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Re: Rundown 12-20-04
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Corporate America Pours in Millions to Fund President Bush's
Second Inauguration
Energy Secretary Nominee Calls for New Generation of Power
Plants and Drilling in Alaskan Arctic
Lockdown in DC: Unprecedented Security For Bush Inauguration
and Protests
Historian Howard Zinn: "Bush Represents Everything That
Martin Luther King Opposed"
Corporate America Pours in Millions to Fund President
Bush's Second Inauguration
Democracy Now! broadcasts from Washington DC where President
George W Bush is being sworn in for a second term. The inauguration
is expected to be the most lavish in history, with an estimated
$40 to be spent over four days of celebrations - and the hefty
price is being footed largely by U.S. corporations. We speak
with Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer-advocacy organization
Public Citizen which has analyzed the contribution records
released by Bush's inaugural committee.
This is Democracy Now!'s special coverage of inauguration
2005 - the Battle for Democracy, broadcasting from Washington
DC where President George W Bush is being sworn in for a second
term. Bush begins his second term with an approval rating
of around 50 percent - that's less than any other post World
War II second term inauguration.
Washington DC is filled with more than 7,000 law enforcement
agents from over 100 federal, state and local agencies; roadblocks
have been set up across DC and large portions of the city
have been closed off ahead of the inaugural parade. Coast
Guard cutters are stationed in the Potomac River. Anti-aircraft
missiles are stationed near the Capitol. Sharpshooters will
be positioned on rooftops. More than 100 city blocks will
be closed to traffic. And manhole covers on Pennsylvania Avenue
have been welded shut.
The inauguration is expected to be the most lavish in history.
An estimated $40 to 60 million will be spent over these four
days of celebrations which include nine inaugural balls, three
candlelight dinners, a rock concert, extravagant receptions
and numerous other parties.
The big money celebrations were in full swing last night
with a Black Gold and Cowboy Boots ball. Protesters have also
poured into the city and will hold a number of rallies, marches
and direct actions throughout the day. Activists have set
up a convergence space where they held planning meetings late
into the night and the Independent Media Center has set up
a newsroom where they will be distributing reports from the
streets throughout the day.
The official inaugural ceremonies begin with a worship service
at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House. At noon,
Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist will administer
the oath of office, making his first official appearance since
beginning treatment for thyroid cancer in October. Vice President
Dick Cheney will take his oath from House Speaker Dennis Hastert,
marking just the fourth time in U.S. history that the House
speaker has been called on to perform that task.
After a 21-gun salute, Bush is to give a 17-minute speech
that will focus on the theme of freedom. According to prepared
remarks, Bush will say, "The best hope for peace in our
world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
There has been a great deal of controversy ahead of Bush's
inauguration over the massive amount of money being poured
into the event, particularly in light of the Asian tsunami
disaster and the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The hefty price
of the inauguration is being footed largely by US corporations.
While federal elections law prohibits corporate contributions
to presidential campaigns, presidential inaugural fundraising
is unrestricted. And Corporate America has pumped in tens
of millions. The consumer-advocacy organization Public Citizen
has done an analysis of the contribution records released
by Bush's inaugural committee.
- Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer-advocacy organization
Public Citizen.
Energy Secretary Nominee Calls for New Generation
of Power Plants and Drilling in Alaskan Arctic
We take a look at Energy Secretary nominee, Samuel Bodman.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, Bodman said he would advocate
for oil and natural-gas drilling exploration to take place
in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and called for the
jumpstarting of the construction of a new generation of nuclear
power plants. We take a look atone of the less covered nomination
hearings held this week on Capitol Hill. President Bush has
tapped Samuel Bodman to serve as Energy Secretary. On Wednesday
he said he would advocate for oil and natural-gas drilling
exploration to take place in the Alaska National Wildlife
Refuge. He also called for the jumpstarting of the construction
of a new generation of nuclear power plants.
- Excerpt of Senate Energy Committee confirmation hearing
for Samuel Bodman as Energy Secretary, January 19, 2005.
Lockdown in DC: Unprecedented Security For Bush Inauguration
and Protests
Washington DC is in a state of lockdown for the most heavily
guarded presidential inauguration in history. Along with the
customary inauguration address and parade, a number of protests
are being planned in Washington and around the country. We
speak with Shahid Buttar, a member of the Guerilla Poetry
Insurgency affinity group for the anti-inauguration protests
and Mark Goldstone, of the Demonstration Support Committee
for the National Lawyers Guild.
Washington DC is in a state of lockdown amid unprecedented
levels of security. Fences, barriers and roadblocks have been
erected across the city and 7,000 law enforcement agents from
more than 100 federal, state and local agencies are on patrol.
Heavily armed Coast Guard boats will patrol the Potomac River.
Snipers have taken up positions on rooftops, bomb-sniffing
dogs are on patrol and so-called Patriot anti-missile batteries
are stationed near the Capitol.
The entire area around Capitol Hill and the White House has
been cordoned off, and more than 100 streets will be off-limits
to traffic with the inauguration designated a national special-security
event.
Flight restrictions over Washington for private aircraft
have been expanded, and pilots are being warned that they
risk being shot down if they stray into restricted areas and
don't respond to warnings.
The so-called nerve center for the most heavily guarded presidential
inauguration in history is in a futuristic command post in
Northern Virginia. Inside a gleaming steel-and-marble complex,
the Secret Service and 50 federal, state and local agencies
will monitor action in the sky, on the ground and in the subway
system. Giant plasma screens will beam in live video from
helicopters and cameras at the U.S. Capitol, along the parade
route and at other areas. Officials will be able to track
fighter jets patrolling the skies and call up three-dimensional
maps of downtown.
Washington officials are upset that the federal government
has told them to use homeland security grants to pay costs
associated with the inauguration. Mayor Anthony Williams estimated
the inauguration would cost the city over $17 million.
More than half a million people are expected to attend the
ceremony today and along with the customary inauguration address
and parade, a number of protests are being planned in Washington
and around the country.
Along the parade route, thousands of people will "Turn
Their Backs on Bush." An anti-war march through Malcolm
X park will conclude with a "die-in."
Military families and veterans will speak out at an "Eyes
Wide Open" exhibit. The exhibit includes a pair of boots
honoring each U.S. military casualty in the Iraq war and a
wall of remembrance to memorialize the Iraqis killed.
A "Black Gold and Boots" event will be held outside
the official "Black Tie and Boots" inaugural ball
and a "Got Freedom?" Ball, outside the official
Freedom Ball. Across the country, a campaign called "Not
One Damn Dime" is calling for a 24-hour national boycott
of all forms of consumer spending.
More than 100 counter-inaugural events are planned in communities
throughout the country - from Omaha to Fresno to Atlanta to
New York City. They range from picnics against the president
to funerals for the American Dream to drumming circles for
peace.
- Mark Goldstone, chair of the Demonstration Support Committee
of the Washington DC chapter of the National
Lawyers Guild.
- Shahid Buttar, a Washington DC-based lawyer and a member
of the Guerilla Poetry Insurgency affinity group for the
anti-inauguration protests. He also is a member of the Resistance
Media Collective in DC.
Historian Howard Zinn: "Bush Represents Everything
That Martin Luther King Opposed"
We speak with Howard Zinn, renowned historian and author
of "A People's History of the United States." Zinn
says: "People all over the world are mourning the ascension
of Bush to his second term as president... that's something
to feel encouraged about, even as all this pomp and circumstance
of the inauguration goes on."
As we reported earlier, today's inauguration is expected
to be the most expensive in history. President Bush takes
his oath with one of the lowest approval ratings in history.
And the security operation in place for today's ceremony is
the most massive in inauguration history. The inauguration
also comes as people across the country observed Martin Luther
King Day. Well, to put today's inauguration in a historical
perspective, we turn now to historian Howard Zinn.
- Howard Zinn, historian and author of many books, including
"A People's History of the United States."
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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