We gathered in the little house to watch the celebration.  In case you have trouble remembering Obama’s inaugural address, here it is as word cloud, thanks to Wordle.

Here are a couple of my favorite links related to today:

Worldwide celebrations for Obama inauguration

Avaaz’s page on the inauguration

Earthjustice has already come up with a list of five steps for President Obama to taketo reverse the Bush legacy of destroying our environment.

And here’s a glimpse of the Obama extended family thanks to the NY Times.

I was at a gathering in support of Israel at Temple Beth Israel on Monday evening, which was well-attended. I went there to listen more than anything else, and I know that some others there, similar to me, were of the mind that we can support Israel but recognize that these recent military actions are not the best way to ensure a safe and secure Israel.  The organizers did manage to get speakers with some range of views on what it means to “support” Israel at this time, although the calls to action seemed to focus on supporting military action instead of an end to military action and the deaths of civilians.

My energy is going into supporting humanitarian aid, and groups that call for an end to all military actions in the region. The price of this military conflict, likely to soon to be a thousand people dead, is far too high. Some options I have found:

Avaaz is working on an international call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. They have a quick-to-sign online petition and they are circulating it internationally.

Mercy Corps has been providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, and has been calling for Congress to support ceasefires that truly allow humanitarian aid to get through.

Grassroots International is partnering with a number of groups to deliver aid in the Gaza area. They also have some excellent reports that take a look at the long-term view of the area, and how human rights have fared (or not, fared, I suppose). Thanks for Scot for letting me know about them.

Jewish Voice for Peace (whose website is pretty clear on where they stand: Two Peoples, One Future) sends out opportunities for action. They have also produced the “Thank You, Jon Stewart” website for his excellent and (as usual) insightful analysis into US political hypocrisy and short-sightedness.

Feel free to send me other things to do in support of all the people in the region, so that they can have a peaceful and just future with each other.

After my long absence from Portland, I went to the rally for peace in Gaza here in Portland on Saturday, but I didn’t take any pictures. Watch this instead: video from a peace rally/march in Israel (I don’t have the date). I came across it on the blog Shalom Rav: