Everyone needs a model

President–elect Barack Obama seems to be very fond of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He’s not alone. Many refer to Lincoln as the best President that this country has ever had. Not only is he acknowledged for leading the country through the Civil War. But the 16th President is also known for signing the Homestead Act in 1862. (The act awarded 160 acres to settlers who agreed to farm the land for five years. Many of you probably recognize him for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation which abolished slavery in the U.S. (whether or not he intentionally wanted to end slavery or preserve the union is an ongoing debate)…. and Lincoln yes, is the President who we can accredit to creating a national banking system and standardized currency. That’s just a few things that he did.
President-elect Barack Obama will use the same Bible at his inauguration that Abraham Lincoln used for his swearing in. Obama will be the first president since Lincoln to use that Bible. Obama is also tracing the train route that Lincoln took and holding a welcome event at the Lincoln Memorial ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Obama will continue following the example of Abraham Lincoln; the two may be very different in terms of policy, but they match up pretty evenly in style. Everyone needs a model right? I am not saying that he is going to try to replicate Lincoln because we all know that is impossible. I am just saying that everyone should have someone who they can say, you know what? I like the way he or she did this or that. Don't be a duplicate of anyone because God made us all originals. But, in today's society we all need positive mentors, role models or examples of excellence. January 17th will feature a railway trip for the Obamas that will begin in Philadelphia and end in Washington DC. Like Lincoln, Obama will make stops for speeches and events in Philadelphia and Baltimore before arriving in the Capitol to begin Inaugural Festivities.
One kick is that Obama will break from Lincolnian tradition by stopping in Wilmington, Delaware, to pick up Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden and family.
The environmental organizations Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have sent the Secret Service a letter asking the agency to switch President-elect Barack Obama's arrival into Washington, D.C., by train on the weekend before Inauguration Day to a safer mode of transportation. The president-elect and his family will travel by train from Philadelphia on Saturday, January 17, and arrive in the district by evening. During the trip, they will pick up Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family in Wilmington, Delaware.