The White House has a Blog...

Via Crooks and Liars, I am trying to imagine what it would have looked like under the criminal bush administration?

THE BLOG:

TUE, JANUARY 20, 12:01 PM EST

Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov

The first post on WhiteHouse.gov.

TUE, JANUARY 20, 12:01 PM EST

A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation

President Barack Obama's first proclamation.

TUE, JANUARY 20, 12:01 PM EST

Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy and Serving America

The President, Vice President, and their families attend service events in Washington on Martin Luther King Day, one day before Inauguration.

TUE, JANUARY 20, 12:01 PM EST

Read The Inaugural Address

The full text of President Obama's Inaugural Address.

TUE, JANUARY 20, 12:01 PM EST

The Whistle Stop Tour

Following the same route that Abraham Lincoln rode 150 years ago, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden made their way to the inauguration on a whistle stop train tour that wove its way from Philadelphia through Delaware and Maryland on its way to Washington.

We have yet begun to fight...

I was over at The Field Negro's Blog - reading how he was going to live up to his promise of running through the streets of Philly nekid if Obama won - Anyways, I did have a little suggestion for him:

"To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high."

It is an inscription on the wall of the dressing room of the Montreal Canadiens and is often used as rallying call for sports teams up north. It is taken from the poem "In Flanders Fields".

You might want to consider carrying a torch on your run, my friend. There is a lot of talk kicking around the news and the Blogs about the historic nature of this day. How this is such a huge positive change. But there is still a lot to do, and a lot of different battles that we all have ahead of us.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields

The poppies referred to in the poem grew in profusion in Flanders where war casualties had been buried and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem is part of Remembrance Day solemnities in Allied countries which contributed troops to World War I, particularly in countries of the British Empire that did so.

The line is appropriate for everyone, liberal activists pushing for change, minorities and Black activists that still have a long way to go... Everyone that has been on the outside looking in at the dismal failures in American politics.

Yeah. I am stoked for change. And I have a dream too.

The real fights are just about to begin and the real challenge is to keep the torch burning as we move forward.

This is the end of the bush years. The worst president in the history of the USA.

The end of the worst government ever to enter into power in Washington, D.C.. Power hungry fools with a reckless disregard for the needs of the people.

The end of the of the neoconservative reign of terror. Modern day Jacobins that use terror to instill fear in the American population.

We have begun the change. And started to live up to the possibilities of so many dreams.

But it is, still, only the beginning.



[update] Via joesaho at MLN, How appropriate for this post:

The Bushes Depart | 12:56 p.m. The helicopter steps are folded up. The blade begins to rotate. The Obamas and Bidens are standing still, holding each other’s hands, as they watch the helicopter rev up. We now have lift-off; the Bushes have left the Capitol at 12:55 — almost half an hour ahead of time. The Obamas wave.

The helicopter is swinging out over the Mall first instead of heading directly to Andrews. Surely the Bushes can’t hear the crowd below, but the chant is one that sports fans jeer to the opposing team: “Na Na Na Na/Na Na Na Na/Hey Hey Hey/Good-bye.”

A cheer that started at the old Forum in Montreal. :)

Thousands of FREE tickets to Inaugural Parade

Via afterdowningstreet.org - Ya gotta love a Pink Lady!

http://arrestbush2009.com

While they are involved in this typically bold action, Via the WaPO, there is an air of excitement evident in other positive actions that they will be undertaking at this historic event:

Code Pink, Arrest Bush, the Coalition for Peace and other liberal activist groups plan to jam the Mall and line the parade route on Inauguration Day. They will hoist banners, wave signs and call for action. It might look a lot like a protest rally. But don't call it that.

"It's not a protest; it's a celebratory event," said Jose Rodriguez, a longtime activist who is coordinating an Arrest Bush demonstration in front of the FBI building Tuesday.

...snip...

"We don't want to be seen as protesting against [Obama] so much as pushing him to fulfill his promises," said Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink. "It's totally, totally different."

I, for one, am always impressed by the bold actions they have taken on behalf of those that think just writing about all of these problems will make things happen. Actions that some of these same "thinkers" would denigrate because they think things will just suddenly change if we ask nicely. Politics in the USA is a push and shove game and the media will ignore those that are passively watching the real shakers and movers that bring much needed attention to these thoughtless idealists. You need to take a carrot and stick approach. And CodePink is the stick that has been shoved so far up the asses in Washington - much to others bemusement and my admiration.

Dissent is patriotic and these ladies are some of the most active patriots in modern American history.

Bottoms up and here is to you and everything you do, CodePink: