Los Tehrangeles

Horns cut through the early morning sunlight as Iranian Americans exercise the freedoms of speech and assembly which are being brutally suppressed in their homeland. “if this was your family, you’d be here, too!” a young woman calls to cars passing by. Maybe a hundred people, wrapped in American and Iranian flags, fingers held aloft in a peace gesture and accented with green, stand out here for the first of two rallies today, drawing the passive endorsement of passersby. They howl with the anguish of people watching from a distance, doing what they can to topple a dictatorship with words. Though President Obama has kept the US officially mum, the citizens are making their support for freedom, for human rights, for democracy heard and felt around the world!

I do solemly swear

My suegro (father in law) was forced to flee Chile twenty three years ago for his political beliefs. If he hadn’t, my family would be very different today.
Sitting in the LA Convention Center this morning, he and five thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine other people are preparing to complete a journey, from where they came from to who they’ll be in just minutes: United States’ Citizens.
And we’re here with thousands of other families to see that happen.

A Shared Experience

As I sit here waiting for my plane to take off, wingning me like a Falcon back to Southern California, I am once again struck by what this experience actually means to me. I have had probably fifty conversations about Barack, the Presidency, the past, the future, war, peace, Hillary, life, death, words, thoughts, ideas and so much more with complete strangers, all of us joined in common purpose, to celebrate our new President and to get to work fixin’ things.
Again I have to reference El-hajj Malik El Shabazz, because his discussion of shared humanity is so appropriate. This community has been the gift of my trip, bestowed both by me upon others and others upon me. I spoke in chapel last week of Dr. King’s dream, of working for the right thing, strengthening one’s character, and changing the world. My martial arts teacher often says that the way we improve society is by improving ourselves.
Both of these ideas, these words to live by, saw a culmination this week, from the Lincoln Memorial to my seat on this plane (15d -the aisle!) I HOPE I can carry them home and share them with everyone I meet.

A Moment

There aren’t many words.  I am an optimist, which means I’m disappointed a lot.  But hearing the words, “I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me, God,” sent a shiver through my being that made my ancestors rejoice.  It was “a new breath of freedom” to borrow a phrase.

There has been so much done wrong in my lifetime, there have been so many times that I left the work of changing the world, or making the world a better place, of putting myself on the line for something (or someone) that I believe in, that listening to the echoes of President Obama’s oath of office simply affirmed what I have said before and known in my head, but not in my heart – the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Or, as President Obama has put it, “the road may be long, but we will get there.”

We haven’t reached the end of the road, but this moment, this way station, is a beautiful place to be.

Hurry Up . . . and Wait

We’ve been standing on the Mall since 8:30am.  We’ve been out of the house since 6am.  There are millions of us here!

I’ve seen two barricades collapse under the weight of the crowds.  But after we got to “our spot” by the reflecting pool (did you see me?) we’ve been in the same place.  The challenge has been staying warm.

I’m bundled like an Eskimo, but it’s still a little chilly! President-elect Obama’s armored Cadillac just rolled by.  I think it’s about to get started.

Everybody just cracked up – the mc said please be seated, but we don’t have seats!

President Bush got booed loudly.  That’s not cool.  I don’t particularly care for him or his policies, either, but . . . that’s not cool.  And why is Vice President Cheney in a wheelchair?

Here comes Obama!

In like Flynn

On the Mall. Still lots of people. Being buffeted by a sea of humanity and I can’t feel my fingers, I have to switch hands. Okay.
Two hours until everything kicks off. Mad anticipation!

But . . . I have a ticket

A late start (6am) put us square in the middle of MILLIONS! We’re standing – oops! We’re almost moving. More when we get in.

The 2nd Time Around

The second ball was WAY better than the first.  I was overdressed in my tuxedo, but that didn’t matter.  The energy was great, and I met some coooooool people.  You all are aware that I am a political junkie.  The first person I met was Congresswoman Linda Sanchez.  I only said hello, but that was enough.  Then I waited in line to get in, since my name was on a certain list (thanks to my enabler!)  After waiting in line for about ten minutes in the very, very cold air, I got inside.  I wasn’t really expecting much, because of last night’s experience, but . . . this was way better.  I got to stand with the photographers in the “red carpet” line, where I snapped a picture of former California Governor Gray Davis.  Then I meandered inside.

Lo and behold, who was there but Dr. Susan Rice.  Who’s that?  What do you mean who’s that?  She’s only the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations!  And she’s been working on President-elect (only ten more hours!) Obama’s foreign policy team for a good long while . . . well as long as he’s had a foreign policy team.  Anyway, I got about five minutes of Ambassador-designate Rice’s time.  We talked about a certain set of students I know, and education, and what’s in store for the Obama Administration!  It was cool.  I could have left right then and there, but . . . I didn’t.

Me and Dr. Susan Rice (yes, I know it's bad grammar - sue me!)

I meandered through the Inaugural Gala for a little while.  Sheryl Crow performed live.  So did Will.i.am.  At midnight, Arianna Huffington came out and said, “Happy New Era!”  She said that she throws this party, “every time an African American is elected president!”  I thought that was funny.  There were a lot of people there.  After Will.i.am performed a live version of “Where’s the Love?”, he and Gordon Sumner performed a couple of songs.  Then Gordon got busy with an acoustic rendition of “Every Breath You Take.”  For those of you who know his music, I had to call home and share it with my beloved by holding up the phone so she could listen.  It was just that good.

Then I had another Metro adventure to get to my residence for the evening.  My brother and I will be up at 5:30am to get to the Mall by 6am.  No chances will be taken!

As cool as the evening was, though, and everyone at the party knew it, it was only the second best thing they’re going to do today.

And we can’t wait for the first.

Goodnight.

What’s the plan for tomorrow?

My cousin is volunteering at the swearing on. That means she gets a red beanie and she has to be on the National Mall to begin work at 5am. I’m going, too.
Even though I have a ticket, I want to make sure that I’m at the front of whichever section I’m in. Security opens to let people into their sections at 7am. The program starts at 10am. The inauguration takes place around 11:55am, because the president’s term ends at noon. President Obama speaks immediately following.

the belly of the beast

Going down into the Metro station is like sliding down a dragon’s esophagus. You have a feeling of descent, concrete muscles convulsing, pushing you down, down, down into the belly of the beast.
The only thing that saves you from panic is the rest of the people calmly sliding down with you . . .
Then the trains come roaring at you, snakes writhing along steel rods, roaring at their captivity as they slide along, swallowing people up along the way . . .