Inauguration Epiphany

I'm sitting at home alone watching the inauguration ceremonies. i'm glad i'm by myself, actually, becaue everyone else would raise their eyes and start moaning and complaining. now that's all well and good, as i am nowhere near being bush's number one fan, but you know what, he won the presidency fair and square, so we should work with what we have. and now, the speech.

notes on speech
`applause for just saying everyones names?
`violence will gather as long as terrorists exist
`only one force can break this cycle
`oh, not us like i was expecting him to say- human freedom
`our liberty depends on liberty in other lands
`best hope for peace is expansion of freedom
`no master, no slave
`requirement of security, calling of time
`goal of ending tyranny in world- bit vague there
`not primarily cast of arms
`freedom must be chosen defended by citizens
`may reflect their customs, not ours
`not to impose, but help them find voice
`american voice is not unlimited- glad he realizes that
`most solemn duty to protect america
`just because ending tyranny is difficult, doesn't mean we should avoid it- true
`encourage reform in other governments
`succesful relations require decent treatment of their people
`reights must be more than grudging concessions of dictators
`no justice without freedom
`no rights without liberty
`past four decades are swiftest expanse of freedom-is that true?
`therefore, odd time to doubt freedom's global appeal
`to serve people, must trust them- do our politicians fully trust us?
`depend on help rely on counsel of allies- first part true, but the second?
`division among free countries is freedom's greatest enemy
`life fragile evil real courage triumphs
`unfinished work of freedom at home- true
`economic independence-necessary yes
`highest standards to school, honorship society- not openminded enough to go there yet
`greater freedom from want and fear
`public interest depends on private character- yes
`self government relies on governing of the self- oooh
`reference to more than just christian religion
`liberty of all doesn't mean independence from one another- good point
`must abandon all racism, cannot support freedom and bigotry at once

you know what.........forget, for a moment, your thoughts and opinions on Bush's policies. forget political party divisions and bias. forget your suspicion of all political figures. forget all that. if you have to, go back to 9/12/01, when everyone was a person. that was all and that was everything, because that was all that mattered. Think of Bush as a fellow person, nothing more and nothing less. now go read his speech. don't let yourself think about his past policies and decisions and personality and motives that you may or may not agree with. just think about the speech. now you may call them fanciful idealistic dreams if you wish, but i think they are something more. you may, in the wildly popular cynical view of government and politicians, say that he meant none of it and is only manipulating us for his career. you may say all this and more, i know my family would. but i won't, not anymore. why do we believe that every single politician is a conman, and none of them believe or mean anything they say? they are people same as us. and while some political people have been out and out scammers, we don't have to leap to the cynical conclusion that every politician is. i believe that Bush truly believes what he said in his speech. and you know what? when you just look at the ideas of it, which is all it really was, ideas, i agree with him. I may not agree with the way he is going about things, but, in my current moment of epiphany, i realize that i am generally on his side. it seems a bit scary, but it's true. i think that bush is fighting for what he thinks is right, and thats what i think is right too, generally. His state of the union address, when he goes through his plans point by point, i may disagree with a lot of things he says, but we're working towards the same end. we shall see how long my refreshed optimism will last outside in the big bad cynical world.


Barn's burnt down...Now I can see the moon.