An interesting quote I read today from Gregg Easterbrook:
In national news, Tuesday is the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th president of the United States. We’ve been so wrapped up in various forms of financial panic, real or imagined, that some may have lost sight of what a great day this is for America. Regardless of whether Obama ultimately proves to be an outstanding president or an average chief executive or a dud, only in America could this happen. A country whose eternal shame is that it once held slaves elects a black man as its leader, and a black man who came from nothing, entirely self-made. Obama is so appealing because he is the embodiment of the American story — and that story is still in the early chapters. Today every American, even those who exercised their right to oppose Obama, should beam with pride. Until now I felt proudest to be an American on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon. I thought then, “No other nation can accomplish such a thing, no other nation can dream so big.” Today I feel prouder, because Obama represents a much grander and more important dream. Today America proves to the world that we meant what we said about freedom and equality.
Starting in October 2008, there will be a more difficult test for people who want to become U.S.citizens. From a list of 100 questions, 10 will be asked at random to help determine a person’s knowledge of U.S. history and government and whether he or she is allowed to become a U.S.citizen.