Thursday, January 20, 2005

LIBERTY IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. I'll have more to say about the president's just-finished inaugural speech in a bit. It was important because there were so few euphemisms: he told us exactly where he's going. Duck!

Interesting, though, that in a speech in which he invoked the word "liberty" repeatedly, there was damn little of it in front of the Capitol. In just the last few moments, I saw a police officer lead away a woman who was flashing the peace sign with both hands, and a group of officers forcing other demonstrators to take down their banner. I could only make out the word "war."

I thought the authorities were on hand to provide security - not to protect the star attraction at this choreographed spectacle from the inconveniences of the First Amendment.

2 comments:

zadig said...

If you really thought that, Dan, you haven't been paying attention over the last four years. But I think you have, so that was clearly a rhetorical question.

Anyone paying attention knows that, at any gathering involving W, security's main job is to keep the president from having to stick his fingers in his ears and shout "LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA LA LA". That wouldn't make good television, you see.

Anonymous said...

Bush sworn in, pledges to export libertyHmm. If we export our liberty, will there be any left for domestic use?

Bill R