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The Inaugural Balls

By Jeralyn, Section Obama Administration
Posted on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 12:05:11 PM EST
Tags: Obama Inauguration (all tags)
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MTV's Inaugural Ball for President Clinton in 1993 was as good as they get: Michael Stipe of REM, Natalie Merchant (then of 10,000 Maniacs) and Don Henley ("Democracy" here). Bill and Hillary and Al and Tipper made memorable appearances.

Fast-forward 16 years and it's definitely a change. The two biggest musical events will be the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon in D.C. and the Youth Inaugural Ball, from which MTV and Service Nation will host their own event, Be the Change, on Tuesday night.[More...]

The "We are One" concert will be re-played Sunday night on HBO. It will be free to all cable and satellite subscribers. It features:

U2, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Will.I.Am, John Mellencamp, Shakira, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow and Josh Groban.

Headlining the Youth Inaugural/MTV/Service Nation event: Kanye West, Kid Rock and Fall Out Boy. It will air live Tuesday night on all MTV channels.

At the actual Inaugural Ball, Beyonce will perform for Obama's first dance. She'll sing the Etta James song, At Last. You can watch her singing it here.

< Power Lawyer in Obama Aministration | NYTimes Poll: Obama Holds Americans' Confidence and Patience >

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    The Inaugural Balls | 58 comments (58 topical)

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    There's a lot of energy out there. (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by EL seattle on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 12:14:11 PM EST
    And eveyone deserves a celebration.

    I'd hope that some of that energy might also get focused on a few things that don't need direct presidential leadership.  Like, say, supporting the repeal of the death penalty in as many states as possible.

    It's a depression outside Washington (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by koshembos on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 12:58:12 PM EST
    The celebrations are understandable; first black president and Bush is gone. The lavish balls, the bars full of people, while out there foreclosures and unemployment in ever increasing numbers.

    Somehow celebrating while Rome is burning yet again smells strange.

    No doubt (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by JThomas on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:11:13 PM EST
    it is hard times out here..but to not celebrate a new president would be a mistake. As FDR said, nothing to fear but fear itself...we have to regain our confidence as a nation,an economy and if we go into a shell, and retreat from our history of resilency as a nation, we are lost.

    Parent
    celebrating (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:15:44 PM EST
    I celebrate the departure from Washington of Bush, Cheney and Rice. Good riddance.

    I'll celebrate the new president when and if he does anything worth celebrating.

    Parent

    Things suck (5.00 / 0) (#28)
    by indy in sc on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:02:16 PM EST
    for a lot of people in a lot of ways right now.  We need to celebrate what we can.  I think inauguration day and the few days leading up to it are the time to celebrate the promise of what can be.  

    On January 21st, I'll be back to "what have you done for me lately" with Obama, the congress, my state and local leaders and myself (though I'll be much easier on myself ;)).  Til then I'm gonna party like its 1999.

    Parent

    Or - even worse... (none / 0) (#5)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:32:30 PM EST
    It's like the Germans raising their beer steins and singing while the carnage continued.

    Parent
    "Be the change"....????? (5.00 / 7) (#4)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:28:58 PM EST
    I don't know.
    These "change" slogans get weirder and weirder.

    But this one, which I believe is the latest, seems to put the responsibility for change on us, the folks who put Obama in office.

    He's the one who is supposed to change things.

    We have been trying to end the goddam war in Iraq for at least five years. The Dean candidacy imploded, and Kerry wouldn't represent us. Then in 2006, we voted in a democratic congress with the specific mandate of ending the war in Iraq. Obama, of course, to repeat what we all know but refused to take in, campaigned for Lieberman. Pelosi and Reid went along with Bush to send even more troops in. And that's where we are now.

    To the extent that Obama's election was as a result of grassroots efforts and monetary donations (and I'm not sure it was) it is up to him to honor that effort by producing the change that he promised he would.

    Now he's saying, via his slogan --- "You do it. You be the change that I said I was".

    He's blaming the victims - us.

    "Be the change" also just sounds dumb - semi-literate.
    It's sounds like "Me Tarzan, you Jane".

    I'm hopeful we might recover (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:39:29 PM EST
    but not in the mood for "mass entertainment", reveling, and partying.

    Parent
    In a (none / 0) (#12)
    by Fabian on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:15:46 PM EST
    party before the apocalypse way, I am.

    Parent
    Um, it's an abbreviated Gandhi quote... (5.00 / 4) (#11)
    by Addison on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:05:12 PM EST
    ...not an indication of some lazy, pre-determined dismissal of all his responsibility. Far less is the invocation of Gandhi a "blame the victims" moment. I mean, c'mon, try harder.

    Parent
    Do you have the full quote? (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:33:00 PM EST
    I'm not sure I'm familiar with it. "Be the Change" just sounded like another play on the change message that we have seen a few of over the past year or so.

    Parent
    Try Google (5.00 / 0) (#15)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:39:40 PM EST
    Be the change is an invitation to become active.

    Parent
    I can just see the T-shirts now . . . . (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:48:24 PM EST
    "Be the Change!" and underneath in smaller print "use teh google"

    Parent
    Or In Your Case (3.00 / 2) (#19)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:57:08 PM EST
    "Why Bother, I Voted Hillary"

    Parent
    OMG!!! (5.00 / 4) (#20)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:06:46 PM EST
    I wasn't aware Hillary was on the ballot, shoot!

    Back to the quote though (since this has NOTHING to do with my vote or Hillary deflection), there have been enough change slogans, that without referencing the origin of the quote, it looks like just another rollout of a campaign slogan (yes, he is still campaigning and will continue per his boyz). If someone is going to do the "umm it's a so and so quote", they should include the source/quote. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that doesn't have all quotes memorized.

    Parent

    Not On The Ballot (1.50 / 2) (#23)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:22:27 PM EST
    On your tee shirt though, It would sum up your position regarding Obama, imo, much more than "use teh google".

    And I certainly did not suggest that I or anyone has all great leaders quotes memorized. I thought it ironic, and telling, that rather than being active and googling "Ghandi, Be the Change" you chose to act passive and act helpless. It is obviously your form of resistance to Obama's clinching the Dem Nomination and POTUS.

    Parent

    I didn't feel like doing a google search (5.00 / 6) (#24)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:32:18 PM EST
    I felt it was more up to the commenter that tossed out the reference.

    Passive and helpless?! My, you seem to really be going for the ultimate a** today. And since you seem to like to put everyone in the same category and then make up what they are 'feeling/doing", let me throw some water on it. I am not resistant to Obama being president. I think it's pretty f*cking obvious he is going to be as of Tuesday and my opportunity to voice my opinion in the matter was on certain Tuesday in Nov. OTOH, just because he's going to be president, doesn't mean I'm going to throw my brain out the window and just follow along. For the LAST TIME, I do NOT want him to fail. We CAN'T afford for him to. Doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he does though, so just stop your crap with me. It's very tiresome and is making you look darn petty. I thought you were smarter than that.

    Parent

    Say What You Want (1.50 / 2) (#25)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:41:14 PM EST
    I still think it is hillarious and dripping with irony, that your brain ruled out finding out Ghandi's quote on your own when the quote was all about resisting helplessness.

    Perhaps your lack of interest in anything remotely positive regarding Obama is so reflexive at this point that you are unaware, if so you can thank me for pointing it out to you.

    Parent

    Time constraints and common courtesy (none / 0) (#29)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:05:59 PM EST
    Time constraints on me, if I start googling quotes, I'll prob get distracted and spend too much time vs the quick breaks I'm taking while waiting for things to print.

    Common courtesy, supplying reference when referring to things, just thought that's what people did {shrug}

    Glad to know you think another campaign slogan from Obama is positive. Is this positive change? Or progress?

    I'm not in the habit of thanking those who are out just out to stir up sh!t or simply be rude for lack of anything else. Plus, you have a serious reading comprehension problem, or is it just the inability to accept other's truths that don't fit into the truth you would like to create?

    Parent

    Not Buying It (none / 0) (#32)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:23:15 PM EST
    Googling "Ghandi Be The change", is quicker than typing your question, and waiting for a response, unless you were just being snarky and could care less about finding about the origin of quote.

    Parent
    get a room guys (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:44:36 PM EST
    thanks.

    Parent
    When Hillary appears... (1.00 / 1) (#46)
    by weltec2 on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 08:21:49 PM EST
    they should play "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow":

    If you wake up and dont want to smile,
    If it takes just a little while,
    Open your eyes and look at the day,
    You'll see things in a different way.

    But no... they won't do that... unfortunately.

    Parent

    This was not (none / 0) (#52)
    by weltec2 on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 11:20:03 PM EST
    at all intended in a negative way. I have always been and still am a Clinton supporter.

    Parent
    Quotation from Gandhi (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Politalkix on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:45:45 PM EST
    "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

    Parent
    Thanks! (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:49:53 PM EST


    Parent
    Quoting Ghandi (5.00 / 3) (#21)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 03:09:17 PM EST
    I have two reactions to this quote.

    The first is: the people nominated and elected someone who said he was going to change things. This took some effort. People did something within the system to try to bring about change. In this respect, they already beed the change.

    The second is: Ghandi believed in civil disobedience. He was rallying people to force a change in the behavior of the British colonialists - or their complete expulsion from India.

    I don't think this is what Obama is suggesting. I think he's saying that there's not much he can or will do. He wants to let the rich folks keep their tax cuts, but he want the rest of us to give and give some more.

    But - what the heck. Let's assume that he's referencing Ghandi.
    Let's begin advocating and practicing civil disobedience.

    If he refuses to stop the war in Iraq - or moves to start new ones, let's take his advice and begin endless demonstrations. Let's tie up traffic. Let's block entrances to airports. Let's refuse to pay taxes - or at least the portion of the taxes that go to supporting the war machine. I'm sure Obama will be pleased that we are beginning to behave differently. Active and not passive. Disrupting the smooth functioning of government.

    Great idea.
    Thanks.

    Parent

    wow (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by byteb on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 06:05:30 PM EST


    Parent
    What An Odd Interpretation (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by daring grace on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:30:19 PM EST
    Even without hearing that 'Be the Change' echoes an earlier Gandhi quote, what I thought it meant when I heard it was an acknowledgment that we (some of us) are responsible for Obama getting elected. And that our involvement in his achieving what we want from a POTUS doesn't end there.

    It is a request that we keep pushing for the change we want after the last benighted 8 years.

    He said as much many times in the campaign: that it wasn't about him but about all of us together staying engaged in the process to get the good work done.

    Parent

    Odd (none / 0) (#40)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:46:24 PM EST
    I don't think that Obama is encouraging us to push him to end the war in Iraq. I don't get from him that he wants the left to push him toward tax equity - or universal health care. I don't think he wants to be pushed by the left. I think he wants us to do what conservatives want us to do. Donate. Donate our time to do tasks that government will not do with the tax money that they extort from us. Volunteer. Help the poor and feed the sick. Government won't do it. They have bombs to build. Defense contractors to feed.

    Obama can be articulate when he wants to be. At least he used to be able to. What specific thing does he want us to be engaged in?
    What specific thing does he want to do that he is asking us to support with our time and money more than we already have?

    I think this "you be the change" thing is a smoke-screen.

    Of course, you could be right. Obama wants us all to join together for something or other. Rick Warren holding hands with Barney Frank. Glory Hallelujah.

    Parent

    gosh, now tell us what JFK 'really' meant (5.00 / 0) (#41)
    by byteb on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 06:01:19 PM EST
    when he said: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
    What nefarious subtle and subliminal message was he truly suggesting?

    Parent
    Yes, he did. (none / 0) (#44)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 08:04:44 PM EST
    He was saying, you want health care? Don't ask.

    I never liked that quote.
    I don't know why it gets repeated and repeated as if it is something great. Even the language is stilted and weird. Who says "ask not"? What a crock.

    Who is asking the country to do something for them? It makes no sense. We pay a lot of taxes. We have a right to ask that the money gets spent wisely and that we get some services in return.

    To ask the government to respect the electorate is not asking the country for anything. It's a bogus red herring.

    Why shouldn't the citizens of this country demand that their representatives be responsive?

    As for the "ask what you can do for your country" part...
    What is he talking about? If you raise a family, do your job as a parent or a worker, pay your taxes, vote... what the hell else should you be responsible for?

    And if you don't raise a family. Suppose you just go about being a painter - or a worker and enjoying the company of your friends... is there something wrong with that? Haven't we a right to privacy and the right to live our lives?

    I will give Kennedy credit for the idea of the peace corps. That gave people who wanted to a chance to help people in need.

    But every time I hear that Kennedy quote, I think the same thing. The government isn't going to do sh-t for us. Our money is going down the military-industrial-corrupt politician hole that it has always gone down.

    Parent

    Maybe Not So Odd, But Still... (none / 0) (#53)
    by daring grace on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 08:56:36 AM EST
    Since we're starting out on different sides of this fence.

    Obviously we stand and have always (I gather) stood in different places re Obama. So I'm okay with things you (apparently) are not okay with.

    So I'm okay with him asking me (and everyone) to stay engaged in the process and participate in ways that make things better in the country. Donate? Sure. He's a pol and that's what they perpetually request. I think you're wrong about him not wanting to be pressed by opposing viewpoints. So far it looks to me as if he invites that and uses it to frame his policies.

    As for ending the war in Iraq:

    snip:

    "He said in July: "I intend to end this war. My first day in office, I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission, and that is to end this war responsibly and deliberately but decisively."

    "That's just what Obama will do on Wednesday, said a top adviser, noting that the meeting also will include military commanders and aides outside the Joint Chiefs. The adviser would speak only on condition of anonymity because the Wednesday meeting has not been formally announced."

    Parent

    Yes, Ghandi was semi-literate and dumb.. (none / 0) (#43)
    by byteb on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 06:07:22 PM EST


    Parent
    A red herring (none / 0) (#45)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 08:20:12 PM EST
    I respect Ghandi. He put his very life on the line for his people.
    He did not issue stupid slogans.
    Ghandi did not say, "Be the change".

    There is a more complete quote which appears below.

    Obama's crew is simply saying, "be the change". A slogan. Meaningless. He may as well say, "be a hat".

    Is he calling for direct action against a corrupt and brutal government as was Ghandi? I don't think so. Do you?

    Now - if your interpretation of Obama's quote is that he is calling upon us to apply relentless pressure to our corrupt and unresponsive government, I would say, "good. Great". But if he is saying that, why doesn't he just come out and say it. Malcolm X could have. Patrick Henry could have.

    Parent

    On Gandhi and Slogans (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by Politalkix on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 11:37:21 AM EST
    Lentinel, Given the kind of anger that you display in your posts and the POVs that you express, you would have been very disappointed in Gandhi had you lived in India during India's independence struggle. Please read up on that subject. Gandhi was actually routinely criticized by many politicians and a substantial section of people in India during India's fight for freedom for not putting adequate pressure on the British to pack their bags and quit colonial rule. The essence of Gandhi's satyagraha movement was self discipline, introspection and learning how to conquer feelings of anger and ill will towards people one disagreed with, even towards oppressors. He would routinely tell the people whose struggles he championed to love their oppressors but fight their policies. Many a time, he abandoned non cooperation or civil disobedience agitations when he thought that people had become too rowdy and were acting out in anger against colonial rule. Many of his detractors therefore sincerely believed that he did not apply "relentless pressure" against British colonial rule, even when opportunities were ripe. A lot of his critics called him "naive", some even went to the extent of saying that he had sold out to the British or was inadvertently functioning on their behalf. At a time when British colonialists brutally put down agitations by killing, jailing and torturing people in prisons, creating artificial famines and starving people to mete out collective punishments for disobedience, Gandhi preached the virtues of moral courage by not reacting in anger but steadfastly fighting oppression by learning to be self reliant, being more disciplined and becoming a better person. People like me respect Gandhi for what he preached but it seems that you have no idea about what he stood for.

    Parent
    Sure (1.00 / 2) (#49)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 10:37:19 PM EST
    "be the change". A slogan. Meaningless.

    If you are a moron.

    Parent

    oof (none / 0) (#51)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 11:16:42 PM EST


    Parent
    Maybe it's a call against myopia (none / 0) (#47)
    by byteb on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 09:25:28 PM EST
    and cynicism...

    Parent
    Maybe it's just me, but (none / 0) (#50)
    by lentinel on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 11:16:13 PM EST
    It could be anything.

    Parent
    While I understand (5.00 / 5) (#7)
    by jbindc on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:40:22 PM EST
    his supporters wanting to celebrate his victory, it has gotten out of hand here in DC.  We should never celebrate the person - they are politicians.  We should celebrate the process - a peaceful transition of power that many in the world cannot even imagine. We are celebrating US - not Obama.  But the cult of personality surrounding Obama has grown feverish - especially here.  Commemorative plates, coins, etc. are only the tip of the iceberg.  It truly is bizarro world here in the nation's capital. I am reminded that the higher you place someone on a pedestal, the farther they have to fall. And politicians will ALWAYS fall.

    I hope everyone who is here will have fun and be safe.  Me - I have the day off work and will probably watch lots of reruns and stuff I have DVR'd.

    I agree with you. (none / 0) (#58)
    by AX10 on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 02:56:24 PM EST
    The celebrating of a person for their speaking abilities is hardly noble.

    Parent
    At Last (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Dadler on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:41:26 PM EST
    The song my wife and I had our first dance to at our wedding, New Year's Eve 1996.  Good choice, though I'd rather hear Etta sing it, even in her wheelchair bound state.

    As for the rest, get it over with and get on with the real business of repairing the country.  We elected a minority president long after we should have.  No time to pat ourselves on the backs and feel as if we've accomplished something.  We accomplished the easiest of somethings, it turns out.  The real difficult sh*t looms ahead, and I still can't figure out exactly what Obama is about.  Sucking up to the right and hoping they have good ideas is not going to work.  I fear, however, he still hasn't comprehended this.

    But party on.

    Life is so damn (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:57:02 PM EST
    Short.

    Don't waste it.

    Justice Roberts break-dancing (5.00 / 2) (#26)
    by Cream City on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 04:10:49 PM EST
    is what I want to see; I'm with the Onion on this: The Inaugural Dance.

    (How much time has the Congressional committee put into this fiddling while Rome burns, anyway?!)

    There are some things one can be, (5.00 / 5) (#27)
    by Anne on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 04:24:43 PM EST
    that can bring about changes.  You know - stop being a road-raging aggressive driver, smile more, be nice to people, listen more/talk less - that kind of thing.  Be more attuned to your body, get healthier, lose weight.  Be a better parent, a better spouse, a better employee or employer.  Let who you are be an example for others to emulate.

    But the kind of change we need, is not change we get from "being."  I can be an advocate for all manner of things that need changing - I can write and call and join advocacy groups - but at some point, it won't be anything I am, or any state of being I have attained, that will institute the changes we need.  A lot will depend on how those who do have the power to effect change respond to the people's desire for those changes - a lot.

    Think about, for example, how hard people worked to get more Democrats elected to Congress in 2006 - how hard we worked to eke out a majority.  And what did those we worked so hard for do with all that hard work, all the blood, sweat and tears that went into working for change?  What?

    Is the difference going to be that we will have a Democratic president?  It should be, but I have seen an awful lot of signs that Obama is not necessarily looking at the same kinds of changes so many people put their hearts and souls into getting him elected to make.  

    This "Be the Change" thing is dangerous, and I almost feel a creepy sense of it as something out of that silly book, The Secret.  Or like something out of Peter Pan, with all of us clapping hard to keep Tinkerbell alive.  

    The Inaugual celebration is like the reception after the wedding; let's just hope the marriage turns out to be as much fun, huh?

    Misunderstanding (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:18:21 PM EST
    Be the change is not spooky or mystical, nor complex. The statement is consistent with Obama's message and early roots with Alinsky. Rather than sit around pointing at what is wrong with the word Obama is inviting everyone to get involved with activism. IOW change is something that starts from the individual and moves outward not the other way around.

    Hard to see anything wrong with that message, and really hard to imagine how that message could be the least bit dangerous.

    Parent

    It's dangerous in the sense that when (5.00 / 6) (#34)
    by Anne on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:29:14 PM EST
    people feel like they have done all they can do, and it still does not get them the changes they were promised, there's a good chance they will just say, "screw it - nothing we do ever helps," and the GOP will be right there to pick up the pieces.

    Obama's track record does not suggest he has much in the way of follow-through - and he's already back-tracked and equivocated on a number of things people were counting on him to do, has shown much more concession to the right, so I think he walks a difficult course in exploiting people's desire for change if he is not prepared to give them what they have been working for.

    Parent

    It Depends (none / 0) (#37)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:34:41 PM EST
    If living an active life is the end result or just a process on the way to lounging around enjoying the view.

    It should be clear that it is a lifestyle, satisfying in itself, and smelling the flowers is part of it.

    Parent

    True but (none / 0) (#33)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:25:51 PM EST
    it could be dangerous if people don't understand what "Be The Change" (personal responsibility) really means.

    This country has major priorities we all can't just be "Activists" running or sitting around accomplishing nothing of real substance.

    Parent

    Yes We Can All Be Activists (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by squeaky on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:30:51 PM EST
    To whatever degree it is possible on a personal level. Activism can be a simple as making conservation choices, volunteering to help people read, etc...

    I think that the biggest thing we have is human resources here in the US. Seems that the fall of the empire starts when we think that we are on top and do not need to do anything but enjoy the view.

    Parent

    Sales and Marketing (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:18:28 PM EST
    As much as I am glad Obama is in there's way to much marketing of products and services tied into this inauguration.

    I suppose the public deserves one last hurrah before reality sets in. Especially after 8 years of delayed instant gratification.

    Parent

    Activism (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 05:38:45 PM EST
    FDA: 'Postpone' eating foods containing peanut butter.

    The Food and Drug Administration says Americans should "postpone" eating cookies, crackers, candy and ice cream that contain peanut butter or peanut paste while the agency works to establish which products are tainted with the strain of salmonella typhimurium which has sickened 474 people nationwide and is implicated in six deaths.

    I don't know about you but I'm getting frustrated by being sickened, slowly poisoned by corrupt U.S. Food outfits.

    Pete Seeger Performing At Inaugural Concert Today (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by daring grace on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 11:05:17 AM EST
    NOW, I'm excited!

    Oh, yeah and Springsteen and Beyonce and etc. etc.

    But having Seeger there--a man who was blacklisted in the 1950s epitomizes to me the end of this shameful Bush/Cheney nightmare.

    Hallelujah

    By the way, here's the link about Pete performing from a newspaper that focuses on him and his participation as a hometown (home region) paper should.

    It's about time. (none / 0) (#56)
    by EL seattle on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 11:32:50 AM EST
    The general absence of Seeger and his legacy in the events of campaign '08 really sort of concerned me.  Granted, he can be a testy ol' guy, but he's one of the giants whose shoulders the others are standing on.  Personally, I can only listen to so much of the new dripping-with-sincerity music of "change" without nodding off.  I don't think I ever fell asleep when listening to Pete Seeger.

    (Of course, Seeger's also standing on the shoulders of earlier giants, but they're not around to perform at any concerts.)  

    Parent

    Glad I'm not going (none / 0) (#9)
    by SOS on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 01:48:02 PM EST
    to be in D.C.

    Media's going to have a field day though. Probably something like this.

    "Revelers take to D.C. Streets"
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .

    "Clean up crews work on clearing 250 tons of trash"

    Let's Not Forget the Virtual Inaugural Ball (none / 0) (#13)
    by No Blood for Hubris on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 02:21:29 PM EST
    Netroots Nation in SL

    Stipe and Natalie Merchant (none / 0) (#48)
    by eric on Sat Jan 17, 2009 at 09:52:25 PM EST
    were great, I have a CD with their duets from that night.

    This is the perfect (none / 0) (#54)
    by weltec2 on Sun Jan 18, 2009 at 09:08:01 AM EST
    title for this thread since it has always seemed to me that it takes a lot of balls to throw a ball while the economy is in the tank.

    The Inaugural Balls | 58 comments (58 topical)

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