hardboiled blog

We know we’re pretty late in reporting on this, but DANG, did you guys check out the Inauguration? Actually, I woke up late and had to watch it on youtube. But wow. All botch-ups aside, that was a pretty sweet ceremony. Especially the speech, which illustrated another form of Obama and his 27-year-old speech writer’s brilliant rhetoric.

A riveting point:

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

It’s encouraging to hear the new president talk about individual responsibility and the importance of every member of society to internalize those American values. Whereas we elect the people in government to do the work of organizing and managing people’s lives, they are merely extensions of us. You can’t be apathetic about politics, especially in this time! With our tumbling economy, a promise of policy upheavals and changes, and a shifting political ideology of the country… it’s silly to think that you can just happily go through your day to day life ignorant of what goes on in Washington DC.

So for all our folks out there reading this blog: Pick up the newspaper. Start a dialogue. Do something. Don’t you dare be indifferent.

Inside the Transition: Asian American and Pacific Islander Groups

Frankly, I’ve been kinda overwhelmed with way Obama and his transition team have been deluging Youtube, but I finally decided to sit down and watch this one since it was so pertinent. Of course, there are other racial groups discussed by the administration in other videos, but this related the most to hardboiled’s mission. It’s good to know that despite the drama-rama around figuring out a adequate stimulus package and getting all your cabby members sworn in that diversity is not something to be swept off the plate.

It’s also a relief because this guy sounds like he knows his shit. Sure, this is basic ASAM 20A information, but that’s a big step up from other politicians who generalize Asian American interests as the general “immigrant story.” Good to know Obama’s hiring competent hirer-ups to deal with matters of diversity.

Though I could be totally biased and drawn in by propaganda-esqe video-making, but you have to admit: bringing in such a diverse group of Asian Americans into one room to discuss things that the APA community is concerned about is really encouraging.

Countdown to Official Obama Presidency: 4 days. D-d-daaaaang!! Who’s excited??