Posted on 01/23/2005 2:43:27 PM PST by BillF
Bump.
Great report.
Good Stuff ~ Bookmarked!
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Wish I could have been there bump!
Summary from CSPAN store:This compilation video contains full C-SPAN coverage of the major official events of the Presidential Inauguration 2005. Included is the musical prelude, official arrivals on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, the swearing-in ceremonies, the inaugural address, the Congressional luncheon with remarks by President Bush and Congressional leaders at the U.S. Capitol, review of the military honor guard, the inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, and inaugural ball highlights. The videos are available in DVD or VHS format. All ceremonies are as aired on C-SPAN. 29.95 + shipping, etc. Here.
My wife and I decided that the crowd was too large to get through the checkpoint (it was around 1:30 or so) so we headed up North 7th to E street, where we came across a couple of dozen police donning their riot gear. It was at that point that we decided to head back to our hotel.
Ol' Sox... darn, you were down there this weekend and we didn't get a chance to meet you? Hopefully another time.
Excellent report in post 56 - you've provided some great details. To me, the crowd looked like a MIX of "anarchists", Bush-haters, anti-war activists, general unwashed, etc. Some *looked* somewhat dangerous, some like they had just jumped on the bandwagon, a FEW actually looked like "normal people", all looked vacant and clueless.
My husband (FReeper "zelig") thinks we were at that same checkpoint at around 1pm. Sounds like we just missed all of the 'action'. My husband was so intent on finding a Metro station once we made the decision to head back to the hotel, that I didn't notice as many details of the crowd as you did. I was racing to keep up with him - didn't want to get separated.
Unfortunately, many (most?) FReepers are too conservative (referring to tactics, not ideology)to demonstrate.
I hear ya... it's too true. If only we lived closer to DC... *sigh*
I know - we didn't get much of an opportunity to "mix" at the ball. We had a Marine Colonel and Army Lt. Colonel and their wives at our dinner table and enjoyed excellent conversation with them. Both were stationed with the Joint Chiefs, and the LtC (a Bronze Star recipient)was an apt historian, and regaled us with tales of the rise and fall of the Muslim Caliphates over the past thousand years. After that we danced (with three kids, we rarely get the opportunity!). Maybe we'll see you next time!
I know you're not afraid, Little Bill! :-)
We weren't afraid of them either. We unfortunately mingled with the leftists (not by choice!) a good part of the day on Thursday. There were several sign-carrying leftists on our Metro train also - from as far away as the Vienna, VA station.
We gave up trying to join the FReepers (and gave up trying to get into the swearing-in ceremony earlier) because we never would have made it through the huge "blocks" of protestors clogging up the works AND the normal folks ahead of us at the security checkpoints in time for the Inaugural and parade. It would've taken several hours. As it got to be early afternoon, we realized we needed to get back to our hotel (far from DC) and get ready for the Ball, which was our main reason for being in DC. The trains were running extra-slow that day, at least the Orange line we were on was - according to some DC-area natives we met on the trains. We stayed far from DC only because we found a hotel where we could use Holiday Inn points, so our stay was free.
We plan to be at CPAC... hope to see you there!
Fascinating!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the great first hand account.
bmwcyle and I were at the pub at 9th and F, two blocks north and two blocks west of the security gate when the anarchists went by.
Wasn't the security checkpoint at South 7th as you've identified the segments? South D is not one of the segments that you identified, but maybe I'm missing something.
At any rate, your account confirms my belief that the long line of police cars and motorcycles, passing by my location shortly after the anarchists, but going a different way, went to head off the anarchists at the 7th and D location.
Were the anarchists throwing the broken PVC and snowballs mainly at the regular (i.e., non-leftists) people waiting at the gate or at the police?
Did the PVC hit anyone and injure them, as far as you could tell?
The Cavalry arrives:
http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs13&d=05041&f=inauguration036.jpg
Suiting up:
http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs13&d=05041&f=inauguration042.jpg
Yes, sorry. South 7th is where the security checkpoint was. (I should always have coffee before posting!)
THANK YOU for that link for the C-SPAN Inauguration 2005 DVD/VHS in #70. I've been looking for that... just bought the DVD.
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