Inauguration day
Ladies and gentleman:
Yesterday I attended the 55th Inauguration Ceremony. It was a very exciting experience, and also a very cold one.
We arrived at 6 pm on Wednesday after a painfully long drive from NY to DC, (which I vow here that I will never take again) we arrived at the hotel, where there was luckily parking in the back. After lugging luggage up to the room, we rushed as fast as possible over to the Party at the Capitol Club. Unfortunately, due to slow trains, and a long walk, we didnt make it there until the very end. We got there very cold, and only stayed 20 minutes, as we missed the presentation. So, While I was upset at that, it was definitely a very cool place to see, as the Capitol Club is THE hang out spot for all Republicans on capitol hill. Its the so called GOP hangout. So, we got to see a significant spot, albeit for 20 minutes.
We then went to sleep at a very stuffy hotel. The heat was too high, and the AC didnt work. So, we had to settle for dead air, and that kept me up awhile, but it didnt matter that much in the end.
On inauguration day we arose at 7:15 to get there by 9:15. We were lucky to just miss the huge line that prevented people from getting in. We mananged to get to the front of the viewing spot, right behind the pond, and had a very good view of the Capitol proceedings. Except for the tree that blocked some. While the waiting for 2 hours made my feet freezing, we managed to see most of the top brass people come out on the stage. My friend sean got pictures. My digital camera is a piece of crap, and is so slow that I couldnt get a picture when I wanted to.
The swearing in and speech were fantastic. Not only was there not a single hitch, but the Speech was... epic. It was a superbly written and delivered one, and spoke to the remarkable power of personal freedom. Memorable lines were many, but perhaps this line was my most provocative:
"In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self."
That is a line, that says so very much about why this country is great, and it is probably one of the lines that outraged the Left the most. They arent especially interested in self government, for, if they were interested in it, there would be very little reason for them to exist. Their power derives from the dependence of the public on a government.
Following the speech, we headed out and back to the hotel, and then home. We didnt view the parade, because I did not want to be stuck in traffic, and home late at night. The trip back seemed a little shorter, but driving on the NJ Turnpike at night is a boring and depressing experience. never do it.
Next time there is an inauguration I want to go to, Id better have the red tickets instead of the Gold ones...