On the eve of another Presidential inauguration in the United States, I want to say a few words about what kids need to know about it. Tomorrow there will be two camps of citizens. One camp voted for Obama and are in hog heaven right now. The other camp voted for McCain and many of them are feeling some trepidation.
But, you say, there are more people than that. There are some who did not vote. To that I say, they don't count. They don't count because they chose not to count by not voting. This was a very important election--many problems and challenges await our next president and we must be sure to have the right person in that hotseat. So if you chose not to vote, you don't count in this discussion. That is one lesson for our kids.
More importantly, tomorrow we will have another peaceful, orderly transfer of power in our government. This is what our children should know about. Here in this country our strength is in our constitution and the freedom we have to elect our representatives. We can also fire them when we think they do not do a good job. Very few countries around the world have this opportunity.
Frankly, I voted for the other guy for reasons I will not discuss here. But I will support and honor Obama as my President. The office means something special around the world. Sitting in the office of the President mean that Obama represents all that is wonderful in our country. I am sure that I will disagree with his decisions, based on our philosophical differences (in fact that has already happened), but I will never say or do anything to demean him or dishonor the institution of the President of the United States.
In four years, I get a chance to evaulate the job he has done and to vote to keep or fire him. We all do and that is what our children should be focused on. Not whether we like him right now, not what his race or gender are, not what party he represents.
Those things pale in comparison to the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world--the greatest civilization that has ever inhabited this planet. What is important is that even when there is change in power, our children sleep peacefully in their beds and never notice the difference.
God Bless America!
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4 comments:
Great article! I totally agree. And I am blessed to know that the election process and the transition from one president to another is one of the wonderful things about living in America!
Pat,
I am writing this from Washington, DC where I was one of the millions who was a witness to history.
Thank you for such a respectful post. The view from Obama supporters is that the majority, if not all, of those who voted for McCain, did so because of racism more than anything else. They couldn't see--refused to see--an African-American assume the role of President of "their" country.
There were so many negative and racially charged comments in the campaign but I, for one, am glad that the majority saw beyond race and elected the person they believd was the best candidate for the job.
Hopefully, those who voted for McCain will do as you said and be respectful of our new Commander-in-Chief and give him a change without being so quick to judge.
We must also be mindful of the fact that Obama INHERITED the mess we're in. He didn't create it.
Pat,
I am writing this from Washington, DC where I was one of the millions who was a witness to history.
Thank you for such a respectful post. The view from Obama supporters is that the majority, if not all, of those who voted for McCain, did so because of racism more than anything else. They couldn't see--refused to see--an African-American assume the role of President of "their" country.
There were so many negative and racially charged comments in the campaign but I, for one, am glad that the majority saw beyond race and elected the person they believd was the best candidate for the job.
Hopefully, those who voted for McCain will do as you said and be respectful of our new Commander-in-Chief and give him a change without being so quick to judge.
We must also be mindful of the fact that Obama INHERITED the mess we're in. He didn't create it.
Bev, you are right. I was accused more than once of being a racist since I was not voting for Obama. I was insulted by that--obviously these people did not know me.
Believe me, Bev, many of us McCain voters did so because of idealogical differences--nothing to do with race, gender, religion, or anything else. On the other hand, I refused to vote for someone I did not agree with just because of color.
Our country and the issues that face it are too important to let color determine who is president. This is a time to be colorblind!
I believe Obama truly believes in this country and that he will try to be a good President. I believe that he is a good man. I will pray for my new President every day. We do know that he is a brave man for wanting to tackle the mess we are in!
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