The Inauguration

On January 20, 1977 I watched the inauguration of Jimmy Carter in an electronics lab. I was a high school junior and we were pretty much the only kids in school with access to TVs. My hair was somewhat longer (and less grayer) than it is now. I was wearing jeans, work boots, a thermal, a flannel, and a pocket tee. I was afraid of Jimmy Carter because my favorite band (the Allman Brothers) were instrumental in getting him elected and they were nothing but a bunch of drug addicts.

Today I will watch the inauguration of Barack Obama in an electronics lab. I am the only one in my office with access to a TV, so I will be joined by several Obama fans. My hair is short and mostly gray, but my clothes are pretty much identical. I am afraid of Barack Obama because the people who got him elected think the government should take over banks, and car companies, and health care, and, well, quite frankly, you and me.

Comparing the two, it appears as if nothing much has changed. That may or may not be true, and only the future will bear witness to the differences. I wish Mr. Obama health and wisdom, but herein lies the paradox. I don't really wish for him to be successful, because I truly believe his success will not benefit our country. What he plans to do runs counter to everything I believe about America. So do I wish for him to fail? I can't in good conscience do that either because that is also un-American. What I wish is that he begins to view the unalienable truths of what made America great in a more favorable light so he can begin to lead the country down the path to the recovery of those principles.

So, after everyone is done patting themselves on the back for electing a black man to the White House (which, by the way, is an incredibly racist thought process), let's get back to reality and start moving this country forward again.