A Peaceful Transfer Of Power

Today is a historic day in American history, an event that occurs every four years. According to the Constitution of the United States, under the XX Amendment, the inauguration of the president must take place at 12 noon eastern time.

Barack Obama, who was elected president this past November and confirmed by the Electoral College in December, is poised to become the 44th president of these United States. He is also the first person of African descent to ascend to the presidency.

America is a rarity among nations, a country where the peaceful transfer of power takes place in orderly fashion without fear of coup, war, political strife, etc. I say this to counter some of the silliness that has taken place over the past several months from some on the far left who suggest that our 43rd president, George W. Bush, will not relinquish power.

For more than 232 years, an orderly transition from president to president has taken place and, yes, I most certainly recall the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon who was replaced by Gerald R. Ford, one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

To that end, I will share with you the XX Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which outlines the transfer of power that we Americans hold so dear:

AMENDMENT XX

Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.

Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.

Section 1.
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3.
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4.
The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5.
Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Source: Charters of Freedom: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights

Post Election, But Not A Postmortem

Sometimes I forget that the entire reasoning behind this blog’s name, Matt’s Musings, is to allow me to contemplatively share with readers what is on my mind. I manage several other blogs and most of those are business-oriented – meaning I must do plenty of research before publishing by interviewing people, confirming and citing sources, and obtaining permission to republish photos, logos, etc. Thankfully, on this site I can let my remaining hairs down and just speak my mind!

Post-election, I have written one piece directly addressing the coming Obama regime and that article was crafted from a strictly Christian perspective for my WordJourney blog. The article has been good reminder for me because a number of times over the past few days I’ve been bothered by what I see coming down the pike for this country, stuff that tends to rattle my peace. The article serves as a reminder to me that God is my foundation and if the Rock on which I stand isn’t firmly in place, then there is no comfort and there is certainly no peace. Your comments have been an encouragement to me too.

Where I’ve Been; Where I’m Heading

I must share with you that I wasn’t quite sure what direction this blog would be taking over the coming months, given that all of my recent posts have been politically centered, with a focus on this year’s election. Part of me just wants to move on to discussing other subjects including business development, personal finance, marketing, SEO and other topics I’ve covered over the past year, but my heart just isn’t there right now. I’m still digesting the election results, planning my next course of action, and weighing the impact those changes might have on my freelance writing business, on my family, my home, etc.

But, I will tell you this: when I find the appropriate button to replace the McCain/Palin ad on this site, it’ll probably be something political as I will continue to raise my voice as long as the very breath of life is in me, joining a chorus of thousands of concerned citizens who want to make sure that Truth has her day!

Kudos to Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin remains very much on my mind lately – in my thoughts and prayers as she has been savaged royally, allegedly by McCain aids and other RINO (Republican In Name Only) people who see her correctly as an ongoing threat to their livelihood.

You know what? She is! No matter what the reason was for John McCain to choose her as his running mate – and we can debate several of those reasons without getting anywhere – her introduction to the American people ignited a fire. Conservatives love her because she is a strong reminder of Ronald Reagan, a man who was passionately for the American people, the real “yes we can!” politician who believed that all good things come from the citizenry and not from some elite political base astride the Potomac River.

On the other hand, there is an element of the population who despise her and, if you would permit me to put my finger on what I believe is really going on, I believe that there is a strong spiritual component going on as she represents truth, righteousness, love, compassion, forbearance and other works of the Spirit of God that are the antithesis of how they live their own lives.

Trig – yes, little Down’s Syndrome Trig — was the flash point of the campaign: his young life is an affront to many, especially those who embrace a culture of death. You could almost hear the whispers when her family was introduced with Trig quietly resting in his oldest sister’s embrace — “How could she give birth to that child?” “He isn’t normal!” “She should have had an abortion!!!”

From the start, those of us who love life and who understand that God gives and God takes away – knew that Sarah Palin represents so very much of what we believe: a woman of influence who would not sweep away for convenience’s sake the young life growing within her, even when that child was known to have special needs. Courageously, Todd and Sarah Palin stood tall on principle, a foundation of life that trusts their Maker for guidance and support. That, my friends, is what bothers the Palin-haters so much as she is a woman who puts the needs of others before her own ambition.

Giving Due Credit to Three People

Before I close, please allow me to mention three people who have offered much encouragement to me over the past several weeks, particularly as I covered the election. Likely, they aren’t even aware of their influence, but it has been there nonetheless:

Pat is a great-grandmother from California who frequently finds and sends to me some of the best articles online. We met on Stumble Upon and she has been quite active on Facebook. To my knowledge she doesn’t have a website or blog of her own, but she certainly knows her way around the internet.

Vlad is from the old USSR and is passionate about his new country. What is it about our newest (legal) citizens and their deep love for America? Freedom is the answer to that question as people like Vlad serve as a strong reminder to native born Americans that freedom isn’t free.

Dominique is from France and is also passionate about America. She is a big Mike Huckabee fan, hates the current U.S. Tax code and she packs heat! I credit (or blame) her for my recent spurt of political activism.

I appreciate everyone who stops by, shares a comment, or sends me a personal note. We’ve got our work cut out for us and the task at hand won’t be easy (gosh, I sound like Obama!) but we’ll persevere, making sure that our voices are raised and that our way of living isn’t trampled on by those whose agenda is to exert government control over every aspect of our lives.