Today is the inaugural day for the newly elected President Obama. Normally, I wouldn't even bother commenting on such an event, because...well, I'm a Canadian citizen. I don't make note of whenever any other world leader ascends to power, and the US President is no different.
A crowd of 4 million people are expected to attend the event. For security forces, it will be a nightmare. If any of America's enemies were looking for an ideal occasion to strike and inflict masive casualties on the local populace, this event would be tailor-made for them. To say nothing of those who may not think it's time for a semi-black President. There are expected to be some 4,000 Washington police officers on duty, plus another 4,000 security personnel, 20,000 National Guardsmen and yet another 10,000 regular force Army personnel. So, a staggering array of security personnel in the American national capital.
I hope that everything goes off without a hitch, for their sake. The media is making much about this inauguration and frankly, they shouldn't. It is after all, just another inauguration of an American President.
They claimed this morning that: "So many people are investing so much into this new president...". All I can say to that is that with great expectations, comes great disappointments. It is not only unreasonable (to be generous here...) to pin the cure for all the USA's and the world's ills on this one man, it simply isn't fair. Certainly not to Barrack Obama. Let's face it, you're setting him up to fail. He'll never get a fair run at being President if you expect ridiculous miracles from him. He's just another politician who was able to get himself elected to the top office. He's not The Messiah. He's not even 'a' messiah, all lower case.
Who are they trying to make him out to be? What kind of superpowers do they think this one man possesses? Are they really believing that based on his colour, he will make a better president than all of his preceeding white counterparts? Can they possibly understand how illogical and infantile this supposition is? Not to mention how impossibly racist...
Just to put everything in context, picture O.J.Simpson as president. Still a cultural hero for the vast majority of blacks around the world and certainly in the USA. Would it be logical or fair to assume that O.J. would make a wonderful president, save the economy, resolve the conflicts in the Middle East, end the war on terrorism and be able to solve all of the US's problems, at home and abroad, simply because he was a black man elected to the office of the President?
Don't like that comparison? Why not? We're not talking about electing the person, we're talking about electing his race, remember? Okay... So what about Morgan Freeman? Everyone loves Morgan Freeman. I could listen to him read for hours. He has a wonderful voice, is a great actor and I'm sure is also a wonderful human being. Could you see him at the helm of the nation? That's right... The answer is a resounding: "No!". Not without someone writing the script for him...
So let's give Obama his due, certainly, but for God's sake people... You can't possibly place such enormous expectations on this man, simply because of the colour of his skin. For one, he's not there to vindicate the blacks of America. It was not a race which was elected, it was a single man... Was it not after all Martin Luther King Jr. himself who stated on 28 August, 1963: " I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." That street runs both ways, folks... I still know nothing of Obama's character, or his abilities as the leader of a nation. And by the way, neither does anyone else...
He will do the job that he does. It's just that simple. I have a feeling that once the people and more to the point the media, see him behaving and acting as The President, the bloom will soon be off the rose. Unless he changes the water into wine at the Inaugural Ball. Then I might be willing that admit that there may be a shred of truth to the rumours...
A crowd of 4 million people are expected to attend the event. For security forces, it will be a nightmare. If any of America's enemies were looking for an ideal occasion to strike and inflict masive casualties on the local populace, this event would be tailor-made for them. To say nothing of those who may not think it's time for a semi-black President. There are expected to be some 4,000 Washington police officers on duty, plus another 4,000 security personnel, 20,000 National Guardsmen and yet another 10,000 regular force Army personnel. So, a staggering array of security personnel in the American national capital.
I hope that everything goes off without a hitch, for their sake. The media is making much about this inauguration and frankly, they shouldn't. It is after all, just another inauguration of an American President.
They claimed this morning that: "So many people are investing so much into this new president...". All I can say to that is that with great expectations, comes great disappointments. It is not only unreasonable (to be generous here...) to pin the cure for all the USA's and the world's ills on this one man, it simply isn't fair. Certainly not to Barrack Obama. Let's face it, you're setting him up to fail. He'll never get a fair run at being President if you expect ridiculous miracles from him. He's just another politician who was able to get himself elected to the top office. He's not The Messiah. He's not even 'a' messiah, all lower case.
Who are they trying to make him out to be? What kind of superpowers do they think this one man possesses? Are they really believing that based on his colour, he will make a better president than all of his preceeding white counterparts? Can they possibly understand how illogical and infantile this supposition is? Not to mention how impossibly racist...
Just to put everything in context, picture O.J.Simpson as president. Still a cultural hero for the vast majority of blacks around the world and certainly in the USA. Would it be logical or fair to assume that O.J. would make a wonderful president, save the economy, resolve the conflicts in the Middle East, end the war on terrorism and be able to solve all of the US's problems, at home and abroad, simply because he was a black man elected to the office of the President?
Don't like that comparison? Why not? We're not talking about electing the person, we're talking about electing his race, remember? Okay... So what about Morgan Freeman? Everyone loves Morgan Freeman. I could listen to him read for hours. He has a wonderful voice, is a great actor and I'm sure is also a wonderful human being. Could you see him at the helm of the nation? That's right... The answer is a resounding: "No!". Not without someone writing the script for him...
So let's give Obama his due, certainly, but for God's sake people... You can't possibly place such enormous expectations on this man, simply because of the colour of his skin. For one, he's not there to vindicate the blacks of America. It was not a race which was elected, it was a single man... Was it not after all Martin Luther King Jr. himself who stated on 28 August, 1963: " I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." That street runs both ways, folks... I still know nothing of Obama's character, or his abilities as the leader of a nation. And by the way, neither does anyone else...
He will do the job that he does. It's just that simple. I have a feeling that once the people and more to the point the media, see him behaving and acting as The President, the bloom will soon be off the rose. Unless he changes the water into wine at the Inaugural Ball. Then I might be willing that admit that there may be a shred of truth to the rumours...
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