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January 07, 2005
Bush Inauguration Protest 2005: Thousands Will Rally on Jan. 20 to Protest Against the Presidential Inauguration.
While the presidential inauguration committee vigorously makes preparations for the 55th presidential inauguration, anti-Bush organizations are making their own plans to have a Bush inauguration protest. "For the past four years, the Bush administration has tried to silence the voice of the people. We are coming to Washington on Jan. 20 because we want our audience with the president," states Jet Heiko, who is responsible for launching www.TurnYourBackOnBush.org and who will be in the frontline on inauguration day.
Just like the presidential inauguration is scheduled to have its festivities to follow throughout the inauguration ceremony, so do many anti-war and anti-Bush groups will be arranging to have an inauguration protest parade, rallies, and demonstrations against Bush's inauguration.
The D.C. Anti-War Network is organizing a rally and a march to the White House on the morning of the inauguration and is spreading the word to fellow supporters,through the website www.counter-inaugural.org, to go to presidential inauguration and "turn their back" on President Bush. Another anti-war group called A.N.S.W.E.R. will have a "CounterInaugural" protest similar to their previous demonstration on Dec. 18 where 400 people came out to the corner of Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles to send out the message: "Bring the Troops Home Now!." Other groups like the Mobilization for Global Justice and the Committee to ReDefeat the President will be united to rally against the presidential inauguration.
Although protesters will not have the opportunity to march along the parade route on the inauguration date, the National Park Service and Park Police said it is granting permits for the use of other specific locations. But as Brian Becker, national coordinator for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, adds, "We are now planning for possible legal action if that is necessary to protect the right of the people to gather in mass assembly along the route of the inaugural parade."
Posted by Tuck at 12:52 PM | Comments (8)
The Presidential Inauguration Security: President Bush's Inauguration will have the tightest Security.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that President Bush's inauguration as a National Special Security Event, which makes the inauguration ceremony eligible for federal money and the assistance of the Secret Service to implement security. Federal resources will be used to maintain security during the inauguration balls and other designated events. According to USA Today, "police are planning to search every one of the tens of thousands of people expected to line the parade route" (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-12-19-dc-inauguration_x.htm?csp=34). So far there has not been any indication that terrorists will attempt to attack on inauguration day 2005 but, nonetheless, there will be extra security like the use of bomb-sniffing dogs, sophisticated sensors to detect chemical, radiological or biological material, and expanded use of police helicopters and military aircraft.
Other Important components of security preparations for President Bush's Jan. 20 inauguration:
- More fencing and a wider buffer zone around parade route, with more streets closed.
- About 40 agencies involved in security planning, led by Secret Service.
- Up to 4,000 military personnel available to assist or react to emergencies.
- Hundreds of specialized law enforcement personnel on standby, including FBI SWAT teams, evidence recovery technicians, bomb experts and hazardous material workers.
The estimated budget for the presidential inauguration is $30-40 million and that does not even cover the presidential inauguration's security costs. The money for the presidential inauguration is being raised through private donations from Bush supporters.
Posted by Tuck at 03:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2005
The Presidential Inauguration: Preparations for the Presidential Inauguration of 2005.
The Presidential Inauguration day is coming! There's only 14 days left for Bush's Inauguration.
In January, as natural devastations overseas are occurring and with a war that is still continuing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2005 presidential inauguration will be taking place. This will be President George W. Bush's second inauguration and it will be a celebration that will honor the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific, along with the centennial of the presidential inauguration of Teddy Roosevelt. The presidential inauguration, which will have a spectacular amount of fanfare, is an event that embraces a new period and a time when everybody stands together to celebrate regardless of politics.
To keep in accordance with the current events as being a nation that is at war, "this year's theme will be "Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service," said Jeanne Phillips chairwoman of the 55th Presidential Inauguration committee who spoke to the media on Wednesday 5th about this year's festivities.
The Presidential Inauguration will have a total of nine inaugural balls, a youth concert, an inaugural parade, a fireworks display and, the official swearing in ceremony where President Bush, like many other presidents before him, will then proceed to give his inauguration speech at noon on Jan. 20.
Also, for the first time a new event will be added to the Bush inauguration 2005, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. This event will be held for the 2,000 members of the armed services and their families. The Defense Department will distribute the free presidential inauguration tickets accordingly to the members of the military who will be attending the Commander-in-Chief Ball.
A more detailed schedule goes as followed:
- The presidential inauguration will start on Jan. 18 with the Military Gala, which pays homage to the troops that are abroad. There will be a youth concert in the evening featuring musical acts, video clips and guest speakers.
- On Jan. 19, there will be musical performances, entertainment and a fireworks display.
- The presidential inauguration will end on Jan. 20, which the remaining balls will take place and a parade which the inauguration committee will work hard to have each state represented.
Posted by Tuck at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2005
Inaugural Ball
Like it or not George W. Bush is President again, as predicted with remarkable accuracy through Softvote's Online Poll.
The beginning of the 2nd term of George W. Bush will be marked by a series of activities and celebrations. The final celebrations of his campaign will come with the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Balls.
The Inaugural Ball will be held January 19th and 20th
To flash back to 2001, last time around this was George's Inaugural (Speech) Address:
George W. Bush
Inaugural Address
Saturday, January 20, 2001
President Clinton, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.
As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation.
And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace.
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.
We have a place, all of us, in a long story - a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer.
It is the American story - a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals. 6
The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.
Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.
Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations.
Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel.
While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise, even the justice, of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and hidden prejudice and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.
We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.
I know this is in our reach because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves who creates us equal in His image.
And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.
Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.
America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.
Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.
But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.
We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.
America, at its best, is also courageous.
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
Together, we will reclaim America's schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives.
We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. And we will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans.
We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge.
We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors.
The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.
America, at its best, is compassionate. In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise.
And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love.
And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.
Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities. And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.
Government has great responsibilities for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government.
And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer. Church and charity, synagogue and mosque lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws.
Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty, but we can listen to those who do.
And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.
America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected.
Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.
Our public interest depends on private character, on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness, on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom.
Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.
I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility, to pursue the public interest with courage, to speak for greater justice and compassion, to call for responsibility and try to live it as well.
In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times.
What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character.
Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.
After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "We know the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Do you not think an angel rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm?"
Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inauguration. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes of this day he would know: our nation's grand story of courage and its simple dream of dignity.
We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
God bless you all, and God bless America.
Posted by Tuck at 05:44 PM | Comments (10)
President Asks Bush and Clinton to Help Raise Funds for Tsunami Relief
President Asks Bush and Clinton to Help Raise Funds for Tsunami Relief
Text transcript of President Bush's speach to raise money for Tsunami Relief
THE PRESIDENT: I'm honored to be standing here with two former Presidents, President Bush 41, President Clinton 42. We have come together to express our country's sympathy for the victims of a great tragedy. We're here to ask our fellow citizens to join in a broad humanitarian relief effort.
Eight days ago, the most powerful earthquake in 40 years shook the island of Sumatra. The earthquake caused violent tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, which left an arc of destruction from Thailand to the Horn of Africa. The devastation in the region defies comprehension. More than 150,000 lives are estimated to be lost, including 90,000 in Indonesia, alone. As many as 5 million people are thought to be homeless, or without food or shelter; thousands more are missing, and millions are vulnerable to disease.
Across the United States this week, our flags will fly at half-staff to honor the victims of this disaster. We mourn especially the tens of thousands of children who are lost. We think of the tens of thousands more who will grow up without their parents or their brothers or their sisters. We hold in our prayers all the people whose fate is still unknown.
The United States government is in close contact with the governments of the affected countries, and America is playing a leading role in the relief and recovery efforts. Our nation has committed military assets and made an initial commitment of $350 million for disaster relief. We're working with the United Nations and with governments around the world to coordinate the comprehensive international response. American military assets in the region are now aiding recovery efforts. Patrol and cargo aircraft have been surveying damage and delivering supplies for several days. Air Force C-130s are flying aid missions 24 hours a day.
We are grateful for the hard work of the men and women who wear our nation's uniform. The Abraham Lincoln carrier group is in place near Indonesia and transporting relief supplies by helicopter. Other naval and Marine assets will arrive shortly to generate clean water and provide further logistical help.
I have sent a delegation headed by Secretary of State Powell and Governor Bush of Florida to the Indian Ocean region. There they will meet with fellow leaders and international organizations to assess relief efforts in place, as well as the needs that remain. Secretary Powell and Governor Bush will report their findings directly to me, so we can ensure that our government provides the most effective assistance possible.
We're showing the compassion of our nation in the swift response. But the greatest source of America's generosity is not our government: it's the good heart of the American people. In the weeks since the tsunami struck, private citizens have contributed millions of dollars for disaster relief and reconstruction. Organizations like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, the Salvation Army, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, CARE, UNICEF, and America Cares responded rapidly after the tsunamis hit. They have reported an outpouring of generosity from around the world.
To draw even greater amounts of private donations, I have asked two of America's most distinguished private citizens to head a nationwide charitable fundraising effort. Both men, both Presidents, know the great decency of our people. They bring tremendous leadership experience to this role, and they bring good hearts. I am grateful to the former Presidents, Clinton and Bush, for taking on this important responsibility and for serving our country once again.
In the coming days, President Clinton and Bush will ask Americans to donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami victims. Many of these organizations have dispatched experts to the disaster area, and they have an in-depth understanding of the resources required to meet the needs on the ground. In this situation, cash donations are most useful, and I've asked the former Presidents to solicit contributions both large and small.
Over the past week, we have seen some of the innovative ways Americans are helping people in need. A coffee roaster in California is handing out bags of coffee for a $10 donation to the Red Cross. In Virginia Beach, the owner of a tax assistance firm is making a donation for every tax return he prepares. Worshipers at a Buddhist temple in Houston collected thousands of dollars in cash to send to their sister temple in Sri Lanka. Some people are selling personal items on the Internet and donating the cash to the charities. Many corporations are matching contributions by their employees. And several have shown exceptional generosity by donating large amounts of cash and products to the relief efforts.
Presidents Clinton and Bush will be speaking about the countless ways individuals and businesses can support this urgent cause. I ask every American to contribute as they are able to do so. For more information about how to make a donation, you can visit the USA Freedom Corps website at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
Americans have suffered sudden catastrophe many times in our own history, from massive earthquakes in Anchorage and San Francisco, to destructive wildfires in the West, to the series of hurricanes that struck Florida last year. From our own experiences, we know that nothing can take away the grief of those affected by tragedy. We also know that Americans have a history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges and of providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across the devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained compassion and our generosity, and our assurance that America will be there to help.
The Presidents and I will be going to the embassies of the countries affected to pay our nation's respects. I'm so grateful that both President Bush and President Clinton have taken time out of their busy schedules to not only serve as a catalyst for people to give money to help, but also to join me and Laura in paying our deepest respects to those nations that have been affected by the tsunamis. As well, the Presidents will return to the White House compound to talk to members of the press about how to better effect this great relief effort that is now going on in our nation.
Thank you all for coming.
Posted by Tuck at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)
