A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-18,19-05....W's Women (and the Inauguration)

Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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~ Billie, Mama_Bear, Dutchess, Dansangel, Aquamarine ~

A bit of eye candy for the guys as we feature the President's delightful twins - and their radiant mom - and what they're wearing to the ball this year. The sketches have made the news in many publications, but I can't wait to see the real deal. Heads will surely turn this year!

From the cute and spunky teenagers of four years ago, both Barbara and Jenna have grown into beautiful and mature young women who campaigned with their dad last summer and won the hearts of men and women alike at each stop.

All eyes will be on Laura and the twins this week during the inaugural festivities. What they wear to the Inaugural Ball will be the talk of the town for days - scrutinized more than what the stars wear to the Academy Awards - it will go down in the history books as good or bad, or shocking, ho-hum or WOW!

Four years ago, the twins were fresh out of high school, and their gowns were also young and fresh. Pictured at the 2001 Inauguration Ball, left to right, are Barbara, Jenna and the First Lady.

Some style watchers disparaged Laura's scarlet lace gown, because she chose a little-known Texas designer, Michael Faircloth.

This year the First Lady will wear an Oscar de la Renta silver and blue embroidered tulle long evening gown to the inaugural ball on January 20.

The silver-blue tulle gown is embroidered with bugle beads and outlined in Austrian crystals, and is the centerpiece in a wardrobe Mrs. Bush will wear during four days of festivities in Washington, including 10 balls, candlelight dinners, a parade and fireworks.

The president's daughters, Jenna and Barbara, will be dressed by Badgley Mischka, Lela Rose, Derek Lam and Mr. de la Renta for the inaugural festivities.

For the ball on January 20th, First daughter Barbara plans to don a Badgley Mischka pale aquamarine silk chiffon gown with jeweled straps and ruffled seamed skirt.

Badgley Mischka also designed a dress for Barbara's twin Jenna, an emerald silk crepe gown that features metallic leather banding and jeweled insets.

Now for a look at the gowns they will be wearing....and there's nothing ho-hum about these! Which one is your favorite? I'm going with Barbara's - definitely a *WOW* in my book!

To all our FReepers traveling to DC for the Inauguration,
please have a safe trip and a fabulous time, and......

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-17-05 Military Monday

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Hall of Fame #10 ~ 12-29-04

[luvie]

Good night, Miss B, see ya in the morning!

[jkphoto]

Saw by post 218 (just before yours) that they made it back to the hotel. So, I guess they are tucked in for the night.

Just heard on Fox that the tickets for the swearing in are being sold for $5,000 each from scalpers. They better hold on to theirs tight!

[The Mayor]

In case I don't get to see you in the morning.
This is where I'll be! Ye Haw!!!!! Raising a stink!

Taking a step to put politics in new hands
The President is getting sworn in and we are swearing in to a new government in Erie County NY!
I'll post pics tomorrow afternoon.

1/19/2005

By DONN ESMONDE

They will meet Thursday in a hotel to begin a revolution. They want to give government back to the people. They aim to end the sham of rigged elections. They hope to terminate tenure for career politicians. They want to open the political door to new people.

The revolutionaries are meeting not in Havana or Haiti, but in Cheektowaga. The banana republics they're targeting are based in Albany and Buffalo. About 120 of the frustrated and fed-up have signed up, most of them business owners, to be nourished by a free lunch and the nectar of change.

It has come to this. The system is so rigged, the roadblocks to political outsiders so high, that civic guerrilla warfare has begun. Leonard Roberto is no Che Guevara or Viktor Yushchenko. He's a small-business owner whose frustration with broken, closed-door government led him to lead.

He started Primary Challenge. The group will find and back candidates to run against politicians in primary elections (in which only party members vote), where incumbents are often most vulnerable. Case in point: Joe Golombek last September nearly took out 12-year Assemblyman Sam Hoyt in a Democratic primary.

Battling the petrified political status quo is like taking an ice pick to a glacier. But Roberto has pick and hammer in hand.

It's not a hopeless assault. Public disgust is snowballing. It is fed by everything from an extra penny sales tax, to a comatose local economy, to runaway Medicaid costs, to Albany's three-man rule. Anti-incumbent fever is high. Familiarity breeds contempt.

Roberto hopes to raise $40,000 from Thursday's gathering. He's meeting with other business types in the coming weeks. With money and a core of volunteers, he can make a dent in a few races - starting with this year's county legislator battles.

"The system is rigged to make sure incumbents stay in power," said Roberto, dark-haired and intense. "They need to be challenged, or they will never respond to the people."

We've got the most dysfunctional state government in the land. People say they're mad and not going to take it anymore. Yet 98 percent of state lawmakers get re-elected.

There's a reason for it, and it's not public stupidity. Politicians rig the system so well that unless a lawmaker sticks up a 7-Eleven or gets caught playing footsie with a floozie, he's in office for life.

Legislators draw themselves districts stuffed with friendly voters, use handouts from personal stashes of tax dollars to buy support and discourage challengers with a maze of rules and regulations. A newcomer without big-party backing has as much chance of prying voter lists from the patronage hires at the Board of Elections as Osama bin Laden does getting through airport security.

Roberto, 49, is no political Bambi. He was an Independence Party official back in the Perot-Golisano era. He ran headlong into the system in races for county executive and assembly. He knows where the black ice and potholes are.

He wants to make elections work the way they're supposed to. He wants to open the political door to talented outsiders of all stripes. It doesn't matter where challengers stand on casinos and guns or abortion. Roberto's agenda is populist, not philosophical.

"I'm just trying," he said, "to reassert the right to run."

He has the know-how to help challengers navigate and volunteers knock on doors and the start of a pot of money to feed campaigns. If it works here, he will take it statewide.

One way or another, Roberto wants to give us back our government. It's good news for people, bad news for career politicians.

e-mail: desmonde@buffnews.com

I am the Master of Ceremonies..

[nicmarlo]

congrats, good luck and have a grand ole time, Mayor!!!

[The Mayor]

I am very excited about this
soon to be coming to your neighborhood Nic!

Keep and eye on Erie County.... : )

[nicmarlo]

I'll be watching and I'm sure you'll be keeping us informed. This state truly is a POLITICAL JOKE.

[luvie]

Give 'em h***, Mayor!!! I know you are passionate in getting LESS government in Erie County--hope it is a success!

[dansangel]

Come join the Inauguration Day fun with a new JohnHuang2 political commentary HERE

[Mama_Bear]

Hi Billie! Sending a quick sistah hug while we get ready for our big adventure today. Dinner last night was fun. I took lots of pics and am trying to commit as much to memory as I can, so I can share it with everyone when I get back.

Gotta run and answer a couple more posts and mail. TTYL

[Mama_Bear]

Yes, we are having a great time! Wish all of my finest friends were here.

I am doing my best to be aware of everything and am photographing all of the freepers I meet up with and will attempt to put it all together in a post next Wednesday. I am hoping that when I get home it won't be too difficult to match up freepers names with their photos.

Gotta run and get ready to get back on the metro. HUGS!

[Mama_Bear]

Hello you two. I will be calling you, JK, from the "yellow standing area" later today, and I am sending you an auntie hug, scubachickie. Wish you both were here.

I am running late and need to get out of this hotel and get back on the metro. Exciting day!