the good news just keep on coming! Amazing... It is like sunshine after a hard rainstorm... Obama's approval rating in the Northeastern USA is 88%, incredibly high. This is the best thing since... I don't know...

Olle said...

Well, the feeling of relief is felt also outside the US, I assure. But Obama starts with a terrible inheritance. Not easy - compare the hand given to Bush!