I didn’t watch the swearing-in today, but I did spend some time watching the parade. I actually felt sympathy for those in the reviewing stand who had to stick around in the cold for a parade that lasted about four times as long as it should have.
Forgive my insensibility, but fire trucks belong in a small town parade, not the inauguration parade. We’ve all seen them…many times. There must have been twenty of them today, and bleating air horns don’t excite me. Carpenters don't take their belt sanders to a parade, nor do loggers fire up their chain saws. Ban fire trucks and marching firefighters. Ditto for any group that plays the bagpipes.
High school bands desiring to attend should be judged by a panel of judges with the gall of Simon Cowell, and only the best five in the country get to enter the parade.
All college bands wearing oversized furry hats or gold lamé pants should be banned from attending. That would eliminate several of today’s participants, and give our eyes a rest from institutionalized bad taste in fashion.
The parade should have one band each from the president’s and vice-president’s home town, and the rest of the parade should be made up of the winning high school and college bands, plus marching units and bands from the five military branches.
That would reduce the parade to about the right size, and it would give the president time to go home and take a nap before making his appearance at all the inaugural balls.
One last thing. Any band director who makes his band play “We shall overcome”, as they pass the reviewing stand, should be neutered.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I couldn't bring myself to watch any of the events today. The build up in the last few days was hype of such an unprecedented quantity and was way too much for my constitution. The man has been elected president and I will certainly offer him my respect, he is not, however, my messiah and I do believe that the left and the press and Hollywood (I know, you're asking yourself 'What's the difference?) have seemed to embrace him as a religious figure.
One of Emily's teachers made her class watch the inauguration today. I was so tempted to ask her if she had required her class to watch when Bush was inaugurated. Somehow, I think not.
I absolutely agree with everything you said about the parade! Ha! What is with the firetrucks anyway?!
As for Rita's question about whether or not the classes had to watch when Bush was inaugurated, of course I can't speak for Em's teacher and I wasn't in school when Bush was inaugurated, but I did watch both Elder Bush's & Clinton's inaugurations in my schools. And I had no idea who my teacher supported. Maybe I was just blessed with good teachers who were able to leave their own personal politics out of the classroom.
I know of a teacher in Montana who instructed his high school government class to watch FOX news exclusively, saying that it was the only "honest news source". What?! And for the record, I'd be equally miffed if he'd said the same for MSNBC or CNN.
Post a Comment