Last Tuesday night at the Democratic General Meeting in Sherman, Ron & Jeanne Briggs from Pottsboro told of their experiences while attending the inauguration of President Barack Obama. For those of you who were not in attendance last night WannaBeBlue wants to share with you their story.Remember the Grayson County Democratic Party's monthly meeting is held on the 3rd Tuesday, of each month. The next meeting will be on March 17, 2009, Tuesday at 5:30 PM & will be held at Lupe's W.F.T. Restaurant, 129 E. Wall Street, Sherman TX 75090, 903.868.4300.
from Pottsboro Press, January 29, 2009, p. 1
By Ron and Jeanne Briggs
Public Contributors
You asked for our thoughts about Washington D.C. happenings on January 20th. These are ours, from the perspective of four dots in the mass of people on the National Mall. We had no tickets to any event, but our daughter Valerie lives within a mile of the Capitol, so we felt we could not miss the opportunity to simply ‘be there’ and share some time with her.
Paying airfares and hotel bills would have been out of the question, but free board and a car that gets 35 miles to a gallon of $1.59 gas made it feasible, although we began to question our sanity as the drive entered its third day (it’s about 1,375 miles from the shores of Lake Texoma to the banks of the Potomac). However, where Interstate 66 makes its last curve and the Potomac River is spread out before you, with the National Mall, the Lincoln and Washington Monuments and the Capitol all clearly visible, your spirits soar with its majesty, and you ask “How could we have ever contemplated not going?”
We arrived Friday and on Saturday hit the gym, freshened up and spent time with Valerie, a civil engineer, and drove by her office complex – The U.S. Department of Transportation, which we could not enter due to security. We drove around looking at sites, especially ones that had been under construction the last time we had been in the Capital.
On the Sunday afternoon we walked the mile and a half to the concert at the National Mall, which further lifted our spirits. It was wonderfully arranged, with classical voice, rock, rap, gospel and country music all seamlessly blended, so that you could not help but feel immensely proud of America and to be an American. We thought it was a true taste of things to come on Tuesday (not to mention the impressively large number of porta potties which relieved us of one of our other major concerns!). But nothing could have prepared us for the actual day.
We awoke at 7:00 a.m., turned on the TV to get a weather forecast (it was 18 degrees) and the pictures of the Mall made it look almost full, already! We quickly bundled into our long johns, fleeces, etc., and our hiking clothing, which normally keeps us very nice and warm. We headed out the door into the freezing weather. The streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood were eerily quiet. No cars, cabs or buses were about, since there was nowhere to park and every bridge over the Potomac into downtown D.C. was shut to traffic. As we neared the Capitol, the scattering of people on the sidewalks turned into a tide which filled the entire street. The six lanes of the Interstate 395 tunnel, which goes under the National Mall, were filled from wall to wall with people. Likewise Constitution Avenue (sic, should be Independence Avenue) along the south side of the National Mall, was a sea of faces. We were carried along by the crowd, taking baby steps most of the way, but the spirit was one of joy and jubilance, concern for each other, and cooperation with the police and the National Guard men and women, who returned the same spirit. Part of the time we were behind a two man crew from FOX TV, who were reporting the impossibility of getting to where they were supposed to go because of the crowds. At the same time, a friend of our daughter, who was with our group, was reporting the happenings to a radio audience in California. Eventually, at about 10:30 a.m., we emerged onto the National Mall, immediately south of the Washington Monument. What an inspiring sight! The Monument, towering above us, its circle of flags waving in the brisk breeze and, as far as the eye could see, people of every age, color and income level, all excitedly chatting, singing or texting on their phones, with their eyes fixed on the massive JumboTron screen (20 or so, each about 20' x 15', were positioned along the Mall), and their feet stamping in a vain attempt to keep warm!
We would not have missed this for anything. It was the most wonderful re-affirmation of everything that is right with America. A peaceful transfer of power, an unprecedented gathering of people, without a major problem or incident. A true sense of community, whether you were Republican or Democrat (and our little group of four included both). Imperfect though it may be, our democracy has served us well for over two hundred and thirty-three years. Once again, the American people have clearly spoken, elected a new President, and whether we voted with the majority or the minority, Tuesday was the day that we all wished this new president well.
from Pottsboro Press, January 29, 2009, p. 1
By Ron and Jeanne Briggs
Public Contributors
You asked for our thoughts about Washington D.C. happenings on January 20th. These are ours, from the perspective of four dots in the mass of people on the National Mall. We had no tickets to any event, but our daughter Valerie lives within a mile of the Capitol, so we felt we could not miss the opportunity to simply ‘be there’ and share some time with her.
Paying airfares and hotel bills would have been out of the question, but free board and a car that gets 35 miles to a gallon of $1.59 gas made it feasible, although we began to question our sanity as the drive entered its third day (it’s about 1,375 miles from the shores of Lake Texoma to the banks of the Potomac). However, where Interstate 66 makes its last curve and the Potomac River is spread out before you, with the National Mall, the Lincoln and Washington Monuments and the Capitol all clearly visible, your spirits soar with its majesty, and you ask “How could we have ever contemplated not going?”
We arrived Friday and on Saturday hit the gym, freshened up and spent time with Valerie, a civil engineer, and drove by her office complex – The U.S. Department of Transportation, which we could not enter due to security. We drove around looking at sites, especially ones that had been under construction the last time we had been in the Capital.
On the Sunday afternoon we walked the mile and a half to the concert at the National Mall, which further lifted our spirits. It was wonderfully arranged, with classical voice, rock, rap, gospel and country music all seamlessly blended, so that you could not help but feel immensely proud of America and to be an American. We thought it was a true taste of things to come on Tuesday (not to mention the impressively large number of porta potties which relieved us of one of our other major concerns!). But nothing could have prepared us for the actual day.
We awoke at 7:00 a.m., turned on the TV to get a weather forecast (it was 18 degrees) and the pictures of the Mall made it look almost full, already! We quickly bundled into our long johns, fleeces, etc., and our hiking clothing, which normally keeps us very nice and warm. We headed out the door into the freezing weather. The streets of the Capitol Hill neighborhood were eerily quiet. No cars, cabs or buses were about, since there was nowhere to park and every bridge over the Potomac into downtown D.C. was shut to traffic. As we neared the Capitol, the scattering of people on the sidewalks turned into a tide which filled the entire street. The six lanes of the Interstate 395 tunnel, which goes under the National Mall, were filled from wall to wall with people. Likewise Constitution Avenue (sic, should be Independence Avenue) along the south side of the National Mall, was a sea of faces. We were carried along by the crowd, taking baby steps most of the way, but the spirit was one of joy and jubilance, concern for each other, and cooperation with the police and the National Guard men and women, who returned the same spirit. Part of the time we were behind a two man crew from FOX TV, who were reporting the impossibility of getting to where they were supposed to go because of the crowds. At the same time, a friend of our daughter, who was with our group, was reporting the happenings to a radio audience in California. Eventually, at about 10:30 a.m., we emerged onto the National Mall, immediately south of the Washington Monument. What an inspiring sight! The Monument, towering above us, its circle of flags waving in the brisk breeze and, as far as the eye could see, people of every age, color and income level, all excitedly chatting, singing or texting on their phones, with their eyes fixed on the massive JumboTron screen (20 or so, each about 20' x 15', were positioned along the Mall), and their feet stamping in a vain attempt to keep warm!
We would not have missed this for anything. It was the most wonderful re-affirmation of everything that is right with America. A peaceful transfer of power, an unprecedented gathering of people, without a major problem or incident. A true sense of community, whether you were Republican or Democrat (and our little group of four included both). Imperfect though it may be, our democracy has served us well for over two hundred and thirty-three years. Once again, the American people have clearly spoken, elected a new President, and whether we voted with the majority or the minority, Tuesday was the day that we all wished this new president well.
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