The Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American president, will take place today, Tuesday, 20 January 2009 beginning at 11:30 am EST (8:30 am Pacific Time, or 10:30 pm Manila Time) at the Lincoln Memorial. The Oath of Office is at noon EST (9 am PST or 11 pm Manila time), immediately followed by the Inaugural Address.
I will take part in making history–I will be among the millions of Americans and billions of people around the globe who will keenly watch and listen to his Inaugural Address and see him take his Oath of Office as America’s 44th president. It will be a turning point in the history of America. I wonder what it will be this time–the one or two sentences that will ring forever in the hearts of the people, that will make it a trademark of an Obama, the likes of the following rhetorics:
- “Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” – Bill Clinton, 1993
- “It is time for us to realize that we’re too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We’re not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline.” – Ronald Reagan, 1981
- “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy, 1961
- “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
- “We wish peace, but we wish the peace of justice, the peace of righteousness. We wish it because we think it is right and not because we are afraid. No weak nation that acts manfully and justly should ever have cause to fear us, and no strong power should ever be able to single us out as a subject for insolent aggression.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 1905
- “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” – Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Amidst an extreme economic crisis in America, a looming depression, and the wars America is involved in, people look forward to an inspiration and hope for better times ahead. People in fact have very high expectations of the new president. I, too, have.
God bless America! and yes, God bless the Philippines!
By the way, HBO covers the activities live, via its program, We Are One and also CNN and the many other channels.
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1 response so far ↓
Kyels // Jan 22, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I hope Obama will make a difference – for the lives of all the Americans. Maybe then everyone will be able to live the American dream.
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