Protesters May Not Have Swearing-In Spot (A.N.S.W.E.R. Alert!)

WASHINGTON - The park service has given the Presidential Inaugural Committee clearance to erect bleachers along parts of Pennsylvania Avenue where an anti-war group had requested permits to stage a large-scale protest during President Bush (news - web sites)'s parade.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition had applied for permits to assemble, and in some cases build bleachers, along parts of the historic street that stretches from the Capitol to the White House.

However, angry coalition officials argued Friday that permitting the inaugural committee to build bleachers in several open spaces, such as Freedom Plaza, across from the White House, and in front of the FBI (news - web sites) headquarters and Justice Department (news - web sites), prohibits the coalition from gathering in such areas to stage their large demonstrations.

"The goal, from the beginning, was equal access to Pennsylvania Avenue," Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a representative of the Partnership for Civil Justice, which is working on behalf of A.N.S.W.E.R, said at a news conference. "We can't have what the PIC gets. They've issued a permit to another group for the same space we asked for."

Bill Line, a spokesman for park service's National Capital Region, said the coalition's complaints are premature.

"Just because PIC was granted a permit for construction of bleachers does not automatically in any way, shape or form preclude A.N.S.W.E.R. from being issued a permit," he said.

"We, the National Park Service, fully expect that we, the National Park Service, will issue a permit to A.N.S.W.E.R. for designated portions of the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalks. In fact, we have had discussions with them where we have stated this directly."

He said the agency has an obligation to ensure that the public and demonstrators, regardless of their messages, are "fully allowed onto the many open areas of the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalks on Jan. 20."

Coalition officials say they may consider a legal challenge to ensure access to a swath of space along Pennsylvania Ave.

"This is an attempt to disrupt the mobilization," said Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the group, whose acronym stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism. "We will not surrender this right without a fight."

Tracey Schmitt, an inaugural committee spokeswoman, said: "The parade is just one of the week's events that will provide access to the general public."

An unidentified military aide from the Military District of Washington places a photo of the White House on a giant map at the D.C. Armory in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004 during a preview of the parade route for President Bush (news - web sites)'s inauguration in January. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Organizers announce theme, dates of inaugural celebrations http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/organizersannouncethemedatesofinauguralcelebrations By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

President Bush (news - web sites)'s inaugural festivities will begin with a gala saluting U.S. military forces on Jan. 18. Troops' sacrifices will be highlighted throughout four days of events with the theme "celebrating freedom, honoring service" and a free ball for troops and their spouses.

Troops who served in Iraq (news - web sites) or Afghanistan (news - web sites), those who are about to be deployed and their spouses will get tickets from the Pentagon (news - web sites) for what's being called the commander in chief's ball, organizers said Wednesday. It will be one of nine official balls, all of which Bush and his wife, Laura, will attend.

The theme and the events for the military reflect "the historic times we live in and will make this inaugural celebration historic and symbolic," says Greg Jenkins, executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Jenkins estimates that the inauguration will cost $30 million to $40 million, not including security. The nation's 55th inauguration might be the most expensive ever. Bill Clinton (news - web sites)'s committee spent $33 million in 1993 and $23.7 million in 1997.

Most of the costs will be covered by private donations, which are not limited by law but have been capped at $250,000 by organizers. Donors will be listed on the committee's Web site, www.inaugural05.com. Sales of memorabilia and tickets will help offset the tab.

Thousands of Bush supporters will descend on Washington to attend balls and private parties. People who contribute $100,000 get a package of tickets to all official events, including a dinner with an appearance by Bush. Those who donate $250,000 also get lunch with Bush and Vice President Cheney and a pass good at any Inaugural Ball.

There are fewer options for the politically unconnected who don't want to pay. A Jan. 19 "celebration of freedom" on the Ellipse south of the White House is open to the public. So is the swearing-in ceremony, although free tickets available next month from congressional offices are required. Watching the parade from sidewalks is free, but bleacher seats cost $15, $60 and $125.

Everyone who attends will face intense security. The congressional committee that organizes the ceremony says on its Web site, www.inaugural.senate.gov, that everyone who attends the ceremony must pass through several checkpoints.

"Movement will be difficult inside the security perimeter," the site warns. Prohibited items listed include strollers, umbrellas and thermoses.

yes

Weatherman or Weather Underground Organization, is a "revolutionary organization of communist men and women" formed by members of the Students for a Democratic Society or SDS. They were originally called the Revolutionary Youth Movement. They advocated the overthrow of our government and capitalism. They carried out a campaign of bombings, jailbreaks, and riots in 1969-1976.

The group derived their name from Bob Dylan's song lyrics from "Subterranean Homesick Blues", which were, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows", I use to see that quote at the bottom of their periodical, New Left Notes, when I use to work at a periodical distribution company.

Their first event, in 1969, was the "Days of Rage" in Chicago. They blew up a statue dedicated to police casualties in the 1886 Haymarket Riot. They announced at a convention that they supported Charles Manson. The rally failed to draw as many participants (300) as they had hoped. They did lead a riot through Chicago's business district, smashing windows and cars. 6 were shot and 70 arrested. The conflict went on for a few days.

1970, after the shooting by police of Black Panther Fred Hampton, the group issued a Declaration of War against the United States government, changing its name to the "weather underground organization", adopting fake IDs, and pursuing covert activities only. These initially included plans for a bombing of a US military noncommissioned officers' dance at Fort Dix. But when three Underground members died in an accidental explosion while preparing the bomb in a Greenwich Village, New York City safe house, other cells re-evaluated their plans and decided to pursue only non-lethal projects.

This group released a number of manifestos and declarations, while conducting a series of bombings. These attacked the U.S. Capitol, The Pentagon, police and prison buildings, and the rebuilt Haymarket statue again, among other targets. The group took measures to avoid any loss of life as a result of these bombings, issuing warnings to evacuate the building ahead of time via phone. They also took a $25,000 payment from a drugs group called The Brotherhood of Eternal Love to break LSD advocate Timothy Leary out of prison, transporting him to Algeria. They remained largely successful at avoiding the police and the FBI.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, the group began dissolving, as many members turned themselves in to the police, and others moved onto other armed revolutionary groups. Very few served prison sentences, since the evidence gathered against them, by the FBI's COINTELPRO program, was inadmissable in court, due to the illegal methods used to obtain it.

Famous members of the Weather Underground include Kathy Boudin, Mark Rudd, Terry Robbins, David Gilbert, and the still-married couple Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers.

Many former Weathermen have re-integrated into society, without necessarily repudiating their original intent. Bill Ayers, now a Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said in a September 11, 2001 New York Times profile "I don't regret setting bombs. I believe we didn't do enough."

More from the “Mutiny Does Not Happen Lightly: The Literature of the American Resistance to the Vietnam War”

Look at the major leaders of the anti-war movement:

· Al Hubbard - Vietnam Veterans Against the War - signed the People’s Peace Treaty of 1971

· Jane Fonda - actress - signed the People’s Peace Treaty of 1971

See post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1209454/posts?page=59#59 for People's Peace Treaty

· Noam Chomsky, MIT

· Rev. William Sloan Coffin, Jr. Yale

· Rennie Davis, May Day Collective

· Rev. Daniel Berrigan,S.J.

· Dave Dellinger, People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice

· Daniel Ellsberg - MIT

· Richard Falk - Princeton

· Tom Hayden - Berkeley

· Abbie Hoffman - WPAX, NewYork

· Sidney Peck - People’s Coalition for Peace and justice

· Bobby Seale- Black Panther Party

· Benjamin Spock, doctor

· Gloria Steinem - author

· George Wald, biologist, Havard

· Cora Weiss - Women Strike for Peace

Many of the people who signed the various documents in “Mutiny Does Not Happen Lightly: The Literature of the American Resistance to the Vietnam War” appeared again as signers of the “Not In Our Name” ad that appeared in papers all over the country, denouncing Bush and the wars on terrorism and Iraq.

Not in Our Name = A.N.S.W.E.R.

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