The Other Inauguration

The Other Inauguration

Washington DC

The much vaunted, post-racial, `come together` campaign culmination was neither.

I for one waited and waited and then waited some more for someone to tell the truth.

After watching enough fawning to make me nauseous, I had to say something.

I was there from the very beginning in the middle of the National Mall, on the day before as well as the whole inauguration.

The crowd was overwhelmingly african american. That is a simple fact that anyone there knows and should be honest enough to say so.

It was a mess. There was no `coming together`. The atmosphere was extremely racist and if you didn’t look right, they let you know.

It took hours to get into the mall and in spite of being the `peoples inauguration` was far from it.

All the `big people` had special passes that got them into their special area while all of the `regular people` had to go under a nearly quarter mile tunnel under the mall, where it was difficult to breathe just to get into the National Mall.

The event itself though was far from what it was described.

I felt very, very uncomfortable. Regular glances and snide remarks sent the message very clearly `what are you doing here – this is our event`!

Further, the booing and dancing and hate filled comments when President Bush and Vice President Cheney came out were unacceptable.

The speech insulted President Bush over and over and honestly was neither profound nor well written.

The extremely racist `prayer` by an out of date Joseph Lowry would have caused a major scandal. Instead, it brought loud guffaws from the crowd who didn’t seem to know or really care what a `prayer` actually was. No heads were bowed during any of the prayers.

For whatever it means the much vaunted crowd that filled the mall was a mean, hateful, rough crowd.

Not only the mall but all of Washington was taken over by this whole group. From hawking everything from t-shirts to all kinds of buttons bordering on `buy something or you don’t pass`, the atmosphere was a far cry from the disgusting descriptions that I have had to watch nonstop on TV and read in the paper.

Frankly, I was completely sickened by it all and exhausted entered the lobby of a hotel in on Capitol Hill bracing myself for another flood of the angry, mean crowd.

I came upon the strangest of situations. There were two distinct groups of people who were mobbing the hotel lobby, the restaurants and up the escalators.

One group was clearly leaving. This was the same mean, nasty grown from the National Mall.

Another huge group was on their way in, lined up at the Check In counter and the two groups were mingling going in their different directions.

The two groups though were dramatically different.

In contrast to the first group, the new group was dramatically different. They were bright, cheerful, smiling and brightened the otherwise mean atmosphere.

I was curious. Who could they be?

A quick question to a small group waiting in the lobby..

`Oh, were here for The March of Life`.

Now it all made sense!

What a difference. One group with a leader promising one of his first acts would be to rescind the restrictions on abortion wholesale.

In contrast the leaders of the other group, dedicated to saving life..

`Look over there` the lady said `it is a baby that was saved from an abortion`.

There lay a little child in the arm of a nun.

Then I suddenly focused and there seemed to be Priests, Nuns and bright cheerful kids, seniors and just about everything in between.

What a contrast!

Somehow, I found the tears coming. It had been a tough and miserable two days with the `thugs` having taken over the city.

How refreshing to have some brightness, faith and above all, hope – the real kind!

Ken Joseph Jr.