Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome
Reuters reports:
Police sealed off a 100-block area in central Washington for President Bush's inauguration on Thursday, turning much of the usually bustling center of the U.S. capital into a ghost town of deserted streets and barricades….
Few businesses or stores were open, and office workers trickling into the restricted area were asking one another where to find coffee or open stores.
"It's like a deserted island. But it's good because they're trying to keep us safe," said Deborah Stewart, a security officer at the Inter-American Development Bank.
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Safe from what? Revenue?
"It's like a deserted island. But it's good because they're trying to keep us safe," said Deborah Stewart, a security officer at the Inter-American Development Bank.
Gee, it makes you wonder why they don't do it all the time?
What's interesting to me is how distant physically Presidents are becoming in relation to the general populace. Extreme physical seclusion and distance are what marked the reigns of Bourbons following Louis XIII, Ottoman Sultans, many Chinese Emporers, etc.
"It's like a deserted island. But it's good because they're trying to keep us safe,"
Wait, are they talking about D.C. or Bikini Atoll?
I missed the whole thing because I was working, and also because I don't give a crap. But Gary makes a good point about how inaugurations have become more than a close relative to coronations.
Did anyone notice any backs turned on television?
DC soon to be renamed the Forbidden City as suits our God-Emperor.
Brian,
I'm not arguing that we are quite at that point yet. I am just observing that Presidents are becoming more and more physically distant over time it seems. Furthermore, when they are present amongst the "people," its completely staged.
Citizens of the United States... KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!
SPD,
He he he. 🙂
Anyone note Cheney's comments on Bush? That Bush had "restored" the Presidency to the rightful place in our government.
Has no one noticed that today marks the 685th anniversary of the coronation of Wladislaus I (the Short) of Poland? Wikipedia's brief entry on Wladdy-Daddy mentions: "Poland finally had a king that wielded real power."
(Bet you thought I was going to make a Polish joke involving Dubya. Shame on you.)
You mean as a distant ominous voice chanting (or a Tiajuana shop barker), "Security here, got your security here. Cost just one soul, plus civil liberty tax. This security is so free, there buying it all over the world."
Just once, I wish one of these guys would have a Sideshow Bob-like moment, where the temptation to laugh maniacally at their newly-acquired power is to great to resist.
Remember, "no children have ever messed with the Republican Party and lived to tell about it!"
Alph the sacred river through the White House swimming pool.
One last thought before I shut up... does our "intelligence" community really think that Al Qaeda would be stupid enough to attempt a terrorist attack during the inauguration?
If the answer is yes, it demonstrates how little they understand the enemy. Bin Laden surely knows when we are at our most vulnerable -- like, say, a nondescript Tuesday in the middle of September?
Trying to keep whom safe?
"It's like a deserted island. But it's good because they're trying to keep us safe," said Deborah Stewart, a security officer at the Inter-American Development Bank.
See? Giving out the names and addresses of your friends to Americal Airlines WILL keep you safe!
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
>>>Gee, it makes you wonder why they don't do it all the time?
"Restored" the presidency...? WTF did he mean by that? What is its rightful place? Was that in his speech today? I've been working, too, and haven't been able to pay attention.
Has anyone been watching the History Channel's series on the Presidents? Puts things in perspective about the president's "rightful" place, and messy elections, and a bunch o' stuff.
Walker is just brilliant with the final quote of the post....he's so good at highlighting the "burned the village in order to save it" ironic qualities of the war on islamic terror.
So poignant. So thought provoking. You know, some of life's most perplexing contradictions can only be solved with Reason magazine's ready made jihadist threat solution, which is to always err on the side of the constitutionally granted civil liberties of non US citizens(??!!??)....then empower the state and local government to pick up the pieces.
Most stories on privacy encroachments feature someone saying something very similar.
For instance:
"If my child was in elementary school, I would welcome this with open arms and say, "please, please, tell me my kid got on the bus and got off the bus,"' said School Board chairwoman Jane Gallucci...
"It's just mind-boggling what the possibilities are," said Sam Bonasso, who runs the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration. It is overseeing the Ohio drone research
"From a security standpoint, this provides a great advantage to assure that there is a safe environment at all times."