Parade of Shame
On the inaugural charade
It was a bitterly cold day, and only occasional light flickered through the grey clouds swirling above.
But the bleakly frigid weather did nothing to deter thousands from standing for seven or more hours in full view of the nation's capital, chanting slogans and wielding signs in outraged defiance of the second inauguration of the Worst President Ever.
It did nothing to deter us because grim, icy weather is a spring paradise in contrast to the suffering endured by thousands of soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, and millions of Americans under the Bush Regime.
It did nothing to deter us because even though the Bush Regime was attempting to delay us at the checkpoints and then cage us in, police-state style, giving us the image of debased prisoners, we knew better than to fall into his tyrannical traps.
Throughout the day, as speakers ranted and the crowd chanted, the true voices of humanity were heard, drowning out the dour tones of imperialist rhetoric issuing from Herr Bush's mouth.
The true voices of humanity: those of compassion, of justice, of hope.
And then, the defining moment of this Inaugural Charade: the passing of the presidential motorcade.
As the Bush entourage sped by in a black blur, Secret Service men flanking the menacing motorcade, we the protesters became a noisy chorus of "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
And suddenly I understood why there were two rows of steel barriers and cops four and five rows deep. Suddenly I understood, because angels need no protection - angels are their own guardians. But demons - demons build defenses. Demons need fortresses to shield them from the forces of good.
After that defining moment, when the crescendo of ragged voices had faded to a whisper, and the Bush and Cheney motorcades were safely out of sight, an icy calm fell upon the protest crowd. I noticed then that in our frenzied chanting, we had shaken the barriers out of place.
And suddenly I knew why the Bush motorcade had whizzed by the protesters. For had the motorcade lingered even slightly, Bush might not have made it to his second term.
When it was all over, a woman behind me said, “I felt a chill run through me as his motorcade went by.” thers nodded their heads in recognition.
The frigid chill of a DC winter is nothing compared to the icy chill of another long, dark winter of American dictatorship.
George W. Bush has left Americans - and the world - out in the bitter cold, again and again and again. And George W. Bush will continue to leave us in the bitter cold, because his heart is frozen, and he knows no warmth.
Shame on George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and the rest of the Fascist Theocrats masquerading as legitimate leaders.
Shame on the Democrats for their cowardly compliance. But most of all, shame on Americans who voted for Bush, and on those who stand by in apathy as our beloved country is reduced to ruins.
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Alison Ross is a passionate but peeved advocate for the poor and homeless. She deplores American fascism but adores American liberalism. She has had her sociopolitical rants showcased in Democracy Means You, Exquisite Corpse, Democratic Underground, Muse Apprentice Guild, When Falls the Coliseum, and Creative Loafing. She also venerates verse, and has had her poetry published in Cerebral Catalyst, A Little Poetry, Muse Apprentice Guild, Mad Swirl, and Nova Express, and forthcoming in Underground Window. When not writing, she enjoys reading, drinking wine, snoring, and bonding with her feline friend, Quetzal.
