Living Car Free - Inauguration

Well they keep blocking streets around DC and shunting traffic this way and that with little rhyme or reason. I noticed that they allow bike and pedestrian use of many of the blocked streets, if they don't even allow bikes and peds its a clue that the big O is going to use the street. Yesterday I planned to come across the bridge from Arlington Cemetery but they had it totally closed even though the schedule said open... Later I heard Obama had done something at the Cemetery. The downtown is crawling with Pedicabs. Some out of town company must have smelled profit and brought a bunch in, DC doesn't really have many. They had scheduled to allow bike access on the trains for all weekend except the 20th. I checked with metro and with the supervisors before planning to bring my bike aboard. Then, yesterday they called the cops after us for having bikes. I double checked but I should have triple checked- metro changed its mind. I had planned to travel with inexperienced cyclists. I could do the distance but not everyone could. Apparently they won't allow bikes in a huge section of DC around the national mall "for security reasons"? Tomorrow I'll have to ride several miles around to get to where I want, I'm not even sure which bridges will be open to bikes, the story keeps changing. I'll just have to try each bridge one by one till I find one where the soldiers allow me through.

little rhyme or reason ? it is to keep lunatics away. this is pretty much the biggest event in 300 years of world politics,
and the most death threats of any previous president elect....
so expect some disarray

good journalism, gwd. Keep us posted!

I know to you DCers this is a giant PITA, but I sure wish I could be there for the party!

I'm glad I'm miles away from that mess. I have exactly one bridge to get me over the Ohio river by bike. I believe it's more than 50 miles to the next.

little rhyme or reason ? it is to keep lunatics away. this is pretty much the biggest event in 300 years of world politics,
and the most death threats of any previous president elect....
so expect some disarray

Hey thar hyperbole. I know that it IS a big deal (and I am excited), but come on, :thumb:

Hey thar hyperbole. I know that it IS a big deal (and I am excited), but come on, :thumb:

That's what I thought when I first read 127's post. But the more I thought about it---at least on a symbolic level, it really is one of the biggest political events in modern history.

That's what I thought when I first read 127's post. But the more I thought about it---at least on a symbolic level, it really is one of the biggest political events in modern history.

Whoopy! Americans are not as racist as everyone once suspected? = Lie

I agree this is important but really? I mean, "most important political even in modern history?" Women's suffrage? The Olympics in China? THE WAR IN IRAQ? I think its important but lets not over hype things just yet, lets see what the Big O can do first. ;)

this is pretty much the biggest event in 300 years of world politics,
Really? I can think of a few that might match it for historical significance in the relative recent past: South African Presidential Elections in 1994, Israel formation in 1948, German elections in 1933, Reconstructed Japan Elections in 1946.

Really? I can think of a few that might match it for historical significance in the relative recent past: South African Presidential Elections in 1994, Israel formation in 1948, German elections in 1933, Reconstructed Japan Elections in 1946.

India and Pakistan founded in 1949, Communist China around the same time, my birth in 1955. The A-bomb, the end of Soviet communism, the fall of Saigon....I'm starting to sound like Billy Joel.

It's too soon to know the historical significance of this occasion (beyond the obvious--a Black president), but the symbolic significance is enormous. The political significance is greater than for almost any other transition also. Obama has the highest approval rating of any president since polling began in the 1930s, at the same time that Bush has the lowest rating. We all know that there will be huge changes in the next few weeks, and this is very exciting and a little scarey.

little rhyme or reason ? it is to keep lunatics away. this is pretty much the biggest event in 300 years of world politics.

What happened 300 years ago? Was it the Battle of Poltava (1709) where Peter the Great defeated Charles XII of Sweden, thus effectively ending Sweden's role as a major power in Europe?

What happened 300 years ago? Was it the Battle of Poltava (1709) where Peter the Great defeated Charles XII of Sweden, thus effectively ending Sweden's role as a major power in Europe?

Bah...Wikipedia. Much too easy for you, the Research God. But still pretty clever!

Whoopy! Americans are not as racist as everyone once suspected? = Lie

I agree this is important but really? I mean, "most important political even in modern history?" Women's suffrage? The Olympics in China? THE WAR IN IRAQ? I think its important but lets not over hype things just yet, lets see what the Big O can do first. ;)

We are not, in fact, as racist as we once were, nor are we, at this moment, nearly as racist or otherwise bigoted as a lot of countries that like to criticize us. Imagine the Germans electing a half-Turk to be their Chancellor. Or the Brits voting for a half-Pakistani Prime Minister. Or anyone, in any Muslim country, even voting for a Christian or Jew at all. Let's not even talk about Japan. We have huge faults as a nation, as the last few years have amply demonstrated, but the fact that a man born of mixed descent, of humble origins, raised by a working-class single mother, could rise to such high station speaks volumes about the vast promise that the US still holds, for its citizens and the world at large. I haven't been this pleased with my country in quite some time.

After 8 years of near-Fascism, hell yes, it's an extremely important historical moment. It's certainly a lot more important than the stupid Olympics in China. It's right up there with Brown vs the Board of Education, or the end of hostilities in Northern Ireland. If Obama is actually up to the huge challenges he faces, which is a big question, this might be the most important US presidency since FDR.

The October Revolution in Russia.

We are not, in fact, as racist as we once were, nor are we, at this moment, nearly as racist or otherwise bigoted as a lot of countries that like to criticize us. Imagine the Germans electing a half-Turk to be their Chancellor. Or the Brits voting for a half-Pakistani Prime Minister. Or anyone, in any Muslim country, even voting for a Christian or Jew at all. Let's not even talk about Japan. We have huge faults as a nation, as the last few years have amply demonstrated, but the fact that a man born of mixed descent, of humble origins, raised by a working-class single mother, could rise to such high station speaks volumes about the vast promise that the US still holds, for its citizens and the world at large. I haven't been this pleased with my country in quite some time.

After 8 years of near-Fascism, hell yes, it's an extremely important historical moment. It's certainly a lot more important than the stupid Olympics in China. It's right up there with Brown vs the Board of Education, or the end of hostilities in Northern Ireland. If Obama is actually up to the huge challenges he faces, which is a big question, this might be the most important US presidency since FDR.

When Michelle Obama said something like she was proud to be an American for the first time in a long time, she got a lot of criticism. But I knew how she felt. We haven't been doing very well lately--really not since Vietnam, if you want to know the truth.

But electing a black man with a "foreign" name was a very big good thing that Americans did. It shows not only that we've learned some tolerance, but also that we've relearned how to take a chance--we acted on a good instinct and we dared to do something different. I think you could say that we had "the audacity to hope." As a nation, we have found courage and even some wisdom--qualities that I was afraid we had lost permanently.

Like you say, we can't know if Obama can conquer the enormous challenges, even though there is every indiction that he can. But no matter what kind of president Obama becomes, his personal success or failure will not undo this good thing that WE the American people just did.




And I bet that Obama will say something like this in his Inaugural Speech in just a few hours.

It certainly says that we have come far. I think it's interesting that despite the overwhelming influence of the baby boom generation, that we only had two boomer presidents.

Obama is interesting because as the first African-American president, he is literally that, his father was African, and his mother American. Michelle actually becomes the first person to live in the White House who can trace their roots to slave ancestors. It will be interesting to see how she uses her sphere of influence. A lawyer like Hillary, its unlikely that she will content herself to just raising the kids.

I'm guessing that Kennedy-like he will issue some kind of call to encourage everyone to have patience and for everyone to exert an extra effort and to pull together.

I can only imagine that this will also be a big boost for basketball, and possibly athleticism in general. Maybe the President's Council on Physical Fitness will be resurrected. I know it still exists, but I haven't heard of it doing much lately except being a shill for General Mills.

We'll have a few clues later today. :thumb:

good journalism, gwd. Keep us posted!

I know to you DCers this is a giant PITA, but I sure wish I could be there for the party!

Last night was odd. Many cops out at the intersections and parties at the non-profits and labor unions. Traffic was so weird it felt good to just slice through it all. The cops were busy dealing with the cars so bikers could just move along. I met a friend at a restaurant then we went to a birthday party down in the historically black neighborhood where Duke Ellington lived. No problem finding parking or getting around for us.

I just returned from volunteering at one of the bike valet stations near the white house. We parked some 950 bikes in 3 hours. It was pretty cold out before dawn. Some people were crazy enough to go down to the national mall in the middle of the night. Many people who came by bike made the exact same comment- "I'm soooo glad I biked here. Thanks for volunteering to do this. " People arrived by bike dressed up in fancy clothes.

I rode home after my shift. I didn't wear thick enough gloves. Later I'll go back out just to see the craziness. Biking is always the best way to get around DC but today it is doubly true and in spite of the cold I see many bikes out on the streets. Some people who came to the bike valet station had old dusty bikes and said they almost never ride, but today they did.

I hear on the radio right now Obama is taking the oath.....

Last night was odd. Many cops out at the intersections and parties at the non-profits and labor unions. Traffic was so weird it felt good to just slice through it all. The cops were busy dealing with the cars so bikers could just move along. I met a friend at a restaurant then we went to a birthday party down in the historically black neighborhood where Duke Ellington lived. No problem finding parking or getting around for us.

I just returned from volunteering at one of the bike valet stations near the white house. We parked some 950 bikes in 3 hours. It was pretty cold out before dawn. Some people were crazy enough to go down to the national mall in the middle of the night. Many people who came by bike made the exact same comment- "I'm soooo glad I biked here. Thanks for volunteering to do this. " People arrived by bike dressed up in fancy clothes.

I rode home after my shift. I didn't wear thick enough gloves. Later I'll go back out just to see the craziness. Biking is always the best way to get around DC but today it is doubly true and in spite of the cold I see many bikes out on the streets. Some people who came to the bike valet station had old dusty bikes and said they almost never ride, but today they did.

I hear on the radio right now Obama is taking the oath.....

Thanks for the update. :) On TV I saw a bike briefly riding alongside the motorcade from the White House to the Capitol. I wondered if it was you. More likely a security person.

The Inauguration went off with barely a hitch. Obama wasn't sworn in until 12:06, so for six minutes I guess Biden was the leader of the free world, since he had already taken his oath. (Biden seemed to be having more fun than anybody else.) The other minor hitch was when Chief Justice Roberts bungled the oath. I don't think he did it on purpose, even though then Senator Obama did vote against his confirmation.

The speech was good. The main thing I got from it was a call to every American to shoulder responsibility, to make America great, in the sense of us again being a moral leader for the world. He laid some well deserved blame on Bush and Wall Street, without mentioning any names. Obama's references to "the lash of the whip" and segregation were moving, and a timely reminder of how recent in our own history these atrocities were committed, and how far we have yet to go to overcome them. But mostly the speech looked to the future rather than the past. He talked about the need for us to set aside ideology and concentrate on what works. After Reagan, Clinton and the Bushes, it will be nice to have more pragmatic leadership. We Americans can agree on goals but we sure fight hard about the proper means to an end.

For me, the second most thrilling moment (after tha actual oath-taking) was when the former President flew off into the ignominy of history. The only thing that could have made that moment greater was if Bush had been in handcuffs and leg irons, as he should have been. ;)

Or anyone, in any Muslim country, even voting for a Christian or Jew at all.

Egypt had a Christian prime minister not too long ago.

We are not, in fact, as racist as we once were, nor are we, at this moment, nearly as racist or otherwise bigoted as a lot of countries that like to criticize us. Imagine the Germans electing a half-Turk to be their Chancellor. Or the Brits voting for a half-Pakistani Prime Minister. Or anyone, in any Muslim country, even voting for a Christian or Jew at all. Let's not even talk about Japan. We have huge faults as a nation, as the last few years have amply demonstrated, but the fact that a man born of mixed descent, of humble origins, raised by a working-class single mother, could rise to such high station speaks volumes about the vast promise that the US still holds, for its citizens and the world at large. I haven't been this pleased with my country in quite some time.

After 8 years of near-Fascism, hell yes, it's an extremely important historical moment. It's certainly a lot more important than the stupid Olympics in China. It's right up there with Brown vs the Board of Education, or the end of hostilities in Northern Ireland. If Obama is actually up to the huge challenges he faces, which is a big question, this might be the most important US presidency since FDR.

Americans are just as racists as ever, just in a more subtle way which can be far more dangerous. I see it every day of my life that I have lived in this country. I have been around the world as well and have seen other places that are racists as well. However, I do not think that we need to pat ourselves on the backs just yet. It maybe that Obama becomes our token black president. Only time will tell I feel.

I was extremely disappointed that the new president and first family did not ride bicycles down Pennsylsvania Avenue after he took the oath.

Maybe I will see it in my lifetime.

I was extremely disappointed that the new president and first family did not ride bicycles down Pennsylsvania Avenue after he took the oath.

Maybe I will see it in my lifetime.

At least they walked part of the way. It'd be cool if they could ride, but we want them to be safe, also.

One of the newscasters was wondering how many miles the "Beast"--the battleship size Cadillac--gets per gallon. I was thinking--more like how many gallons per mile? And when the president travels outside of DC, they carry two of those Cadillacs in cargo planes--along with the Marine One helicopter.

Thanks for the update. :) On TV I saw a bike briefly riding alongside the motorcade from the White House to the Capitol. I wondered if it was you. More likely a security person.

The speech was good.
The uniformed secret service that hangs around the white house use mountain bikes. Also DC and the Transit police have bike officers.
I tuned the speech out when he talked about maintaining and fighting to preserve "The American Way of Life.". Meaning crass materialism and the car dependency that hogs the worlds resources. If we don't change course we'll get to where we're heading.

About the bike officers, I rode for miles on the closed roadways through the national parks around here passing many soldiers and police. The police were mostly in their cars blocking the entrances to the roadways. The soldiers were out on foot. There were other bikers with me and pedestrians using the roadways. The first bike cop I came across ordered me off the roadway. I can only speculate that he was one of the thousands of cops from out of town that they instantly deputized for today, and that he came from a place where the cops consider it part of their job description to harass transportation cyclists. Usually when they close that roadway for downed trees or floods the park police let cyclists use the road except where they're working. When the road is open to cars, cyclists are still allowed to use it but all but the racers prefer the MUP. Today the MUP was crowded with people walking back from the inauguration so it wasn't so pleasant for cyclists, thats why we were in the road.

About the pedestrians. I was surprised at how far people were walking for transportation today. The subways must have been very crowded, they don't walk that far on the 4th of July. This is a good thing, those peds might get an idea that they can walk places. I passed a guy maybe 4 miles from the mall talking on his cell phone saying he was walking back from the inauguration.

They were interviewing some people that had walked over 4 miles to the mall this morning when the metro all but ground to a halt because of the crowd. It was an amazing sight to see that mass of humanity and to think most of them got there under their own power or via mass transit.

Aaron:)

At least they walked part of the way. It'd be cool if they could ride, but we want them to be safe, also.

If a bicycle is good enough for the Queen of the Netherlands. . . . .

If a bicycle is good enough for the Queen of the Netherlands. . . . .

Don't recall hearing about any threats on her life though...

Aaron:)

Americans are just as racists as ever, just in a more subtle way which can be far more dangerous.

Speak for yourself, Jack.

Americans are just as racists as ever, just in a more subtle way which can be far more dangerous. I see it every day of my life that I have lived in this country. I have been around the world as well and have seen other places that are racists as well. However, I do not think that we need to pat ourselves on the backs just yet. It maybe that Obama becomes our token black president. Only time will tell I feel.

There is still serious racial inequality in America, as African Americans still make less money, have less education and are more likely to be the victims of crime and poor health. But racism was dealt a serious blow today, and it's harder to be an open racist in the 21st century.

I tuned the speech out when he talked about maintaining and fighting to preserve "The American Way of Life.". Meaning crass materialism and the car dependency that hogs the worlds resources. If we don't change course we'll get to where we're heading.

Really...what specifically did he say that gave you this impression? I don't recall him talking about automobiles or shopping or anything like that, but I don't remember everything he said.

Materialism and resource hogging are not at all the messages that I'm getting from Obama. He's talked more about service and sacrifice than any American leader since the days of King and Kennedy. The day before the Inauguration, he and his wife spent the day participating in service projects. In the speech today, when he talked about the American Dream, he was clearly referring to ideals of freedom, personal responsibility, and social justice. He mentioned global warming, alternative energy and environmentalism early in the speech, emphasizing that we need to tackle these issues right away.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/promos/politics/blog/13obama-bike.jpg

Barack "Fred" Obama on bicycle. :)

At one point, I saw a small peloton(6-8) of armed security officers in blue pacing the President's car but behind the crowd of people watching the parade. It would have been nice to see him on bicycle, but as it was said several times, the parade proceeded at the speed of a heavily armed man walking. Security!

I thought it was a good speech. I was disappointed that he didn't mention bicycles in his list of infrastructure projects, travel by rail wasn't mentioned either. But I was also disappointed that he didn't mention Buddhists, when he was listing important religions. I guess that's because they don't cause trouble in general.

I think that my expectations are lower than many. McCain swept Arkansas. Obama didn't even try here. So I was free to vote my concience and go for a 3rd party candidate. I think his ideals are good, but he's still got to contend with spineless Democrats and active conservatives. Conservatives who after rushing to support Bush's stimulus package, are now holding Obama's feet to the fire for the cost of it.

I'm just hoping that we can walk away from this era of insane politics. But it would be faster of course if we could pedal away from them.

All in all, this is the first time since Jimmy Carter was President that I wasn't completely appalled by our choice of leader. So there is hope.

Mr. President could stand to raise his saddle a bit,:thumb:

Mr. President could stand to raise his saddle a bit,:thumb:

He needs a little air in his tires also, but at least he representing. And he looks great in jeans, unlike most politicians.

Americans are just as racists as ever, just in a more subtle way which can be far more dangerous. I see it every day of my life that I have lived in this country. I have been around the world as well and have seen other places that are racists as well. However, I do not think that we need to pat ourselves on the backs just yet. It maybe that Obama becomes our token black president. Only time will tell I feel.

Obama, in his inaugural address, briefly mentioned that, 50 years ago, he would not have been able to eat a meal in most restaurants in DC, and here he was, on the steps of a building built by slaves, speaking to the people as their new president. This is a tidy summation of the progress we've made, and that progress is very real. It's quite true that a good number of Americans are still as racist as ever, but they are a distinct minority, as the elections results show, and their numbers are rapidly shrinking. The majority of people on the Mall today were Caucasian, and they looked very happy to see an African American take the oath of office. (OK, it was probably mingled with joy that the new president was actually capable of speaking in coherent, grammatically correct sentences.) The glimpses of African Americans on the screen were little tableaus of relief and joy. I can imagine that, after centuries of brutal slavery, and another century and a half of continued disenfranchisement, this must feel like a transcendent moment of final acceptance to many Americans. Don't ruin this moment for yourself by being more cynical than the situation calls for.

It went off as well as I could expect. Herding a couple million people around isn't easy, especially when nearly half of the streets branching off the Mall are blocked by the parade route and staging areas. The people who had problems were the impatiently *****y types who'd normally complain about anything that didn't go their way.

I didn't ride, because I didn't want to create a hassle if I got in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds (which I did). I also didn't need to bother with the valet parking (sorry, gwd) because I just live too close already. So, I stopped by my favorite sandwich shop for a breakfast croissant, walked down from the Hill, looped around the White House, and ended up on the far side of the WWII Memorial for the oaths. I took my time and walked back up the Mall as the crowds dispersed, and returned home after about 7-8 hours. A little under 8 miles of walking total -- which, honestly, still isn't far enough to make me wish I had biked instead.

However, I do not think that we need to pat ourselves on the backs just yet.

Agreed. The majority of white Americans voted for McCain/Palin, so if the election had only counted the votes of whites (as the founding fathers intended), they would have won by a landslide. It took a massive turnout by blacks and Hispanics to get Obama and Biden elected. Still, we've come a long way.

Speak for yourself, Jack.

Who is Jack? I was not "speaking" for anyone but myself and my own observations. The subtle clue was that I wrote it.... please do not lecture me about my observations.

Agreed. The majority of white Americans voted for McCain/Palin, so if the election had only counted the votes of whites (as the founding fathers intended), they would have won by a landslide. It took a massive turnout by blacks and Hispanics to get Obama into the White House. Still, we've come a long way.

I read an analysis of the election that said Obama would have won even if there had been only a normal or average turnout of African Americans and Hispanics.

Another thing I was thinking is that McCain himself is not a racist. Neither were most of the people who voted for him. (Neither is Bush, for that matter.) It looks like McCain will be Obama's "go to guy" for communicating with the Republicans in the Senate, according to pundits.

Obama himself said that some people would vote against him because he's black, but others would vote for him for the same reason. He reckoned those two groups would more or less even out, and that's why an African American could become president. It sounds like a simple concept, but I don't think anybody ever thought of it before Obama.

Agreed. The majority of white Americans voted for McCain/Palin, so if the election had only counted the votes of whites (as the founding fathers intended), they would have won by a landslide. It took a massive turnout by blacks and Hispanics to get Obama into the White House. Still, we've come a long way.

+1 This is all I was trying to say. I am not cynical but all I see a bunch of red states and a bunch of blue states with a couple of swings. I am not saying that all red states are full of racists or that all blue states are not. We indeed have come a long way but that does not belittle the fact that there was a VERY VERY LONG WAY that we needed to go in the first place, we have a VERY LONG WAY to go.

+1 This is all I was trying to say. I am not cynical but all I see a bunch of red states and a bunch of blue states with a couple of swings. I am not saying that all red states are full of racists or that all blue states are not. We indeed have come a long way but that does not belittle the fact that there was a VERY VERY LONG WAY that we needed to go in the first place, we have a VERY LONG WAY to go.

I don't think many people would disagree with this formulation of your idea. It reads smoother than your earlier posts, while conveying the same concept.

I don't think many people would disagree with this formulation of your idea. It reads smoother than your earlier posts, while conveying the same concept.

I can agree with that.

Really...what specifically did he say that gave you this impression? I don't recall him talking about automobiles or shopping or anything like that, but I don't remember everything he said.



We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence

After math: After large events on the mall I look at the amount of litter left on the ground by the various groups. Its a concrete way to asses the type people who attended. The Obama crowd seems cleaner than the 4th of July crowd but not as clean as the people who come out for the National Symphony and way cleaner than the Christian groups. Of course if the security restrictions hadn't forbidden backpacks and coolers the litter level might have been much higher. For some reason on the multi use paths back to Virginia people dumped their little hand warmer packets. I don't get why people can't just carry those little things until they see a trash can. They aren't that heavy or messy. The bike paths and streets were pretty clear of debris this morning. When I was parking bikes, I saw that many people were stuffing drinks and food in their coat pockets so there was a huge potential for trashy streets, apparently most attendees used trash cans or had the pack-it-in, pack-it-out philosophy.

We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence

"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect."

BTW, also a good discussion of the Inaugural speech on Climate Progress (http://climateprogress.org/2009/01/20/president-obamas-call-to-action-on-energy-and-climate-each-day-brings-further-evidence-that-the-ways-we-use-energy-strengthen-our-adversaries-and-threaten-our-planet/). That is, the article is good, the comments are weak compared to what you read in this thread.

I wish I could have been there, but at least I got to see much of it on TV here at work. Just as after election day, I got to hear all sorts of racist comments from my coworkers, though this time much of it was of a joking nature. (Not that that makes it okay, but it's less disturbing than the comments I heard on Nov. 5) So these people do still exist, though I'm hopeful that they are a dying breed. To be honest, lately I've kind of lost a lot of hope for America, but after yesterday I have a small bit a renewed optimism. America's kind of like a smart teenager who does some stupid things, but can also come up with brilliant ideas and is actually a pretty good kid. :p

After math: After large events on the mall I look at the amount of litter left on the ground by the various groups. Its a concrete way to asses the type people who attended. The Obama crowd seems cleaner than the 4th of July crowd but not as clean as the people who come out for the National Symphony and way cleaner than the Christian groups. Of course if the security restrictions hadn't forbidden backpacks and coolers the litter level might have been much higher. For some reason on the multi use paths back to Virginia people dumped their little hand warmer packets. I don't get why people can't just carry those little things until they see a trash can. They aren't that heavy or messy. The bike paths and streets were pretty clear of debris this morning. When I was parking bikes, I saw that many people were stuffing drinks and food in their coat pockets so there was a huge potential for trashy streets, apparently most attendees used trash cans or had the pack-it-in, pack-it-out philosophy.
Interesting. :)

I think the environment is a more important issue for Obama himself than it is for many of his supporters.

Right now, in the majority black HS where I teach, only 6 students have shown up to take their semester final exam. I'm not sure that they've gotten the message about how everything is better for them now.

My point is, that the schools are still broken and there are miles to go before we can celebrate.

The problems of racism have ingrained themselves into communities like this. It will take a good deal of time to truly establish equality.

It's not entirely up to whites, either. Overcoming a little predjudice in the voting booth is one thing....

Right now, in the majority black HS where I teach, only 6 students have shown up to take their semester final exam. I'm not sure that they've gotten the message about how everything is better for them now.

My point is, that the schools are still broken and there are miles to go before we can celebrate.

The problems of racism have ingrained themselves into communities like this. It will take a good deal of time to truly establish equality.

It's not entirely up to whites, either. Overcoming a little predjudice in the voting booth is one thing....

Racism and racial inequality are related, but they're not the same thing. Inequality is transgenerational, and it will outlive racism by 100 years, if we don't work hard to overcome it. Obama talks a lot about personal responsibility, and makes it clear that this applies to blacks as well as whites. Especially parents.

We also need a fairer distribution of wealth, seeing as African American incomes are much lower than the median figures. This means reform in education, the job market and entrepeneurial opportunities.

For some reason on the multi use paths back to Virginia people dumped their little hand warmer packets. I don't get why people can't just carry those little things until they see a trash can. They aren't that heavy or messy.

I have a couple guesses --

They just plain dropped them while taking off their gloves or moving things in their pockets. Or, their hands got warm enough, so they put them in a pocket -- then it got hotter there, so they ditched them in pain and exasperation. ;)

There were a LOT of newspapers strewn about the north side of the Washington Monument. No idea why they were all there. Some girl was sitting on the edge of the walkway with her friends saying, "Leave no trace!" :lol:

I carried my breakfast with me and ate on the move, and held onto it until I could find a good place to dispose of it. It took about an hour of walking before I found a trash can that wasn't already overflowing (and, actually, it was because a worker was in the process of changing the bags, and I put mine in the nearly-full bag that he was about to close).

It took about an hour of walking before I found a trash can that wasn't already overflowing ...

We need to get away from using so much disposal crap, especially plastic. This blog (http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/) shows how it can be done.

We need to get away from using so much disposal crap, especially plastic. This blog (http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/) shows how it can be done.

*yawn* Okay, go and tell every single business here about it. Grocery store, deli, restaurant, dry cleaners, bookstore, etc.

Interesting. :)

I think the environment is a more important issue for Obama himself than it is for many of his supporters.

I saw a headline today that said cleanup crews worked overnight so maybe they aren't as tidy as my morning impression. The Obama people weren't there to petition the government this weekend. The people who do come to petition the government seem clueless when they leave a bunch of trash in their wake. If you guys come here for a car free rally or something, remember the congressmen and senators and their staff, the people who make decisions will come to work past any litter and garbage you leave behind. If they see the Mall- a national park, all clean and green they won't think much of it. That is how it is supposed to look. If they see piles of garbage that you left behind, they'll remember you in a bad way as in "Those bicyclists don't care enough about our national parks to find a trash can or pack it out, why should we care about their bike lanes?"