Happy Inauguration Day!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, today was the inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama.

In a continued attempt to remain a-political (not just here but with my freinds and in general–I have grown to hate political banter [read:annoying political conversations]), I’m simply going to repost what the BBC News had to say about the occasion. And yes, they had a lot to say.

Obama vows to meet US challenges

US President Barack Obama has used his inaugural address to pledge a “new era of responsibility” in a time of crisis at home and abroad.

Mr Obama spoke after taking the oath of office as America’s 44th president – and its first African-American leader.

More than one million people gathered in the National Mall in a wintry Washington DC, to see Mr Obama take the oath shortly after 1200 (1700 GMT).

He later joined a parade, smiling and waving en route to the White House.

Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama travelled in the armoured presidential limousine as the motorcade travelled at walking-pace towards 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Crowds cheered and waved as the cars rolled slowly past.

Then the motorcade stopped and the couple stepped out of the car and walked, waving to the hundreds of wellwishers lining the route – many of whom had waited 10 hours in the cold.

After climbing back inside the limousine – so heavily armoured it is known as The Beast – the president and first lady emerged once again amid loud cheers and screams from the crowd.

The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt, in the crowd on the parade route, said the happy and smiling Mr and Mrs Obama finally seemed able to celebrate their achievement.

Many thousands of people who braved the cold to stand for hours in the streets to catch a glimpse of Mr Obama will be able to go home happy, our correspondent says.

After reviewing the inaugural parade as it marches past the White House, the couple were due to attend a series of balls.

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Kennedy, whose collapse during an inaugural lunch at Congress threatened to mar the celebrations, is said to be feeling well again after suffering “simple fatigue”.

New team

Barack Hussein Obama became America’s newest president at a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol building where, his hand on a Bible, he repeated the traditional oath of office, promising to “preserve, protect and defend” the United States.

In his speech, he acknowledged that he faced many serious challenges but pledged to begin the work of “rebuilding America”.

He also spoke of his desire to usher in a new era of peace and of America’s readiness to lead once more.

In one of the administration’s first moves, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel asked all federal agencies and departments to stop any pending regulations pending a review.

The US Senate approved six members of the new cabinet on Tuesday.

Among those confirmed in their posts were Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary.

However, Hillary Clinton’s approval as secretary of state was postponed after a republican senator demanded a debate beforehand about foreign donations to a foundation headed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

That debate is due on Wednesday and Mrs Clinton’s nomination is now expected to be confirmed in a vote immediately afterwards.

Giant web event

The Associated Press estimates that about one million people attended the inauguration, based on a visual comparison with past events in the city.

Millions more Americans watched the inauguration online through live video streaming across their computers, the agency says.

It notes that essentially every major news outlet offered live feeds on what was potentially the most web-driven coverage of a significant news event yet.

Tens of millions more people watched the inauguration on television across the world and Obama fans in other countries had their own celebrations.

In Barack Obama’s Kenyan ancestral village, Kogelo, thousands danced under a massive banner which simply read “Congratulations our son, our hope”.

While many from the Obama family were in Washington to witness the swearing-in, their neighbours were watching it on massive TV screens, the BBC’s Karen Allen reports.

“We expect that Obama is going to change the world and as Kenyans we are going to follow in Obama’s footsteps and change the world,” said one woman.

The Vote’s In

The vote’s in…looks like Obama’s got the golden ticket.

Prop 8 (CA) passed.

Personally, I’m just glad it’s over, I feel like this election has been going on forever.

Thoughts?

Peachy Votes

I voted!  Some of you would approve of who I voted for.  Some of you would stop talking to me for who I voted for.  None of you will ever know.  That’s right, I’ve adopted an a-political stance.  I’m not discussing political particulars with anyone.  I am, however, still open to discussing political theory and/or history.  That means that I don’t mind conversing on Marxism or the Mayflower, but the moment we veer into socialized health care or Sarah Palin’s kids I’m out.  Keep on talking, that’s fine with me.  Politics just aren’t worth losing friends over.

To that end, allow me to make a request.  Please, if you hate America enough to bitch about it daily in my viscinity, allow me to remind you that no one is making you stay here.  I’m sure there are other countries out there in which you could reside.  I know China is always looking for English teachers.  And hey, Cuba has a blanket health care policy.  So does Canada for that matter.  Oh, and if you’re not actually from this country, you seriously have no room to complain.  If you really hate the U.S., you probably shouldn’t be waiting on pins and needles to get that Green Card so you don’t have to go back to [insert name of war-torn nation here] where you stand a fair chance of getting killed.  Yes, we, like every other nation in the history of the world, have problems.  Yes, we might not be able to fix them immediately.  Yes, you might not love it here.  If you don’t like it, fix it or find somewhere you like better.  And either way, pray for change in the future.

…And I’m off my soapbox for the day.