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January 20, 2005
Four More Years
Just an hour ago, our president was sworn in by Judge Renquist for a second term.
Though I certainly do not plan to turn my blog into a political forum, I do have a few thoughts on today’s inauguration:
1. George W. looks more like his father than ever before. I didn’t realize how much until I saw a photo of his father, George H.W., on his own inauguration day in 1989. It’s amazing.
2. The ceremony, while moving and stirring, was not nearly as entertaining as 1993’s inauguration when Chelsea Clinton experienced the yawn seen ‘round the world. I remember this because I was watching the inauguration in my seventh grade English class and we discussed how embarrassing it would be if we had been caught yawning on world-wide television.
3. Some politician’s wife looks a great deal like Carolyn from “The Apprentice.” Prior to the ceremony, the news cameras were showing the guests arriving. I got so distracted by debating if the woman was Carolyn that I neglected to see whose elbow was escorting her. I think this means I watch too much reality TV.
With our nation’s changing values, a sobering thought came to my mind: today’s inauguration may potentially be the last inauguration where the Bible is used for the swearing-in ceremony. It may soon be an issue regarding separation of church and state, particularly if the president-elect is not a person of faith. On this day in 2009, the newest-elected president may not be able to quote the Bible, hear selected Christian hymns, or use the phrase, “May God bless you and the United States of America.”
Perhaps the total exclusion of Biblical reference in 2009 may be a bit extreme, but a great deal can happen in four years. Never before has our nation faced such a crisis concerning issues of God and religious expression. In the past four years, our country has battled with the legality of the Ten Commandments in a public building, lawsuits to remove the “one nation under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance, and movements in schools to eliminate any religious aspects from holiday celebrations or even in academic courses like biology, where controversial topics like evolution and the creation of the earth are now taught strictly as fact with no allowable reference to God or any other deity. There have been smaller battles as well, from a lawsuit in the Nashville school district to remove a textbook that discussed the Christian ideals our forefathers held (the school lost) to a school where I taught being sued for the display of the Ten Commandments and the superintendent’s Bible on the bookshelf in his office (again, the school lost and the superintendent was released from his position).
Whether or not you support President Bush, it is impossible to deny that our nation and world are in a fragile state like never before. My prayer is that our nation will join together so that the God who created all of us in his image will heal our land.
Posted by Anna at January 20, 2005 12:10 PM
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Comments
Mr Bush has got a new speechwriter now, so perhaps the number of bible references in his speeches will decrease sooner than expected :)
Posted by: Flip at January 21, 2005 06:12 AM