The American Way
I'd like to start today's post by saying that I am proud to be an American. I truly am! What a great country we live in that we have so many freedoms. We can practice any religion we choose. We have the freedom to live where we want, do what we want, and make choices.
I have the freedom to have this blog in which I can write and express myself in anyway I see fit. If I don't like something my government has done, I have the right to express that! You know in some countries that's a death sentence?
Today was another great day in the United States. I'm sure some of you may be shocked to hear my say that. But see today we saw the democratic process that makes this country great put into action. We swore into office our 44th President. And, although I didn't vote for him, I am proud that we all had a chance to vote for who we believed in.
We have a new Commander in Chief who I will stand behind because he is our leader. I may disagree with some of his ideas; but I believe in this great country and the checks and balance system that we have in place. I also believe that I am not the only citizen of this country and, though I may not always agree, our voting allows for what is good for the majority to prevail.
I am as proud to be an American today as any other day. I do pray that God watches over our country, keeps her safe from harm, and gives us no more than our country (and those who serve her) more than they can handle.
What I'm not proud of is how other's are defining this day. This isn't, as many would have you believe, a day to celebrate a "black man" in office. No, a man who was allowed the same opportunities as you and me; a man who has proven himself worthy in many people's eyes; a man who has served this great country as a representative, was sworn into office.
He is no different that those who didn't win the Presidential election. When people declare that this is a great step for the country and focus on the color of his skin...that is racist.
Do you mean to tell me that had he not been black that he would be any less qualified for this position he is in?
It's not about the color of his skin. Everyone who thinks and expresses this needs to take a deeper look. This has NOTHING to do with race. It has everything to do with the ability of a person.
You are cheapening his Presidency if you make it about anything other than that.
I pray for him, his family, and this country because I am an American. It doesn't matter to me what his ancestry is. What matters to me is the ability for this Commander in Chief to lead this country.
Is he the best person for the job? In my opinion, no. But then again, I don't think anyone who ran in the end was the best person for the job. In the end, he was the person that the majority of the country chose...and that's American enough for me.
I have the freedom to have this blog in which I can write and express myself in anyway I see fit. If I don't like something my government has done, I have the right to express that! You know in some countries that's a death sentence?
Today was another great day in the United States. I'm sure some of you may be shocked to hear my say that. But see today we saw the democratic process that makes this country great put into action. We swore into office our 44th President. And, although I didn't vote for him, I am proud that we all had a chance to vote for who we believed in.
We have a new Commander in Chief who I will stand behind because he is our leader. I may disagree with some of his ideas; but I believe in this great country and the checks and balance system that we have in place. I also believe that I am not the only citizen of this country and, though I may not always agree, our voting allows for what is good for the majority to prevail.
I am as proud to be an American today as any other day. I do pray that God watches over our country, keeps her safe from harm, and gives us no more than our country (and those who serve her) more than they can handle.
What I'm not proud of is how other's are defining this day. This isn't, as many would have you believe, a day to celebrate a "black man" in office. No, a man who was allowed the same opportunities as you and me; a man who has proven himself worthy in many people's eyes; a man who has served this great country as a representative, was sworn into office.
He is no different that those who didn't win the Presidential election. When people declare that this is a great step for the country and focus on the color of his skin...that is racist.
Do you mean to tell me that had he not been black that he would be any less qualified for this position he is in?
It's not about the color of his skin. Everyone who thinks and expresses this needs to take a deeper look. This has NOTHING to do with race. It has everything to do with the ability of a person.
You are cheapening his Presidency if you make it about anything other than that.
I pray for him, his family, and this country because I am an American. It doesn't matter to me what his ancestry is. What matters to me is the ability for this Commander in Chief to lead this country.
Is he the best person for the job? In my opinion, no. But then again, I don't think anyone who ran in the end was the best person for the job. In the end, he was the person that the majority of the country chose...and that's American enough for me.
Labels: Politics, President Obama
posted by Jenni at
10:47 AM
5 Comments:
A nice post. I think you misunderstand the attention that is given to his skin colour though. People aren't saying "he's such a great president, and one reason is because he's black" or "this presidency is amazing because he is black." It should rather be seen as a moment of history, something that is independent of his qualities and abilities as president. Maybe some people did vote for him entirely because he is black, and that was probably the same amount as the people who didn't vote for him entirely because he is black.
Nevertheless, he is the first black president. For a race that started in America as slaves, it is truly significant independent of the man. I'm sure a century from now people will be reading about Obama who was the "first black president" as a key moment in history for race-relations between blacks and whites in America.
A refreshing read, Jennifer. Thanks for posting it. The liberal democrats hate America when their guy is not in the White House, (esp. Alec Baldwin), but I'm glad you have the earnestness and patriotism to respect our nation even when you disagree with it's leaders.
Tim: I think it is great that we have now had a black man become president in itself, but I agree with Jennifer that voting for him based on that is racist.
And that is exactly why a lot of people voted for him. 97% of blacks voted for Obama. In my opinion that makes at least 30% of them racists. They also did a survey during the primaries and something like 40% of democrat voters said they considered their skin color when they voted. And that is racist as well.
And I think Alan Keyes would make a great Senator from Illinois to replace the Blagjevich appointee.
Also, the only regions where Republican turnout was higher than 2004 was in the Appalacian areas (like the counties high in the mountains). I think that was probably the result of racist motivations, although even if it was it was to a much smaller scale than the 40% or so of democrats. (Does anyone remember what that statistic was?).
Timothy,
All I heard yesterday in reports on the radio was the significance of an African-American becoming President. I didn't hear or see anyone interviewed that wasn't black (granted my tv viewing is limited to outside the home).
This man, no matter how I feel about him, did this all on his own. He wasn't handed a pass because of the color of his skin. He worked hard for this. That I can respect.
I think it cheapens it by bringing up his half-race. This country would benefit from him standing up and saying, "The color of my skin does not matter. I got here because I worked harder than anyone else...regardless of their skin color."
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