History Lessons

"It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government.
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work--work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it. " -- Ronald W. Reagan, January 20, 1981


"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." -- John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961


"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified." -- Barry H. Obama, January 20, 2009

During the last couple of weeks, I was regularly stunned and amazed at the attitudes and expectations of people as they anticipated our new president. I have lived through probably a dozen inaugurations, and I struggled with what makes this one any more historic than the others. Then it dawned on me: There are still millions of people who think the color of a person, whether he is the president, a senator, a football coach, or a grocery clerk even matters. As I've said before, only racists see a difference. The rest of us have long since moved past color in our assessments of people. The fact that the president has a partial African ancestry means as little to me as Kennedy's Irish heritage.

That's why it is easy for us who have shunned color as a metric to compare a person's ideas, and to discount all superficial differences. What remains is the true substance of the event. Whether that is historic or not remains to be seen, 1.8 million witnesses to the inauguration notwithstanding.

Not sure what they were expecting to see. Nothing like the sun dropping in the sky, or waters parting was going to happen... I suppose they all wanted to be there just in case...but to believe this president can change anything simply because of the color of his skin (exactly what color IS he anyway?) is the shallowest possible viewpoint. Of course he can change things...but not because of the size of his ears, or his big smile, or, obviously, his skin tone.

So, let the words and deeds themselves create the history. Then, and only then, will we have a measure of historical significance.