Link: From The New York Times' interview with Jeanne L. Phillips, chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee -
Quote:
Q: I hear one of the balls will be reserved for troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
A: Yes, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. That is new. It will be about 2,000 servicemen and their guests. And that should be a really fun event for them.
Q: As an alternative way of honoring them, did you or the president ever discuss canceling the nine balls and using the $40 million inaugural budget to purchase better equipment for the troops?
A: I think we felt like we would have a traditional set of events and we would focus on honoring the people who are serving our country right now -- not just the people in the armed forces, but also the community volunteers, the firemen, the policemen, the teachers, the people who serve at, you know, the -- well, it's called the StewPot in Dallas, people who work with the homeless.
Q: How do any of them benefit from the inaugural balls?
A: I'm not sure that they do benefit from them.
Q: Then how, exactly, are you honoring them?
A: Honoring service is what our theme is about.
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Does this seem a tad crazy to anyone else. 40 million dollars are being spent on a bunch of parties for W. I'm not bitter about Kerry losing; if he were doing this I would be just as pissed off. I'm for Indiana and the new governor called off all of the Inaugural stuff cause the state didn't have the money to pay for it, not that any of this was called for. This whole scam is about 'themes'. Themes without action meaning or agency are nothing more than a show. There is a party for handpicked veterans, the president shows up, the media takes picture and all see is what the want us to see.