Julie's Opinion of The Inaugural Ceremony

Julie watched the swearing-in ceremony at school. When we asked her what she thought about President Obama's speech, she said that he said a lot of things about what he wanted to do. But she raved about Yo-Yo Ma and the amazing song he played with his "band."

WOW!!!

I spent the morning watching the inaugural ceremony on CNN.com. I have been very struck by the timing of this inauguration - the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We watched the "I Have A Dream" speech last night as part of Family Home Evening, then we sang My Country, Tis of Thee with the kids. It was absolutely thrilling to listen to Aretha Franklin sing the same song this morning before President Obama took the oath of office.

I have said before that I don't agree with all of Pres. Obama's ideology, but I have great respect for him: for his abilities as a writer and especially as an orator; for his dedication to wife and family; for his ability to inspire multitudes with love of country; for his ability to unite vastly different people in a common cause. I expected a stirring inaugural address, and was not disappointed. His mood seemed somber, but I recognize his acceptance of the great responsibilities as President of these great United States. Following is my favorite part of his address. Even two hours later when NPR replayed a part of the second paragraph, I was moved to tears - again.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

God bless America!!! And may the Lord protect President Obama and his family from harm and bless him with wisdom as he makes decisions for the people of the USA.

Blue-State Blues

I love the color blue - it has been my favorite since I was a child. I just wish it didn't represent the Democrats on an election map - too much blue makes me sad on the Wednesday after Election Day.

Three cheers for President-elect Obama!!! He ran an incredible campaign; he is smart, personable, and for the next four years we will be priviliged to listen to the best orator our generation has seen. He will make a good president - I pray that he places good advisors around him and truly listens before he makes decisions.

My one consolation is that the Democrats didn't quite obtain the unconquerable majority they had hoped for. I pray that they will remember they represent the people of America and not go crazy passing far-left legislation.

I fell in love with the TV show West Wing a few years after the series ended. I thought the last season was eerily prophetic - maybe President-elect Obama will appoint Senator McCain as his Secretary of State. Yeah, as likely as a snowball in Hawaii! - but I am gratified that Sen. McCain will still be working his compromises in the Senate.

Three cheers for America!!! God bless her and her leaders!

Julie Speaks

So, Julie saw Hillary Clinton yesterday. She has a rally poster on her door and a pin to wear. Here is what she has to say about the event:

She talked about healh inserinece (insurance) and she talked about geting kids in to college well, she also talked about cleaning the white house, about how president bush started a war, jobs enrgy, and thats mostly it!

Exhiliration

Okay. So most of the time I am fine with the daily routines of life as a stay-at-home mom, but there are times, triggered by who-knows-what, that my brain feels starved. Need more input! (Please tell me you saw the movie Short Circuit when you were younger and that you get that reference!) Lately, my brain has been feeding on intro to economics books and political commentaries. I listen to NPR often enough that I hear information but don't have enough knowledge to make an informed opinion on it. Now I can listen to Congress' deliberation over plans to help people overcome the sub-prime mortgage mess and know that I would prefer that lenders take care of it by voluntarily restructuring mortgages over Congress getting involved. Businesses are more likely to apply a better solution than Congress! (I understood what I wrote; I hope you understood what you read:).

Anyway, long story short since I need to get lunch ready: I have discovered two great websites to help me feed my brain with limited interaction from others (politics doesn't go over well as a discussion topic at playgroup) http://www.politicalds.com/ and http://www.goodreads.com/ The first is a blog by members of the LDS church who discuss politics. Both Democrats and Republicans are represented, and I can comment on the posts (limited, but desired, interaction).

I am super-excited about the second website!!! I have wanted to start a book club enrichment group at church, but never have for various reasons. I also, just recently, thought about starting a periodic book review post on this blog, but goodreads is what I have been looking for:):):). I add books to a "read," "currently reading," and "to-read" list. goodreads.com uses books on the amazon.com site, so a picture of the book cover appears on your list (LDS books are available, too; I saw a review on a book by Elder Holland and reviewed the biography of Elder Maxwell myself). You can rate and review the books on your list. You can also post your own original works; (This is where you have to be careful: the two poems I read were great, but one of the short stories I tried to read had four-letter words in it, so I quit reading.) maybe I will be brave enough to publish something someday:). Caveat: you do have to subscribe to the goodreads site to view your friends' books and reviews.

Okay, I need to stop gushing. I am so excited to have an intellectual outlet, that I am babbling (it's embarrassing). But I have to admit: I am the biggest nerd you will ever meet:).

Cannon On the Right

While Julie was creating mass support for Hillary Clinton (see previous post), David stayed true to his parents' (okay, really his mother's) political ideals. Not a book, but a great bid for support.

Cannon On the Left (or Loose Cannon)

WARNING: What you are about to see may be disturbing to Rush Limbaugh fans.
Preface: Julie is excited that a woman is running for president. Never mind that I emphasized I was voting for John McCain (I decided this long before Mitt Romney left the race). At first she said she would vote for Senator McCain, but . . . NPR just had too much coverage of Senator Clinton. And Julie can't listen to the radio with me that often!!!