On Thursday, President Bush will be inaugurated for the second time. This will cost somebody (donors, the District of Columbia, taxpayers) $30 million to $40 million, according to a recent Daily article. Even considering the recent plight of the dollar, this is still a lot of money. Pomp and ceremony have their places, but I could fill the rest of this letter with better destinations for these funds: Southeast Asia, Sudan, U.N. efforts in the Congo, etc.

Though I am a staunch progressive, it is not the lavish spending on Bush’s second quadrennial “I’ve Got A Tough Job” parade that concerns me the most, but the money that leftists are willing to spend on protesting this spectacle. I’ve seen no figures tabulated, but it’s not cheap to bus or fly in tens or hundreds of thousands of disgruntled liberals to the Capitol.

Why do they go? To let it be known that not everybody likes President Bush and supports his policies? This is ludicrous!

There is not one thinking person in this or any other country who suspects that Bush enjoys the unanimous backing of the U.S. citizenry. These protests will be nothing but self-indulgent orgies of catharsis; they will contribute nothing to the political dialogue in this country, nor will they aid any cause the protesters would claim to support.

These protests will not help preserve reproductive rights, and they will not keep anti-evolution fanatics out of science classrooms. They will not aid anyone suffering from hunger, abuse, disease or the horrors of war. They will not reduce our dependence on the military, nor will they help protect the environment or equal rights for minorities. They will not promote religious, ideological or sexual tolerance.

The inauguration protests will in no way advance the progressive cause in this country.

Marches on Washington have been effective in the past, and will be again in the future; I have no doubt of this. I also do not doubt the motives of those protesting. There will be a time and a place for you to hold your sign and stand in the rain, O brave protester, but this is not it. Your time, money and energy are needed greatly now as much as ever — but next time, please consider your plan of action more carefully before you waste your resources on a pointless crusade like this.

Andy Slabaugh

Student

Carleton College