Seen at the Inauguration

A delightful piece in the Times of London  concludes:

The filming on Tuesday [of the inauguration in detail] wasn't about illusion or manufacture, however: the intimacy was real and in real time. Anybody watching the footage surrounding the oath will have felt closely acquainted with the Obamas: they laugh with each other, they sometimes look as if they are going to have a giggling fit, sometimes she rolls her eyes and then stops herself, sometimes he suppresses a yawn. She kicks off her tight new shoes, like we do when we sit down at weddings; he goofs around with his children, like a normal person. They are immediately familiar, recognisably human, like us (which means that, cleverly, the colour of their skin becomes irrelevant).

So, even in gesture and simple acts, the new first family helps us transcend the old patterns in which what was familiar was based on race and introduces us to a new world in which what is familiar is based on humanity.

As Rikkity says: We can all make it if we focus on connections, not difference!

And sometimes a word is worth a thousand pictures

A great composite from Inauguration Day - people were asked to choose from among dozens of words - see what we are saying about our feelings that day:

DId I really see this????

I thought I was seeing a Frank Capra Inauguration:  

Cheney being assisted into the events.

Hmm . . . where have I seen him before?????

O, now I remember:

Have a wonderful life!

Worth more than a thousand words

ONE MORE DAY!

Tomorrow Barack Obama will be sworn in as our new President.

For the eve of the election, a clever film was made based on the scene from Les Mis "One More Day". 

Enjoy!

The Missing Days

Where have I been?

The virus which took control of my vocal cords did not want to go quietly into that gentle night - and they exhausted me in the process.  But, by Sunday morning, I had enough voice back to preach on Dr. King.  

If you want to hear the sermon, you can go to my sermons on line, or even link into the podcast rss feed. 

It is good to be back!

Mandatory Recycling - or canning the can in the can

Key West is currently in the midst of a Commission decision-making process about a mandatory recycling ordinance. It has passed the first reading 4-3, but faces some obstacles for the second reading. The main complaint is with the "mandatory" language, which would eventually lead to potential fines for those who do not recycle.

The arguments have been pure Libertarian in nature: don't make us do anything, use education instead of fines, and most of all, respect that there is a Key West way of doing things and that is not by making it mandatory.

In response, I helped our Social Concerns Committee write a letter to the Commission to be read in the public hearing before the second reading of the Ordinance. Here is what I said:

"As you continue to wrestle with the issue of recycling in Key West and approach your vote on the second reading of the proposed ordinance for mandatory recycling, we hope that these thoughts might help you vote “Yes.”

"Governments are created to serve the common good. That good includes not only the protection of individual rights but also the protection of the collective health and welfare.

"The great Magna Carta, cornerstone of western liberty, was initially signed in 1215. However, the version we know now was codified in 1297. It is significant that in 1297, this basis for so many of our rights was formally enacted AND a bill mandating collection of refuse was also enacted. In the Common Law tradition we have over 700 years of understanding that mandating action in the common good is not an infringement on people’s rights.

"In the City of Key West, where many cosmetic actions are mandated (the precise colors allowed for doors and trim in the historic area) and many petty actions are equally mandated (removal of holiday lights by January 10), it would seem the height of hypocrisy to conclude that making recycling mandatory would be contrary to the spirit of Key West. If anything, protecting the future of our island for generations to come by thoughtful and forceful action would seem imperative.

"Please, take recycling as seriously as you do parking regulations and electric car rental solicitations. Vote “Yes” at the second reading."