Latest Headlines
- Escambia Purchasing Playground, Pavilion For New Park At Former IP Golf Course
- Century Highway 29 Construction Zone Traffic Shift Set For Thursday
- Delayed By Weather: Highway 4 Bridge Now Expected To Be Completed In September
- Lane Closures Begin For I-10 Between Highway 29 and I-110
- Cantonment Man Charged With Battery Of Two Women
- Florida Highway Patrol Rockets To Victory In National Best-Looking Cruiser Contest
- Escambia County Man Charged with Mother’s Murder
- Mark Your Calendars For Upcoming School Orientations
- Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter For 2023 Chemstrand Road Crash
- Updated: Two Dead; Five Wounded, Including 11-Year-Old, In Escambia County Shooting
Obama Sworn In For Second Term
January 21, 2013
President Barack Obama is calling for united action by a divided America to address a host of domestic problems as he starts his second term in the White House.
Obama was publicly sworn into office Monday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the Mall, waving American flags and cheering the nation’s 44th president.
In his inaugural address, Obama invoked the enduring rights of the U.S. Constitution for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But he said the country needs to adapt to new challenges so that every citizen had a “basic measure of security and dignity.”
“We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” Obama told the crowd. “But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.”
Obama also said that the U.S. does not believe that “lasting peace” in the world requires “perpetual war.”
“We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war,” the president said. “Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.”
The president said the U.S. would support democracy across the globe.
“America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;” he promised, “and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”
Swearing In ceremony
Obama took the two-century-old oath from Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama promised to “preserve, protect and defend” the U.S. Constitution “to the best of my ability.”
(Article continues below photo, scroll down)
Earlier, the president attended a church service and then headed to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building for his public inaugural.
Monday’s crowd, while numbering in the hundreds of thousands, was smaller than at Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, when nearly two million people came to see the swearing-in of the nation’s first black president.
Obama was officially sworn in Sunday in a private ceremony at the White House, to meet the dictates of the U.S. Constitution that the country’s president be sworn in on January 20. But with the date falling on a Sunday this year, the major public inaugural activities are on Monday, including Obama’s inaugural address from a podium on the West Front of the Capitol overlooking the teeming masses on the Mall.
Obama took the oath Monday using two historic Bibles – one owned by 19th-century president Abraham Lincoln, and the other by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.
Monday’s inauguration coincides with the federal holiday marking King’s birthday.
Inaugural festivities
After the ceremony Monday, Obama and his wife, Michelle, dined inside the Capitol with congressional leaders. They plan to ride in the inaugural parade, returning to the White House in a motorcade. They likely will get out of the car and walk part of the way, as they did four years ago.
Later, the Obamas attended two official Inaugural balls, in contrast to the 10 balls that were held in 2009.
Vice President Joe Biden, who retook his own oath again Monday, joined the president Sunday for a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and attended church with him on Monday.
Both leaders also took part in a National Day of Service on Saturday as part of several days of events related to the inauguration.
Comments
37 Responses to “Obama Sworn In For Second Term”
I drive a tour bus, and now do a Trailways run from Omaha to Chicago. In 2008, there was a raging blizzard across Nebraska and Iowa. I received a call from my dispatcher to take a coach to Des Moines, from Omaha, normally a 2 hour drive, and pick up passengers at 2 motels and take to the Tyson Convention center. I was to wait to the political forum was over and then return them to the motels.
The Forum was with all the Democratic Presidential candidates. All were there except Hilary. She was on a monitor with audio. Each candidate was allowed 15 minutes for campaign speach then all were asked one basic question.
If elected president , will you meet with our group within 120 days to provide us with free housing, free medical, free food, free college,a “living wage” and all the necessities of life.
All candidates, including Mr. Obama, I dont call him MY President!, said yes.
No Republicans were invited. I sat, listened and shook my head in wonderment, thinking ” Dont these people know that SOMEONE has to work to provide you with this stuff?
And Barack “Insane” Obama has done just what they have asked for!
\As I carried them back to their motel, the group leader was carrying on about what a good day it was. I loked over at her and said, “Just remember, you were carried to this forum today by a “working” Republican!
Long before Obama, Jerry Clowers had a tale of a woman and a squirrel. It is a true statement of society in a parable, much like the bible. and it was probably formed from the “ragin cajun’s’ beliefs.
A woman was feeling sorry for a pet squirrel that was having to “work for his food”. She began buying shelled store pecans to feed him. The squirrel didnt have to” work ” any longer. His teeth grew long because he didnt work. Vet said nothing could be done. Squirrel eventually died!
Gods plan calls for us to work for our food, wants etc.not be given hand outs,
Look up the squirrel story on the internet!
And once again , David, very well put. A really good commit.
CONSIDERING:
“Just like you lost the civil war, lost the last election and this one too, you can just keep your narrow minded bigoted opinions and stick them when you get your redneck ass sun burned. ”
Actually, Republicans won the Civil War and ended slavery despite the strenuous objections of the Democrats of the time. Some are afraid some of the Administrations proposed policies would re enslave the people through making them dependent on the largess of the government.
I will say, though, that you provide balance for others’ hatred with your own.
David for less hateful people
David , I do agree with you a lot, and you are of very good reason. But he has chosen a path, It has not strayed much from his college days. He is what he is and we will have to deal with it. But he has learn nothing in his first 4 years, he will not listen to those who he thinks will oppose him. Those of us who did not vote for him , will be left out in the cold. we are not important . And that will be his biggest mistake.
It seems in the most liberal, fashion, to make a statement, Obama is going to right all the wrongs of social injustice. He will in his mind, be Martin Luther King, If he has to break the backs of those who work and support the poor , so be it, they(the poor) will love him, But in the real world, they are the one’s who will suffer the most when , and it will, the money runs out. But I say all this to prove a point, liberals are short on focus, they will create a mess , because hey do not care who cleans it up. As long as in their mind they did the right thing. Well, the other 48% of us who did not vote for him(Black and white) Are not buying into this B.S. And you can take that to the bank.
Dear, noofy,(not wasting the time to type your name) Thank you for showing us the finest of the liberal mind. Notice the name calling and southern bigotery that has always followed the more enlighten, proggresive , liberal mind.Oh yes , these are the tolerant ones who would wish to lead us.Enjoy the joke because the joke is on them , we see them for what they are, and the more they rant, the more the truth comes out., thanks noofy
And according to the USMC band, Beyonce lip-synced the National Anthem to a studio recording. Sort of adds to the great falsehood, in my “facetious ” opinion. By the way, Kelly Clarkson was good, and live. Even Ex-Prez Clinton noticed her.
You all had your chance to voice your simple minds back in November.
Just like you lost the civil war, lost the last election and this one too, you can just keep your narrow minded bigoted opinions and stick them when you get your redneck ass sun burned.
ALL HAIL THE CHIEF ~ PRESIDENT OBAMA !!!
Well a little research showed me that there is no requirement for a president to recite his oath of office with their hand laced on a bible.
In fact, (besides Washington), they don’t even know what a lot of our earlier presidents swore their oath on!
Interesting fact: John Q. Adams swore his oath on a book of U. S. laws! By a lot of “y’alls” reckoning, that would make him an atheist! OMG! We had an atheist president!!! (sarcasm)
Dear Mr. Doer,
Please sir, can you give me the facts that back up your “opinion” that our president does not respect the bible, or America for that matter? Facts please, not just “He’s got Hussien in his name”!
Man, there are just some people on here that make me ashamed to call myself a “republican”. Please, research the facts before you post the misinformation you do.
How about this: We all work TOGETHER instead of constantly playing the blame game, or pointing fingers…
You REALLY want to make a change in government? Then make this pledge: “I will not vote for any incumbent in the next elections”.
Out with the old, in with the new I say!
Dear Bob,
Please learn how to spell. It will make your arguments seem more valid. Secondly, listening to “talking heads” isn’t how I receive my information. I look at facts and read statistics. You should try it sometime. As far as calling what Obama did with Bibles a mockery, yes, it was. You know it, and so do most other people. He doesn’t respect the Bible anymore than he respects America.
Let’s look at what Obama has “inherited” from himself over the last 4 years. There is no denying the following:
There are 2.1 million more Americans NOT in the workforce.
A gallon of gas is up 79%
The Federal debt is up 55%
Food stamp recipients are up 46%
Americans in poverty are up 23%
Insurance premiums are up 17%
No, Bob, none of this is in the best interest of Americans!
Obama believes in the people of America??? Really!! Are you kidding me? To what people are you referring? The people that are standing there with their hands out saying, “Gimme, gimme, gimme.” It certainly isn’t those people who get out and work hard everyday of their lives and try to provide for their family. Wake up and smell the truth of the matter!
I wonder why people force me to agree with Kathy.
It is possible to disagree on the courses of action without inisting the other person is evil.
There is no evidence President Obama is not a good, decent man.
If he is wrong, he can learn.
If he is right, we will learn.
Just as the former president didn’t do all the harm he is accused of while in office, President Obama will not intentionally do any harm and definitely not the great harm so many fear.
If you insist he be your enemy, he will not listen to you even if you are right.
Use reason, not hatred.
David for less hatred and fewer enemies
If the country is in the financial state that we all know it is in at this very moment, then why in the world did we have to go to all the expense of having some stupid swearing in ceremony. Give me a break. The idiot was re-elected. Do we have to be reminded with an unnecessary ceremony at the expense of all the hardworking people in America? Really!! I would rather see my tax money go to a more worthy cause!
And as someone commented the other day on another form of media, if you are the President at your ceremony and a member of the armed service salutes you, you should salute back…not just stand there at look at them. Have a little respect!
As to Bob’s comments: “Have any of you seen anything he’s done that’s not in the best interests of the majority of Americans?”
How about Obama care? How about influence peddling with the biggest corporations in America as they try to find ways to get exemptions from Obama care? How about all the EPA regulations? Stopping the Keystone Pipeline? The war on fracking…when fracking would make us the number producer of oil in the world? Cutting the size of the military? Gun control? Out of control government spending? Endless amounts of welfare and Obama phones given to people who won’t get off their rears and try to find a job? And that Bob, is just for starters.
He may have done things that you think are in YOUR best interests….he hasn’t done ANYTHING I think is in MY best interests. You may not think socialized medicine and endless amounts of welfare is bad…yet it violates the laws of nature and the laws of man and it, along with the rest of the Obama package, will bring down what is left of our once great nation following the end of his term. If it’s really the end. The GREAT LEADER, may just decree himself another term by executive order..perhaps many of the pro-Obama crowd will see that as being in the nation’s best interests as well.
You might not like it but he’s your President. If you no how to read its two bibles. There’s nothing imaganiry. Imagine I’m white and proud and live in the county. I also can make my own decisions not like most who oppose listen to the talking heads. Just think Obama is going to end the unfunded Bush wars. So yep he’s fighting the Bush depression. Why can’t the man have a vacation. We don’t pay for it only his protection. You need to wake up about that. Haven’t figured out any “lies” yet. What radio jockey did you here that from. Where in the bible does it afford you the wright to judge Obamas swearing on the Bibles a ” mockery”. You’ve been listening to the wrong talking head. Has anyone actually seen Obama actually do anything that wasn’t in the best interest of the majority of Americans.
I actually thought Queen Michelle looked lovely on the 2nd time she’s ever been proud of her country. :-/
Obama will go down in history as a left wing liberal , who only cared about, his agenda, and those who voted him back in, he’s a 51% president. He does not care about running this country, he wants to social organizer.
He should have placed his hands on the EASY button from Staples…due to the STUPIDITY of America, he knew it would be an EASY in again…ENOUGH said!
So cynical, so degrading your speech, the President Obama will go down in history as one of the best, one who believes in America’s people. Not some Bush whacker.
CW:
I rest my case. You said you were not a religious person, and the Bible has no meaning to you. The same holds true for Obama. His swearing on the Bible was mere mockery to the American Christians in this country. Believe me, God will NOT be mocked.
Im glad he is speaking out for equal rights for gay and lesbian people. I don’t agree with him on many other issues, but I do with this one. I’m not a religious person, so what the Bible says has no meaning to me.
Repeating; I’m as excited about the inauguration as a stray dog is going to the pound.
This man does not hold reverence to the Bible. If he did, he would not have quoted the preamble and then added that
men were in fact created equal, so homosexual “love” must be equal as well.
Does he actually think what came out of his mouth during this speech was approved in God’s word?
I doubt most Americans care what he placed his hand on.
TO Read First-
Still missing your point here. I understand you think the Holy Bible should be the only book he lays his hands upon, but he’s using two Bibles today in reference of MLK. What does that have to do with anything? They’re both Holy Bibles. It’s not for you to judge if he’s more focused on Martin Luther Kings bible since it’s MLK Day. I could say the same thing about Lincoln’s Bible. What if Obama used his grandfathers Bible, how would you judge him then. Do you not realize that regardless of the Bible, it still belongs to somebody? Who cares….it’s still the Holy word of our Father. You nor I can judge what Obama’s motives might be. Just be thankful that our President, whether that be Obama or anybody else, still places their hands upon the Bible. Quit being scared by people such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and start praying for your president. If your a God loving, Christ filled soul then our Father will protect you regardless what happens to this country. Although, I pray for our country to turn to Christ, but it looks like we’re drifting further down the wide road everyday. Have faith and pray for your country and our leader everyday.
All we will get from obama is more lies and vacations. He can take a four million dollar vacation but that all. Be ready folks, you ain,t seen nothing yet!!
Funny how if you criticize the Great Leader you are labeled as “racist” or “full of hate”…how do you think history will view him or the US when he brings it all crashing down around us? better brush up on your Chinese…that’s what kind of history book you are going to be reading….and don’t worry…the Chinese WON’T be politically correct in how they report what the problem was that brought this nation to its knees in just 8 years.
He has a sweet wife and lovely daughters. He has done well personally.
And with Joe Biden as vice president, I hope he has a long healthy term of office.
(even though we disagree over some minor details)
To: Read First,
Thanks for pointing that out, I mean that Martin Luther King was assasinated in 1968. That is a very important fact. So, my point is stillmade, that Obama is putting his focus on someone else other than the one true God. It’s not about Lincoln or King!
>>Why is there another book on top of what looks like the Holy Bible? Wake up people!!
Read the story…
Obama took the oath Monday using two historic Bibles – one owned by 19th-century president Abraham Lincoln, and the other by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.
Why is there another book on top of what looks like the Holy Bible? Wake up people!!
God help us.
After having the presidency for FOUR years, get over blaming ex President BUSH. Take some responsibility YOURself, President Obama.
And what a horrific disgraceful economy he inherited.