With the inauguration of Barack Obama as our nation’s 44th President today, I would like to urge everyone to remember that Mr. Obama will be your president for the next four years, regardless of whether you voted for him. Regardless of whether you agree with his policies. Regardless of whether you like his haircut.
We have been at war for the past 8 years; not with another country, but amongst ourselves, between factions we have created. A growing dissatisfaction with the governing of our nation became more and more vocal, and increasingly influential. This dissatisfaction may have been deserved, but what’s also clear is that it did not result in George W. Bush being removed from office any sooner.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
-Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858
We live in the *UNITED* States of America. We must stand together if we wish to improve all of our lives. You may be a democrat, republican, or independent when you are casting your vote. But you are an American all of the time. Our conflicts are no longer fought and won on a battlefield. They are won politically and economically. Our nation is facing dire times right now. But if we all work together, the change that Obama has promised might be for the better.
I say this not as a democrat, or a republican. I don’t have a party affiliation and I don’t believe in the party system. I do believe that we must be mature. We must be honorable. We must be Americans.
