Posted on 12/30/2006 2:14:10 PM PST by Howlin
The President's plane is arriving at Andrews Air Force Base at this moment.
so do I....Jim Angle said he saw people lining up earlier.
Here is the schedule from the Joint Forces Headquarters:
http://presidentfordfuneral.com/
A friend of mine was in DC yesterday .. she mentioned there were a lot of people in town ... she also mentioned they (military & police) were practicing the funeral route .. big time security going on too
Thanks, Lib.
It looks really dark there already.
BTTT
He was an honorable and a decent man. May he RIP.
Lord keep you President Ford.
What a contrast between the quiet, dignified, Christian ceremony to honor a former President of the Greatest Nation on the Earth, and the horrible spectacle surrounding the death of the Middle Eastern tyrant.
"I had to switch to CNN"
Yet the commentators at CNN can't help themselves from taking jabs at Rumsfeld and Chenney.
And my cable company took FNC out of its lineup so I don't have an alternative.
Except for the internet and Free Republic, of course.
Thank you for your service, President Ford.
and he is only the 11th to lie in state in the rotunda? seems low number-wise, but I guess some lay elsewhere.
Funeral plans for President Ford.
All times are local:
Saturday, Dec. 30 -- Palm Desert, Calif., to Washington, D.C.
9:45 a.m. Departure ceremony from St. Margaret's.
10:15 a.m. The remains will depart Palm Springs Regional Airport and be flown to Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
5:20 p.m. Ford's body arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, traveling to the U.S. Capitol. The motorcade will travel through Alexandria, Va., in remembrance of Ford's long residence in that city as a congressman and as vice president. The motorcade also will pause at the World War II Memorial.
6:20 p.m. The casket will be carried up the east steps of the Capitol to the door of the House of Representatives.
6:30 p.m. The casket will be received with ceremony at the east steps to the U.S. House of Representatives. The casket will proceed up the steps in honor of Ford's 24 years as a House member. Ford's remains will be met by a group of his former House colleagues. The casket will lie in repose at the open House doors. The casket will then be carried through Statuary Hall to the Rotunda for the Lying in State portion of the state funeral.
After the arrival ceremony, the Rotunda will open to the public until midnight. The public waiting area will be at the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds, across from the U.S. Botanic Garden.
Sunday, Dec. 31, and Monday, Jan. 1 -- Washington, D.C.
Ford's body continues in state. Rotunda open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
23 posted on 12/30/2006 11:59:34 AM EST by lunarbicep
I am sure you agree with me that this is much more honorable. :-)
Ford is only the 11th president to lie in the Rotundra.
for those wishing to visit the Capitol,, some info from the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. (ccool title!)
---
AOC Prepares Capitol for Ford Lying in State
http://www.aoc.gov/projects/ford_lie_state_prep.cfm
The Office of the Architect of the Capitol, under the direction of Alan M. Hantman, FAIA, is preparing the U.S. Capitol Building and grounds and coordinating efforts with congressional leadership for the events surrounding the lying in state for President Gerald R. Ford.
The U.S. Capitol building will be closed to all public and staff-led tours from noon on Thursday, December 28, 2006, through Tuesday, January 2, 2007, and will reopen for tours on January 3.
The following is information on the hours the Capitol will be open for the lying in state ceremonies for President Ford, a list of items that can not be brought into the Capitol, and details about street closures over the weekend.
The viewing in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda will be open to the public from 8 p.m. until midnight on Saturday, December 30, 2006, and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 31 and Monday, January 1, 2007.
The public may line up at any time. The designated waiting area will be at 3rd and Maryland Avenue, S.W., for all visitors, including those with special needs. Anyone wishing to attend the services should be prepared to deal with forecasted weather conditions.
The use of public transportation is strongly recommended to minimize the congestion of traffic around the Capitol. Public parking is not available on Capitol Grounds. The closest metro stops are Capitol South, Federal Center, S.W., and Union Station.
The United States Capitol Police urges everyone to bring as few items as possible in order to expedite security screening.
Prohibited items include
Any bag larger than 14" x 13" x 4"
Any audio and/or video recording devices
Guns, knives, stun guns, ammunition, razors, box cutters, or other weapons
Mace, pepper spray, or any aerosol sprays
Cans and bottles
Food or beverages
In order to be respectful while viewing our former President, protocol requires that cell phones and pagers must be turned off while in the Capitol. There will be no photography or electronic recording while in the Rotunda.
There will be street closures around the Capitol. On Friday, December 29, Maryland Avenue, S.W. between First Street and Third Street, S.W., and First Street between Independence Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, S.W. will be closed from 7 a.m. through the conclusion of events on Capitol Grounds.
Beginning December 30, Constitution Ave. and Independence Avenue on Capitol Grounds will be closed from 5 p.m. through the conclusion of events on Capitol Grounds. There may be additional street closures around the Capitol as it becomes necessary; other law enforcement agencies will close streets outside of Capitol Grounds at various times. For routine business, alternate access points for the House and Senate Office Buildings on Capitol Grounds will be available.
For additional recorded information, you may call the U.S. Capitol Visitor Information Line at (202) 225-6827.
The catafalque, a simple bier of rough pine boards and covered with black cloth, is being/has been prepared and moved to the Rotunda to support the casket while the former president’s body lies in state in the Capitol.
The catafalque was hastily constructed in 1865 to support the casket of Abraham Lincoln. The catafalque has been used for all those who have lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda since that time. No law, written rule, or regulation specifies who may lie in state; use of the Rotunda is controlled by concurrent action of the House and Senate. Any person who has rendered distinguished service to the nation may lie in state if the family so wishes and Congress approves. In the case of unknown soldiers, the president or the appropriate branch of the armed forces initiates the action. A list of those who have lain in state or in honor in the Capitol Rotunda is available.
Oh, I hadn't thought of that.
I was there for Reagan's funeral.
Looking at the darkness, I cannot help but think of the night they brought JFK back.
Thanks, Howlin! I'm a little weepy.
Thanks to all who are giving updates. My DirectTV has been acting screwy all day.
It's mournfully quiet, isn't it?
Ssshhh! You are showing your age! ;o)
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