Subscribe RH Love

President and accounted for

by | Jan 30, 2025 | Opinion

Columnist John Moore rode the Washington, DC, subway to see the presidential inauguration. Pictured left to right are Moore, Rhonda Anderson, and Kristi Antonick. Photo: John Moore

Most of us can cite a handful of times when we knew that we were witnessing history.

 Something unique. Something profound. A shift in the tectonic plates of society.

So it was on January 20, 2025.

There was a drawing for tickets to attend the presidential inauguration. I entered. I won.

I was going to witness the inauguration of a president of the United States.

Tickets were confirmed and travel plans made. The day came to depart, and off we went.

I say we because there were others in the group who had also received tickets. We discussed our luck as we waited to board the plane for DC.

As we sat in the DFW Airport, an alert came over the television. The inauguration was being moved into the capitol because of weather. Only congress and other VIPs would be witnessing the swearing in ceremony in person.

I received an email to standby for further instructions.

 On the plane (I’m still amazed I can talk on a phone that isn’t yellow and attached to the kitchen wall, and certainly amazed that someone can send me instant messages while I’m at 35,000 feet), I received an email telling me there’d be a venue with large TV’s, and food where we could watch the president and vice president being sworn in.

After landing in the nation’s capital, there were lots of other events too. A Texas ball, with bands and other Southern folks. I even met a couple of the anchors from FOX News.

Pretty heady stuff for a fella from Ashdown, Arkansas.

The day of the inauguration, I took the Metro (the Washington, D.C. subway) from the hotel to the venue. The last time I’d ridden that subway it was quite new. It began operation in 1976.

I had reservations about how impactful watching the inauguration on a television would be. After all, I could’ve done that at home for a lot less of my money.

But as those of us who gathered to watch saw the proceedings begin, there was a palpable feeling in the room. I looked around. It wasn’t just me, it was all of us.

People were smiling. People were giddy. People were crying.

And this was before it even began.

After things really got underway, emotions kicked into high gear. Choirs sang. Preachers prayed. The new vice president took the oath.

The president raised his hand and said things were going to change. The old America would be back. America would be respected again. He said he’d protect us. He said America would be put first.

And we all knew that he meant it.

There were cheers. There were tears.

Later, I was interviewed by the media about what it had meant to me. I said what I mentioned earlier. That there are a handful of times in your life when you feel as if you are witnessing something amazing.

History.

I said that the U.S. landing on the moon and what happened on 9/11 were the only things for me that compared. I wasn’t on the moon and I wasn’t in New York when either of those things happened.

But I was in Washington, D.C. when the 47th president of the United States took the oath of office. And I was with a lot of other people who experienced it.

Everyone in the room shared that moment. We’ll carry the vividness of it with us for the rest of our lives. But it wasn’t just us. It was a majority.

I left the venue and walked to the curb to catch my transportation. Horns were honking. Patriotic music was blaring from street corners. People were waving flags. What we’d witnessed in the venue was everywhere.

It was like that all the way back to the hotel.

I’d never been more proud to be an American. I still am.

The opportunity God has given us to redeem ourselves as a country and as a people is truly a miracle. But some of the commitments the vice president and president made that day are ones to which we also must commit.

In 1976 when the Metro opened in Washington, patriotism was high. It was the nation’s 200th birthday. I felt it then when I rode the train. But it wasn’t anything like this.

There’s a rejuvenation that is shared by all ages, creeds, colors, and faiths. I know, not everyone shares this, but most of us do. And most of us is what it’s going to take to bring patriotism back and keep it here. 

And just as the president has committed to put us first and do the things that must be done to return our country to dominance, I’ve made the same personal commitment.

If we all will make a commitment to turn back to our creator, work hard to serve our country, and be good to each other, there are no limits to how great America can be. Again.

Enjoying this column? Want to read more like this? Support local journalists by subscribing to The Wylie News your local community newspaper today!

By John Moore | thecountrywriter.com. 

Subscribe RH Love

0 Comments

Subscribe RH Love

Related News

Time for a Change

Time for a Change

Last weekend, I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done before—I forgot to discuss the time change with my husband, the chief clock changer in our house. So when I woke up at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, I approached the day as “business as usual” and went downstairs to let...

read more
House proposes $7.5 billion in new school funding

House proposes $7.5 billion in new school funding

Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay...

read more
Voucher bill has backing of House majority

Voucher bill has backing of House majority

A slim majority of Texas House members have indicated they will back House Bill 3, which creates education savings accounts that allow families to use taxpayer money for private school education. The Dallas Morning News reported that 75 Republican legislators have...

read more
House unveils its voucher version

House unveils its voucher version

Texas House members filed a bevy of education bills last week, including a proposed $8 billion investment in public education and a voucher bill that ties the amount of money spent for private schooling to the dollar amount provided to public schools. The Austin...

read more
Door number one

Door number one

Columnist John Moore has some milk bottles to return, but the milkman no longer stops by his home. Courtesy John Moore Social media, for all of its faults, every now and then offers something worthwhile. I’m a member of a group on Facebook called, “Dull Men.” The only...

read more
Voucher bill passes Senate, arrives in House

Voucher bill passes Senate, arrives in House

A bill to implement school vouchers in Texas sailed through the Senate largely on party lines last week and now awaits consideration in the House, the Austin American-Statesman reported. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said he believes there are enough votes...

read more
A hare much

A hare much

Columnist John Moore recalls the friends of his youth, including Harvey The Rabbit. Photo: John Moore I never had more than one at a time, but I had stuffed animals.  Don’t all kids have a security blanket when they’re young? At first, I had a monkey who had a...

read more
Someone’s watching

Someone’s watching

While some in society have stopped wearing watches, columnist John Moore isn’t one of them. Courtesy John Moore I noticed his Watch immediately. I usually notice watches immediately. But his was especially noticeable. It was a Rolex. I don’t own a Rolex, but one day I...

read more
Order photos