* Crossposted in CROSSFIRE

Hello, All.

Remember what I said about the worldwide orgasm?  Seems it started here at home...

From: http://tinyurl.com/8sm3gb

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Renamed Obama Elementary makes inauguration the lesson
By Frank Eltman, Associated Press

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Some schoolchildren stood and recited the oath along with
the new president. Others shouted "Amen" at the end of the
invocation.

But perhaps no school in the country celebrated the historic inauguration
of the nation's 44th president with more enthusiasm than the hundreds of
students at the newly renamed Barack Obama Elementary School in Hempstead,
Long Island.

"I was just speechless. I don't even have the words to explain the
feelings," said Principal Jean Bligen, who won tickets to the
inauguration in a lottery, but decided the only place she wanted to be
Tuesday was with her students. "It was remarkable. Absolutely
remarkable."

Officials in the predominantly non-white school district voted soon after
Election Day to rename the school in honor of the Illinois Democrat.

On Tuesday, all 460 students wore navy blue sweat shirts emblazoned with
the words "Barack Obama Elementary School - Yes We Can" on their
chests.

The school is near Hofstra University, where the final presidential debate
between Obama and Sen. John McCain took place. Students who followed the
debates later suggested that their school be named for the new president,
officials said.

"I think that they renamed the school because they believe that Barack
Obama was a great leader to many people such as myself," said
fifth-grader Esta Thomas, 10, before the ceremony. "Because each of us
in our school also want to grow up to be president one day."

The enthusiasm appeared contagious from coast to coast.

"You go back to Martin Luther King, and this is the dream come
true," said Juana Martinez, 17, a senior who watched the inauguration
with 2,700 other students at Manuel Dominguez High School in Compton,
California, a predominantly black and Hispanic city south of Los Angeles.

The school made the inauguration a week-long educational topic, with
English, history and math classes studying previous inaugurations and
speeches, said Principal Joy Bramlette, who wore an Obama T-shirt.

"Barack Obama is every man's story for our kids," she said.
"He was raised without a father and by his grandparents, like many of
our kids."

Students from William S. Hackett Middle School in Albany, New York, waved
small American flags and cheered as they watched Obama's speech, and some
shouted "Amen" at the end of the Rev. Rick Warren's invocation.

"I think it's really cool that he's president because he gets to stop
the Iraq war, which has been going on for so long, and he can bring the
troops home," said 11-year-old Maritza Morris, a sixth-grader.
"There hasn't been another African-American spokesman like him since
Martin Luther King Jr."

At Little Rock Central High School, where more than a half century earlier
President Dwight Eisenhower sent in troops to enforce integration, more
than 200 students watched the inauguration in the auditorium and
televisions in classrooms were tuned to the ceremony.

"When you think that 50 years ago, African-Americans couldn't come
into the school, couldn't get the same education as Caucasians and now the
leader of the free world is African-American," said Afshar Sanati, the
school's student body president, who is Iranian-American. "That's just
kind of awe inspiring."

Back at Obama Elementary School, fourth-grade teacher Sharon Edmonston's
eyes were still crimson from crying as the new president gave his inaugural
address.

"I never thought in my lifetime that I would see an African-American
president," she said. "It brought me back to being about 7 years
old and I remember watching the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King and
learning what that was all about. So as I was watching President Barack
Obama being sworn in, it's mind boggling to me. I still can't wrap my brain
around it."
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Later,
Sean

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