January 22, 2021
Dear Interested Readers,
An Inspiring Call To Climb The Hill Of Our Unfinished Work
If you read my post from Tuesday, you know that I was very excited about the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The demographics alone made it a historic event. Joe would be our oldest president and Kamala would be the first woman/African American/south Asain to ever be Vice President. I was like a six-year-old boy who was anxious and full of expectations while impatiently waiting for Christmas or for a birthday surprise. I did not admit in my Tuesday post that in the midst of my joyful anticipation I was also filled with fear and apprehension about the solemn ceremony being interrupted by some tragic plot. My fantasies and fears were not vague. I imagined that during the January attack on the Capitol planful terrorists could have hidden some explosive devices that they might detonate from a remote location during the ceremony. I think that thought was a residual of the television drama, “Designated Survivor.” Another fearful fantasy was that those who were willing to destroy the nation because of their fanatical desire to foment insurrection would use a low flying drone to attempt yet another assassination that would plunge us into a right wing uprising that would redirect the course of history.
As I write to you now, I feel the relief that is associated with awakening from a terrifying nightmare because none of my fears materialized. I am filled with joy because my hopes for an inspiring event were exceeded beyond my wildest expectations. In retrospect, it was prescient to reflected on the impact of Robert Frost’s poetry at the 1961 inauguration of JFK and to have introduced Amanda Gorman to you. I wrote:
I thought of the elderly Frost and the very young president when I heard that Joe Biden, the oldest person to be elected president, had invited 22-year-old Amanda Gordon, our first Youth Poet Laureate, to present a new poem at his inauguration.
Predicting the tone and content of Joe Biden’s inaugural speech was also not that hard. All that was necessary was to be familiar with his long history of faithful service to the country, to have listened closely to what he had been saying during the campaign before and after his nomination, and to have noted his comments between his election and inauguration. I said:
I am sure that Joe Biden’s speech will attempt to offer us hope and a road to reconciliation. I want to hear him tell us once again about how we are going to “Build Back Better.” The speech will probably be a mix of reassurance that things will soon be better, and the assertion that our greatness is indeed redeemable if we rediscover respect for one another and the world we share, as we accept once again our responsibility to all humans and resume our leadership of the free world. We will probably be given a 40,000-foot overview of the policy proposals that will support those goals. I expect that he will outline the challenges ahead and affirm his willingness to reach across the aisle to pass laws that will provide relief from the pandemic and begin to repair the damage it has done to our economy. I would be surprised if he does not express a profound sense of loss for the 400,000 people who have died from COVID and genuine empathy for the families of COVID’s victims while honoring the millions of essential workers who have mitigated our losses. I am almost certain the newly inaugurated president will mention the unbalanced impact of the pandemic on members of minorities who are dually and differentially harmed by their employment in essential roles and their lack of access to adequate care. He is likely to commit his administration to the pursuit of universal access to health care. I am sure that he will promise to restore America to its leadership role in the global efforts to curb the warming of the planet from carbon-based fuels that are the greatest threat to life as we have known it. I am also sure that he will not express hostility toward people who voted against him. We will watch the august ceremony with our fingers crossed and offering prayers for the safety of the small crowd of socially distanced observers of this most significant ceremony of our democracy, the taking of pledges to preserve the Constitution and the system of government that it describes.
I did not predict but should have based on knowledge of her attire at other big events, the eye-popping gown, and jewelry that Lady Gaga would wear as she sang the national anthem with a golden microphone. I never paid much attention to her until she appeared as a less outrageously attired woman in the latest version of “A Star Is Born” with Bradley Cooper. (I have a preference for the version from the seventies with Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand.) In both the movie and at the inauguration Lady Gaga proved that she is a gifted musician who is a joy to hear and witness whether she is in jeans or decked out in an outrageously overdone and futuristic ball gown.
I was delighted by the beauty of Jennifer Lopez’s interwoven creative medley of “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.” It was an appearance and performance that was loaded with symbolism and deeper meaning. She was dressed in “suffragette white” to honor women, and the words she sang in Spanish were “one nation with liberty and justice for all.”
One of the biggest surprises of this remarkable event was to see Garth Brooks doing an acapella version of “Amazing Grace.” I would have guessed with his largest fan base in “red states” that he might have been more likely to be at a Trump rally. That opinion and my surprise give evidence that I have several biases and may be part of our national problem and not part of the solution. My face was red when I looked into why he was there. I discovered a quote from Chicago’s WGN:
“This is a great day in our household,” the country music superstar said during a virtual press conference two days before the inauguration. “This is not a political statement. This is a statement of unity.”
“I want to spend the next 10 years of my life not divided. I’m so tired of being divided,” he added.
Further research revealed that Brooks is a Republican. Many of his fans were upset. They were also upset when he declined to perform during the celebrations for Donald Trump’s inauguration. He is a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and introduced Michelle Obama when she visited Nashville to promote her book. It seems that Brooks’ desire for national unity trumps his party affiliation and he is willing to risk the loyalty of some of his fans to do what he can to bring red and blue America a little closer together in difficult times.
The two peak experiences for me were the president’s address and the remarkable presentation by Amanda Gordon of her poem, “The Hill We Climb.” If I still remember Robert Frost’s appearance at JFK’s inauguration sixty years ago, I am sure that I will remember Ms. Gordon’s offering for as long as I live. If you have about a half-hour to invest, I recommend that you listen to both of those presentations while you read the transcripts that are presented below. If you just want to scan the documents, I have bolded the lines that stand out for me. Simultaneously listening and watching( click on the names above) while reading will maximize your appreciation of the beauty, the intricate construction, the complex ideas, and the effectiveness of the two presentations. They are inspiring.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr’s Inaugural Address
Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris. Speaker Pelosi, Leaders Schumer, McConnell, Vice President Pence, my distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans, this is America’s day.
This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope of renewal and resolve through a crucible for the ages. America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.
We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
From now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago, violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power, as we have for more than two centuries.
As we look ahead in our uniquely American way: restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we can be and we must be.
I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know, I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.
I’ve just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath, first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people who seek a more perfect union.
This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far. But we still have far to go. We’ll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities, much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.
Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now. A once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.
The cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.
To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.
In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote: “If my name ever goes down into history, it’ll be for this act. And my whole soul is in it.”
My whole soul was in it today. On this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.
Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward, reward work, and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we’re all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured.
Through civil war, the Great Depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward. And we can do that now. History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace — only bitterness and fury. No progress — only exhausting outrage. No nation — only a state of chaos.
This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we’ve acted together.
And so today at this time in this place, let’s start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.
My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. And I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as was mentioned earlier, completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured, we prevailed.
Here we stand looking out on the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we marked the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office: Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change.
Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground.
It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever.
To all those who supported our campaign, I’m humbled by the faith you’ve placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent, peaceably, the guardrails of our republic, is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength.
Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans. All Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.
Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote to the people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth.
Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.
Look — I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering: Can I keep my health care? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.
But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural vs. urban, conservative vs. liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes, as my mom would say, just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand. That’s how it has to be. That’s what we do for one another. And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.
My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we’re going to need each other. We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We’re entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. One nation.
And I promise you this, as the Bible says: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We will get through this together. Together.
Look, folks. All my colleagues I served with in the House and the Senate up there, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here’s my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.
We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress and security. Look — you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. And my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic. Those 400,000 fellow Americans. Moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors and co-workers. We will honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be. So I ask you, let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives, those left behind, and for our country.
Amen.
Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in the world. Any one of these will be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we’ve had. Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up? All of us? It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain, I promise you: We will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era.
Will we rise to the occasion is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story. A story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called “American Anthem.” There’s one verse that stands out, at least for me, and it goes like this:
The work and prayers of a century have brought us to this day.
What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?
Let me know in my heart when my days are through.
America, America, I gave my best to you.
Let’s add. Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children’s children will say of us: They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.
My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America and I will give all, all of you. Keep everything I do in your service, thinking not of power, but of possibilities, not of personal interest, but the public good. And together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch, but thrived. That America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebears, one another and generations to follow.
So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.
The transcript below of “The Hill We Climb” was modified from publication by The Hill.
The Hill We Climb
Amanda Gordon
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
I am hopeful that as President Biden and Vice President Harris lead us that we will find a way to heal our divisions and “build back better.” Over the next four years through executive orders issued by President Biden, we will recover much of what we have lost during the last four years. Those executive orders can reverse much of the damage that the executive orders of Donald Trump and wilful administrative mismanagement at HHS have inflicted on our most vulnerable neighbors. We lost much of the momentum toward the Triple Aim during Donald Trump’s administration, but so far the ACA has been preserved. It is obvious that our new leadership recognizes that we will go much further and much faster if we can begin to repair our divisions and find some way to create a bipartisan agreement that healthcare should be an entitlement that we all enjoy.
I agree with the president that controlling the pandemic, fortifying the economy, addressing inequality that is magnified by racial injustices, and addressing global warming are the most urgent problems that face our new president and vice president but within each of those objectives, there are connections to the equitable and efficient delivery of care to every person, including “illegal immigrants,” living in America. I believe that as progress is made on any one of these issues there will be spillover benefits for the others and for healthcare. There is much work to be done and I am convinced that there is legitimate hope that we can make progress. Leadership does make a difference, and we now have empathetic, wise, and experienced leadership that cares about the health and welfare of every person on this small and tightly interconnected planet. We should all ask how we might contribute to the effort to enable us all to climb the hill out of the darkness and into the light.
Be well, be hopeful, be a part of the effort,
Gene
