State of emergency

Today, my fellow Americans, has been declared a national emergency.

As many as three million crazed Obamanites will flood the streets of our nation’s capital, I would imagine most likely resembling the South Park depiction of post-election Randy Marsh (“Come on, people! We can keep partying can’t we? YES WE CAN!”). Braving the crowds, the cold, and a 6,849 people per porta-potty ratio, they are undeterred.

They have traveled from across the nation to watch the conclusion of what began with the launch of Obama’s campaign on Feb. 10, 2007. The culmination of the longest campaign in history will be, of course, the inaugural speech.

People will be trudging into the cold and fighting crowds for hours to get a glimpse; it will probably last about fifteen minutes.

Regardless, people are flocking from all across the nation in record numbers.
Honestly, I think this could have something to do with the fact that the Jonas Brothers are there (Sorry, Obama). Regardless, it’s certainly a spectacle to be seen; 11,500 troops and 8,000 police officers have been brought into the capital to handle the unprecedented crowd, and a whopping $150 million has been spent on the festivities.

And irrespective of your own political ideology, pretty much everyone must admit that this election, and its result, was both historical and fascinating. No matter how you voted, the first election of a minority is undeniably inspiring.

While the election was encouraging and the inaugural celebration will certainly be grand, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that our next president will be giving his inaugural address wearing bulletproof clothing.

He will be speaking from behind a protective glass shield. He will ride in the parade in a Cadillac that could withstand an explosion from a rocket-propelled grenade. Snipers are positioned on rooftops and balconies down Pennsylvania Avenue and boxes that detect the release of chemical or biological weapons are scattered throughout the crowd. Overhead, fighter planes carrying automatic weapon-toting SWAT team members will be on guard.

We still very much live in a post-Sept. 11 world.

When attention is drawn to these facts, I sometimes find it difficult to believe in “hope” in a time where any sizeable gathering necessitates a police state. Each and every attendee is subject to a security screening and mundane items such as umbrellas are banned for fear they might be used to conceal an AK-47. The next thing you know, everyone will be asked to remove their shoes and discard any and all liquids.

The inauguration will most likely be a grand display of democracy and of American values – something we will experience together as a nation despite current hardships facing us all.

However, amidst the 10 inaugural balls and the Springsteen performance, we should not forget the rocky road that has led us here – a boggled war, a tanked economy and a persistent fear of terrorism – and the challenges that we (and our new president) face.