A Swearing Out Ceremony

Like millions of others I had my fat ass planted squarely on the couch for most of the day yesterday as I watched the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

And I admit that I would still have rather seen Bernie standing there with his hand on the bible instead of sitting by himself in the back row bundled up in a winter coat and sporting some classic mittens.

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I digress.

Yet the inauguration was a reaffirmation of the values and traditions that make America a shining example of democracy to the rest of the world. It had pomp, circumstance and substance. And after an attempt on January 6 to overthrow the government (initiated by you know who), we witnessed (thankfully) a peaceful transfer of power.

Still, I think Trump got away easy by heading out of DC at the crack of dawn instead of doing the right thing and attending the swearing in of POTUS 46.

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In these circumstances in the future (God forbid) I suggest that we have a swearing out ceremony.

It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Just some flunky like Moscow Mitch standing by the stairs to the helicopter and saying:

“Trump, you douchebag. Get the fu@@ out of here.”

Oh well. I digress again.

But in any event, I’m pleased that Biden is at work today in the Oval Office. He appears to be a decent person who is more than qualified to end what he called our “uncivil” war. And he seems to be more interested in fixing the many problems that face our nation rather than spending his day on twitter, watching TV and stroking his own ego.

Except for those sitting in their mommy’s basement rapped in a Trump/Nazi flag, I think you have to admit that the inauguration yesterday presented an opportunity for all of us to feel good about America again.

And the person who put the exclamation point on the whole affair was the 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman.

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Here’s from the BBC:

Amanda Gorman has become the youngest poet ever to perform at a presidential inauguration, calling for “unity and togetherness” in her self-penned poem.
The 22-year-old delivered her work The Hill We Climb to both the dignitaries present in Washington DC and a watching global audience.
“When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” her five-minute poem began.
She went on to reference the storming of the Capitol earlier this month.
“We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy,” she declared.
“And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.”

Wow.

…”while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.”

Somebody should have shared that line with Trump during his swearing out ceremony.

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Rob Jewell

I’m Rob Jewell and I live and write in Woodland Park, Colorado, the City Above the Clouds. I've been fortunate. I worked for 29 years at BFGoodrich in Akron, Ohio. I started editing employee publications and ended as vice president of corporate communications. Then I started a public relations consulting company before becoming a full-time faculty member in the School of Journalism at Kent State University. I taught courses in writing, public relations and mass communication ethics. And I supervised a student-run public relations firm, called Flash Communications. During my tenure at Kent State I was honored to receive the university’s Outstanding Teaching Award. During most of this time I've been a dedicated runner. OK, jogger, if you take speed into consideration. But while my times are not much to write about, I was and am committed. For almost 30 years I ran at least 1,000 miles each year. (Except for one year when I tore my calf muscle playing tennis. So much for tennis.) Being on the road most mornings at 5 a.m. gave me some time to think. It also led to some amazing friendships that now span more than three decades. And my longtime love affair with running helped me shape my first novel, Then We Ran, which is available wherever electronic books are sold. And just so you don't think that all I did was work and run, I have other interests as well, many centering on family. My wife, Mary, was a successful and highly regarded career teacher in the Akron public schools. She now devotes her time and energy to a host of social and athletic activities in Woodland Park. My son, Brian, teaches at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs where he is also the head soccer coach. And my daughter, Jessica, has completed her doctorate at Kent State University where she is also an administrator with the Wick Poetry Center. I've done a lot of writing during my career -- but Jessica is the real writer in the family. I'll try not to make too many errors in this blog. I'm sure she'll be watching.

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