The Historical Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

 January Twenty, Twenty Twenty-one; the healing has already begun. A new national tone already beginning.  It has been a great day for the republic; our democratic republic. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn into office as the forty sixth president of the United States of America. The magnanimous event was marked by wonderful performances, readings and a bold display of the best of the hearts and minds of the nation’s most talented. The featured included Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks along with lesser known poet Amanda Gorman. Each were equally amazing and gracious in their contributions.  The inauguration was attended by and included members of both political parties. I send out a personal thank you to former Vice President Mike Pence for his participation and gestures of dignity and a true loyalty to honor, the national spirit and the greater good. 

President Biden’s speech was perfect in tone and content. His sincerity, commitment and dedication all evident throughout. Joe Biden believes in America and its people in a uniquely unselfish way. We will be all the better because of the manner and ways he has served until now in addition to what he will enact and contribute in the near and not so distant future. His tenure as Commander in Chief will prove to be transformative.

It was no easy road culminating in Biden’s and Harris’ arrival to the White House.  The campaign season in itself was alarming, chaotic and especially brutal. Multiple legal cases were subsequently attempted in efforts to overturn the election results.  The cases were as quickly extinguished and dismissed as they were brought to court rooms and before judges.  In a final effort lies and reckless incitement created and fed to the masses in an attempted coup d état lead to the storming of the US Capitol building   by violent armed thugs. Waving the flags of their racists and anti-Semitic heroes from past and now present insurrections with chants of death threats toward particular members of congress were among the worst travesties seen in our contemporary times. A troop contingency of over thirty thousand National Guard’s Men and Women, miles of razor wire and road blocks coupled with over Two  Hundred arrests were enough to dissuade the “Goon Squad’s” return today. 

Distrust, fear, hate, disdain for humanity and social justice have marred the nation for the last four years in unpresented ways. The new administration challenges thou many are already being addressed. Executive orders were signed even today. Biden’s team and we (the nation’s citizens) will prevail. America survives; the presidential torch has passed, the systems of laws prevail. With the power of the vote; we the citizens, the faithful, the believers in something good and decent share this victory. We seize and glory in this day. We are an army of workers and achievers. The night mare of the previous administration has ended. A brighter, better era begins. This time for celebration is ours!  

 

CELEBRATE AMERICA "Hillary Has Won" (Well; Maybe Not...)

CELEBRATE AMERICA

November 8^th Twenty Sixteen

By

James Jones

Celebrate in music, in letters and in song.

Celebrate with loud noises and in silent tears.

We are witness to History Tonight!

Hillary Clinton is elected The Forty-Fifth President of The United States of America.

She is the first woman to be so elected.

This is a Time of Greatness, of Miracle and of Wonder.

This is Her Time and Ours

Yes

CELEBRATE!

Addendum_The previous was something that I had really hoped I was going to be able to honestly say. The reality is; as you know, that Hillary Clinton did not win the election (at least not by the electorial college). Donald Trump is the President Elect; the American people have spoken. The moniker; Hillary Clinton President, is not to be. Our nation will move on and tomorrow, I'll write another blog.  

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was the first photographer I fell in love with. It was and remains a total infatuation. Her Iconic and brilliantly honest work, her mastery of her chosen instrument and the decisions, journalistic and artistic are representative of the vision sublime.

Lange’s camera and eye were drawn to those on the fringes of society. The Invisible American’s; those numbering among the forgotten or ignored became her subjects of choice. The results are remarkable in their simplicity and directness. She was a serious photographer. Her works date her to a time when life was many times more brutal and devoid of the excess and glitz of our times.  Her prime years depicted many of America’s most trying: the Great Depression, The Dust Bowl Era, Japanese Internment Camps and the early Plight of the Migrant Worker. Her eye sought out the universal and commonality of all Americans like no other photographer. She is from a time before the “selfie.” Lange was looking out into the world as she discovered beauty and truth among the pains of human existence, suffering and trials. Lange was a beautiful woman of heart, mind and spirit. She has given the world much through her activism and journalistic works.

The photographic compositions of Dorothea Lange speak so eloquently for themselves they need little embellishment or definition. I have included a selected portfolio of some of her best and moving treasures. I have also included a link to the documentary; “Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning” from the PBS series “American Masters.”  It centers on Lange’s preparation for her MoMA retrospective and covers many aspects of the photographer’s life in intimate detail. The life was amazing, indeed. You be the judge.  

“The camera is a powerful instrument for saying to the world: this is the way it is…

Look at it!        Look at it!”

Dorothea Lange

“Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning” 

The Imperalist

It was not a good night by anyone’s standard unless you were perhaps someone that thought war was a good thing. The debates had gone on for months and in some ways years. “Saddam Hussein had to be taken out; we will have to deal with him eventually, it might as well be now. He has those monstrous weapons of mass destruction and he will use them….” On that March night in 2003 the second George W. Bush War Campaign would begin with a little something called”Shock and Awe.” We would have the pleasure of seeing it televised safely at home. A kind of macabre, historic, media event that was “Must See TV.” As I waited for the event I began a painted.

George Bush had been convinced by members of his administration principally Donald Rumsfeld and Paul   Wolfowitz that because of the collapse of the Soviet Union we were without a compelling rival and thus unbeatable. The war on terror made it convenient and seemingly necessary to bomb Bagdad. It was time to extend the empire; America’s time for sole world domination was here. As the “Bush Doctrine” took effect I continued to paint. The painting I worked on during the premiere night continued to develop and I now called it “The Imperalist”.

Since that initial night which turned out to be neither especially shocking nor awesome we have moved on to other things along with the Bush administration (and Saddam). The wars have not.  We now have a new administration; that isn’t exactly new anymore and with his book that is new Bob Woodward has dubbed Iraq and Afghanistan;  “Obama’s Wars”. 

Woodward wrote four books during Bush’s years and this is his first during Obama’s tenure. Woodward is becoming the principal presidential scribe of the twenty-first century. His is a true insider and highly respected.

The job description of the American Presidency though seemingly the same changes with each president. Things are inherited and new events change what is asked of each man while in office. Aside from “The Party Agenda”; personal policies and personality determine what we expect from each man in the oval office.  Health care, the economy and the wars are defining Obama. The first drafts of his presidential histories are being written.  Obama continues, health care, the economy and the wars continue; Bob Woodward continues. I continue to paint though I may change the title of “The Imperalist “to “The Inheritance”.