Well, that's just silly

Was it really necessary for President Obama to take the oath of office again?

As I mentioned yesterday, Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the whole swearing-in thing. It made everyone uncomfortable. But we got the point.

And, according to the U.S. Constitution, Obama became President at Noon yesterday, regardless. So, was the re- swearing-in really necessary?

Well, if you want to be picky, the Constitution also states:

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

So since Roberts took Obama down some winding road around the "faithfully execute" part, rearranged some words and replaced one preposition with another preposition of his own choosing, the Obama Administration felt it was necessary to bring the two men together to do the whole thing again.

Like I said ... silly.

Renewal and Reconciliation

President Barack Obama's first official act:

NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.

We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.

On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.

So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

It was a little messy, but he took the oath

Slow down, John Roberts! Get it right! Goodness!

Apparently, the oath of office is on CP time

It's Noon Eastern, Obama is President, but he hasn't taken the oath of office yet. I'll just leave it at that.

King: "it's nonviolence or nonexistence"

On this holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., over and over we will see his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

While I do love that speech, I have always had a closer connection to his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech that he delivered to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before he was killed.



I understand why the excerpt at the end of the "Mountaintop" speech is played over and over again - it can make the hair stand up on the back of a person's neck with its intensity and foreboding.

But my favorite part of that speech is closer to the beginning when King discusses why he is happy to live during such troubling times.

“ … I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men in some strange way are responding. Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee, the cry is always the same: 'We want to be free.'

And another reason that I’m happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we are going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demands didn’t force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men for years now have been talking about war and peace. But now no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.

And also, in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done and done in a hurry to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now I’m just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I’m happy that he’s allowed me to be in Memphis.”

And with the swearing-in of the nation's first African-American president tomorrow, I'm sure King would have been happy to live in this period too. Ever mindful of the fact that the struggle continues - for human rights, civil rights, peaceful co-existence, existence.

I might miss "a new birth of freedom"

I was having brunch with a friend today, and we were discussing our brilliantly unique idea of traveling to Washington, D.C. for Inauguration Day. I was so excited when I left. I immediately got to work, researching transportation, lodging, tickets, etc. Countdown on!


Then I realized that our brilliantly unique idea wasn't so unique. And if I can't get a hotel room or reasonably priced airline ticket, the idea won't be so brilliant either.

Apparently a million other people are thinking the same thing. Something about this being an historic election (I crack myself up).

And there's a process for securing the (free) tickets for the swearing-in ceremony. I would have to go through my U.S. Representative or Senator. And even though this is the 21st century, they actually expect me to call them (on the phone!) for the request and to pick up the tickets in person.

(But not to worry. SOME offices are working on taking requests online. And if I lived in the 7th Congressional District of Washington State, I'd already be in business).

The thought of a visit to my U.S. Rep's office, an overpriced airline ticket, a far-flung (cheap) hotel room, and traffic in D.C. on Inauguration Day makes me nauseous.

I might actually have to miss the ceremony. Shoot! And it's got such a catchy theme.