Extraordinary Every Time

Washington's Inauguration, 1789

Did you watch any of the second inauguration of President Obama and Vice President Biden? I know some Americans aren't as happy or impressed with it as I am, given the very polarized atmosphere everywhere. I can't help but wonder how I'd be feeling if this had been Mitt Romney's inauguration. However you voted, this event that happens every four years remains one of the more remarkable success stories in world history. The orderly transition or continuation of power based on the will of the people is gaining momentum thanks in no small part to our own example. Even so, it is still far from a common occurence in many countries across the globe. Through all the years of this messy experiment we call a democratic republic, the move from one Presidential administration to another has never meant a military coup or someone appointing himself dictator. Many people are bemoaning how our President is threatening to take away their constiututional rights or how our republic is supposedly dead or dying. They're just plain wrong. I point to history and to all those times when civil war, depression, scandal, slavery, armed attack and moves to abolish basic rights failed to deny Americans their day to see a new administration peacefully and orderly sworn into office. We've seen worse, yet the process begun in 1789 endures. The result of an election may not always be to our liking, but an inauguration like this one on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is something to celebrate.