Well come, President Obama

This is the first time that I have listened to an inaugural address. As my good friend who listened to it with me said, this is the first time I've wanted to. I am a longtime snarky cynic, yet even my snark failed listening to our President speak. And for the first time that I can recall, I can use that phrase, "our President", "my President" without flinching, without the internal sneer of disgust at what "my country" was doing in the world, at what it stood for. I actually feel proud to call myself an American. I was proud to hear my President speak, to nod along with him, even to disagree with portions of it, because I knew that my views would be respected not rejected. I was proud to sit next to my friend, a recently naturalized citizen of the United States; proud that someone would choose to join the country that I was so fortunately born into through no effort of my own.

This is starting to get really sappy, I know. Don't worry, I'm sure it won't last. President Obama is only human and will certainly do something to piss me off in the near future, and I'll be here ranting about it. But it will finally be with a sense that my ranting actually means something, that it can actually have an impact. Even though the political process isn't perfect, even though it will fail to address all of our concerns, it is our process and by taking ownership of it we have collectively elected someone who has vowed to carry us forward in a new era of change and true tolerance, not just the lip-service that politicians have given to their responsibilities to the people in the past.

Here's to hoping it lasts.