Happy Inauguration Day!

[BillyJimBoBob]

Here's wishing anyone who is in attendance a safe (and warm!) experience.

[evil_d4_swarm]

I'll just be watching it on TV, but thanks.

HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Mauve Shirt]

Part of me wishes I could attend, the other part of me is relieved that I won't be standing out in the cold all day and can watch the interesting parts on the internet.

[BRC]

My school is scheduling the day around it, were all watching it in the gym in the morning, and having discussion groups about various issues in the afternoon.

[Player_Zero]

Keep it non-political as you celebrate a day of political import.

[Mauve Shirt]

We will, thank you. :smalltongue:

[OverdrivePrime]

Warmest wishes (and jealousy) to anyone celebrating out there in the cold today. My sister, who lives in DC, actually left town for the week because the city is basically shut down and innundated with tourists. I told her she's crazy, but she wanted to go skiing in Canada more than she wanted watch history unfold. :smallsigh:

[Jack Squat]

Warmest wishes (and jealousy) to anyone celebrating out there in the cold today. My sister, who lives in DC, actually left town for the week because the city is basically shut down and innundated with tourists. I told her she's crazy, but she wanted to go skiing in Canada more than she wanted watch history unfold. :smallsigh:

I don't see it as history unfolding...not anymore than any other elected official taking office anyways. I really don't see what all the hype is about with this one.

Also, there's supposed to be an estimated 5 million people there. I wouldn't want to be caught in that crowd either. Skiing sounds nice this time of year.

All you people who are there, stay safe and stay warm.

[SilentNight]

Happy inauguration day. Yay for historical landmarks!

[afroakuma]

Well, it's certainly historical, regardless of political feeling.

I'm just glad I don't have to work today; they'll be swamped with supreme chaos.

[Helanna]

I don't see it as history unfolding...not anymore than any other elected official taking office anyways. I really don't see what all the hype is about with this one.

My mom was watching a celebration of the inaugaration on TV yesterday, and she explained this for me (not that I asked, of course). She said that to our generation, it might not seem like much, but to our parents and grandparents, for the US to overcome its racism like this is quite amazing.

When I think about it, my grandmother was born back in the Civil Rights Movement era, and so I can see how this is making history. There still is quite a bit of racism in the US, but at least we're fighting it.

[BillyJimBoBob]

Warmest wishes (and jealousy) to anyone celebrating out there in the cold today. My sister, who lives in DC, actually left town for the week because the city is basically shut down and innundated with tourists. I told her she's crazy, but she wanted to go skiing in Canada more than she wanted watch history unfold. :smallsigh:Hey, to each their own. I live in the DC metro area, and the spouse and I talked about attending either the parade or the inauguration swearing in (you can't do both by all accounts, due to the amount of travel required between venues and the packed crowds) and then attending one of the Inaugural Balls ($250 per head, all inclusive), but in the end the very popularity of the event led us to decide to step back and watch via television. We both enjoy a crowd, but this is another order of magnitude higher.


I don't see it as history unfolding...not anymore than any other elected official taking office anyways. I really don't see what all the hype is about with this one.

Also, there's supposed to be an estimated 5 million people there. I wouldn't want to be caught in that crowd either. Skiing sounds nice this time of year.

All you people who are there, stay safe and stay warm.It's history unfolding for several reasons. The single largest being that this will be the first black man elected President of the United States. This is truly an enormous landmark, although it's not the end of the journey by any means. It's heartening in a way that some people just don't see this. It's a sign that some people are so unconcerned about race that they don't see the significance of this event. If you're old enough, like I am, or if you've grown up in certain areas of the country, it becomes much more easy to appreciate the significance.

Of other historical relevance are the very fact of Obama's popularity. The crowd size alone is record breaking and therefore historic. Obama's approval rating is also a record breaking and therefore historic fact. So many 1sts in one day isn't "hype", it's history.

[Mauve Shirt]

I'm watching the CNN stream via facebook. It's kinda funny how the reporters seem to think facebook is this amazing thing.

[DrakebloodIV]

I think I just had a Bamagasm

Seriously though, I'm watching in government class and Bush and Chaney are just looking forlorn while the baRock walks up inconveniently slowly and Biden wears out his arm shaking hands.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Our election days in the UK are practically shoddy compared to your US spectacle. :smallmad:

[Ego Slayer]

I'm watching the CNN stream via facebook. It's kinda funny how the reporters seem to think facebook is this amazing thing.
Oh, yeah... I need to go poke around FB and figure that thing out... Thankfully there's interwebnets, else I'd never watch the inauguration 'cos TV is lame. :P

[Sneak]

So. New, president, huh guys.

Happy inauguration day! :smallbiggrin:

[Quincunx]

[0:06] His smile re-kindled from the smile of his wife.

For later comparison: Text of the Inaugural Speech (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text;_ylt=Avze4b.w9I26SDRgIv4UZ jGs0NUE).

[0:09] Shocking. We just got more than chided. We got yelled at. Then again, any tone less harsh and the crowd would've cheered _again_.

[0:12] What's Ke-whatbattlewasthat? It came after Normandy in the chronological recital. [LATE EDIT: Khe Sahn (http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/khe/).]

[0:14] About what I expected from this generation. The concrete fundamentals of people who aren't acknowledged to hold them. It IS a generational shift, new humanism is the name?

[0:18] Direct address to the world, grasping the immediacy of global communication. Not a surprise, but good to see it wasn't just the work of campaign managers.

[0:19] The flicker of emotion in direct address to the world that's opposed to us. Doesn't ring true. Sharp contrast.

[0:23] Spiritual fundamentals, just after 'change'. I don't believe I heard 'faith'; that's 'new humanism' again.

[0:24] Crowd cheering after a description of the progress and wait one MINUTE! They've been QUIET! They've been LISTENING!

[0:26] If the ending was weak, it was only in comparison to all of the equally weighted speech. No sound bites.

Poem is. . .

. . .painful. Very, very, very painful. The Internet, my site the Pen, has spoiled me with a choice of powerful polemic poetry.

[Athaniar]

Barack Obama is now the 44th president of the United States of America. Congratulations!

[archmage45]

Listening on NPR.

And this is a beautiful sight! Official White House Website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/)

[Juhn]

I get the feeling I missed something important. That's what I get for having class to go to.

Oh well, I don't live in the country he's now President of anyway. Congratulations to all you good folks down south, though (or north, depending on where you are in the States).

[Flame of Anor]

Watched on CNN/Facebook. Pretty darn awesome! I have to agree with Quincunx, though, the poem was no good. If only they could have gotten Billy Collins. Now there's a real poet.

[Headless_Ninja]

Congratulations and Happy Inauguration to all you US folks. Hope you're enjoying it!

[Kaelaroth]

Our election days in the UK are practically shoddy compared to your US spectacle. :smallmad:

Exactly my feelings. :smallannoyed:
'Specially heightened when I saw how many people bothered to turn up in person to see it.

[DigoDragon]

Mmm... new presidential term smell. :smallsmile: Here's to a hopefully productive 4 years for America and the World.

[dish]

CNN live was the only stream that worked in China. The only time it failed me was during the poem (and from the sounds of it, I didn't miss too much).

[Roland St. Jude]

Keep it non-political as you celebrate a day of political import.

Sheriff of Moddingham: Happy day to all of you! (Sorry folks, this just isn't a thread we can have here - real world politics is an inappropriate topic here. Thread locked.)