"We Are One"

On Sunday after church, I went down to the mall to check out the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Designed as a kick-off event to a week full of inauguration madness, the concert was a huge celebrity tribute to our new celebrity president. We didn't get there early enough to get inside the secured area, but we got to see people like Bon Jovi, Jamie Foxx, Stevie Wonder and Josh Groban on the jumbo-trons a mile (literally) away from the memorial. My favorites? U2 and the fact that my kids were up there singing with Beyonce, Garth Brooks and Springsteen. Pretty awesome. You should check it out: www.hbo.com/weareone

On the way to the concert.
Just in case you were confused, the U.S. isn't a military state.

The crowds, just practicing for Tuesday

Jay and me, enjoying the crowds...i mean, the concert

Someone famous on stage. I'm still trying to figure out who it is.

The "O"-nauguration

I'm just going to assume that you all watched the inauguration and you don't need me to explain the process to you (plus I've done it in six different classes over the past 48 hours and the speech is worn a little thin). Before this year, I've never really watched an inauguration before. I just figured that the presidency would change hands (or not) at noon on January 20, and that things would eventually change a little bit. And also, last time we actually had a change in the president, I was 16.

I don't have a job that's cool enough to land me tickets to the inauguration itself, but I do have some friends that are willing to stay up all night and then stand all day in the cold to be a part of history. Louise, Emily and I started our inaugural adventure Monday night. Louise, who works at the National Academy of Science had been given permission to spend the night in her office in Chinatown in preparation for the inauguration, so of course we decided to make a night of it. After running into some friends on the metro (also heading in to sleep in Chinatown) and passing some vendors selling all sorts of crazy Obama gear (the weirdest thing I heard of: "Obama Scent". Whatever that is), we set up camp in her office.

Starting the trek to Louise's office. And looking like we're on our way camping.


Ok, maybe we were camping after all.

After discovering (thanks, Jay!) that we couldn't actually access the national mall from where we were, we joined thousands of other people in the 3rd street tunnel, passing under the mall to reach the south side, where the entrances were open.

How many of you can say that you walked through a freeway tunnel?

Then, after waiting around for several hours and allowing my feet to freeze completely, the program started, and you all know how that story ends.

Two million of my closest friends.

Marci, Lindsey, Alan and me, trying really hard not to freeze to death.

The man himself. Or rather, his image on the jumbo-tron since we were forever away from the Capitol.

I'm pretty excited about an Obama presidency. I mean, he definitely has some policies that I don't like (health care, for instance), but for the most part I think the hope he has brought to the country is a huge step. My biggest concern is this pervasive mentality that he is the Messiah. That all of the sudden, starting at noon on January 20, all the problems that this country faces are about to get better. I hate to break it to you, people, but he's still human. Give it some time. And take some responsibility for yourself. I think President Obama himself gets it, it's just everyone else that's a little off. Oh, and the Civil War? Yeah, that was over in 1865. Not 2 days ago.

Confused?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting rather bored with this whole election business. We tune into the debates only to hear our esteemed presidential candidates haggling over whose contributors and supporters are more vile - racist, terrorist, and the like. If you're lucky enough to live in Virginia or another closely-contested state, your cable t.v. is inundated with political trash-talking (thank goodness for DVR!). And the best thing about it all is that you can go weeks without hearing actual policy proposals. Who needs real meat when you've got all the glorious fluff like Joe the Plumber and the cost of Sarah Palin's wardrobe?

On the plus side, it's much easier to hide my choice for president from my students if I don't even know who I prefer. I don't hate either candidate, which is a massive improvement from 2oo4, but I'm also not head-over-heels in love with either of them. In my search for easy to digest party platforms for my kids to read, I came across this lovely little gem:

"Government Spending

Democrats

Democrats make no excuses about massive government spending. For the government to provide a happy, healthy, shameless, and even exciting society, for everyone, regardless of their personal means, requires a massive amount of cash from the citizens as well as all you can borrow. Further, to make sure that no citizen gets into trouble and is in bed each night at a reasonable hour, a huge government staff is a necessity. This, in turn, requires every dime the public can spare and just a bit more.

Republicans

Republicans, in their hearts, and especially at campaign time, really would like to cut back on government spending -- especially such luxuries as the social, environmental, and health programs. But there are necessities that it would be irresponsible to avoid. Such things as National Defense, which requires a military budget far greater than any we have had in any major war, can no more be cut back than you can cut back on helping the folks back home that need a superhighway to the new park out in the country. These are essential expenditures unlike the "feel good" stuff of the Democrats. When Iraq threatens our shores by such hostile actions as flying one of their planes over the southern half of their country, we better be ready for action. "

-Leon Felkins
American Politics Journal
http://www.americanpolitics.com/030499dictionary.html

Read more: How to Tell a Democrat From a Republican (Really, do it, it's great.)


Hopefully sometime in the next 12 days I can sort through all the policies/drama and actually figure out who I want to vote for.