Joseph Lowery's Inaugural Benediction

Malia Said It Better Be Good and It Was

Big and bold speech. Speaking to us and the world. Brilliant. Loved when he spoke to the Muslim world, when he told nations if you unclench your fist, the U.S. will be there, that we will help poor nations. That we will help ourselves. Inspiring. Read Obama's speech here.
Rev. Joseph Lowery really rose to the occasion and the ending was fun. Poet Elizabeth Alexander rose to the occasion as well. Love.
Hey, did you check out Whitehouse.gov. Obama's in the house!

Check this out -- the official White House youtube channel. 
Obama takes the oath:

From WhiteHouse.gov where it simply says: Change has come to America

Welcome to the new WhiteHouse.gov. I'm Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.

A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.

Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement.

Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:

Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.

Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.

Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.

We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign's before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback.

Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office.

Viewing Rick Warren at the 30,000 Foot Level

I heard Sophia Nelson's viewpoint on Rick Warren last night on NPR and found it refreshing. It's how I felt before I spent too much time listening to Rick Warren's callous words about gay people. But in the end she's right. Obama's right. Nelson, by the way, has been a republican strategist for quite a while. If more republicans were like her, I might be a republican. 

Check out what she had to say about the ugly song that's all the rage within the republican party right now. Here is what she had to say about Warren: 

Political Intersection: The choice of Rick Warren is shrewd and bold, and exactly what the nation needs to see modeled in our leaders. Not just "tolerance" of other's views (I so hate that word)--but acceptance and respect of each other's differences and ideologies and why we see the world so differently at times. This is what I like most in Obama--he likes people--he likes to engage them--he is a thinker--he is unafraid to reach beyond the pail of what is "supposed to be" acceptable or politically correct.

To my friends on the right I say give this young President a chance--he may surprise you. To my friends on the left I say, open your hearts and listen, just as you wish to be listened to by others. Stop the name calling, the attacks on Pastor Warren and instead see if you can sit with him, engage him, pray with him and at least agree to disagree agreeably. Find out the genesis of why he feels as he does about Gay Americans--and make sure he hears from your side with civility and passion just the same.

It is time for this nation to heal because this nation is headed for very hard economic times. You may have to feed your Gay neighbor, or borrow some milk from the right wing evangelicals down the street. The black brother will have to help his white brother, and the Hispanic brother may have to employ his black brother. The point is, we need to come together not just in word but in deed. This is a good way to start that process at a 30,000 ft level.

I also recently re-read a Rolling Stone interview from a while back where Obama talked about gay marriage and that too, was refreshing. He said that for many, gay marriage is a culture shock (see Joseph Lowery, who's giving the benediction, talk about this) and it's not something that can be shoved down people's throats.

There is a learning curve and there are steps to take.

For those of us who have an intuitive sense of what constitutes a civil right or who are more accepting, or who live and work around a lot of gay people, people who oppose gay marriage can be hard to handle because when they speak their mind, it often comes out as hate. As they're pushed, they become more forceful in spewing hate. They have no other way of handling it because they don't know any better. For now.

But if more people can be included in the process, if there can be a meeting of the minds from both ends of the spectrum, perhaps, one day even Rick Warren might see things differently. He might be sitting on Oprah's couch explaining how God sent him his epiphany. Who knows?
Here's that passage from RS:

In Dreams From My Father, you recount the bigotry your parents faced because of interracial marriage, which was illegal then. What is the difference between that and the current bans on gay marriage?
Well, I'm always careful not to draw easy equivalents between groups, because then you start getting into a contest about victimization or who has been discriminated against more. What I'll say is that I am a strong believer in civil unions that would provide all the federal rights under federal law that a marriage contract would provide to people. I think that the country is still working through the idea of same-sex marriage and its entanglement, historically, with religious beliefs.

My sense is that a consensus has already established itself that when it comes to hospital visitation, the ability to pass on benefits like Social Security, that people shouldn't be discriminated against, everyone should be treated equally. I think that is a starting point — that consensus is what will grow over time. If you want to use the analogy of the civil rights movement, Dr. King and others didn't lead with assaults on anti-miscegenation laws. They focused on voting rights and civil rights. Once those rights were secured, the culture shifts.

Joseph Lowery on Gay Marriage

Joseph Lowery, the other preacher at Obama's inauguration, will give the benediction and has taken a backseat to Rick Warren. Lowery opposed Prop 8, which Rick Warren supported. Still, Lowery isn't over the moon about civil marriage for gay couples. Neither is Obama for that matter. Lowery and Obama support civil unions. Warren believes that being gay is sinful and he comes from the You-Can-Cure-Yourself-Of-Being-Gay-If-You-Want-To-Be-Saved school of thought. Lowery has a significantly different view. 

Page One: Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, President-elect Obama's choice to deliver the benediction at the upcoming Inauguration, said on Tuesday that he hesitates to support civil marriage for same-sex couples. He does, however, support civil unions. Lowery will appear with Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church founder and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, who is slated to deliver the invocation.

Warren has faced criticism over statements comparing same-sex relationships to incest and pedophilia. He was also a vocal supporter of California's Proposition 8. The President-elect has defended his inaugural lineup in the spirit of unity with those with whom one does not always agree.

"I differ with [Rick Warren] sharply on his position on this issue," Lowery told MSNBC's David Shuster. "I don't think we ought to put into law any discriminatory action against people because of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. I oppose that. But that doesn't stop me from being on a program with him."

Yes There's Warren But Lowery Gives Benediciton

Pastor Rick Warren isn't everyone's choice to give the inaugural invocation. It's not worth throwing a fit about either, but I understand completely why people are mad.
Obama is intent on reaching out to everyone, and as Obama explained today, Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader, who's views contrast with Warren, gives the benediction. So forget about Warren. Focus on Lowery. 
Here he is talking about the possibility of a President Obama. He must be pleased. Read more about Lowery here.

More on Lowery:

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will give the keynote address for Duke University’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, in Duke Chapel.

The speech is part of a program in the chapel celebrating King’s life. The program, which will include music and dance, is free and open to the public; parking is available in the Bryan Center Parking Garage (see map).

Lowery and King were part of the group that founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta in 1957. Lowery was an active partner with King throughout the Civil Rights Movement, leading marches and sit-ins against segregation. He pastored churches in Mobile, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta.

Lowery served as president of the SCLC from 1977 to 1998. He also has been active in such causes as Middle East peace, ending apartheid in South Africa and cleaning up toxic waste in North Carolina.

A retired United Methodist minister, Lowery has won numerous awards, including the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, Martin Luther King Center Peace Award and United Methodist Church Justice Award. The Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights at Clark-Atlanta University is named in his honor. He spoke at King’s memorial service, and gave eulogies at the funerals of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King.

“Dr. Lowery and Dr. King were partners in laying the foundation for the changes that we now see occurring in America’s public life,” said Ben Reese, one of the King committee co-chairs and Duke’s vice president for institutional equity. “His appearance here will give the Duke community an opportunity to reflect on that foundation and inspiration to build upon the principles and tenets of Dr. King.”

The news folks are all over this. It is a controversy after all. Ann Curry asks Rick Warren why he supported Prop 8 and how he can live with that. She asks if he's homophobic. He answers not so well:

Obama Answers Rick Warren Choice

Obama answers the choice of Pastor Rick Warren (I paraphrased):
I am a fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It's something that I've been consistent on and I intend to continue to be consistent on this. But it's important to come together.
I was invited to Rick Warren's church even though my views were different than his.
That dialogue is what my campaign was all about. We have to agree to disagree without being disagreeable and focus on those things we have in common.
Joseph Lowery, who's giving the benediction, has contrasting views to Warren. There are going to be a wide range of viewpoints presented. That's how it should be. We are diverse, noisy and opinionated.

Full Inauguration Schedule Jan. 20

For the Swearing-In Ceremony, security checkpoints will open for ticketed guests at 8:00 am and the musical prelude begins at 10 am. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies advises arriving no later than 9:00 am to ensure that you are through the checkpoints by the time the program begins. Screening will end when the program begins at 11:30 am and late arrivals will not be able to enter the grounds.

Ticket holders should walk or use Metro due to road closures and restricted access around the US Capitol.
Read the bios of the performers here. Official inauguration site here.

The order of the day's events:

Musical Selections
The United States Marine Band

Musical Selections
The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus

Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

Invocation
Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA

Musical Selection
Aretha Franklin

Oath of Office Administered to Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
By Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
The Honorable John Paul Stevens

Musical Selection, John Williams, composer/arranger
Itzhak Perlman, Violin
Yo-Yo Ma, Cello
Gabriela Montero, Piano
Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Oath of Office Administered to President-elect Barack H. Obama
By the Chief Justice of the United States
The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

Inaugural Address
The President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama

Poem
Elizabeth Alexander

Benediction
The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

The National Anthem
The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”

After President Obama gives his Inaugural Address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House with groups traveling from all over the country to participate.

Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host ten official Inaugural Balls. More details about the Inaugural Balls will be released at a later date.