Today we have a new president, as we do every 4-8 years. While I didn't vote for our new president because his philosophical beliefs don't line up with mine, he is my president. The fact that he is black makes no different to me. My decision not to vote for him had nothing to do with the color of his skin--though that element did figure into the decisions of many, including those that voted for him because he is black--as well as those who did not vote for him because he is not white.
Racism is a horrible scourge and the God I serve--Yahweh--instructs me to be no respecter of person. Rich or poor, young or old, red, yellow,black or white-all of which are beautiful colors-- should make no difference in our opinion of a person. None of us had any control over our birth. The way we live, the choices we make are a manifestation of our character and that is the yardstick we should use in the measure of any human being.
So President Obama, I welcome you. You are my president and I give you my support. I pray that God will guide you; that you will seek His face and walk according to His statutes. That, I believe, is the key to blessing on our nation.
And President Obama--just as I oft disagreed with President Bush, whom I voted for, I will, I'm sure, disagree with you too. And I will be vocal in my disagreement. I only hope that when I do disagree there won't be an automatic assumption that I am racist.
This is a new day in America and I am glad to see black Americans no longer excluded on the basis of the color of their skin. I urge all Americans to work together to make our country a better place. We all should be promoting that which is in the best interest of all Americans. And that includes getting behind and supporting President Barack Obama--44th President of the United States of America. United, we stand. Divided, we fall.