THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701250105
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08K EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DANNY VALENTINI, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 45 lines
Although President Clinton was an almost insignificant speck in my binoculars, he still seemed larger than life itself.
I guess it was the atmosphere of the Capitol that caused that. Nonetheless, the feeling one gets while standing among a quarter million Americans, struggling to get a glimpse of Bill or Al or Hillary, can only be described as magical and inspiring.
There's nothing quite like actually being there to see the president. The fact that he's physically before you (although two blocks away) makes this leader of the free world seem all the more real, as opposed to just a man on the evening news making a speech or signing something. His voice, when processed only through a public-address system, reminds you that he's just another human being, just like the rest of us.
While for the vast majority of the 250,000 of us gathered on the Mall, the main goal was to witness Bill Clinton's second inauguration, I wound up witnessing something even more unforgettable. After a quick look around, I realized that virtually every race, religion, color, nationality, gender and political ideology was represented in some way - from American Indians to right-wingers to leftists, and from those who voted for the president to those who did not. Every facet of our rich American diversity was present.
That's not what impressed me, however. What did impress me was that all these groups, with all their differences and disagreements, had gathered peacefully in our nation's capitol with a common bond: America. And we were all there to see the peaceful transition from one presidential term to another.
It makes you wonder why we can't be on our best behavior toward one another every day, in all parts of the country. If a quarter million in Washington can do it for a few hours, what's to stop the rest of us from doing it?
Although this may seem like wishful thinking, the peaceful gathering in Washington on Monday made me realize that we're all Americans, and while no two of us are alike, we're pretty much stuck with one another. We might as well learn to live with one another, right?
It's at times like this that it all seems possible. In the rush of American pride it seems like we can all be truly united. It really makes me sorry that we only do this every four years. MEMO: Danny Valentini is a senior at Kempsville High School