exploitation of the troops in Iraq, for propaganda of a man, who has gotten, too important for himself. Mind you our servicemen are the "THEME" , props on set.
If this article was not posted yet.
LA Times
January 14, 2005
A Less Traditional Take on Inaugural Festivities
By Faye Fiore, Times Staff Writer
Planners are trying to be sensitive to these troubled times without spoiling all of the fun.
WASHINGTON — With the war in Iraq steadily claiming American lives and the world in mourning over the tsunami disaster, planners of the 55th presidential inauguration face an awkward challenge: how to throw the traditional four-day celebration without appearing to have too much fun.
A few critics — including a Republican Texas billionaire — have called for cancellation of everything but the swearing-in because they find it unseemly to spend $40 million on shrimp, spirits, floats and frivolity while American soldiers must scrape together money for phone cards to call home.
But supporters of President Bush are presenting the quadrennial pageant as an opportunity to salute American troops.
The theme is "Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service." And the result will be a spectacle that pays greater homage to the armed forces than any inaugural in recent memory.
"You don't want to be seen as fiddling like Nero while Rome or Mosul or Baghdad is burning. But there is something powerful about having an inauguration that is smooth," said Gil Troy, professor of history at McGill University in Montreal and author of "Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s."
"The Democrats may be grumbling, and there is all this blue state and red state stuff, but at the end of the day the thought of treason is not even on the American mind," he said, underscoring the most significant part of Inauguration Day: Unlike citizens in many countries, Americans accept the electoral outcome with no threat of resorting to violence.
"That should not be overlooked," he said.
snip
Beginning Tuesday, Republicans will hold 10 balls, three candlelight dinners, a presidential gala on the eve of the big day, a fancy brunch for dignitaries, a 1.7-mile-long parade and a youth rock concert hosted by the Bush twins.
snip
Inaugural handlers have been forced to justify the expense of merrymaking while the death toll of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds 1,300. The money, albeit privately raised, stands in contrast to the shortage of armor for troops and their vehicles that the Pentagon has struggled with for a year.
"Precedent suggests that inaugural festivities should be muted — if not canceled — in wartime," Rep. Anthony D. Weiner (D-N.Y.) recently wrote in a letter to his colleagues, noting that $40 million would buy armor for 690 Humvees or provide a $290 bonus for each service member stationed in Iraq.
Even Texas billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and a Bush supporter, suggested publicly that the inaugural balls be canceled and the money donated to tsunami victims in South Asia.
snip
After the swearing-in, Bush will stand as 400 service members from all branches pass in review, becoming his official escort for a parade that will include 5,000 men and women in uniform.
hmm, what does this remind me of....
full article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-inaug14jan14,1,1420172.story?ctrack=2&cset=true:mad: 
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