M
mrsltg
Guest
I live just outside DC in Northern Virginia. Last night's local newscast interviewed someone high-up on the Inaugural team and it was announced the Inaugural festivities would go on for four days (pre-celebration, day of community service, Inaugural, National Day of Prayer.) They will begin on Sunday and last through Wednesday with all DC bars and restaurants remaining open 24 hours per day throughout. I have a real problem with this on several levels.
1. Clearly this is a historic election and the new President should be given his due. His predecessors managed to get by with an evening of concerts and fireworks preceding the Inauguration. After the parade there were the parties and a wonderful evening of celebrations. GREAT! The morning after began with a prayer service of some sort and then that was it. I truly believe four days is pushing it. We don't anoint leaders here and this is beginning to seem more like a coronation than an inaugural to me.
2. The DC bars and restaurants being open 24 hours per day? Seriously? DH is a police Capt. downtown with his area of responsibility being the Mall and Capitol Hill (where Capitol Police and the Park Service are not responsible.) He also has duties at the waterfront. This area is not as full of bars as some others like Adams Morgan and Georgetown where they have serious crime problems the more the bars are visited. The City Council voted to keep the bars open as a revenue stream and a "hats off" because their guy won the election. The police department is rightly concerned with this change of heart on behalf of the city council. They don't have the manpower to control the crowds coming into the city let alone keeping them in order if you add alcohol to the mix.
The bottom line is simple. The Inauguration should be a celebration. I don't care who wins, this is a triumph of democracy and definitely calls for a party. I question the people planning this Inaugural (I don't think the soon to be President has anything to do with it) when in the midst of the economic woes we are in as a country, the President will be seen spending four days celebrating himself. I understand one of the days is dedicated to community service however, it doesn't count nearly as much when you do something because someone is watching. I won't even touch the Day of Prayer.
JMHO. Anyone else think it's a little extreme?
*CAVEAT* because this board is so politically divisive I will gladly say I didn't like or support either candidate so please save the "right-wing" baloney! Oh, and I'll be going on a cruise with the OT from DH working nearly round the clock for six days!
1. Clearly this is a historic election and the new President should be given his due. His predecessors managed to get by with an evening of concerts and fireworks preceding the Inauguration. After the parade there were the parties and a wonderful evening of celebrations. GREAT! The morning after began with a prayer service of some sort and then that was it. I truly believe four days is pushing it. We don't anoint leaders here and this is beginning to seem more like a coronation than an inaugural to me.
2. The DC bars and restaurants being open 24 hours per day? Seriously? DH is a police Capt. downtown with his area of responsibility being the Mall and Capitol Hill (where Capitol Police and the Park Service are not responsible.) He also has duties at the waterfront. This area is not as full of bars as some others like Adams Morgan and Georgetown where they have serious crime problems the more the bars are visited. The City Council voted to keep the bars open as a revenue stream and a "hats off" because their guy won the election. The police department is rightly concerned with this change of heart on behalf of the city council. They don't have the manpower to control the crowds coming into the city let alone keeping them in order if you add alcohol to the mix.
The bottom line is simple. The Inauguration should be a celebration. I don't care who wins, this is a triumph of democracy and definitely calls for a party. I question the people planning this Inaugural (I don't think the soon to be President has anything to do with it) when in the midst of the economic woes we are in as a country, the President will be seen spending four days celebrating himself. I understand one of the days is dedicated to community service however, it doesn't count nearly as much when you do something because someone is watching. I won't even touch the Day of Prayer.
JMHO. Anyone else think it's a little extreme?
*CAVEAT* because this board is so politically divisive I will gladly say I didn't like or support either candidate so please save the "right-wing" baloney! Oh, and I'll be going on a cruise with the OT from DH working nearly round the clock for six days!
OT can be good
). DSIL worked for the Clintons doing this sort of planning and she didn't come up with everything on her own. She executed what she was told to do.
