Hi everyone,
Okay, I've been unable to access a computer at any time since last tuesday. This is because I've been on the road since then, and now I'm finally back home in Long Beach. So, in order to give my input on the historic festivities, I'm gonna have to get out of sequence, which feels unnatural. But since it worked for Star Wars, it might work for me. So, at last, I give you my report on the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
I bring this up because I was there. Firsthand. Yes, I was looking at the thing on a jumbo screen a half a mile away on the mall, but I was present nevertheless. I got up at 5 in the morning on a friend of my dad's farm on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, having gone to bed at midnight the night before, and drove down to the furthest-out metro stop in Maryland with my affiliate blogger. I marched out to the Mall with the record-breaking crowds. My brother and I were squished in the mass of people closer to the capital, and had to move back to get a better view (of the screen) with more breathing room.
I saw and heard all of the prayers, musical ensembles, and the poem, the fourth in history (the only other presidents to include poems at their inaugurations were John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton at both his inaugurations) to do so. I heard Chief Justice John Roberts and President Obama fumble the oath, saying "execute the office of president of the United States faithfully" instead of "faithfully execute the office", and then instead of saying "so help me God" as if expecting the president to naturally follow along, asked Obama, "So help you God?" (perhaps in light of the Atheist lawsuit), and Obama answered "So help me God".
Then came the much-anticipated inaugural address. The first thing he said was "I stand here humbled by the task ahead of us." Rare words to hear from a political figure. He then thanked Bush for his service to the country (Seriously? Well, I guess he had to). Anyway, then he began rebuking the things that have dragged us down over the years. A lot of the things he talked about seemed like just the right things to me.
The pronouncement that "The argument is not whether government is too big or too small, but whether government works". Ever since the days of Reagan, government has been filed down to prevent waste. However, movement in this direction has gone to the other extreme, leaving us with a government too weak and underfunded to do any good for anyone. I don't mean to blame solely the republicans for this. During his presidency, Bill Clinton proclaimed "The era of big government is over" and was far too willing to throw aside his and Hillary's health care reform agenda when it was politically convenient to do so.
The prevailing attitude for all these years has been "Government is bad. Destroy it." Government can indeed be greedy, wasteful and corrupt. I know this all too well. I've seen it happen. But I also believe that government can be a force for good in the world. I've seen this recently with the law that Obama passed just the next day establishing more rules of the road for lobbyists. I hope the notion that government can be good will become more of a reality in the Obama presidency, and for the first time, I am realistically confident of it happening.
Another thing was foreign policy, of course. I heard on the radio later that some thought he was talking tough. He said "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we hesitate to defend it". I've never had any tolerance for jerks who oppress their women, kill people in ways that would make Charles Manson cringe for listening to music, and then have the gall to gripe about how immoral the west is. I want insane criminals dealt with as much as anyone else.
But it was also heartening to hear that "We reject as false the choice between our security and our liberty". While you cannot ignore extremism and despotism abroad, you can be just as much threatened by extremism and despotism in your own homeland. While defense is a vital part of any country, in recent years this instinct of defense has been exploited to achieve an extremely militaristic agenda.
After the infamous 9/11 attack, we were all united behind one purpose. "Mr. President, do whatever you must to bring those responsible to justice," was what everyone could agree on. Sadly, this unity was cynically exploited by those in Mr. Bush's employ for political gain. Those sought to associate any who dared call them on their antics with enemies of the country, but in doing so, they forgot what the country they said they were defending stood for. It stands, rather, for liberty, the most important of which is the freedom to say, "This sucks!", if necessary. After all, the refusal to stand for any criticism at all is a hallmark of the aforementioned jerks. Extremism of any ideology, right- or left-wing, political, religious, is dangerous to our ideals and indeed to the common good all people share.
Anyway, this post is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought, so let's continue on. Overall, I thought Obama was trying a new approach out in his inaugural address. Before, he used soaring lingo and exuded an air of unbridled optimism. This one was no less optimistic, but this time he outlined in a concise, down-to-earth way. He went through what will be changed now that he is in charge. He called on all Americans to get involved, echoing Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you..." line in his 1961 inaugural address. He mentioned Washington at one point, not as much emphasis on Lincoln as I expected. About the many emotions of this day, I will have to do a separate post, as this one went on longer than I intended. And I am proud to have seen this in person. So as I whistle "Hail to the Chief" once again (I promised myself I would wait till January 20 to start singing it again), I proudly ask, "Mr. President, what can I do for my country?"
This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.
Showing posts with label President. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Most Underrated President?: In defense of Jimmy Carter
Hello Everyone,
I've decided to try a new sign-in line. I'll probably alternate between several, using whichever one I feel like on that given day.
Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity today to pay tribute to a man who worked very hard, but never gets any credit for everything he did. In spite of many achievements, this man has been turned into a laughingstock (is that all one word?). Well, I'm going to take this time to stand up for this man who is too often ridiculed or brushed aside. I'm writing this about the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
Earlier today, I came across a similar piece written on Carter by a good, christian journalist. If you're too lazy to follow the links I put up (I don't blame you!), I'll summarize some of the things the article says. I also have a link to the world's greatest research site which I'll also summarize.
When he signed the treaty giving the Panama Canal back to Panama, he was met with intense ire by the republicans. However, looking at what has been done since, this was a wise move, considering that advisers thought retaining the Canal would ensure a costly war. He authorized the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) II treaty in 1979, which drew down numbers of missiles in both the US and the Soviet Union. Again, this was criticized because it was thought to weaken the nation's defenses.
On the human rights front, Carter was simething of a pioneer. He distanced himself from the policy of containment, which all previous presidents had employed. The policy involved supporting pro-US leaders, even if they were dictators who abused their people, to curtail communist influence in poor nations. Carter ended support for despots like Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua, Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay and Chile's infamous Augusto Pinochet. He was critical of South Africa's Apartheid regime. He wasn't successful in promoting human rights in every instance, but on the whole, his record on this is phenomenal compared to most other presidents. This is to say nothing of the Camp David Accords and progress toward a peace between Israel and the Arab world, an issue which plagues us to this day.
However, Carter realized that the Soviet Union was a threatening entity. So while he signed the SALT II treaty and cut back on defense spending, he also authorized stealth bomber technology and authorized new technology for the missiles that were developed. It was under Carter's watch that US support for the mujahideen fighters began. Carter, along with National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski (wanna try and pronounce this name?), began sending finances and training to the islamist mujahideens in 1979. Carter also set up the Rapid Deployment Forces, the predecessor to CENTCOM. In many ways, Carter was just as much a hawk as he was a human rights-nik.
When it came to the environment, Carter was definitely a pioneer. He was "green" even before there was such a thing as being "green" (and long before he saw Inconvenient Truth!). He emphasized conservation and efficiency. It was in 1977 that the Department of Energy was created to reach these ends. He even decreed that hot water be turned off in some federal facilities. He had a wood stove in the living quarters and ahd solar panels put on the roof of the White House. Under his watch, the National Renewable Energy Lab was created here in Golden, Colorado, which is still functioning to this day, and which employed my grandfather from 1977 to 1985. Many of the ideas that were dismissed back then are now taken seriously as environmental common sense, making him the first environmental president.
There were, of course, things he didn't do so well on, like the economy, the whole thing with inflation. As the article points out, the inflation was due in large part to OPEC's control of the oil prices. And, though he did screw up on some policies, as FDR said,"Better the occasional faults of a government working out of a spirit of charity, than the constant ommission" of a government working only for the well off at the expense of everyone else. Some of his successors sought to cut programs by the government, while forgetting one thing, people need the government. In spite of all the talk of self-reliance, which I support, btw, people can't do everything themselves. Government fills a need, but this is a whole other post.
Anyway, there was the whole "malaise" speech (in which the word "malaise" was never used). Carter pointed out that the nation had replaced the traditional belief in God with a belief in unbridled material consumption. The speech goes as follows:
"I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy... I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might...
The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.
I'm asking you for your good and for your nation's security to take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week, to obey the speed limit, and to set your thermostats to save fuel... I have seen the strength of America in the inexhaustible resources of our people. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy-secure nation."
Later, the speech was said to have "struck a responsive chord" with the American public. Few public figures since have made pronouncements like this. It seems like this man had lots of insight.
So, what cost Jimmy Carter politically? Mostly, it was his willingness to make unpopular Lots of people talk a big game about making unpopular decisions, but when President Carter actually did it, opponents turned him into a mockery. For his actions, Carter took just as much flack from democrats as republicans. Many democrats didn't like the peanut farmer from the deep south, who by the way, was devoutly christian.
Since his presidency ended in 1981, Carter has been working tirelessly for the good of the least among us. He held summits in Africa in the 90's. He has worked on the ground in Israel and Palestine for "Peace, not Apartheid". He, along with his wife, Rosalynn, have worked with Habitat for Humanity, helping build homes for the poor to be able to own. In 2002, his humanitarian work even won him the Nobel Peace Prize. So, while Jimmy Carter may not have been the greatest president, he may just be the most underrated. So, Mr. Carter, the Daily Reeder salutes you.
This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.
I've decided to try a new sign-in line. I'll probably alternate between several, using whichever one I feel like on that given day.
Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity today to pay tribute to a man who worked very hard, but never gets any credit for everything he did. In spite of many achievements, this man has been turned into a laughingstock (is that all one word?). Well, I'm going to take this time to stand up for this man who is too often ridiculed or brushed aside. I'm writing this about the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
Earlier today, I came across a similar piece written on Carter by a good, christian journalist. If you're too lazy to follow the links I put up (I don't blame you!), I'll summarize some of the things the article says. I also have a link to the world's greatest research site which I'll also summarize.
When he signed the treaty giving the Panama Canal back to Panama, he was met with intense ire by the republicans. However, looking at what has been done since, this was a wise move, considering that advisers thought retaining the Canal would ensure a costly war. He authorized the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) II treaty in 1979, which drew down numbers of missiles in both the US and the Soviet Union. Again, this was criticized because it was thought to weaken the nation's defenses.
On the human rights front, Carter was simething of a pioneer. He distanced himself from the policy of containment, which all previous presidents had employed. The policy involved supporting pro-US leaders, even if they were dictators who abused their people, to curtail communist influence in poor nations. Carter ended support for despots like Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua, Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay and Chile's infamous Augusto Pinochet. He was critical of South Africa's Apartheid regime. He wasn't successful in promoting human rights in every instance, but on the whole, his record on this is phenomenal compared to most other presidents. This is to say nothing of the Camp David Accords and progress toward a peace between Israel and the Arab world, an issue which plagues us to this day.
However, Carter realized that the Soviet Union was a threatening entity. So while he signed the SALT II treaty and cut back on defense spending, he also authorized stealth bomber technology and authorized new technology for the missiles that were developed. It was under Carter's watch that US support for the mujahideen fighters began. Carter, along with National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski (wanna try and pronounce this name?), began sending finances and training to the islamist mujahideens in 1979. Carter also set up the Rapid Deployment Forces, the predecessor to CENTCOM. In many ways, Carter was just as much a hawk as he was a human rights-nik.
When it came to the environment, Carter was definitely a pioneer. He was "green" even before there was such a thing as being "green" (and long before he saw Inconvenient Truth!). He emphasized conservation and efficiency. It was in 1977 that the Department of Energy was created to reach these ends. He even decreed that hot water be turned off in some federal facilities. He had a wood stove in the living quarters and ahd solar panels put on the roof of the White House. Under his watch, the National Renewable Energy Lab was created here in Golden, Colorado, which is still functioning to this day, and which employed my grandfather from 1977 to 1985. Many of the ideas that were dismissed back then are now taken seriously as environmental common sense, making him the first environmental president.
There were, of course, things he didn't do so well on, like the economy, the whole thing with inflation. As the article points out, the inflation was due in large part to OPEC's control of the oil prices. And, though he did screw up on some policies, as FDR said,"Better the occasional faults of a government working out of a spirit of charity, than the constant ommission" of a government working only for the well off at the expense of everyone else. Some of his successors sought to cut programs by the government, while forgetting one thing, people need the government. In spite of all the talk of self-reliance, which I support, btw, people can't do everything themselves. Government fills a need, but this is a whole other post.
Anyway, there was the whole "malaise" speech (in which the word "malaise" was never used). Carter pointed out that the nation had replaced the traditional belief in God with a belief in unbridled material consumption. The speech goes as follows:
"I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy... I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might...
The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.
I'm asking you for your good and for your nation's security to take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week, to obey the speed limit, and to set your thermostats to save fuel... I have seen the strength of America in the inexhaustible resources of our people. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy-secure nation."
Later, the speech was said to have "struck a responsive chord" with the American public. Few public figures since have made pronouncements like this. It seems like this man had lots of insight.
So, what cost Jimmy Carter politically? Mostly, it was his willingness to make unpopular Lots of people talk a big game about making unpopular decisions, but when President Carter actually did it, opponents turned him into a mockery. For his actions, Carter took just as much flack from democrats as republicans. Many democrats didn't like the peanut farmer from the deep south, who by the way, was devoutly christian.
Since his presidency ended in 1981, Carter has been working tirelessly for the good of the least among us. He held summits in Africa in the 90's. He has worked on the ground in Israel and Palestine for "Peace, not Apartheid". He, along with his wife, Rosalynn, have worked with Habitat for Humanity, helping build homes for the poor to be able to own. In 2002, his humanitarian work even won him the Nobel Peace Prize. So, while Jimmy Carter may not have been the greatest president, he may just be the most underrated. So, Mr. Carter, the Daily Reeder salutes you.
This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)