The Worst Parade Ever
Looking at the picture adorning the front page of the New York Times one would think that January 20 was a proud and festive occasion in Washington DC. A confident and cool George W. Bush walks in front of his limo showcasing his signature resolve before a backdrop of adoring countrymen. Pennsylvania Avenue is draped in the regal dignity of a presidental inauguration. Through the lense of Times photographer, Doug Mills, the world sees a nation united behind a steadfast defender of freedom and liberty.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality President Bush is walking across a neatly manicured stage set of pagentry in the center of city under siege.
When I arrived in DC the sun was just coming up. The beltway was packed with pre-dawn traffic reflecting the gravity of the day's events. As I made my way through the Washington DC Metro it was business as usual as the trains were crowded yet there were no uniformed National Guard or police forces on the subway. The red train proceeded as scheduled underneath the ruins of a crumbling democracy to Judiciary Square without the interuption of DHS security checkpoints or friskings. Passing freely through the DC Metro on January 20, 2005 I felt much like a Spanish commuter would have felt leaving Madrid's Atocha Station on March 11, 2004.
According to the Washington Post 11.6 million dollars were spent on security measures for the first presidental inauguration since September 11. Evidence of this tremendous security force was everywhere the cameras were, and nowhere where it was needed. Police officers brought from all parts of the country concentrated upon protecting the image of a supportive sympathetic crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue as the presidental motorcade passed in front of international news cameras. It seems that very little of these funds were spent defending the DC Metro system.
Editor's Note: This post is still under construction. If you want to check out a NY Times photo of Nic (orange hat) and myself (green hat) at the protests go here: NY Times Slideshow. There is also a similar AP photo that is not quite as good here: AP Slideshow.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality President Bush is walking across a neatly manicured stage set of pagentry in the center of city under siege.
When I arrived in DC the sun was just coming up. The beltway was packed with pre-dawn traffic reflecting the gravity of the day's events. As I made my way through the Washington DC Metro it was business as usual as the trains were crowded yet there were no uniformed National Guard or police forces on the subway. The red train proceeded as scheduled underneath the ruins of a crumbling democracy to Judiciary Square without the interuption of DHS security checkpoints or friskings. Passing freely through the DC Metro on January 20, 2005 I felt much like a Spanish commuter would have felt leaving Madrid's Atocha Station on March 11, 2004.
According to the Washington Post 11.6 million dollars were spent on security measures for the first presidental inauguration since September 11. Evidence of this tremendous security force was everywhere the cameras were, and nowhere where it was needed. Police officers brought from all parts of the country concentrated upon protecting the image of a supportive sympathetic crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue as the presidental motorcade passed in front of international news cameras. It seems that very little of these funds were spent defending the DC Metro system.
Editor's Note: This post is still under construction. If you want to check out a NY Times photo of Nic (orange hat) and myself (green hat) at the protests go here: NY Times Slideshow. There is also a similar AP photo that is not quite as good here: AP Slideshow.
posted by Yonder Vittles at 9:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home