First impressions are important, agreed?
Mr. Obama made a bad first presidential impression.
I know many will not believe me, but I honestly am very proud of this nation in our having elected a black man to the highest office in American government.
I’m disappointed that the particular man holds to what I believe is a socialist agenda. None the less he IS my president; that being so, as I’ve mentioned here before, I will support him where I can and oppose him where I must.
I am actually looking for and wanting situations where I can support him. But our relationship, mine and Obama’s, has gotten off to a rocky start. With all of the pride I felt today, with all of the patriotism I felt as Mr. Obama was sworn in, I experienced a lot of disappointment and in at least one instance, disgust.
I honestly was not going to say anything on my blog about my disappointments with this day however, a few moments ago I read something which became the straw that broke my particular camels back.
On the newly redesigned White House web site I found the following.
President Obama will keep the broken promises made by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. He and Vice President Biden will take steps to ensure that the federal government will never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.
President Obama swiftly responded to Hurricane Katrina. Citing the Bush Administration’s "unconscionable ineptitude" in responding to Hurricane Katrina, …
The web site of our very American government IS NOT the place where one takes cheap shots at former presidents. It demonstrates a complete lack of tact and grace.
Is this the manner in which I can expect the president of my nation to behave himself?
We as well saw and heard a lack of tact and grace by many in the crowd as they sang out lyrics from the pop/rock group Steam to still, at the time, president Bush. The lyrics are as follows:
Nah, nah, nah,
Hey, hey, hey,
Goodbye.
So far as I know such a thing is unprecedented.
Former presidents are to be treated and normally are treated with respect during the transition period. Let us also remember how accommodating and respectful Mr. Bush had been to Mr. Obama and the Obama transition team during the transition.
I had been told since the election that this was to be a new era of inclusiveness in America, I most definitely took from the inauguration ceremonies a sense of separation, them and us.
There were moments of today which caused me to experience great national pride, and there were moments that caused me disappointment. However, one particular moment caused me great disgust. I found it a shameful moment.
That moment would be the benediction given by the Rev. Joseph Lowery.
While within the prayer there were things I can surely provide an ‘Amen’ to, when taken in whole the prayer is not deserving of an ‘Amen’.
Moments before making the following request of God
Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
The good reverend first made this statement
deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
To end the benediction Lowery had this to say
we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.
I don’t deny that this nation has some dark blemishes in it’s history. I don’t deny we’ve still some issues.
However, most of those blemishes are in fact history and those that are not, are on their way. We are fallible men and women and because of that racism will never be among the extinct, but we are a nation that will never stop trying to bring about it’s death.
The message provided by rev. Lowery is not a message for America and it is not a message that should have been allowed to be delivered to America via the presidential inauguration.
Filed under: American Politics, Leftist Stupidity, Religious Stupidity | Tagged: Barack Obama, benediction, joseph Lowery, prayer, president bush, President Obama, presidential inauguration | 2 Comments »