Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I do solemnly swear


It sure is a blessing from Allah to be able to witness a history being made as Barack Obama took his oath to be the first African American president of the United States, yesterday (1/20). I had been sitting in front of the TV since 10.30 PM last night, watching and waiting for the main show to take place: the sworn in and the inaugural address.


Obama's sworn in was quite unforgettable. If the oath should be said in a similar way like saying the ijab kabul (wedding vow in Islam), then Obama had flunked and should have gone through it once again. Was he too excited?

Another interesting thing to notice from it was the way Obama put his hand on a closed bible rather than on an open one. I didn't know it until I learned it today from someone in my office.

Source: Daily Telegraph, Google


From left to right: George Washington sworn in; George Bush Jr.; Obama

The inaugural address was exceptional. Wonderful words were being used in the speech and made it one of the powerful speeches I had listened so far (I hadn't listened much, though, haha). You would react upon hearing moving words like these: "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." In fact, there was an uproar by the people as soon as Obama said the words.

Nevertheless I was a bit taken aback by how some Indonesian people reacted. They did not make much comment on the content of the speech, but on the minuscules like the dress Michele Obama was wearing, how it did not match Barack's outfit, and the like. They just show how civilized Indonesians are, don't they? *wink

Speaking of Michele Obama, my mind drifted as I watched her step down the few stairs that took her to the inauguration stage. I was wondering why married women should bear her husband's (family) name. I'm sure women like Michele Obama is capable of 'standing up' on her birth name and need not to fear that she won't be recognized for herself.

Then perhaps what this woman wrote in her letter to a newspaper last week reflects just how vulnerable a woman could be when she is using her own birth name (Note: If you can't read the letter, just press the Ctrl button on your keyboard and scroll your mouse to adjust the size).

Source: Kompas Daily, 17 January 2009

5 comments:

Berly said...

Nope, it is the chief justice's mistake.

Read this
http://www.slate.com/id/2209298/

Yesse said...

ha..tadinya gue pikir sama seperti Metty...tapi setelah baca kutipan ulangnya, ternyata..hehehe...

Met, kebiasaan yang gue temui untuk married woman di Indonesia, namanya justru hilang sama sekali berganti jadi nama suami..contohnya ya Ny. Taufik Kiemas itu...dan itu melekat terus, apalagi kalau wanitanya tidak punya kehidupan lain di luar rumah...

Makanya, biarpun married, gue tetap pake nama gue sendiri dan dimanapun gue selalu mengenalkan diri sendiri dengan nama gue ketimbang sebagai Ny. Arry...hehehe..aneh ya..

Reza said...

Poor Barry, the world has too heavy of expactations up on his two shoulders...nevertheless i think he'll prevail

Kalo soal nama itu tadi, kayanya masih bakal kaya gitu met, soalnya benefitnya simplicity kalo urusannya public documentation and services, tapi one might argue kenapa engga nama istri nya yang dipakai? nah kalo itu gua ga punya jawabannya :)

Anonymous said...

Ny HM taufik Kiemas.... it sound familiar... he...he...

kalo nama asli yg dipake implikasinya ke politik... ato akan digiring ke sana... mungkin...

salam kenal

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