Inauguration Thoughts
Today, January 20th is Inauguration Day. It is the day when we celebrate the beginning of an elected President's term. Today we celebrate the beginning of George W. Bush's second term as POTUS.
The inauguration ceremony requires that the President-elect take the Oath of Office.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office
of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States.
Isn't that beautiful? Whether or not you supported the candidate, as President he vows to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." This is what I expect from a President. I expect him to abide by the rules outlined by the Constitution. I expect him to act in the best interests of the people and the nation. I expect him to protect us with his actions and those of others that he directs as the CIC. I expect him to defend the Constitution as a written document and as a idea.
Our country does not see much pageantry. We have no monarch, no pomp and ceremony like some. We are a blue jeans & beer sort of nation, not a wait-in-line-to-see-the-royal-guard-ride-by kind of people.
But we do have the Inauguration. It is a time for a new President to speak about the future and the goals of the nation. It is a time to speak of high ideals. From all I have been able to gather, President Bush intends to speak about Freedom and the Spread of Freedom.
Talk all you want about Social Security and the Economy. But Freedom is more important to me. Freedom. Just freedom. Liberty. That sublime right to chart your own course and be beholden to no man, to struggle under no man's yoke. Freedom goes hand in hand with personal rights. Individual human rights. It speaks to a way of being, yes, but also requires a strong dose of personal responsibility. If you want to be free you have to exercise your rights. You have to accept personal responsibility and realize that your first line of defense in every situation is yourself. You simply can not expect the government to wipe your bottom like a nanny would.
Why, you ask? It is simple. Our Founding Fathers believed that "rights" equated to "responsibility." If the government exceeded its boundaries, the People were expected to take back their government. This is why we have a system of checks and balances, term limits, the Electoral College, and a Bill of Rights. This is why the Constitution is written in such plain language, clearly defining the rights of the States, the rights of the People, and the roles of each branch of the government. Our Founding Fathers were men of action. They weren't perfect; being men, they all were flawed. However, they had suffered under the yoke of an oppressive government and believed in their absolute right to self-determination.
Not enough credit is given to these men for the establishment of a government that is by far superlative to any other. We have strayed too far from their ideals, I feel, but the system is in place for us to fix things.
Much is said about how members of the administration "serve at the pleasure of the President." But not nearly enough is said that they all serve at the pleasure of the People. "We the People" begins the Constitution for a reason. Because the government is created by the People for the People, and not the other way around.
Freedom and Liberty should be the rights of all people. It is our duty to spread the seeds of these ideals to the oppressed people of the world. It is our responsibility to help them help themselves. But understand this: there can be no freedom without personal responsibility. It is a chicken and egg kind of thing.
I understand that there are people who are going to Washington, D.C. to protest the reelection of George Bush by turning their backs as the motorcade drives by. I understand that bloggers are going to avoid posting today as a sign of solidarity and protest. So be it. I think it is childish, churlish, and absolutely ridiculous, but so be it. Certainly they are free to do so, I just hope they are also embracing personal responsibility in the same way they are embracing their freedoms.
Oftentimes in history we have seen politicians. Bill Clinton was a consumate politician. Who else would question the definition of "is"? Less often in history have we seen true statesmen. I don't know if George Bush is a statesmen. This is because these determinations can only be made after the horse has left the barn, so to speak. But, I am certain that the goal of freedom is served by a second term for Dubya.
I also think that spreading Freedom is a fine way to start 2005.
Today we inaugurate a duly elected President of the United States. And that is good!
