“We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The following was originally posted in 2013, when most Americans would have laughed at the idea of a Donald Trump presidency and even Republicans would have been horrified by the events that took place in our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021.  For just a few moments, let’s go back to that time:

Michelle Obama was reinstated as First Lady yesterday.  Her husband was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States in a small ceremony officiated by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Joe Biden was sworn in for his second term as Vice President by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The Constitution mandates the ceremony take place on January 20 and this was only the 7th time it occurred on a Sunday.  The public inauguration, expected to draw about 600,000 people (as opposed to about 1.8 M in 2008) will take place today.

The two terms of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be as different as the men themselves and their political affiliations.  Yet, these two very different men have much in common, something worth considering.

Both are reviled and ridiculed by the other side.  Both believe in America and her people.

Both Bush and Obama are exemplary family men with adoring wives and two charming daughters.  Both mirror American ideals and have avoided the personal potholes that have derailed countless careers and become emblematic of American politics.

From all appearances, they are both role models for the American family.

Even if Barack Hussein Obama was not your choice for president, you should take heart in the knowledge that his re-election and the seamless continuation of the American presidency is a testament to the creation of our Founding Fathers and to this experiment we call democracy.

Congress is broken, but as long we maintain faith in ourselves and encourage the broadest possible participation in America, we have the power to make it better.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and it was mostly about you being able to pursue yours in a world devoid of hate.

Happy birthday, Dr. King (January 15, 1929).

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