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Mr. Song Millinery on Woodward Avenue in Detroit has struck a sour note with Aretha Franklin. It was her inaugural hat that caused a flood of orders from around the world. And now, the Queen of Soul wants royal treatment from store owner Luke Song for wearing it. "I think that I should be getting big time royalties from him. That's what I think," said Franklin in an interview with WWJ's Vickie Thomas at Sunday's NAACP Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner.

(Obama Inauguration Lincoln Memorial Event)I grew up in a military family -- and my role models in life were my Mom and Dad, Lt. Col. Earl Woods. My dad was a Special Forces operator and many nights friends would visit our home. They represented every branch of service, and every rank. In my Dad, and in those guests, I saw firsthand the dedication and commitment of those who serve. They come from every walk of life. From every part of our country. Time and again, across generations, they have defeneded our safety in the dark of night and far from...

(CNN) -- An Ohio man who was suspended as the drum major of a band for giving President Obama a nod during last week's inaugural parade is calling it quits. John Coleman resigned from the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums a week after the parade in Washington. Publicity about his suspension had gotten to be too much, he told CNN affiliate WEWS. "It's come to a point where I don't want embarrassment anymore between the pipe band and myself," Coleman, who is a firefighter, told WEWS on Tuesday. Coleman was seen during the nationally televised January 20 parade nodding...

Pre-inaugural chatter speculated what each of the ministers would say. Would the Rev. Rick Warren use the opportunity to pray against the maladies of abortion or homosexuality? Would he end his prayer in the nonpolitically correct and exclusive "in Jesus' name"? Would the Rev. Joseph Lowery resurrect a civil right spirit in his ecumenical prayer? Would he slide in a pro-gay comment within the final entreaty of the inauguration? (SNIP) ... just when you think the "amen" is imminent, Warren gives a coup de grace to any political or earthly power – a possible subversive chess move to subtly call...

by Edward Hudgins January 23, 2009 - Presidential inauguration addresses are usually forgotten since it’s what the chief executive does after he’s sworn in that is of most importance to citizens. But inaugural addresses can tell us something about what is to come in a president’s administration. That is why Barack Obama’s deserves some attention. The most famous inaugural words in American history are literally chiseled in stone on the wall of the memorial to Obama’s favorite president. There you can read the eloquent words of Abraham Lincoln from his second inaugural address, where he declared the need “to bind...

The First Lady has excited the fashion world, but like Diana she would rather champion the less fortunate than be a mere clotheshorse. Michelle Obama’s flair for fashion has captivated Washington and set the hearts of glossy magazine editors aflutter. She has already eclipsed Carla Bruni, the super-model chanteuse and wife of Nicolas Sarkozy, the hyperactive French president. Not since Diana, Princess of Wales, has there been such a glamorous role model at the apex of society. In her white, one-shouldered chiffon gown, she boogied to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours and slow-danced with her husband at a...

The political postscript to all the hugs, kisses, personal Oval Office desk drawer notes and backslaps between POTUS 43 and POTUS 44 isn't exactly a warm, Pete Seeger, sing-along scene. I went to high school with Pete's Daughter, Mika; he was a great icon and true believer in harmony back then and still is, at a spry 90, leading a million-plus citizens in song last Sunday in DC. But partisans from former and current administrations are striking a very different tone. The smell of fresh upholstery hasn't even worn off the new, improved White House website yet and already there's...

It was not precisely lip-synching, but pretty close. The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the musicians playing along. The players and the inauguration organizing committee said the arrangement was necessary because of the extreme cold and wind during Tuesday’s ceremony. The conditions raised the possibility of broken piano strings,...

On December 5, 2008, we said: "Questions have been raised as to whether Chief Justice John Roberts could administer the oath of office to a man who he believes may not be entitled. Chief Justice John G. Roberts will have to KNOW that Barack Hussein Obama II is eligible to 'enter on the execution of his office,' before he administers the Inaugural Oath of Office.'" The Chief Justice of the United States did not make a mistake when he flubbed the oath of office. He did not want to issue the oath to Obama because of his doubts. By failing...

“Forty four Americans have now taken the Presidential oath.” Is it too early for me to nominate this to be the phrase that gets "chiseled into marble"? Obama’s first words to us as President of the United States he has already bungled it. Actually, forty three Americans have been sworn in as President. Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms and was, therefore, the 22nd and 24th President. Not a big deal right? Splitting hairs you say? Well, since these jokers have pounced on every grammatical error of our former President for the past eight years, I intend to return the favor....

The presidential oath of office should be re-administered to Barack Obama because of his flub during Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, legal experts say. Because of a mistake by Chief Justice John Roberts, Obama transposed one of the words in the oath. He should have said he will “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States,” but instead repeated Roberts’ cue and said he will “execute the Office of President of the United States faithfully.” Josh White of the Washington Post noted: “The presidential oath of office is required of a new president before he can execute his power, and...

What they did on Inauguration day is what we can expect for the next 4 years.

President Obama's Inaugural Address? Clichéd, surprisingly dull, naive, and memorable only insofar as it was forgettable. Mr. Obama's oration wasn't even...

Obama's Disappointing Speech Posted at: 2009-01-20 14:57:00.0 Author: Michael Sean Winters President Barack Obama’s inaugural address was surprisingly leaden. It did not soar like his "Yes, We Can" speech after losing the New Hampshire primary, nor did it chart his plans for governance as did his convention speech in Denver. Most strangely, it did not seem to capture the history of the moment the way his election night speech did. Part of the problem is with the nature of such an address. This was the speech of a head of state, not a head of government, even though the President...

Are We Having A Ball Yet?: The Inaugural Party Bubble Bursts Don't you hate it when you pop a bottle of champagne and it's flat? So, too, with some of these inaugural balls. If you nabbed a ticket to one of the official balls sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee tonight, you're fine. But some of the other high-profile parties have been canceled or are still scrambling to cut costs and sell last-minute tickets, leaving ballgoers disappointed or out in the cold. The People's Ball at the Grand Hyatt announced a blue-light special yesterday: Tickets slashed $100 -- to $250!...

The Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery gave the benediction at today's inauguration of Barack Obama. It could more accurately be called a political ramble. It was, in no uncertain terms, an embarrassment. And as loathe as I am to have to use a word that has long been at the heart and soul of liberal thought, I will break out my liberal/english dictionary and say it ... It was offensive. Said Mr. Lowery: "We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back ... when brown can stick around ... when...

The President in his Inaugural Address: For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity...

“And when a member of the MSM pleasantly surprises us, we’ll make a point of handing out the kudos.”– FinkelBlog launch announcement, 1-19-09 Sooner than we expected, we’re going to begin delivering on our promise to note those too-rare occasions when the MSM does some surprisingly solid reporting. On a day when most of the MSM is in paroxysms of sycophantic joy, ABC’s Ross was willing to play something of the skunk at the inaugural party. At the end of Good Morning America’s first half-hour, ABC’s chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross presented his report on the 216 high-rolling donors who...

While the nation's capitol buzzes with inaugural fever, party crasher Nancy Pelosi has used the air waves to demand prosecuting the outgoing president. She's at odds with her party's leader and the President-elect, again. "I don't believe that anybody is above the law," Obama said in a recent television interview. "On the other hand, I also have a belief that we need to look forward, as opposed to looking backwards." But there was Pelosi, on the eve of the Inaugural, harping over an investigation she wants started into whether the Bush administration broke the law when it fired a group...

“If you're wondering what Congress is going to dish up for taxpayers as "stimulus", there has been a bill since Thursday - 258 pages of fun reading, in case you're skipping the inaugural festivities and are looking for something to do.”

Have you remembered to pay heed to Barack Obama worship services at his inauguration this Tuesday? If you are a Verizon customer you just might be getting an urgent reminder of this sacred duty in the form of a robocall as related by Brian Maloney of the Radio Equalizer: Yesterday, I was all set to write a smug, self-congratulatory post regarding my tremendous wisdom in finally dumping Comcast a few weeks ago for the complete Verizon Fios package, including cable. With Comcrap now establishing an all-Obama channel, isn’t it finally time to make the switch? Sadly, however, Verizon did something...

Here is video of President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivering his second inaugural address on Monday, January 21, 1957. You can see Eisenhower's first inaugural address here. January 20 occurred on a Sunday, so the President took the oath in the East Room at the White House that morning. The next day he repeated the oath of office on the East Portico of the Capitol. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath of office on the President's personal Bible from West Point. Marian Anderson sang at the ceremony at the Capitol. A large parade and four inaugural balls followed the ceremony.That's...

Oscar-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. will be in Boston tomorrow to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the Boston Children’s Chorus at the nationally televised “Raising The Roof” concert. But don’t expect to see the “An Officer and a Gentleman” star at the Inaugural Purple Ball in D.C. this week, because Lou and the organizers have parted ways - and not on the best of terms!

At least one segment of the economy is booming: the market in Obama kitsch. The dedicated supporter of the incoming President need not content himself with a T shirt or bumper sticker. Also available are Obama coasters, lava lamps, jigsaw puzzles, mugs, skateboards, toy trains, CDs, DVDs and, of course, commemorative dinner plates. Ben & Jerry's is introducing a Yes Pecan flavor in honor of Obama's campaign slogan, and Marvel Comics is running a special Inaugural issue of Spider-Man. Pepsi has created the Pepsi Optimism Project with a red, white and blue logo almost identical to Obama's sunrise button. And...

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, worried he would be a "distraction" given the impeachment and criminal charges against him, won't be going to Washington for President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural festivities, a spokesman said today. The governor was invited to several inaugural events, but won't make the trip, Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said. "He doesn't want to be a distraction from Obama, and unfortunately he thinks (his presence) would be," he said. One invitation came from the Democratic Governor's Association before Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest, Guerrero said. As far as the governor's office knows, the offer hasn't been rescinded.

Federal prosecutors last summer rejected claims that ISNA was unfairly named an unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas terror funding case. ISNA has admitted ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood is waging, in its own words, "a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” And the head of ISNA is going to offer a

At past inaugurations, ceremonial prayers uttered on behalf of the incoming president drew about as much attention as the flags on the podium. Not this year. Barack Obama's choice of clergy is under scrutiny like no other president-elect before him, alternately outraging Americans on the left and the right as he navigates the minefield of U.S. religion. "I can't recall any prayers drawing so much attention," said Charles Haynes, senior scholar at the First Amendment Center who specializes in religion in public life. Gay advocates assailed Obama, while many conservative Christians were heartened, when he invited the Rev. Rick Warren,...

Jeffrey Imm writes in with an AP report about the January 21 Inaugural prayer service to take place at the National Cathedral in Washington. Among those officiating will be Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). This is an outrage and should be stopped. What's ISNA? As I have written (here, for instance), the US government has identified ISNA as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization. Actually, the Muslim Brotherhood itself has identified ISNA as a Muslim Brotherhood front organization. And the Muslim Brotherhood is all about extending Islamic law globally--even in America. According to its 1991...

We continue a look at some of the previous Presidential Inaugural Addresses as we move toward Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. Here is complete video of President Ronald Reagan's first Inaugural Address. What a powerful speech. In one speech, Ronald Reagan set forth the guiding principles that made America great, and the principles that should be the bedrock beliefs of conservatives and the Republican Party today. These principles are the path back to power for the GOP. . . . (watch video)

Designer Judd Will Be Showing Off a Coat of Many Colorful Obama Posters SANTA FE, N.M. -- In the world of trashy fashion, designer Nancy Judd has hit the big time. Nancy Judd Ms. Judd spends her days in a studio here crafting clothing from castoff plastic bags, electrical wire and old cassette tapes. Now, her Dumpster couture has caught the eye of environmental activists, who plan to showcase her work in Washington at Saturday's Green Inaugural Ball honoring President-elect Barack Obama. The star piece: A man's coat made from Mr. Obama's campaign fliers. She says it took her 200...

I'm looking for articles/resources/links that would show the left criticizing the money spent for George W. Bush's first inauguration. They're out there. They're probably here. But I can't find 'em. Thanks.

At the core of the evil of slavery is an evil idea - that any human person can ever be treated as property to be used and disposed of rather than as a gift to be received, protected and respected. There are some “choices” which should never be allowed in a just society. The exercise of true freedom must be directed toward the true and the good or it becomes "anarchic" and "counterfeit". As we now look at the slavery of our past it is clear, the idea that an entire class of persons could be used and abused by...

Advice for those going to the inauguralBy Bartholomew Sullivan, Memphis Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 11, 2009 WASHINGTON -- Think of it as an opportunity to stand still for up to six hours in the freezing cold, shoulder-to-shoulder and front-to-back with hundreds of thousands of complete strangers. Do you really want to go to the inauguration of Barack Obama as the country's 44th president? If you do, be forewarned. Here's a compendium of practical advice gleaned from Secret Service, inaugural committee and other briefings in recent weeks: Plan on it being very cold, and probably wet. You can't bring an umbrella,...

Most friends and associates of Barack Obama already have all but lost access to their pal and neighbor from the South Side. Now, their dreams of attending glamorous balls and dancing with the president and first lady will run up against the reality of inaugural festivities, which for perks and ease of access rank with a cold, crowded Times Square on New Year's Eve. As many as 4 million people will converge on the nation's capital for the president-elect's historic swearing-in on Jan. 20 and the hundreds of balls and parties beginning Saturday. But call the inaugural the great humbler...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: Tom Hoefling Chairman, America’s Independent Party tomhoefling@gmail.com America’s Prayer Network calls for two weeks of prayer, fasting and repentance America’s Independent Party Chairman Tom Hoefling, in conjunction with America’s Prayer Network, called today for two weeks of prayer, fasting and repentance to begin on Tuesday, January 6th, culminating in a national day of prayer and repentance on January 20th. Citizens in every city and town in the United States are being asked to gather in homes, churches, businesses, and public places to humbly seek God’s mercy as our nation enters a new and dangerous era....

Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever Masonic Inaugural Ball held in Washington, D.C. William R. Singleton Hope Lebanon Lodge #7 is hosting the first-ever Masonic Inaugural Ball in honor of President-elect, Barack Obama and Vice-President Elect Joseph Biden. Tickets are limited, so you are encouraged to purchase yours quickly. This first-ever event will be held at 8:00 p.m.: Stars Bistro 2120 P Street, NW Washington, DC While other inauguration balls are costing $125-$500 or more per ticket, we’ve arranged for an evening with some amazing food, a great DJ, and brotherhood, all for $65 per ticket, we’ve also...

A group advocating separation of church and state is suing to keep prayer out of the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration. The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation and several of its members are among the 29 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed Monday in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit seeks to block the Presidential Inaugural Committee from including prayers in the official inauguration. It says clergy have not led prayers at inaugurations for most of the nation's history.

It will be up to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team whether Pastor Rick Warren’s prayer at the inauguration is vetted in advance, a spokeswoman for Warren’s Saddleback Church tells CNSNews.com. The spokeswoman would not say whether Warren would object to having his prayer reviewed or edited in advance by Obama.

(CNN) -- Prominent liberal groups and gay rights proponents criticized President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday for choosing evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the presidential inauguration next month. Warren, one of the most influential religious leaders in the nation, has championed issues such as a reduction of global poverty, human rights abuses and the AIDS epidemic. But the founder of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, has also adhered to socially conservative stances -- including his opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights that puts him at odds with many in the Democratic Party, especially the party's...

WASHINGTON – The US military plans to mobilize thousands of troops to protect Washington against potential terrorist attack during the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama, a senior US military commander said Wednesday. They will fly combat air patrols and man air defenses, organize large scale medical support, and help local law enforcement provide security in the capital, said General Gene Renuart, head of the US Northern Command. "(It's) not because we see a specific threat, but because for an event this visible, this important and this historic, we ought to be prepared to respond if something does happen," he told...

The American Catholic News Agency (CNA) has linked a gay band scheduled to march in Barack Obama’s inauguration parade to a festival “infamous for its public lewd acts”. CNA says the Lesbian and Gay Band Association’s website also lists them as appearing at the Southern Decadence festival. The Lesbian and Gay Band Association is a network of lesbian and gay bands comprised of concert and marching bands from various American cities. CNA reports that a press release from the Presidential Inaugural Committee states that the group’s appearance in the Inaugural Parade on January 20 will mark the first time an...

If you had to guess who would be courageous enough, brave enough, creative enough, caring enough to host an Inaugural Ball that was environmentally friendly, what name would pop into your head?Yep.Him.From the Washington Times: Former Vice President Al Gore will host a "green" inaugural ball the night before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office."The Green Ball: Inauguration of a New Green Economy" will be held Jan. 19 at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington. I swear, I could read these things for hours. A draft version of the invitation, obtained by The Washington Times, urges people...

President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden have officially invited the Lesbian and Gay Band Association to march in the Inaugural Parade. One of the association’s web sites reports that the group will also march in September as part of the homosexual “Southern Decadence” festival infamous for its public lewd acts. The Lesbian and Gay Band Association (LGBA) is a network of lesbian and gay bands comprised of concert and marching bands from various American cities. According to a December 10 press release from the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the group’s appearance in the Inaugural Parade on January 20 will...

President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration will be a four-day affair, replete with the traditional balls but also featuring service projects to honor Martin Luther King's holiday, aides said Wednesday. The events are expected to draw millions of visitors to Washington to witness the swearing-in of the country's first black president. The preliminary schedule also includes a national prayer service the day after Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden take office on Jan. 20. "At this moment of great challenge and great change, renewing the promise of America begins with renewing the idea that in America, we rise or fall as one...

MESILLA, NM — John McCain’s message to his Democratic rival: Whoa there! Speaking to supporters in southwestern New Mexico, McCain used today’s New York Times report that aides to Barack Obama are already drafting his inaugural address to accuse the Democrat of “taking the victory lap” ten days too early. “An awful lot of voters are still undecided but he has decided for them that well, ‘why wait?’ It’s time to move forward with his first inaugural address,” McCain told an enthusiastic crowd in Mesilla’s main plaza. “When I pull this thing off I have a request for my opponent....

Willie Brown correctly predicted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's landslide win to the chagrin of his own party, and now the Democratic icon will emcee the Republican governor's swearing-in ceremony in January. The governor's inaugural committee announced Tuesday that it had recruited Brown to serve as master of ceremonies during Schwarzenegger's Jan. 5 invitation-only ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. "I think that Mayor Brown's choice shows the governor's commitment to bipartisanship," said Reed Galen, executive director of the inaugural committee.

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President, First Lady and the dogs are spending the weekend at the White House, and had no public appearances scheduled. The new German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit with President Bush in Washington on Friday. She hopes to improve relations between the two countries strained by predecessor Gerhard Schroeder's opposition to the war in Iraq. If that is the case, however, she is off to a poor start by condemning the U.S. for our terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "An institution such as Guantanamo cannot and should not continue to exist like that...

What happened? Hello? Hello? Anybody home? "MESSAGE TO DISABLED FLORIDIANS" December 1998, Florida By Governor-elect Jeb Bush "Talking with a variety of Floridians with disabilities and their families has helped understand a lot more about the lives, challenges and dreams of those with disabilities. However, I know that my education continues with everyone new I meet. People with disabilities are no different than anyone else. They want to work, have families, and live independently. As Governor, I would work hard to create an environment that gives people with disabilities every opportunity to be independent and play an active role in...

This past inauguration day, the cold weather was the least of the problem. The bigger problem was the realization that America is slowly falling apart. The second inauguration attracted the worst undergrowth of American society, and they all descended on the nation's Capitol. God gave us the great gift of humanity. Why would some humans choose to devolve to the insect class? After eight hours of rubbing shoulders with the repugnant, foul protestors, I had to take two showers to purge myself of the contamination. It was like entering a well-used Port-a-Potty but never exiting. There was no fresh air...

DollyCali Inauguration 2005 Thoughts n PixWednesday PMWashington Plaza HotelFReeper Social Being late is not anyone’s favorite role. But we were late. Travel companion Vicki from Oklahoma & I (from Ohio) had driven in (thru sleet & snow In ohio & across the turnpike with much of same) to arrive in DC area to see the small fall had about paralyzed the city. I was pretty fatigued as I drove into the DC area after 10 hours of awful-weather driving. My travel pal slept the whole way as she had just driven 18 hours to get to our meeting place....