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Inauguration Day 2009

by iottJen

The 2009 Presidential Inauguration will take place Tuesday, January 20 in Washington, D.C. All are invited to view the televised live broadcast of the events of the day from 10 am – 5 pm in the 4th Floor Meeting Room of the Downtown Library.

As specified by the 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, presidential terms of office begin and end at 12:00 noon on January 20. President-Elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office at 12:00 noon and then give his inaugural address as the 44th President of the United States.

Remember, wireless Internet access is available throughout AADL. Use your laptop while you watch Inauguration Day festivities!

Comments

Submitted by glatterc on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 11:57am

Thank you so much for hosting this historic event!!!
If there is a need to provide an overflow space due to a high volume of patrons, then please feel free to point them to the Body, Mind, Spirit Wellness Center on 2007 S. State St. where they will be hosting a brunch to witness the swearing-in of Obama from 11pm to 1pm. www.bmswc.com has more information. Merci Beau Coup:)

Submitted by wolverinemama on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 3:42pm

I wish President-Elect Obama well...but just a question-if John McCain/Sarah Palin had won, would you still be celebrating that also historic event?

I doubt that McCain/Palin would have been afforded this 'luxury'. It is pretty disgusting that this is being done. Did you know that the A2 schools are also making kids attend this viewing? They are canceling classes to make them! I am outraged and wish someone would considering suing to stop both.

Woah there, Romanbot. I don't think it's "disgusting" at all...it *is* an historic event. What I do find "disgusting" though, is the (cliched but true) double-standard that exists. Had Sarah Palin become our first female Vice President, there is absolutely NO WAY that the Ann Arbor Public Library, Public Schools, etc...would have been celebrating. Sigh. Hang in there, there's always 2012.

When I was a child, many schools watched the Challenger launch (and subsequent explosion) live on television. I don't see how a presidential inauguration is an insignificant event. And I do know of schools that planned to watch or participate before the election was held.

So, just to clarify, you would like us to join you in a round of condemnation of the library on the basis of your asserted hypothetical? (I'll pass.)

Why not simply ask the library what the policy is on broadcasting inaugural or other notable events?

You'll note that the library is providing access to nationally televised events; nowhere in the announcement did it say that the library will be "celebrating" per se (no mention of burning effigies, etc.), remembering, of course, that Barack Obama being sworn in as the *American* president, not merely as the leader of the Democratic Party.

Disgusting is a strong word for allowing American children to witness one of the great gifts of democracy; the peaceful transition of power. While it is up for discussion whether McCain/Palin would have been afforded this "right" (not luxury), it is important to realize the importance of this historic event. The WORLD will be watching this event. Surely the children of this country should be doing so. As a long time parent of Ann Arbor Public Schools students, I guarantee no child will be forced to participate in this event (which will be afforded all of 30 minutes I'm told by my principal) or any event for that matter, if they or their parents choose not to allow it. I was devastated and anxious when Bush won a second term. And rightly so. But I still watched his innauguration because it was an important part of my history as a citizen and voter. I would support the schools showing this event no matter who won. I guarantee John McCain will be at the innauguration supporting our new president, who McCain has called a good and decent man. To this person I can only say, build a bridge and get over it and your personal bitterness.

Submitted by ValerieL Staff on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 12:42pm

I also remember watching the Challenger launch and explode on TV at school. I remember watching Clinton take the oath of office on TV in school as well (1992 - by '96 I was out of school). I think it's wonderful that the library is hosting this event.

While I'm generally a cynical person by nature, I would certainly hope that no matter who had won the election, the library would still broadcast the inauguration. After all, there aren't too many countries left in this world where you can see such a peaceful transfer of power.

I'll freely admit that I didn't vote for Obama, but I'm going to watch the inauguration anyway. It's still a special time in history and an opportunity to watch a piece of our government's inner workings (for lack of a better term) that you don't get to see every day.

I say "kudos" to the library & the schools for broadcasting it!

"President Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll showing Mr. Bush's final approval rating at 22 percent.

Seventy-three percent say they disapprove of the way Mr. Bush has handled his job as president over the last eight years.

Mr. Bush's final approval rating is the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since Gallup began asking about presidential approval more than 70 years ago." (CBS news)

This is a joyous and historic event for most of the country. Though I doubt the library is endorsing a political party or person any more than it endorses the Bible, Mein Kampf, the Dangerous Book for Boys, or any other media it provides us access to. I am thankful we have an institution capable of helping us connect to resources we both agree _and_ disagree with.

Submitted by wolverinemama on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 8:28pm

Wow. I should have known that my little (and I thought at the time, rhetorical) question would have started such a lengthy discussion. C'mon though folks--while we're all being mostly polite (thank you!) let's also be honest and admit that there is NO WAY the AADL and AAPS would be watching McCain & Palin on Tuesday.

That's ALL my gripe was about. Really.

I have NO PROBLEM with the planned events for Tuesday. Mr. Obama certainly earned the right to have us all watch and (lots of us, not all) celebrate...BUT in the same way, so would have Mrs. Palin earned the right for us to watch if she had become the first female VP. By "us" watch, I don't mean just individual folks, I mean the rolling out of the red carpet by the Ann Arbor Schools and Library.

I guess Josie Parker (aka crime fighter :)) could help answer my question. I guess I *could* be wrong. In 2000 and 2004, did the AADL broadcast Mr. Bush's inauguration? Did Ann Arbor public school kids watch? I. Think. Not.

Wolverinemama, I am not completely positive that Ann Arbor would not have given the same nod to events for McCain/Palin. Honestly, I think they should televise all important historical events when appropriate in the schools. However, it's not the same. As much as this is a victory for the Obama camp, it is a defeat of the other guy who people have viewed as belonging to the camp that has brought this country to its knees. If it makes you feel better, my friend who is a teacher in Livonia, a staunch Republican community, says there will be no events in their school to celebrate the innauguration. They do not recognize MLK day or any events to celebrate diversity, and they openly celebrate Christmas without recognizing other religions even though there is a growing number of Muslim families there. So, it should relieve you to know that other communities not so far away are getting it right by your standards. Think how powerful it will be for black students to watch this on TV while it is happening. Not so powerful for white kids to watch another old white guy get elected. Even if he did pick a woman to be his VP. Not as impressive in this day and age. I guess you are finding out who Ann Arbor and a majority of the country really favors. My guess is that even the people who voted for McCain would not have been as excited about him winning as people who support Obama are about his win.

Tcyork, are you serious? NO your comments do not "make me feel better", nor do they "relieve" me. You managed to bring down (what was until now a mostly thoughtful conversation) to trite, "been-there, done-that" assumptions and stereotypes.

I resent strongly your assumption that I would delight in communities that fail to honor people of all cultures and backgrounds. Well, guess what? I am a first generation immigrant to this country myself. One of the things I love about Ann Arbor, having lived here for 24 years, is that I have always felt proud to be "different".

My reasons for voting for McCain in this last election were complex and intensely personal. By casting me into a tight, little pidgeon hole, you merely highlight your own prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I voted for McCain and wish we lived in a town where both parties would have been afforded equal time on Inauguration Day. That's it. By your thinking, that also means that I don't like diversity. Yes, I voted for the "old, white guy" but I am also a UofM graduate-school educated, hispanic woman who loves Ann Arbor and hangs out with left-winged Democrats-->at least the kind that can think outside the box.

Submitted by tcyork on Sun, 01/18/2009 - 2:52pm

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Let's look back at this string of comments. I did and am terribly sorry to have incited so much upset on the behalf of wolverinemama. The comments I am making should be directed to the username Romanbot who used the words "disgusting luxury" and brought up the lovely American word "sue". To both of you I can only say, that you have no crystal ball and can't predict what Ann Arbor would have done in the event that McCain/Palin would have won. THAT was a stereotype of Ann Arbor as a close-minded liberal town. I have talked to many Democratic friends and we really don't know, but think it would have been entirely possible and supported had they won and the schools and library celebrated their inauguration. Ann Arbor is a very tolerant town and tries hard to accomodate, if not embrace people of all colors and beliefs and affiliations. No matter who would take office on January 20, it would have been a refreshing change at a critical turning point in American history. And I think that fact, and yes, the Obama part, is a big reason why this inauguration is so special. CNN reports that polls show 60% of Republicans are supportive of Obama's incoming administration. May we all work passionately to support each other to get our country back on track. And may my new bifocals serve me better when reading the fine print on my computer screen. So sorry for the misunderstanding wolverinemama.

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