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http://www.bmorenews.com/blog/tgr-change-is-here.shtmlTGR: Change Is Here!
Seemingly, the concept of service is something that many of us forget about. Even as Christmas has quickly vanished from our minds and spirits, I am reminded of how Jesus washed people’s feet. I wonder how many preachers these days – let alone everyday people - would stoop to such “lows”.
It reminds me of a Muslim bumper sticker I recently saw: It said that God “gives and forgives.” It said that “man gets and forgets.”
Obama's Eve Ushers in Era of Hope
(WASHINGTON – January 18, 2009) - It was terribly interesting attending last night’s Maryland Inaugural Ball. No, President-elect was not there. Nor was the First Lady.
Nonetheless, the people were in the house – The Mayflower Hotel on the 17th Street side, that is – doin’ the damn thing! Most everyone was celebrating the impending inauguration of America’s first black president.
By the way, the Ohio delegation was next door!
Black, white, Asian, Latino – a beautiful cross-section of the American demographic showed up to express their love and support for a change this country so desperately needs.
Further, a host of Democratic leaders were present.
It was quite wonderful, for instance, to see people like Montgomery County’s Dave Weaver, Attorney/Radio Talk Show Host/friend Craig Thompson, as well as our illustrious Mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon.
Can you imagine how she feels right now? As a human being? As a politician?
On one hand, she was visibly not in the mix when the President-elect addressed 35,000 Baltimoreans on Saturday. On the other hand, she is absolutely elated – like every other Obama supporter – for the man she overtly supported for Commander-in-Chief.
I said the following once to former Mayor/now Governor Martin O’Malley: That being mayor meant having a thankless job.
In other words, you gotta’ be willing to serve the people – in the words of Rick Warren, in a “Purposed-Driven Life,” expecting nothing in return. Honestly speaking, that is a tall order. As highlighted in HBO’s “The Wire,” a political leader can never please everyone.
Seemingly, the concept of service is something that many of us forget about. Even as Christmas has quickly vanished from our minds and spirits, I am reminded of how Jesus washed people’s feet. I wonder how many preachers these days – let alone everyday people - would stoop to such “lows”.
It reminds me of a Muslim bumper sticker I recently saw: It said that God “gives and forgives.” It said that “man gets and forgets.”
It also reminds me of how the Republican machine attempted to portray Sen. Barack Obama’s community organizing experiences as irrelevant. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, “service is the rent we pay for living.” And with that, “to whom much is given, much is required.”
Considering that I appeared on WBAL TV 11’s “TV Hill” yesterday morning with former State Senator Clarence Mitchell, IV to discuss Mayor Dixon’s recent indictment, I didn’t even make in the front door before mention of the show was made. The person speaking was none other than Congressman Elijah Cummings, a man who has been there in the gap for President-elect Barack Hussein Obama. As a direct result, Maryland voted overwhelmingly for Obama, along with Washington, DC, Virginia and a litany of other states in the Primary.
And then came November 4th. And as you know, the rest was and is history.
And so, on this snowy Obama’s Eve, the world is preparing itself to see something it has never before seen. And people are already in the District by the busloads – preparing for the official annointing. Yes, the hopes and dreams of the ancestors is about to go down.
And this mantra of “change” is ever-present … in all of us.
What do I, as an individual, do better? How do I, as one person, improve myself and actually make some kind of visible difference in my own home, my own family, my own community, city and state? These and other daring questions easily permeate my mind.
As for Maryland politics, I think it is a great time. Despite a local rebellion on behalf of Delegate Jill P. Carter, it is a glorious time in the history of our state and nation.
The backroom conversations I have been privy to suggest that a Kweisi Mfume might very well be the next US Senator from Maryland, that Mayor Sheila Dixon will indeed rise once again from the ashes like the Phoenix, that Governor Martin O’Malley will soon emerge onto the national scene even more, and that most importantly to me – the living, business, and educational conditions in Greater Baltimore will improve – via a collective effort - in the spirit of William Donald Schaefer, Clarence “Du” Burns, Kurt L. Schmoke – the Rhodes Scholar and Howard U. Dean of Law, Martin O’Malley – who is now the Governor, and Sheila Dixon, our current Mayor.
Let’s face it: Greater Baltimore, meaning the city and the county, is critically important in a cornucopia of ways, and its well-being - its total well-being ought be as important to people in equally important places across Maryland, like Annapolis, the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and the District of Columbia.
I say, may the Obama era bring forth better unity between these jurisdictions through its leaders. May the “Dream” of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. be better realized in all of our lives. And may the color of one’s skin be increasingly less important in the inevitable judgement of man.