By: Sydney Bickers Photo by: Kristen Quon
Milligan College students may start thinking of U.S. Senator of Tennessee Lamar Alexander when they think of presidential inaugurations.
There is a good chance Alexander will not mind that one bit. He seems to think pretty highly of inaugurations.
Alexander, who stood on the stage of Seeger Chapel and opened the inauguration of Milligan College President Bill Greer on Oct. 28, 2011, stood on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol yesterday and spoke about the importance of inaugurations at the much larger ceremony held for second-term President Barack Obama.
Alexander said the United States presidential inauguration was “an enduring symbol of the American democracy.”
“This peaceful transfer of power is what will separate our country from every other country in the world,” said Lamar, citing the words of George Washington.
An inauguration is the public acceptance of a new leader. Alexander noted the importance of both parties “restraint to respect the results” when their leader is not elected. As if to prick the bipartisan air of Washington, D.C., he went on to say that it was “remarkable” that the democratic rite of an inauguration still existed in America.
“How remarkable that this has survived for so long in such a complex country when so much power is at stake,” Alexander said. Alexander served as a co-chair of the congressional committee that planned the 57th U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
While Alexander believes in the importance of inaugurations, Milligan Stampede was interested to see if other students agreed.
As Stampede live tweeted yesterday’s inauguration one of the tweets from @MCstampede was, “MC Students: Is the inaugural ceremony a waste of time or an important civic duty that communicates the essence of democratic leadership?”
@LaurenMcinturff responded: “@MCstampede waste of time!”
Freshman Katherine Siglin said in an interview that she didn’t think the presidential inauguration was a waste of time. Siglin said she had watched the inauguration live on television at her home in Kingsport, and her opinion of the event echoed that of Alexander.
“It’s a historic thing to watch every four years,” said Siglin. “We don’t see this kind of peaceful installment of leaders in other countries.”
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