“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.”
Yes. And,
“…we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”
Yes. Begone, you foul children. Begone, you petty scoffers, you small-minded squinters, take away your grasping claws and sour wheezing laughter. We are a better people than what we have been.
We are better than you.
Goodbye, you back-door dealers, you double-talkers, you new-speakers. May you live long, long lives of peace and health. May your minds stay sharp to the ends of your days, so that you may hear what is said, read what is written, learn what is taught about you.
So sorry you can’t stick around, but the grownups have important things to discuss, and it’s long past your bedtime.
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When thinking about this post I was planning to go on and talk about how our optimism at this point has to be tempered by caution, because we still don’t know how serious this president will be about actually getting things done.
Then he started getting things done.
But make no mistake: This president will disappoint. There’s no avoiding it. Yes, he’s a great speaker and a noble man and he’s got a lot of great ideas and seems to know how to get them done. But though he may make your heart want to burst from a surfeit of rainbows, he’s, ya know, human.
That said, getting all pissy with the guy you voted for for doing exactly what he was promising to do throughout his campaign, well, that’s just a little bit silly. Too bad Pastor Warren’s prayer was only adequate (okay, bordering on creepy, with his odd enthusiasm in naming the Obama girls), or else this might have proved a more interesting point about the importance of listening to people with different opinions. As it is, it just served as a reminder that reaching across ideological divides means offering respect to folks you may find disagreeable.
But then, that’s a pretty good lesson in its own right.
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Great job bro!