Monday, January 19, 2009

I Have to Wonder

Let me save you guys the trouble... if you already know my politics and don't agree - you might want to skip this post... although - I'm not bashing anything... just stating my opinion... which you are entitled to not agree with - so long as you realize that I'm just as entitled to have it. :-)

I walked into the office this morning to find this sitting in my email inbox:

Democracy is an unparalleled vehicle for change. Our country’s democratic process allows for the planned, people-driven transition of leadership of our country from one President of the United States to the next. This transfer of leadership begins with each new President’s Inauguration Ceremony. While any Presidential Inauguration Ceremony is an important event in the course of our country’s history, this year’s ceremony is especially significant. For the first time in our nation’s history, an African-American man will be inaugurated and assume the office of President of the United States of America.

Barack Obama, the forty-fourth President of the United States of America will be inaugurated on January 20, 2009. The live Inauguration Ceremony will be broadcast by television and over the Internet on Tuesday morning beginning at approximately 11:00am CST.

Staff assigned to, or visiting, the Bissonnet Street location on the morning of January 20th are invited to join us in the Board Room where we will view the Inauguration Ceremony as a family. Directors, please arrange for as many of your staff members as possible to be able to attend.

The entire world will be witnessing this great occasion in the history of the United States. We as Americans have a responsibility to not only watch ourselves but to also ensure that all those within the scope of influence are watching as well.

Senior citizens who never thought that they’d live to see this day should be watching together in groups wherever possible to witness and reflect upon how far we have come.

Adults who are caught in the maelstrom of current financial, political, and social crises and who will be immediately impacted by this transfer of leadership should be watching in groups so that they can be formally invited to stay informed and to do their part to help themselves, their communities, and our country to get through these difficult times.

Children in classrooms should be watching as the world that they will inherit changes forever. The significance of the day should be explained to them and every effort should be made to ensure that “Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ceremony” is a memory that they will keep for a lifetime.

If you, as a site manager, have not already made arrangements for the Inauguration Ceremony to be viewed at your location, then please do so as quickly as possible. If you will require assistance from Facilities or IT staff, please contact them immediately.

Please join us in witnessing this unprecedented event.


I had to first, fight my initial urge to vomit... but really - can I just say that this isn't at all about the fact that I'm less than excited about our new president. It really has nothing to do with that at all.

I wish the president-elect well, and hope that tomorrow is everything he's dreamed of for himself, the people that have supported him, and his family. I pray that he can lead our nation to put aside some of our differences and come together to make things better, but I know that it won't be all of his making when that happens. God will be leading the healing and rebuilding of our nation - so long as we don't allow people to cut him out of our government entirely.

What I am so unbelievably tired of hearing about is how historic the day will be... yes, we elected a black man to be our president and it's the first time... which is a great thing and I'm not making light of that fact. (I do not believe that the response would be the same at my office in particular if he were a conservative republican though.)

BUT don't we realize that anytime we inaugurate a new president - it's a historic day.

If McCain/Palin had won - it would have been a historic moment for women - as she would have been our first female vice president, but I have to wonder... would we be hearing the same things in the news? I think not... and I doubt that they'd be making such an effort to have our staff watch the ceremony.

I know that I have readers out there that will disagree with me, but I just wish someone would wake me up when it's over. Honestly... I am a huge fan of the man that is leaving the office, and I know that is an unpopular opinion - which I own and am alright with... but you know what? I never watched his inaugural speeches either...

So when I am respectfully sitting in my cubicle tomorrow working while everyone else is in the conference room watching the ceremony... how will they treat me? Hopefully with as much respect as I will give them to exercise their right to be excited and entertained by their new president.

4 comments:

  1. Kim,
    Amen and amen! I had no heartache about reading your post and I could not agree with you more. All the hooplah over the color of this man's skin makes me wonder how far we've truly come as a country? It would appear to me that we haven't reached the epitome of equality if we are making such a big deal over the fact that he's the first African-American president. (It seems more evident that we haven't because of how much attention this is getting; I guess now that Obama is going to be the new president, blacks and whites are equal?) Equality would mean black OR white, the media frenzy would be the same and you'd hear more about the changes to come and the credibility the president-elect has to lead our country - not the fact that he's the first black man to take his seat in the Oval Office. No one has hailed the "whiteness" of former presidents and it should't matter. I guarantee God doesn't care what color Obama's skin is. Frankly, I don't either. I just want to see some positive changes for our country, no matter who can do it. I think what sickens me the most is that Obama is being treated like a god. The media is portraying this event in such a way that it would seem the Obama family is getting far superior treatment upon their induction as the First Family than any family before them. People better be cautious that they don't wind up worshiping Obama rather than the True King, God the Father. I can't help but wonder too how they justify spending the money they have for this event (the celebrations and concert and what not) when we have mutli BILLION dollar bailouts being needed to keep our country from succumbing to a shrinking economy? I don't do politics, and for good reason. I'm sure to ruffle a few feathers with my feelings, but oh well. Oh, and our office is doing the same thing, only our boss just said we 'could' watch if we wanted, but to make sure we still answer our phones and so on. I still plan on passing on the offer, lest I should get caught up in all the excitement and worship the wrong god too.

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  2. I think I have to disagree with you this time. Obama isn't the President I would have chosen, but I'm excited that people are actually becoming invested in the way our country works.

    I do agree that all of these type of events should be treated similarly, and not be based on the circumstances.

    <3

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  3. You're right; it would have been historic no matter which way the election had gone. Woman or African American. Either way, it is the first time in history it has happened.
    I don't know if Obama is the answer to the problems of the country; I know he is going to start his presidency with huge issues on his plate due to the state of things and that would be the same had McCain won. How he handles them, remains to be seen, but I'm keeping an open mind and would do the same had McCain won.
    Personally, I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind would want to be president. ;)

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  4. Honestly, that's just out of line. Unless you are a political non-profit, I don't see how an email like that would be appropriate. Inviting interested employees to watch the inaguration is one thing, but that gushing and stuff is completely unprofessional.

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