http://barackthevalley.com/Gallery/BarackVisitsBethlehem/index.htmlThe above photos were taken by a professional photographer, Dean Hawkey, of Obama's surprise visit to Downtown Bethlehem PA yesterday. Click on each photo to enlarge it.
Here's excerpts of his well-written account, which he sent out by email:
"Whether you were in the right vein of gossip or not to hear that a celebrity had planned a last minute walk in the streets of Historic Bethlehem today, it doesn't matter. Apparently, one person told someone and that was just too big of news to just keep secret.
Yes, Barack was planning on taking an afternoon stroll. But shhh!!!! it is a secret! Try to tell an Obama supporter that they can't show their pride! Yeah that didn't work so well.
Barack stepped out onto the streets of Historic downtown Bethlehem. From that moment on he was shaking hands, cracking jokes, consoling crying women that were explaining how much he has brought hope back into their lives. One woman that wanted a picture of her baby so bad that even though the baby screamed before it even saw Barack, she had to have that shot. "
For the first time in my life I wanted my picture taken with someone. I have photographed countless rock legends and never once felt the draw that I wanted to be like someone.
What would I say? He grabbed my hand and said "Hi, How are you?" and I failed. I spit out exactly what I prepared myself not to. "Hi Barack, It is an honor to meet you!"
Nothing about how I made this awesome website BarackTheValley.com that grew from 4 to 400 members in 2 weeks. Or how I have read both his books and really felt like he had a story that was so different from each of our own but yet it directly related to American families all across this country and really wasn't all that different when you knew to whole story. It wasn't a story about the Cleavers either, yet you still walked away with the same feeling of moralistic pride.
Another deliriously happy woman with no better response than I, an adolescent that had spent hours hand drawing a marker sign. Of which Barack took serious time out to comment on and ask her name and age and tell the girl about his own daughters, and then he came across the 5 year-old that looked like up at him as though she were looking up at Superman, a Down-Syndrome child with similar admiration, one of my fellow Barack The Valley volunteers with a big grin, a Hillary supporter climbing on a bench to get a better photograph, another shaking his hand and joking with him about her Hillary button. He was standing in front of the same building that George Washington slept in, back in 1758.
It was then that I realized, that 3 months prior when I decided I was going to finally do something. I went onto Barack Obama's website to find someone else that was ready to do something. At that moment I WAS BITTER!
However! From that moment on, I also gained hope. And although I may still feel a slight tinge of bitterness when opponents and media coverage tries to use fairness as a weapon that only one candidate needs to abide. The change I was looking for back then, was quickly refined from a stance of wanting peace, into a further stance of wanting to change human nature. To have unity again. To look at our neighbors and politicians as my Brothers and Sisters that are all working for, and proud of the same cause.
I am quite aware that I have put faith in this man to offer educational assistance without burdening taxpayers, help our veterans have a life after giving it to protect ours, make sure poor and middle-class families are not going through a vertigo of medical bills, rid us of dependence on oil, make sure our homes are under our feet tomorrow and also work as an investment for our futures. And last but certainly not least. End a war we never should have started in the first place!
I believe in him. And I believe in us
Dean Hawkey"
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