Let Freedom Ring!

Today begins an historic week in West Virginia and in the United States. Today we celebrate another Martin Luther King Day and the second inauguration of Governor Joe Manchin. Tomorrow we, as a nation, will become witnesses to history as President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States and becomes our first African-American Commander-in-Chief.

In West Virginia, we know there is something special about wearing the number 44, don’t we. My hope is that this 44 has as much success as West Virginia’s 44. Of course, leading the free world is a somewhat more daunting task than leading the Mountaineers and the LA Lakers on a fast-break. Yet, whatever your politics, my hope is that the country will rally behind our new number 44.

In any event, as a West Virginian and as a citizen of the United States, I plan to enjoy this historic moment as it is moments like these that make our country so great.

So, as Martin Luther King said, “Let Freedom Ring.”