Hope, not fear

Yesterday I listened to Obama's inauguration with a kind of giddy joy, a joy that infused the crowd at the party I later attended, and hasn't totally subsided. For the first time in my life, I am proud of our President and of the opportunity to participate in civic life that he offers to everyone, especially my generation. At long last, the rebuilding, renewing, rejuvenating, and revisioning of this country may take place along lines of which I approve.

But when I hear people talk about wiping the slate clean, I also feel trepidation. We need to remember how we got here, not sweep aside the lessons or the debts that we've accumulated in our collective rush towards transformation and the dawning of a new day. So at the top of the list of thrilling moments from the last 72 hours, even edging out Beyonce's rendition of America The Beautiful at last Sunday's pre-inaugural concert, and the images of thousands upon thousands of people gathered to witness the swearing in of our first black President, is the announcement that Obama plans to close Guantanamo Bay and has suspended the military tribunals. This action, which will no doubt usher in all kinds of complications, gives meaning to the rhetoric "we chose hope over fear." The next step is criminal investigation of Bush administration officials for war crimes, something we are obligated to pursue by treaty and by our own Constitution.

Check out Glenn Greenwald's piece on Salon.com for more information.

The Obama inauguration included a poem by Elizabeth Alexander, "Praise Song for the Day." In her poem, Alexander turns to our collective past and reminds us of the debt owed to our ancestors.
"Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce, built
brick by brick the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean and work inside of."

To which I add this, from Maya Angelou's "The Rock Cries Out to Us Today" recited at Clinton's 1993 inauguration.
"History, despite its wrenching pain,
cannot be unlived, and if faced
with courage, need not be lived again."