Bush inauguration fever hits Washington

[Moloch]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Holiday parties will look tame this year compared with the grand events planned in January for the official inauguration of President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s second term in office.

The US capital is already busy gearing up for the pomp and ceremony. Four days of festivities will culminate January 20 with Bush's swearing in ceremony at the US Congress, his parade to the White House and nine inauguration balls.

The final bill for all the celebrations will be a cool 40 million dollars -- a record in US history -- mostly financed by donations.

Before Christmas, wealthy private donators, industrial, financial and lobby groups, Republicans and Democrats, will have turned in their checks for 50,000 to 250,000 dollars to the inauguration committee tasked with organizing the events.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041225/pl_afp/usbushinauguration_041225165726

[Sara Beverley]

1. Most of the donars wouldn't give $40 to a starving family....disgusting!

Can revolution be far away?

[diamond14]

17. there's 18,000 homeless in DC, half are VETERANS.....they live on

park benches, and heating grates and huddled together with old blankets in the doorways of abandoned buildings...


yesterday (Christmas Eve), at my grocery store cafeteria in Alexandria Virginia, I noticed a man with a couple of suitcases...while I was eating lunch, the man stood up and left, leaving the suitcases there....so I reported that to the manager, because the news is always terrifying us about bag and suitcases left with BOMBS...the manager told me that the man is a Veteran, returned from Iraq, homeless....since the store is open 24 hours, the homeless Veteran is there frequently....the manager offered to have him removed if he bothered me...I said no, he's not bothering me, I'm only concerned about the suitcases and the possiblity of a bomb....no, said the manager, the suitcases are just full of real junk and trash and rags, and the man doesn't care, leaves the suitcases at times, sometimes takes them around in the store and other times, walks around the parking lot with the suitcases, sometimes just sits there and talks to the suitcases....

I thanked the manager. Wished him a 'Happy Holiday' and told him that it's nice that he is keeping a human being from freezing to death, especially a Veteran. He smiled and told me there were actually TWO homeless Veterans living in the store all the time now. God bless the store manager, it was 26 degrees outside at the time and he could have thrown those Veterans out in the cold on Christmas eve...

The massive homelessness in DC, and now in Virginia, is now so common that homeless can REGISTER TO VOTE in Virginia by just writing down the nearest streets and indicating that they are living there, under a bridge or in a park or or on a bench or whatever....

[0007]

29. ....and these same folk say piss on ..

the prisons of the world, the orphanages, the insane asylums, the hospitals with the forgotten and the hungry nations of the world.

now Dancer now Prancer up o'er that wall hurry goddammit beore I cut out your balls...

[NYC]

2. Record setting $40 million party, while Americans

go downhill financially.

It reminds me of aristocrats having lavish, sumptuous wedding feasts in view of the peasants while the peasants starved.

[oldtime dfl_er]

7. Like that scene in Dr Zhivago

Where the rich were feasting while the peasants down below were being slaughtered for merely protesting.

[autorank]

14. Oh so true!

[ally_sc]

34. yeah, but worse...

just keep that produce, and eggs coming they will be needed for the inaugueral persession.

[ogradda]

16. odd.

that's the same picture that's been in my head lately. i wonder if it will play out to the historical end?

[NYC]

42. There must be a reason we are thinking like that.

I keep seeing the lavish wedding feast. Wasting food in the face of the starving. You can't get away with taunting the poor forever. I also wonder if it will play out to the historical end.

[VegasWolf]

3. How about some compassion and money for poor people. n/t

[Dover]

4. "inauguration fever"...........is that similar to swine flu?

n/t

[Khephra]

6. I think it's a mutated strain of swine flu

called the Chickenhawk Pox.

[LiberalEsto]

9. swine flu...ROFL

I was going to say for those of us living in the DC area, it's less of a fever and more of a gut-wrenching pukefest.

[Delarage]

10. I had a bad case of that in 2000. It came back in 2002 and now I feel

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Pithy Cherub]

12. With no known cure for * inaugaration swine flu, Dems are

being innoculated in Canada. This was the real hidden vaccine shortage.

[Theres-a]

40. precisely.

[LynnTheDem]

5. And today bush said WE should VOLUNTEER to help the needy in the USA

While HE spends MILLIONS on his coronation.

Ain't that bush all over.

[Bouncy Ball]

24. How about I see HIS ass volunteering to

serve people in a soup line?

[Ms_Mary]

55. Oh, but he packed soldier care packages

That probably filled his requirement/photo op for a while. It's obscene.

[graywarrior]

8. This Monday can't come soon enough

[oneighty]

11. This tells me that all the terror talk about

suit case nukes, dirty bombs, chemical attacks, biological attacks was and is "Purdie Old Bull Shit" as my southern relatives used to say.

Terrorism your ass, oh fearless leaders!

180

[truthisfreedom]

13. isn't there something they can take for this "fever"? sounds like an ill-

ness to me.

[The Zanti Regent]

15. Will it mutate into the 1918 Spanish Flu?

It would be fitting...

[baby_bear]

18. Sorry, but I don't get it and I ain't buying it

http://ffyr.homestead.com/FFYR.html

<snip>"We recognize this time that we are a nation at war," said Jeanne Johnson Phillips, chairwoman of the 55th presidential inaugural committee. She headed two other inaugurations for the Bush family, in 2001 for the current president and in 1989 for his father.



She said that Bush's second inauguration, like the others before it, will "paint a picture of democracy" and provide a time for Americans to "stand together regardless of politics."



Committee officials stressed that the festivities shouldn't be looked at as a partisan victory party but rather as the hallmark of a democracy, a peaceful transition of power with Bush reaffirming his oath of office.



"This is not a political event," said Greg Jenkins, the committee's executive director. "This is a bipartisan celebration of a democratic process of swearing in."



The committee employs between 400 and 500 staffers and is raising millions for the celebration through private donations from Bush backers.

</snip>

READ: corporations who expect legislation that will stuff the pockets of CEOs in the next four years.


:puke:

[Moloch]

20. You know who I dislike?

George W. Bush

[Bridget Burke]

21. "peaceful transition of power" ?

That was the main catchphrase for the media commentators at the last Inauguration--until I switched to C-SPAN. They kept touting this new alternative to those old-fashioned "elections"--since everybody really knew at the time that the wrong man was being inaugurated.

There's no "transition of power" this year--it's an obscene celebration of ongoing media whoredom & slicker election-stealing.

[baby_bear]

22. I know; isn't that the most bizarre thing?

Is this woman reading out of a 2000 phrase book or what?

I only WISH power were transitioning.

One rolls one's eyes. I wouldn't trust these people with the key to a cookie jar.

b_b

[LynnTheDem]

32. bush won't negotiate w himself, but he will transfer power from himself

to himself.

:eyes:

[LynnTheDem]

31. a time for Americans to "stand together regardless of politics." But ONLY

for those hand-picked Americans who can AFFORD the $$$$$ TICKETS.

[hatrack]

44. Right, a "bipartisan celebration"

Kind of a reflection of all the "reaching out" that Republicans in Congress are doing right about now. Uh-huh . . . :puke:

[CBHagman]

19. I rather expect they will treat DC area workers and residents...

...the way they treated the New Yorkers during the Republican convention: as intruders, unwelcome, undesirables. A New York friend told me even the handicapped were ordered to reroute their trips so as not to disturb the GOP's little orgy of veteran-bashing and Bushturbation.

By the way, on glancing at the donor list for the Bush festivities, I was really pleased I never bought a Dell computer or invested in ExxonMobil.

[Arkansas Gazette]

23. $40 Million? Damn!

The Clinton inaugurals only cost $25 to $33 Million each.

[movonne]

25. Where are those facts please...LINK!!!!

[movonne]

26. Where are these facts???? You must have gotten this information

somewhere...WHERE!!!

[Skittles]

48. Clinton was worth it

he's not some incomptent piece of shit asshole who couldn't lead his way out of a paper bag; he didn't party after starting an illegal, immoral QUAGMIRE WAR.

[AZCat]

56. I have googled, and come up with some costs for '92 and '96

From this article (which references a source - see endnotes) it appears that Clinton's 1993 inauguration was $25 million.

From this recent article it appears that Clinton's 1997 inauguration was $29.6 million.

From the article above, it says that the 2001 Bush inauguration cost about $40 million.



Edit: Corrected link

[Dancing_Dave]

27. If there ever was good cause for a street riot...

Here we go again.:nopity:

[judaspriestess]

28. I wonder if Jesus will attend beamed right from Heaven n/t

[Danmel]

30. It is simply sickening

The self aggrandizing attitude, the shameless flaunting of their wealth and power, it is simply sickening.

It would be sickening even if we weren't in this hellacious disaster of a war, but it is doubly sickening since we are. I just don't know what to say. There aren't words for it.

[this_side_up]

39. They have no class. They have no

sense of sensibility.

They are the rich.

They are Republican.

They have a severe and incurable form of mental illness.

[gizmo1979]

33. But we have a surprise for them

a couple of million protesters now theres the party!!!!!!!!

[HeeBGBz]

35. What an inspiration

To those of us who want nothing more than to see these power drunken blood suckers get their just desserts. I don't mean apple pie.

I want to see them in prison for treason and theft of freedom.

[progressivebydesign]

36. We're at WAR, you stupid, tacky fucking President!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems so surreal to see old movies and news reels of being at war and sacrificing... Bush out to be run out of town on a rail for this unbelievably INSENSITIVE excess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope the military families who voted for that asshole realize how utterly disgusting he is, throwing this extravaganza while they are being evicted from their homes... and falling further behind financially, in our "new" military. Or perhaps the grieving military families would find this so fucking tasteless... I sure do!

[shance]

37. Truly. It's the height of narcissism and insanity.

Especially when reading the news about Fallujah today.

[this_side_up]

38. I have 2 questons.

Are any or all of the Dems attending this pig fest
or do they have the freedom to decline?

Is anyone going to be able to tape all of this
or get photos of the various activities and....
the wife's and daughters' clothing choices.

I am expecting photos to be hilarious.

I remember that tan/gold dress she wore with
the huge blue ribbon. This year or last year,
a Texas beauty contest winner wore the same
shade of tan/gold and the blue ribbon/bow
around the waist. It must be contagious
in TX

[TexasLawyer]

41. Let Them Eat Cake!!!

--an attitude that did not serve Marie Antoinette very well. We'll see how it comes off this time around.

[hatrack]

43. Who gives a shit? Honestly, who gives a single, solitary turdlet?

It's going to be the same farcical pomp & circumstance, the same empty clanging phrases searching desperately for an idea, the same militarized worship of the Great Leader.

It's going to be more of the same stupid-ass events & balls, this time featuring more of Toby Keith & Lee Greenwood, and far less of what snippets of Woody Guthrie & Bruce Springsteen manage to ooze their way between the planks of the privacy fence of officially approved culture.

It's going to be the same ten thousand lobbyists & CEOs who turned out en masse four years back - the only difference this time being just how much richer they all are now, and how much richer they'll be four years hence.

It's going to be endless hours of coverage as the Officially Sanctioned Purveyors of News back and fill desperately to find something, anything to say about the endless hours of parades & cocktail parties & speeches & "analysis", while doing their damndest to block any snippets of protest or dissension that might filter through the gray wall of unofficial official media self-censorship.

Most of all, it's going to be more of the same simian buffoon saying all the same things he's already said, and priming us for four more years of his dumbass persona and verbal pratfalls.

Who could possibly give a shit?

[autorank]

45. I'm near DC...there is NO FEVER. This is so stupid.

There will be a big mess in DC on the 20th, which the vast majority of the residents in the metro area regret greatly. There will be traffic congestion due to the security paranoia. People who own restaurants and hotels in DC will make more money as will their staff who get more tips and overtime. That's it. There is no fever here at all. God I hate the CM (Corporate Media). They never miss a chance to get it wrong.

The true headline should be:

VAST MAJORITY OF DC METRO RESIDENTS INDIFFERENT OR HOSTILE TO INAUGURATION

[aikido15]

49. This makes me sick...

What makes me even sicker is the fact that the protesters are being denied permits so that nothing but rich white people can line the streets. They have bought Pennsylvania Ave. We, the protesters are going to crash their little party anyway!

Is there any protest fever???

[autorank]

51. Don't know yet. Protesters will just show up and turn backs.

They are dragging their feet on formal protests denying "permits", like you need one to express free speech. David Lytel (of Democrats.Com) is urging everyone to just show up at the parade and when * drives by, turn their backs. At other times, they can boo etc. I suspect that there will be a rowdy crowd like 2000. The demonstration then was huge and spontaneous largely. It will be positive for us. People here really don't like *. You can't find more than a few, even among Republicans, who will say that they actually like him.

[psychopomp]

46. Somebody got big oil on the phone and told them it was time to pony up

the $$$.

"The biggest contributors (250,000 dollars) include oil giants ExxonMobil Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp, and computer maker Michael Dell, officials said.


"It was more a case of political extortion than political generosity," said a Washington lobbyist who spoke on condition of anonymity about his donation.


"When someone high up in the inaugural committee gets you on the phone and solicits you for 100,000 dollars for an administration that is going to be in power for the next four years, what was I going to say? Certainly not 'no.'""

[Skittles]

47. a sickening display of arrogance

:puke:

[Lost4words]

50. I hope they serve lots of pretzels,

maybe a patriot will get in there and spike the punch.

[zulchzulu]

52. Let's see how much the fatcats like the First Amendment

I plan on being there to protest and hope many thousands will be there. Eggs are cheaper in Virginia and Maryland...Delaware is close by and has lots of chicken farms...just some hints.

[silverpatronus]

53. i go to school in DC

i don't plan to leave my room all of inauguration weekend. it will be madness.

[oldcoot]

54. How much are we paying for the inauguration?

Even if these events are "mostly financed" by private donations, the taxpayer will obviously have to pay part of the tab (I assume we will be paying for an increased number of police officers to work at the inauguration celebrations). I would like to know how much our share of the tab is going to cost.