Feel free to leave commentary on this post to discuss the events of today. Happy Inauguration!
Related posts:
- Ways to Celebrate the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Charlottesville
- Ways to Celebrate the Inauguration in Charlottesville Request
- Watch the INAUGURATION live and for FREE at The Paramount Theater!
I will start. HIs limo is freaking badass.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/07/cadillac-one-details-on-president-elect-obamas-new-limo/
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/14/officially-official-cadillac-introduces-the-new-presidential-l/
The hulu is nice but it’s out of sync and takes awhile to load. Nice touch for those who aren’t watching in HD already.
Was it just me, or was that preacher just completely ridiculous? The way he said Sasha’s name seriously traumatized me.
biden just kissed a lot of dudes
oh man he forgot the words ! heh. can’t blame him though.
i am loving bush senior’s lid
Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and the nation’s first African-American president Tuesday. This is a transcript of his prepared speech.
Barack and Michelle Obama depart the Blair House before the inauguration Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
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 nonbelievers. 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 shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive… that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
It’s really odd to read the speech as he’s talking.
@7: TLDR
OBAMA IS A PILF!!!
The second preacher keeps making me think of the Princess Bride. At any moment he could bust out with, “mawwage…”
Here is to figuring it out on the kitchen table.
hard to believe neither POTUS nor Chief Justice could’ve taken a moment beforehand to memorize the damn Oath. impressive speech and well-delivered, but historically Biden has been the plagiarist not BHE. YoYoMa was awesome. St. Paul quote not well-chosen, and should have been KJV. overall, i’d give it an 8? shocked to have been in a room of about 60 people where only ten or so clapped.
“Second Course–A Brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck),
served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes…”
I loved the poem (Praise Song for the Day.) just not the delivery. A little halting, stilted. That said, I don’t think I could’ve said it any better, lol!
OD, Roberts screwed it up. At first, I totally thought Obama was nervous and messed up. But rewatching and reading around the ‘Net, it’s pretty clear Roberts didn’t say the correct oath – he used a few wrong words (“President to the United State”, instead of “President of the United States”) – and he switched around the word “faithfully” and actually said that sentence incorrectly. Find the video and watch it again. In that context, I now see that Obama was giving Roberts a chance to get it right and repeat it. Obama knew the oath and was taken aback when Roberts screwed it up. John Roberts had one thing to do today and he couldn’t get it right? Sheesh.
It’s already being called “OathGate”. LOL.
Which party or president appointed Roberts? Think he took graft to bungle it?
I noticed Biden hesitated a LONG time before accepting to …. do something or another.
Did Biden say “This is a Bible” or “Where’s the Bible? or something like that? Back-story?
roberts was a bush appointee (as in george w., not george h.w.)
George W. nominated him to replace Sandra Day O’Connor when she retired and then when Rehnquist died (during Roberts confirmation trials) he withdrew that nomination and replaced it with a nomination for him to replace Rehnquist as Chief Justice.
See. Bush screwed everything up.
the entropy in the system is constant. we have our first African-American President, but now have no woman on the supreme court? and the only irishman in the Senate is the red-nosed drunk who drowned that girl at Chappaquiddick?
Dow down more than 300 points on inauguration day. Change is here.
@20
um, ruth bader ginsburg is a woman.
@21: Down almost 3,000 since Jan 20, 2001. Just more of the same…
Oh gawd, I’m a liberal but reading some blogs and websites about this OathGate is fucking fantastically funny. Obama voted AGAINST Roberts’ appointment, so Roberts screwed up the oath on purpose! To make Obama look bad! It’s only a few libtards, but they are just ridiculous.
And Atreyu, it’s only Day .5 of Obama’s presidency, you should get your blood pressure checked now so you can get a scrip or something for the next 4 years.
And OD, that red-nosed drunk had a seizure (or something) at the luncheon and is in the hospital. Not excusing his past behavior with Chappafuckup, but, he’s on his way out for sure. He did good works, too bad he was such an asswipe when Kennedy’s thought they could get away with everything. But he’s Catholic, so I figure the big guy in the sky will say he atoned for his sins.
this is not an invitation to turn this site into a political debate.
My politics are better than yours.
@24 I’m sorry, do we know each other?
@24 in what universe is “Feel free to leave commentary on this post to discuss the events of today” not an invitation to turn this site into a political debate? The universe where the 55 million people who voted for McCain do not have the right to discuss something you asked them to discuss on your blog? Let the censorship begin, hooray!
we don’t censor anything, it just kills the party when people have polar views and won’t reconcile them. that happens most often in politics for some reason.
No offense, but your comment @25 was hypocritical given the post. Is this a liberal site where people who don’t share your exact politics are considered to be polarized party killers and will be chastised as such? If it is, just say the word, it’s totally cool, but I’m outta here.
@6 I too was pleased by the assortment of hats on display: Bush senior’s homage to furry, Cold War fashion; Aretha’s cloche with sparkly, ginormous bow;and of course, that dude with the bright red fedora who was getting all the handshakes (anyone know who that was?).
@22 ruth bader WHO? is she the guy with the moustache?
@24 OathGate is AWESOME.
Teddy Kennedy went down at lunch? Today? Making a scene, showboating to try to steal BHO’s moment of glory. Unconscionable and typical of Ted. It must have been the ‘brace of gamebirds’, choked on a pheasant-feather for his public and private sins. His grandfather (father?), the bootlegger who made all the kennedy money and taught Teddy his love of Chivas, was racist as hell–maybe the old guy is calling all kennedys home.
/is someone debating? that would be very unlike our regular commenters.
This site needs a little debating. It’s been boring as shit on here all month.
@29
i don’t think this is a deliberately liberal website—
kyle owns it, and he’s a multi-millionaire venture-capitalist/investment-banker/power-broker.
free minds and free markets and all that. it just suffers (if that’s the right word) from being in Charlottesville.
i’m not political, but i enjoy seeing you occasionally and humorously tangle about this stuff.
No fuck you cboob! I will eat your babies you commie!
@1, If you liked the limo, check out who’s riding shotgun. Where can I get me one of those?
@35 speaking of commies—
did anyone catch this in the speech: “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism…”? i was shocked to hear that when all through the election SUPPORTERS of BHO were telling me, much to my awed silence, that BHO is an avowed Marxist.
Roberts just rarely meets someone with higher academic credentials than his own. Obama messed up his game.
both of ‘em: Harvard Law Review, magna cum laude
@39:I’ll paint a picture of me eating your babies while I drink a nice Chianti, you little bitch!
How do conservatives always become victims? They’re like prancing showboat queens, I tell you. Anyway, this site has plenty of repubs, or did back when it was about booze & music.
Repubs like photogs… are whiny bitches.
Oh, look at the time, gotta run!
@38
all communists are marxists but not all marxists are communists.
and ruth bade ginsburg doesn’t have a mustache, she has a beard.
Sorry for the politics Thor, I thought I was being sufficiently sarcastic-y to both sides. I feel spanked. But in a good way.
How’s this: Michelle Obama was sparkly today. Jill Biden (at 57!!!) is a MILF (even though I’m a heterosexual woman). And Aretha Franklin looked like a present under the Christmas tree. Seriously, what was with that BOW on top of her head?
And Obama’s speech was no “ask not…..” or “the only thing we have to fear….” but he done good, generally. Besides the wingnut Chief Justice screwing it up for him, obvs. And another emoticon to insure the levity with which that statement is intended:
A man should have the personality of Dick Cheney and the giddy politics of someone who can’t sleep the night before inauguration, like it’s Christmas Eve!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/20/justice-roberts-flubs-oba_n_159429.html
Just so you know, there will be a villain at an official inaugural ball tonight. I’ll drink two, then three, then pat BHO on the back for y’all… especially you ethan! Full report tomorrow. Booya!
/damn, tuxes are uncomfortable.
@46:
with regards to Ms. Franklin: someone put together
this and i was thinking something like this a little later would be fun.
@49: I would have to agree with Donk on this one. Tuxes are awesome.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/121228
Floozy– as a native Belgian and new American citizen,
what was YOUR impression of the canonization of this pietistic coxcomb?
poor guy–anyone see his first dance? anyone else on the planet dance that poorly?
/it’s a BOX-STEP. one-and-two-and….
Ceremonies were good.
Speech was decent (not a lot we haven’t heard before, from Obama OR Bush though).
Crowd was big and cold.
I guess it’s good for the country to have the left back in support of our leaders. Here hoping Obama can pull it off and wishing him all the best.
U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
In Rush Limbaugh’s coverage of the inauguration, he beeped out the name “Hussein”.
@56
hilarious!
the other networks seemed mostly to enjoy interviewing people saying:
“For the first time in my life I am proud to be an American.”
Roberts: I, Barack Hussein Obama
Obama: I, Bara… *
Roberts: do solemnly swear**
Obama: I, Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear
Roberts: that I will execute the office of President to the United States, faithfully***
Obama: that I will execute … (pauses) ****
Roberts: The off. Faithfully. The pres. The office of president of the United States. *****
Obama: The office of President of the United States faithfully. ******
Footnotes:
*Okay, Barack jumped the gun.
**Roberts had a decision to make. He made the wrong one. He should have LET Barack jump the gun, and no one would have been wiser, but no, he interrupted, bulling on in the cadence and phrasing he had prepared…
***Note that in addition to misplacing the word “faithfully,” Roberts also uses the wrong preposition.
****Instead of just saying the words correctly (he obviously knows them) Obama charitably but unwisely allows Roberts to try to correct himself.
*****With stunning incapacity, Roberts fails self-correction, though does, finally, get “faithfully” in the right syntactic position.
******Understandably, Obama misses the cue in all the stammering, effectively throws up his hands and declares “whatever,” saying the oath wrong.
@ 58 And of course Fox news is using this to question “whether or not Barack Obama in fact is the president of the United States”…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/fox-news-chris.html
The butthurt over this at free republic is even better.
/god bless their pointed little heads
1. It’s not the first time the oath has been screwed up.
2. They probably fixed it backstage by having him do it again somewhere in the Capitol, this time with the correct words in the correct order.
3. Roberts apologized. He’ll likely have many, many more opportunities to get it right, swearing in presidents into the 30’s (his 70s).
4. “Swearing in” is optional. One can “affirm” an oath if one so desires.
(some religin believe “swearing to god” goes against biblical teaching – i.e. quakers)
The oath is purely ceremonial. He was President at noon, bitches.
Obama retakes oath of office, blundered first time, at White House. Seems like he would rather be safe than take Shannon’s legal advice.
WHOA. anyone like action figures from Japan?
http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgamu-toys.info%2Fsonota%2Fsw%2Fobama%2Fobama.html&sl=ja&tl=en&history_state0=
All I can say is, despite being one of thousands of ticket-holders who didn’t get in, it was a totally awesome experience. But hey, at least I got to see and hear The Dead up close that night…
/apparently so awesome, it can only be expressed in a valley-ish sociolect.
@64
“all clothing is removable” ‘nanigans’ll like that part [@9]
and dieter, we need to teach you a little html so you can do linkypoos
@ 65 You got into the mid-atlantic? Nice.
“Obama Becomes First President To Skip the “Salute To Heroes” Ball
No time for Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients or paralyzed vets? Yeah, honeymoon…over. According to TSO who was at the “Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball”, this newly sworn-in President for the first time in 56 years blew off the ball (that’s 14 Inaugurations). The American Legion sponsors the ball, which recognizes recipients of Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. It started in 1953 for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first inauguration. Event co-sponsors include 13 other veterans service organizations, among them the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.”
@ 68 He’s got more important things to do for veterans than go to a stupid ball. Besides, he kind of had a big day coming up with things like shutting down Gitmo, closing “black sites”, and preparing to draw down troops in Iraq. You know: restoring integrity to American foreign policy. Think of it in terms of brush clearing. There’s a lot of Bush brush out there.
Also, there’s a thousand balls these days. Why are Americans so damn hung up on ceremony?
oh, that. no offense, Shen—really—but showing honor and respect to veterans, ceremonially in one of his primary roles as Commander-In-Chief, would be a good start. He was scheduled to be there for TWENTY MINUTES and got hung up at the Neighboorhood Ball getting rubbed-up by Beyonce instead.
I suppose insulting veterans who faught by forcing an ignominious retreat from Iraq really is a high-priority for him and the peaceniks, but that’s NOT what he was DOING that inauguration-night when instead he was busy showing disrespect to vetrans by not attending the Ball.
The Military is ABOUT ceremony, formality, Pomp and Circumstance—that’s where that stuff comes from, and where it remains in spuite of the progressive trend in America and the world towards laid-back informal fluffling.
As you say: ‘…whargarbl…’
as a veteran… i was insulted.
@70: Ted Kennedy stroking out at lunch throw off the entire days schedule. Something had to be dropped.
@70: that’s not me dumbass
@71
did i mispell ‘whargarbl’ ???
@72
i thought Ted Kennedy himself dropping was adequate.
It probably sped things up, as the progress of the day wasn’t halted by his grandstanding sanctimony.
oops, sorry—who the hell is SHANNON?
welcome to Cvillain, Shannon, and thank you for your incisive commentary
and support of NON-Muse commenting that will insure our longevity.
sorry shenaigans/donk:
i didn’t look at the name, i just saw the ’sh’ and assumed it was shenanigans when i read:
@62 “He was President at noon, bitches.”
GW Bush has been a disaster for veterans. Signs are Obama will follow Sen. Jim Webb’s advice and fix the damn thing. Nonetheless, we got about 3 trillion dollars in cleanup to pay for Bush’s country club New York keg party.
Kings tax the poor. Democracies tax the rich.
didn’t they vote him into office and re-elect him though
and make up most of McCain’s voter-base? (i don’t know, it’s a question).
quite apart what the NYT constantly calls a vietnam-quagmire wherever we happen to have/send troops…
the former president did force the reform of VA hospitals, etc. and double the size of the military and give them something to do. and give them $20,000 sign-on bonuses and re-enlistment bonuses and so on.
anyone in the military now is not being laid off from the Chrysler plant. if we reduce spending and withdraw troops and so on, in all likelihood it will mean forced-retirements and early end of enlistments for a great percentage of the serving-military. which means a flood of unemployed former servicemen.
@ 70 So let me follow your logic:
Bush over-extends the military in two ill-conceived, poorly planned, and politicized wars that have resulted in such glorious moments as Abu Ghraib and the Convoy of Death and that’s ok. Obama misses one of a dozen inauguration balls for whatever reason and your insulted?
Sister, please!
Furthermore, the military might enjoy its pomp and circumstance, but ceremony has nothing to do with an organization’s discipline and certainly has nothing to do with its ability to operate effectively.
To believe that ceremony and performance are somehow related results in the flawed logic that presumed it would be a good idea to hang a “mission accomplished” banner a little prematurely.
Just saying.
oh, i don’t have a stake in this—just killing time until Atreyu arrives.
my point i guess is that I am a veteran and I was pissed. other veterans may not have been. you, as no doubt a veteran with a keen familiarity of military history and a commitment to military values and virtues and the life of the citizen soldier (like Obama? oh, wait…) may not have been offended.
the pomp has a great deal to do with disciupline. drill and ceremonies is part of how the military teaches and practices discipline, and honors it. just as an aside.
/mine is, i think, argument from authority—a fallacy. no more from me on this subj.
The VA hospitals were reformed under Clinton, not GW Bush. The latter has been a complete disaster for war vets. The Army in particular spares no effort to deny benefits to any lower ranking soldier, because all the money must go to contractors, who hire the higher ranking officers promptly after their 20-year retirement date. Personnel costs are just overhead to the US Army. That’s how it is, and Jim Webb wants to fix it. Obama should help, but it is a fricking death star in there.
didn’t they reform them again last year? (question)
wow—if i read a newspaper sometime… i might have an intelligent thing to say about all this!
you go, colfer!
just for fun and for Shannon—here’s a Military.com poll from yesterday.
this is unbelievable to me—the attitude should be that without regard to
what the President is, in the military you follow him and trust him.
These are the only three options offered in the poll, so the % are a single choice out of 100%.
“Now that Barack Obama is President . . .
I am ready without reservation to carry out the orders he issues as Commander-in-chief.– 32%
I will follow his orders, but remain concerned that his inexperience will get us into situations worse than those under Bush. — 43%
I am going to leave the military as soon as possible. Sorry, but I don’t trust him. — 25% “
@67 I did. It was pretty damned amazing. I think I was as excited if not more excited to see them than I was to see Biden and Obama in person. It was a madhouse getting out of there though. A thousand plus people rushing a coat check that had no defined lines of in and out. People passing out, having panic attacks.
@82 Do you never check your email?
Had I not generously been given the opportunity to attend, I wouldn’t have been there. It’s easy to say I don’t mind the mistakes, faux-pas, etc. that occured (such as being one of the thousands of blue ticket holders who didn’t get in), but to be outside looking in at the whole situation, there was a lot to criticise. But why do so? It’s done, it’s over. It’s not indicative or a portent of things to come. Seems to be a Cvillain trait to get hung up in details (though I do understand the reasoning behind feeling snubbed if I were a veteran).
But that’s also what makes this place so warm and fuzzy and all of you oh so loveable.
@83 Otter, don’t you know that 42.7 % of all statistics are made up on the spot and that 65% of people who make up statistics only make up 5% of the population?
ha! not sure what percent of the population is serving in the military, but the website is a regular go-to for serving and prior servicemen. still, curious to see the numbers.
e-mail? hunh? no, i rarely check. lemmeseeee.