I watched the replay of the 2013 Inauguration ceremony on C-SPAN. The refrains that President Obama used throughout his speech were “We, … The People” and “Together”.
I liked the comma and pause after “We”. Instead of the common phrase (or cliche), it made you think about We, Us, All of Us in this so-called democracy, Together. United, “We”, … Will Stand. Divided We Will Fail.
It’s up to us, We, … The People.
This is the line that I really liked from President Obama’s speech:
“My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.”
Unless I missed it, the Presidents speech did not include direct reference to recent violent tragedies, like Newtown, CT, Aurora, CO, and litany of too many other shootings in the past year alone.
Correction (Tuesday): Yes, I missed it. Actually, while typing this post late last night, I had forgotten the reference to the children of our country, including those from the “quiet lanes of Newtown”. After hearing the clip on the radio this morning I remembered his mention:
“Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia, to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.”
Thanks to poet Richard Blanco’s poem “One Today”, for his reference and remembrance of the children lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Although they were taken from their parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and schoolmates, way, way to early, it seemed (to me at least) that Richard Blanco included them in “We, … The People”. They are still with us in Spirit.
Ski The Middle VT 