Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, America was reborn today, when Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president. After eight years of disgrace and shame, Obama’s election and inauguration rings in a new era for the United States. An era of hope, and of pride in our country. Those qualities have been absent from our vocabularies for quite some time. Since its inception in 1776, the ideals of America have shone forth like a beacon all across the world: freedom and equality; Liberty and justice for all; the land of the free and the home of the…