Coronation

I must admit that yesterday I did not watch most of the festivities surrounding the swearing in of Mr. Bush. I was fulfilling my civic duty of jury duty (what a good citizen I am).

But for a brief time in the morning, I watched the motorcade driving slowly down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol building. You see, I lived in DC for several years, and hoped to catch a glimpse of the Capitol Mall, or some of the stunning architecture which characterizes our national city. I was saddened that the video was so closely honed in on the limosine which carried the Bushs on their way and switched back to the dignitaries gathering on the Capitol.

Then I tuned in to KPFA - the local Pacifica station - on the drive to the courthouse and realized that the media was trying hard to avoid any images of the protesters who lined the motorcade route.

I ask you, what good is a democracy, if we do not get to see or hear the dissenting opinions? I heard them...yes. But did my parents, who tend to view ABC, CBS & NBC as liberal, get a sense that there were some who cared enough to show up? Probably not...

The president preached on freedom yesterday, but it would seem to be a freedom limited to the ideas and opinions which are "acceptable" to the "majority" of Americans. Freedom is limited when people are not made aware of their options and of the possibility of support.