Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
OBAMA: My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT
Dear Mr. President
What’s good Mr. President, I like the way that sounds my dude. I guess congratulations are in order for your historic and monumental victory in November. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of history. Damn it seems so long ago since I sent you that last letter after you won the Democratic Presidential nomination. A lot of time has passed since then but I just wanted to reiterate to you how proud I am of your accomplishments. It has made me feel good to see how you have represented other men and what it means to be a true man. I want to come down on the 20th of January and Pop Champagne with you but I don’t have a ticket to commemorate this historical event so I’m going to have to watch it from home with my sons. As this should be a joyous and wonderful occasion the sad thing is we aren’t able to transition you in slowly and smoothly. The country and the entire world is in an economic crisis as we are the standard upon which the world moves. We need you to become the leader that we elected you to be; you are our point guard and our commander in chief. It’s time to lead us into the future as the visionary that we believe that you are. As I am familiar with your track record in the Senate, 1,986 bills authored and co sponsored in 8 years is outstanding. We now need you to work some of that visionary magic on our economic woes and breathe life back into this country. It is going on 76 years since the inauguration of the man history has deemed the greatest President in United States history, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Like you FDR was dealing with a recession he created social programs that revitalized the country and jumpstarted the economy. He provided immediate relief, recovery from economic collapse, and reform to prevent future economic recessions. That is the blueprint that you should follow Mr. President to save our country. Implementing social programs has the calming effect over the country because it shows that you are taking a proactive approach to fixing the problems that ail the country. As I don’t want to take up too much of your time as I know you have a lot of preparation to do. I just want to remind you like I said in my first letter that you have a purpose that goes deeper than being the first Black President. You represent to millions of other boys and young men who resemble you, hope. You provide them the hope that racism and prejudice are a thing of the past. You provide them the hope that with knowledge of self and building a relationship with God that anything is possible for them to achieve. You provide them with hope that they are no longer going to be viewed as the descendants of slaves but as the leaders of today and tomorrow. You provide them the hope that they no longer are going to be Niggers in the eyes of so many. The line “I’m out for President’s that represent me” is more than just a catchy rhyme. It means exactly what is says. You truly represent me Mr. President thank you for stepping up and taking the leadership mantel. I also want to ask something of you that will draw a lot of heat. I think it’s time you brought Joann Chesimard home. Pardon her for her alleged crimes and let our sister come back home it’s only right. I think that the police have killed enough of our brothers and sisters that they can take this loss. It’s something for you to think about my dude. Ok I’m going to end this letter wishing you much success and I’ll hit you up from time to time to let you know I got your back. Stay up Mr. President we got you.
What’s good Mr. President, I like the way that sounds my dude. I guess congratulations are in order for your historic and monumental victory in November. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of history. Damn it seems so long ago since I sent you that last letter after you won the Democratic Presidential nomination. A lot of time has passed since then but I just wanted to reiterate to you how proud I am of your accomplishments. It has made me feel good to see how you have represented other men and what it means to be a true man. I want to come down on the 20th of January and Pop Champagne with you but I don’t have a ticket to commemorate this historical event so I’m going to have to watch it from home with my sons. As this should be a joyous and wonderful occasion the sad thing is we aren’t able to transition you in slowly and smoothly. The country and the entire world is in an economic crisis as we are the standard upon which the world moves. We need you to become the leader that we elected you to be; you are our point guard and our commander in chief. It’s time to lead us into the future as the visionary that we believe that you are. As I am familiar with your track record in the Senate, 1,986 bills authored and co sponsored in 8 years is outstanding. We now need you to work some of that visionary magic on our economic woes and breathe life back into this country. It is going on 76 years since the inauguration of the man history has deemed the greatest President in United States history, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Like you FDR was dealing with a recession he created social programs that revitalized the country and jumpstarted the economy. He provided immediate relief, recovery from economic collapse, and reform to prevent future economic recessions. That is the blueprint that you should follow Mr. President to save our country. Implementing social programs has the calming effect over the country because it shows that you are taking a proactive approach to fixing the problems that ail the country. As I don’t want to take up too much of your time as I know you have a lot of preparation to do. I just want to remind you like I said in my first letter that you have a purpose that goes deeper than being the first Black President. You represent to millions of other boys and young men who resemble you, hope. You provide them the hope that racism and prejudice are a thing of the past. You provide them the hope that with knowledge of self and building a relationship with God that anything is possible for them to achieve. You provide them with hope that they are no longer going to be viewed as the descendants of slaves but as the leaders of today and tomorrow. You provide them the hope that they no longer are going to be Niggers in the eyes of so many. The line “I’m out for President’s that represent me” is more than just a catchy rhyme. It means exactly what is says. You truly represent me Mr. President thank you for stepping up and taking the leadership mantel. I also want to ask something of you that will draw a lot of heat. I think it’s time you brought Joann Chesimard home. Pardon her for her alleged crimes and let our sister come back home it’s only right. I think that the police have killed enough of our brothers and sisters that they can take this loss. It’s something for you to think about my dude. Ok I’m going to end this letter wishing you much success and I’ll hit you up from time to time to let you know I got your back. Stay up Mr. President we got you.
Friday, October 10, 2008
RESPECT MINE
I'm not a racist or even prejuidice for the record. I however am a grown man and anything I feel that is disrespectful to me I will address it. I am all for the freedom of speech and free will but I will not ever let anybody outright disrepect me and feel comfortable anywhere within a mile of my presence. This t shirt doesn't desereve a response from me but I have to comment for my own satisfaction. As I was on MySpace and reading Lord of King's newest Blog http://www.myspace.com/PaignAddict I would spit on dude and dare him to say something just for having the heart to wear this t shirt. I may be wrong for reacting instead of acting but bump that you are going to respect me regardless.
THE NEXT GENERATION
I went to an event in Brooklyn Monday evening, the President of the NAACP was coming to meet members of the Brooklyn Branch. I arrived late but was impressed with the crowd and the younger people in attendance. As me and my boy noticed although there were a good number of younger people in the crowd the leadership was predominantly the older generation. I made the comment that in order for the NAACP to take the next step into the new millenium they need to incorporate more younger people into position of power. The time is now to seize upon the attention that this Presidential election has brought about. So many young people are interested in change they need to mobilze and grab them up and take their ideas and energy to make the NAACP and organization that matters again. I believe that the older generation has done a remarkable job in all that they have achieved for people of color but they need to allow the new generation to come in and take over. They have open the doors to alot of different avenues for people of color. However it is now time for us to take the doors off their hinges and walk through them. That can only happen with new generation of leadership.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Words can't express the power in the words Michelle Obama spoke monday night. She took the world by storm with her speech and announced on the biggest stage that win or lose the Obama's are a force to reckon with. I'm a basketball fan and I can tie everything to basketball. Michelle and Barack are the new Kobe and Shaq, the Jordan and Pippen for the new millenium. They are a Dynasty in the making. I'm glad I was able to witness it
Friday, August 1, 2008
AIR OBAMA
I was over at http://williamyan.com/ and I saw he had a link to the Air Obama TShirts from Robust Flavor http://www.robustflavor.com/product_p/rob001.htm. I got hyped but then once I went to the site I didn't see any XXX T Shirts. Can the big dudes get some love. I can't squeeze into a XX and be representing. Come on Robust Flavor step up and show the big people some love. Your shirts are fly we want to rock them too.
Friday, July 4, 2008
DEAR OBAMA
Dear Obama
What’s good my dude? I have been meaning to contact you ever since you won the Democratic nomination. Congratulations on becoming the first black candidate to make it that far. You have made an entire nation proud of your accomplishments, especially in the manner in which you have carried yourself with dignity and pride. I would like to say that you have made African-American’s proud to say you are one of us but you and I both know that you aren’t African-American but a man with a Father from African, Kenya and a White Mother. That’s gonna be our little secret because I f-ck’s with you Obama. As long as the name Kaffir Boy doesn’t slip out of your mouth we are good money. I’m also willing to look past your affiliation with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Trilateral Commission, and the Boule’. I understand the need to align yourself with powerful groups as such because without their assistance you will be an outsider trying to look in. Your record within the Senate is almost impeccable. Your resume speaks for itself; you have authored 223 healthcare bills, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control bills, and 6 veterans’ affairs bills. You have made you mark in the 8 years you have held public office. You have authored and co sponsored over 1,986 bills I can’t take anything away from you on that. You have represented your constituents and the people well on that note. As a nation we are in a recession it may take another 4 years or more to pull ourselves out of this rut. Your job is going to be hard and rough in bringing this nation back to prosperity. It might be a setup allowing you to win the Presidential election. But I’m sure that’s something you are willing to chance, who wouldn’t if they were placed in that predicament. I’m proud of you and it is with great pleasure that I’m throwing my support behind you. It’s more so for what you represent to my son’s more so than anything. You represent new hope for millions of younger black men. You are the change that they aspire to become. You are the people’s champ right now. You are bigger than Michael Jordan, bigger than Ali, bigger than Tupac, bigger than Lil Wayne, bigger than Tiger Woods, and bigger than Floyd Mayweather. For many people you are the second coming. I view you as new blood and a chance at redemption for the political party system. You are going to help me believe that the best candidate will win coming from the more popular political parties. Your purpose is bigger than just being the first. You are the fresh air that this country needs. My boy thinks that you are the Manchurian Candidate, too perfect to believe in and planted by the conglomerates and billion dollar corporations. I’m all for conspiracy theories but I’m holding out hope that that isn’t the case. I understand that people of color only represent so much from the economic side, I know you owe some favors to bug business interest that funded your campaign. I also know that as a political power we have but so much true power and clout. I know you need to add a little cream to the coffee I understand that 100%. Just don’t forget the debt that you owe to the people. The debt of helping to make a change for the nation so I understand that you must represent for the red, white, and blue but don’t forget about the red, black, and the green my dude. I’m not going to draw this letter out to long since you are a busy man and I have things to do as well. I just wanted to let you know I acknowledge your purpose and meaning and to say that you are my dude and I’m fucking with you right now.
What’s good my dude? I have been meaning to contact you ever since you won the Democratic nomination. Congratulations on becoming the first black candidate to make it that far. You have made an entire nation proud of your accomplishments, especially in the manner in which you have carried yourself with dignity and pride. I would like to say that you have made African-American’s proud to say you are one of us but you and I both know that you aren’t African-American but a man with a Father from African, Kenya and a White Mother. That’s gonna be our little secret because I f-ck’s with you Obama. As long as the name Kaffir Boy doesn’t slip out of your mouth we are good money. I’m also willing to look past your affiliation with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Trilateral Commission, and the Boule’. I understand the need to align yourself with powerful groups as such because without their assistance you will be an outsider trying to look in. Your record within the Senate is almost impeccable. Your resume speaks for itself; you have authored 223 healthcare bills, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control bills, and 6 veterans’ affairs bills. You have made you mark in the 8 years you have held public office. You have authored and co sponsored over 1,986 bills I can’t take anything away from you on that. You have represented your constituents and the people well on that note. As a nation we are in a recession it may take another 4 years or more to pull ourselves out of this rut. Your job is going to be hard and rough in bringing this nation back to prosperity. It might be a setup allowing you to win the Presidential election. But I’m sure that’s something you are willing to chance, who wouldn’t if they were placed in that predicament. I’m proud of you and it is with great pleasure that I’m throwing my support behind you. It’s more so for what you represent to my son’s more so than anything. You represent new hope for millions of younger black men. You are the change that they aspire to become. You are the people’s champ right now. You are bigger than Michael Jordan, bigger than Ali, bigger than Tupac, bigger than Lil Wayne, bigger than Tiger Woods, and bigger than Floyd Mayweather. For many people you are the second coming. I view you as new blood and a chance at redemption for the political party system. You are going to help me believe that the best candidate will win coming from the more popular political parties. Your purpose is bigger than just being the first. You are the fresh air that this country needs. My boy thinks that you are the Manchurian Candidate, too perfect to believe in and planted by the conglomerates and billion dollar corporations. I’m all for conspiracy theories but I’m holding out hope that that isn’t the case. I understand that people of color only represent so much from the economic side, I know you owe some favors to bug business interest that funded your campaign. I also know that as a political power we have but so much true power and clout. I know you need to add a little cream to the coffee I understand that 100%. Just don’t forget the debt that you owe to the people. The debt of helping to make a change for the nation so I understand that you must represent for the red, white, and blue but don’t forget about the red, black, and the green my dude. I’m not going to draw this letter out to long since you are a busy man and I have things to do as well. I just wanted to let you know I acknowledge your purpose and meaning and to say that you are my dude and I’m fucking with you right now.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
BASKETBALL DIARIES - GET MY MIND RIGHT
Welcome to another edition of the Basketball Diaries. Today’s chronicle involves self control. When you play basketball it is a mental sport as well as a physical one. You have to be mentally strong as well as physically in order to do your thing on the court. Many of the more physically gifted athletes have crumbled because they don’t have the mental make up to withstand the pressure. Some of the best basketball players were mentally tougher than anyone else so they are the ones who many people remember for finishing plays with players hanging on them and some many obstacles and challenges in their way. I can remember playing basketball in hostile gyms and having a ball because the crowd was nasty and booing me. I enjoyed dominating the home team and taunting the crowd. I was a notorious trash talker when I played I didn’t care what the score was I talked the entire game, shit I got a technical foul for talking trash at Gallaudet College and it was a school for the hearing impaired. Even though I talked trash I was always in control and I would never allow the opposing player and / or crowd to get under my skin. I would call it crowd interaction and it would drive my teammates and coaches mad because they didn’t think I was focusing on the game when I was. I used the crowd as motivation and mental stimulation it made me play better. I was mentally tough enough to not allow the crowd to control my actions because I used it to my benefit.
Life is similar to a basketball game because of the outside variables that can dictate and change the direction that a game is going. It is up to you as a player to not allow these obstacles to take you out of your character. For a long time in my life I was more in control when I was on the basketball court than in my everyday life. Even when I would play games for money I never worried or became stressed. I can remember playing in tournaments in dangerous neighborhoods shooting free throws and people screaming all types of obscenities and threats but I was never bothered by it. Now in my everyday life I was a lot more impulsive and I can’t tolerate too much dialogue. I wasn’t much for the back and forth with anyone. It was either we were going to get it on or you were going to be shut up physically. It took me over thirty years to control my temper but I have it under control now. So when I lose my composure I am very upset at myself because I allow variables to dictate to me what I am going to do. You see it all the time when you see a player at the free throw line preparing to shoot his free throw either he is focused or looking very nervous. He has allowed outside forces; either the gravity of the situation or pressure to take away his focus. Most of the time the player misses the free throw and the opposing team comes down and hits the game winning or game tying shot further destroying that player’s confidence. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and Isiah Thomas all had this supreme confidence and were unshaken in crunch time. They demanded the ball and wanted to take the last shot which they usually made.
As I sit here writing this piece the person I think about the person who has inspired this. A man who I have grown in my respect and admiration for in the last several months, Barack Obama because he has shown that unwavering confidence that I am talking about. Through all the attacks by the media, debates, opposing candidates, and side line hecklers he hasn’t wavered or broke from his confident stride. He has maintained his dignity and composure in spite of the cowardly actions of many. Barack Obama has taken the best shots that those who are afraid of change have thrown at him and he has remained standing. When they realized that attacking him personally wouldn’t work they started to attack his wife and he was undeterred by their actions. Even former President Bill Clinton when he felt that his wife was being unjustly attacked in the media came to her aid. Which was a noble act but is something that a Presidential Candidate can’t allow to happen because it shows a sign of weakness no matter how minute it may seem. So as the last few months bring about the close to a historic Presidential run it seems to me that we should place our hopes and beliefs behind a candidate that has his eyes on the prize and the wherewithal to get there undeterred. Shit Barack has taught me something these last few month’s I need to step up my focus and get my mind right.
Life is similar to a basketball game because of the outside variables that can dictate and change the direction that a game is going. It is up to you as a player to not allow these obstacles to take you out of your character. For a long time in my life I was more in control when I was on the basketball court than in my everyday life. Even when I would play games for money I never worried or became stressed. I can remember playing in tournaments in dangerous neighborhoods shooting free throws and people screaming all types of obscenities and threats but I was never bothered by it. Now in my everyday life I was a lot more impulsive and I can’t tolerate too much dialogue. I wasn’t much for the back and forth with anyone. It was either we were going to get it on or you were going to be shut up physically. It took me over thirty years to control my temper but I have it under control now. So when I lose my composure I am very upset at myself because I allow variables to dictate to me what I am going to do. You see it all the time when you see a player at the free throw line preparing to shoot his free throw either he is focused or looking very nervous. He has allowed outside forces; either the gravity of the situation or pressure to take away his focus. Most of the time the player misses the free throw and the opposing team comes down and hits the game winning or game tying shot further destroying that player’s confidence. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and Isiah Thomas all had this supreme confidence and were unshaken in crunch time. They demanded the ball and wanted to take the last shot which they usually made.
As I sit here writing this piece the person I think about the person who has inspired this. A man who I have grown in my respect and admiration for in the last several months, Barack Obama because he has shown that unwavering confidence that I am talking about. Through all the attacks by the media, debates, opposing candidates, and side line hecklers he hasn’t wavered or broke from his confident stride. He has maintained his dignity and composure in spite of the cowardly actions of many. Barack Obama has taken the best shots that those who are afraid of change have thrown at him and he has remained standing. When they realized that attacking him personally wouldn’t work they started to attack his wife and he was undeterred by their actions. Even former President Bill Clinton when he felt that his wife was being unjustly attacked in the media came to her aid. Which was a noble act but is something that a Presidential Candidate can’t allow to happen because it shows a sign of weakness no matter how minute it may seem. So as the last few months bring about the close to a historic Presidential run it seems to me that we should place our hopes and beliefs behind a candidate that has his eyes on the prize and the wherewithal to get there undeterred. Shit Barack has taught me something these last few month’s I need to step up my focus and get my mind right.
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