Free Republic

The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic held a press conference this afternoon at the National Press Club to talk about the issues surrounding President Bush's Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2005 and the controversy over demonstration permits for it.C-SPAN and Fox News were there, as was a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.The Associated Press, which covered the morning press conference by yet another anti-Bush group planning to protest his inauguration, was a no-show at our press conference. So far, the AP has run two stories today about the anti-Bush group. Here and here. This follows the...

Laura Bush is getting another Oscar. Designer Oscar de la Renta, who outfitted the First Lady for her big nights at the Republican convention and the Kennedy Center Honors, will dress her for the inauguration. Her office confirms the incredibly important news that the gown will be ice blue. Meanwhile, daughters Jenna and Barbara have chosen the younger, edgier design team of Badgely Mischka. "They want slinky and sexy," a spy tells us. "The dresses are going to be figure-hugging with slits and sequins and decolletage." All of the ladies will be equipped with matching coats - to protect them...

WASHINGTON -- Groups targeting President Bush's economic agenda, the legitimacy of his election and the war in Iraq plan a week of events to counter his inauguration Jan. 20. "Our intention is to show President Bush and the world our movement is energized, mobilized and determined to fight back," said Gael Murphy, of the activist group Code Pink. Inauguration week will feature rallies, marches and demonstrations with the focus on peaceful, family-friendly gatherings, said organizer Shahid Buttar. Hundreds of groups throughout the country will participate, Buttar said, including Mobilization for Global Justice and the Committee to ReDefeat the President, a...

WASHINGTON - No buttons, signs or unusual dress will distinguish the protesters from the thousands who will line the inaugural parade route next month, but at a set time, they say they will demonstrate against President Bush (news - web sites) — by turning their backs on the chief executive. AP Photo Coupled with the widely expected pomp and pageantry of a presidential inauguration are demonstrations by protesters angered by Bush's policies, in particular the war in Iraq (news - web sites). Getting ready for Jan. 20, 2005, various groups are using Web sites, e-mails, fliers and word of mouth...

LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 20, 2004 -- For the twelfth time, the Corps of Cadets of Virginia Military Institute will march in a Presidential inaugural parade, said VMI Superintendent Gen. J. H. Binford Peay III. "It is a high honor for VMI to participate in President Bush's inauguration," Peay said. "For these cadets, it will be an exciting and proud day in their time at VMI, and I expect it will be something they will look back on from a historic perspective with fondness and memories." Peay said VMI was notified over the weekend that the entire 1,300-member Corps of Cadets...

Who's Missing From the Honored Guest List?

Live on CSPAN - Commies ask for support for anti-Bush rally in DC on jan 20th

TIME MAGAZINE MAN OF THE YEAR GEORGE W. BUSH NEW YORK - After winning re-election and "reshaping the rules of politics to fit his 10-gallon-hat leadership style," President George Bush (news - web sites) for the second time was chosen as Time magazine's Person of the Year. The magazine's editors tapped Bush "for sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes — and ours — on his faith in the power of leadership." Time's 2004 Person of the Year package, on newsstands Monday, includes an Oval Office interview with...

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) Chairman Jeanne Johnson Phillips and Executive Director Greg Jenkins announced the inaugural theme, “Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service”, and the schedule of events surrounding the 55th Presidential Inauguration. “We are a nation at war, and it is fitting that the inaugural events reflect not only the great sacrifices made by our troops everyday to protect our freedom, but also the cherished ideals that make our nation so unique,” said Phillips. The committee released the schedule of inaugural events beginning with a Military Gala on Tuesday, January 18th and ending with a National...

JAN 20this too late. BE IN DC on Jan. 6th THE BIG DAY! Edited on Thu Dec-16-04 12:00 AM by Griffy Thats when representatives.. like Conyers can object to the results... the best thing we can do is have 10's or 100's of thousands of people on the mall (front lawn of the Capitol). The words of our leaders will be powerful with the masses at the door! Look at the growing awareness.... by then if the fraud is in the open we will need to PERSONALLY hold the congress to democracy. That can ONLY be done in person. BE...

News Conference Inaugural Parade Protests Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) National Press Club Washington, District of Columbia (United States) ID: 184872 - 12/17/2004 - 1:08 - $45.00 Rev. Hagler, Graylan, Minister, Plymouth Congregational Church Bray, Mahdi, Executive Director, Muslim American Society, Freedom Foundation Verheyden-Hilliard, Mara, Co-Founder, Partnership for Civil Justice Kaufman, Chuck, National Coordinator, Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.), Nicaragua Network Mills, Caneisha, Coordinator, Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.), Youth and Student Involvement Becker, Brian, National Coordinator, Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) Lindsey, Peta,...

Before the W2 ball on Jan 20th, go out and help Protestwarrior protest ANSWER in operation Hail to the Chief, and show these people that they are not in the majority.

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. The National Park Service has not acted on the coalition's permits. However, angry coalition officials argued Friday that permitting the inaugural committee to build bleachers in several open spaces, such...

Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] can expect President Bush [related, bio] to defuse a potentially awkward scene with conciliatory words when the pair meet next month for Bush's second inaugural at the Capitol. ``The last time they spoke, they talked about uniting the country,'' said Kerry spokesman David Wade, recalling the senator's last conversation with the president, his concession phone call to Bush the morning after the Nov. 2 election. ``That seems to be the message on their minds.'' After largely evading the public spotlight as he recovers from his loss in the 2004 contest, Kerry plans to be...

Inaugural Countdown: Only five weeks to the Inaugural Ball! Get your tickets now!! Only five more weeks to Inauguration Day. You won't want to miss the excitement and pageantry. The dinners, the Inauguration itself, the parades, the balls, great fun, great fellowship and great memories to last a lifetime! FReepers arriving at the 2001 "Count the Silverware" Ball Having a ball at the FReeper Ball! Wish you were here! Bob Barr and Gary Aldrich say howdy and thanks! Gov Huckabee and "Dubya" wow the FReepers! FReeping at the Ball! Gov Huckabee and Capitol Offense perform their magic! And the FReepers...

Washington -- The speed with which President Bush has replaced members of his Cabinet suggests an urgency to move quickly on a second-term agenda. In the six weeks since his re-election, Bush has accepted the resignation of nine of his 15 Cabinet secretaries and submitted nominations to Congress for eight replacements. By the second month of the president's second term, observers expect Bush to have won Senate approval of his nominees and have a team in place, ready to advocate changes to Social Security, the nation's tax code and rules of litigation. "I don't have that much time here in...

WASHINGTON-No buttons, signs or unusual dress will distinguish the protesters from the thousands who will line the inaugural parade route next month, but at a set time, they say they will demonstrate against President Bush-by turning their backs on the chief executive.

The election is over. The fight is not. Elections are only one part of democracy. We need to think strategically about direct action, learn from a rich history of nonviolent activism, and develop new tactics to take on this administration. Let's start from the start: Inauguration Day. On January 20th, 2005, we're calling for a new kind of action. The Bush administration has been successful at keeping protesters away from major events in the last few years by closing off areas around events and using questionable legal strategies to outlaw public dissent. We can use these obstacles to develop new...

Lodging links I posted on the W2 Ball announcement thread, with some new additions...Will post more as my free time allows me to. VIRGINIA lodging:Days Inn Arlington, VA - 2201 Arlington Blvd - 6 blocks from Metro. Right now, they only have a few rooms left. Two night minimum stay. $112.50 per night. Econo Lodge National Airport - 2485 S. Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA. They still have a number rooms left, at $89.99 per night. One night stay is still OK. - Free shuttle to Pentagon Metro. Quality Hotel Courthouse Plaza - 1200 N. Courthouse Rd. Arlington, VA. - Courthouse...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2004 -- With six weeks to go until the inauguration, the term "Presidential Inaugural Committee" gets bandied about daily in the nation's papers, but the armed forces are emerging as a central focus of the Jan. 20 inauguration. Truth be told, there are many "inaugural committees" focused on every aspect from armed forces ceremonial support to law enforcement to the swearing-in ceremony on the Capitol steps. But there's one main one: the Presidential Inaugural Committee, whose members are hand-picked by the president-elect and his party. Other than the oath ceremony, which is overseen by the Joint Congressional...