Mark Kleinschmidt, Ward 60 councillor, Lansdowne
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th American president and Kamala Harris as the first woman African American, South East Asian vice-president was indeed awesome.
Lady Gaga sang the American national anthem with feeling and grace, and Jennifer Lopez delivered a heart-wrenching rendition of This Land is Your Land.
Lopez’s rendition brought a lump to my throat, and holding back my tears was difficult. Garth Brooks’s a cappella performance of Amazing Grace was the cherry on top of the amazing inauguration.
Despite former president Donald Trump’s snubbing of Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, he was not missed.
The Inauguration personified America’s greatness as a modern democracy, and the proceedings brought a positive spirit in the darkness of the global pandemic of Covid-19.
President Biden’s inaugural speech was profound, injecting a universal spirit of unity, referring to his oath to defend and preserve democracy at all costs.
A devout Catholic, I pray that President Biden will honour his pledge to rule with utmost respect, dignity, truth and integrity, fighting for all who voted for him and those who did not vote for him – a thorough gentleman indeed?
God bless America.
