Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 – Freewrite

Prelude (First Band, English)
“Happy Inauguration Day.
President Obama, you will be forced to make some tough decisions. Follow Bruce Wayne’s lead and make the right ones, because even if short-term America resents you for them, long-term world history will remember you. Well.
They didn’t start dissecting Lincoln’s second inaugural address until long after he was dead anyway.

Townsend Harris High School
1/20/09
Writing Process – 6
Kari Wei

*written on Microsoft Word*
This fill effect is called daybreak, which is actually quite fitting for the occasion.

Inauguration Day.

 

          A new day dawns for America- and for the universe. Because no matter how far we have fallen in the public eye, this is still the greatest country in the world. We are the focal point in the international eye. Our glass ceiling, albeit still intact, has 18 million cracks within it. Our president- our president- is a half-African man, and a full American man.

            President Barack Hussein Obama.

            President Barack Obama.

            President Obama.

            Washington. Jefferson. Madison. Lincoln. Jackson. Kennedy. Johnson. Reagan. Clinton. Bush. Obama.

            Welcome to a new day, America. Welcome to change. For better or for worse, we are moving- forward or backward, we are moving, and this man has both hands on the steering wheel. We, America, we, the people of the world, the next generation and the future of the universe, pledge to follow you wherever you may take us.

            You are both the white knight and the dark knight. You will maintain a beloved public image while simultaneously making the right decisions even when they do not please everyone. You are Barack Obama, 44^th President of the United States of America, the leader of the modern world. You will uphold our constitution, our bill of rights, our spirit, and our hearts. You are the colors I use to write this (red, white, blue). You are the flag. You are America, and America is you.

            Good luck.

Edward Cullen: Satisfying Your Secret Bad-Boy Complex?

Or not so secret, as the case may be.
Below are links to the interpretation of the modern Romeo + Juliet (namely, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen) by one of my favorite authors, Megan McCafferty.
The fact that she does not fall under the ‘obsessed teen-tween fangirl category’ already gives her brownie points. The remainder of the essay- written from a more critical but still irresistably Meyer-magnetized perspective- should serve to set its integrity in stone.

Whether or not you understood a word of what I just said, FOLLOW THESE LINKS IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU.
Which most of you don’t, but whatever; if you can identify Ctrl/Command-C + V on your keyboard, you are honor-bound (and Cullen-bound) to check this out.
[Spoiler Alert; Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse (Stephenie Meyer)]

http://www.meganmccafferty.com/archives/2008/12/vampire-books-are-not-my-bag-part-one/
http://www.meganmccafferty.com/archives/2008/12/vampire-books-are-not-my-bag-part-2/
http://www.meganmccafferty.com/archives/2008/12/vampire-books-are-not-my-bag-part-3/

AT LAST: An America where dreams really DO come true.

Here in New York, students of all ages sat with their eyes glued to their computers and television screens in an election where the internet and the media played a gargantuan role. Unfinished homework lay squared off to the side as the clicks of mice, “Ctrl-R’s”, and the broadcasts of CNN’s live hologram reporters provided the soundtrack to election night. Millions of Americans were doing the same. Billions of people, all over the world and from all walks of life, kept tabs on the count of electoral and popular votes. Some prayed. Some crossed their fingers. Many hoped. Others despaired.

Then. It. Happened.

Back here in New York, the streets erupted with screams so loud that anyone who didn’t already know definitely knew now. Horns honked. People cried. Fathers swung their daughters around on their shoulders. Mothers embraced their sons. Lovers kissed with a passion usually seen only on New Year’s. It WAS New Year’s, all over again- the best year many could remember. It was too good to be true until it became true.

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th president of the United States of America.

Twenty-eight presidents later, the dreams of the Civil War’s historical giants- such as Abraham Lincoln- has finally been realized.
No, this is not an end to racism. No, every American is not free of racial bias. Yes, Barack Obama’s mother was Caucasian. Yes, the election would have been even MORE of a landslide had the color of his skin taken after his mother. Yes, many supporters of John McCain were severely disappointed- a sentiment that should be respected, just as they should respect our victory. No, President-elect Obama’s grandmother was not, technically, alive to see him take the mantle of top dog in this great country.

Regardless of all these things…
It’s over.
Yes. We Could. And We Did.

Whether you cast your ballot for Barack Obama or John McCain, let us not deny that November 4th, 2008 was a great day for America.

Welcome to the true American dream- a United States where anything and everything is possible.
Where tomorrow can and will be better than today…

… and where sometimes, today is enough.

ELECTION ‘08: Worst Case Scenario

[NOTE: Don't have access/time/effort to check out the progression of the election tonight? http://www.twitter.com/karipyralis ! I'll be keeping tabs, insomniac-style, late into the night. Conservatives be warned; I'm an Obama girl. *more blogging on the new Twitter account to come*]

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve noticed that the internet- and consequently every other aspect of your life, on and offscreen- is almost entirely focused on the 2008 presidential election.

“Obamarama! McPalin! Change! Maverick!”

Now that we’ve come this far, there’s no point in blogging about my own personal sentiments. [IF YOU DON'T KNOW ALREADY: Obama. Obama. Obama.]
Instead, I chose to blog about a terrible, terrible possibility that many have considered; but usually without thinking about the aftermath.

Assassination.

It’s a touchy subject. No one really wants to talk about it. When they do, they get ridiculed, cause the area around them to be filled with tension, and trigger instant subject changes/heated dismissals.
The unfortunate truth is that this theory is not groundless. It’s happened before- to Caucasian presidents. It will most likely happen again. Plans have been made and, thankfully, thwarted. Plans are still being made and will continue for the next four years of Obama does, indeed, take the role of top dog of the United States of America.

Before you condemn me for even daring to bring up this controversial topic, allow me to elaborate a little on why I believe this merits attention. I was sharing dinner with my father and one of NY’s assemblywomen (whose name I will not mention in case this somehow affects her reputation) last night. At some point during the conversation, one of us brought up the inevitable; the upcoming election.
In the midst of this discussion, my dad mentioned another story of a plot to kill Barack Obama. Immediately picking up on this new thought, I started thinking out loud; which, in turn, led me to draw some conclusions.

In the event that Senator Barack Obama is really and truly assassinated- whether before or after taking up the mantle of president- then America will be thrown into chaos.
Lincoln. Garfield. McKinley. Kennedy. Possibly Taylor and Harding. I’ve heard many say that they simply will not allow such a thing to happen in this day and age. It’s not possible.
Be that as it may- and I hope with all my heart this is the case- this is the list of presidents who were the victims of assassination attempts if not assassination itself.
Jackson. Teddy Roosevelt. FDR. Truman. Nixon. Ford. Carter. Reagan. H.W. Bush. Clinton & Bush (on which there have been TWO assassination attempts each). And now, the first African-American presidential candidate… and perhaps soon-to-be president.

It’s almost a guarantee that there will be attempts. But in the event that one of these attempts finds its mark?
Consider…

… the aftermath. The uproar. The division of the country- over race, for who will pretend that this isn’t about race after such an event? We might as well rewind right back to the Civil War. It’s been about a century and a half since then and America is, as it always was, shrouded in the beautiful concept of freedom and equality from people of all backgrounds, all colors, all ancestors.

How much of this concept is truth- and how much of it is just a pretty lie?

Allow me to wrap this up with a little food for thought. I would go into detail on what I imagine would happen to this country if Obama were to be assassinated, but to be honest, I’m not sure I need to. I think you get the idea.

As I finished vocalizing my thought process yesterday night, I gathered my chopsticks and reached for another dish, closing the subject with this statement.

“We all spend so much of our lives fighting to save the human race. But sometimes, you can’t help but wonder whether the human race is really worth saving.

Regardless, we have no choice. We cannot just condemn ourselves. So whether or not it’s right or wrong, we will keep fighting.“

[IN THE SPIRIT OF THE ELECTION:
Here are two posters my father just brought home for me from the Obama campaign headquarters in our area.]

Personally, I think they're adorable.