Police State Inaguration for King BushPolice State Inaguration for King Bush
Unprecedented Security & Cost for Bush's Second Inauguration
The Guardian | January 14, 2005
By Julian Borger
A few square miles of central Washington will be transformed into an armed camp next week as the biggest security operation in the city's history is mounted for President Bush's inauguration.
When Mr Bush and his vice-president, Dick Cheney, are sworn in for the second time on the steps of the Capitol building at midday on Thursday, the US government will be at its most vulnerable. Just about every member of the executive, Congress and the supreme court will be in the same place.
To protect them, 6,000 police officers, 2,500 soldiers and hundreds of secret service officers will flood the area around Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue, the route of the inaugural parade, scanning the expected 750,000-strong crowd of supporters and protesters.
Air traffic into the city will be restricted, replaced by fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters.
The outgoing homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, overseeing the last grand event of his career, promised it would be the most secure ceremony in history.
"We're as prepared as possible to thwart any attempts at terrorism," he said. Troop carrying helicopters have been flying over Washington for days, but the security operation will begin in earnest on Tuesday when fireworks, parades and parties - costing a total of $40m (about £21m) - begin. The government has not yet put a price on the security, but it will cost tens of millions more.
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Inauguration prompts unprecedented levels of security
Inauguration security will be the tightest in U.S. history
There have been complaints from both ends of the political spectrum about civil liberty. The secret service has banned anything that could conceal, or be used as, a weapon. That includes poles supporting placards, the coffins some demonstrators had wanted to bring to symbolise the Iraqi war dead, and the crosses and American flags that the faithful had intended to wave.
Kristinn Taylor, the head of the Washington branch of a conservative group Free Republic, disagreed with the ban, for the left and the right:
"If we're allowed to hold our American flags, then they can hold their hammer and sickle flags or whatever."
But others believe the security threat has not been taken seriously enough.
The conservative commentator Norman Ornstein wrote in the New Republic magazine that the inauguration was "the single most vulnerable moment for our constitutional system - far more dangerous than either the conventions or the general election".
Mr Ornstein said a catastrophic terrorist attack on Thursday, such as a nuclear suitcase bomb, would plunge the country into chaos, as no clear contingency plans had been made for the possibility that everyone in the chain of succession was killed at once.
The cost of the event has also provoked controversy.
Washington's mayor, Anthony Williams, has complained that the city will have to spend $17.3m to help pay for security. The federal government normally reimburses the city for such costs, but this year it has told Mr Williams to take most of the money from Washington's homeland security budget, draining its defences for the rest of the year.
Democrats have criticised the $40m celebrations as a tasteless display of excess, saying tradition dictates that wartime inaugurations are restrained affairs. The Republicans' response has been that the whole event is dedicated to US soldiers serving abroad.
The inauguration has been officially subtitled "Celebrating Freedom and Honouring Service". The party also pointed out that the bill would be paid entirely by private contributions.
That sponsorship has, in its turn, attracted scrutiny. Election rules do not allow firms to make direct campaign donations to candidates, and they place strict limits on individual contributions.
These restrictions do not apply to inaugurations, and a host of corporations have lined up to demonstrate their support. They are permitted to give up to $250,000.
Some companies, like the Marriott hotel chain, have got around the nominal $250,000 limit by arranging donations from subsidiary firms. Other big givers include Ford, Exxon Mobil, and the defence contractor Northrop Grumman.
In return, company executives will be given tickets to the ceremony and to the black-tie balls. Political watchdogs are asking what else they will receive once the administration gets down to making policy.
An expensive do
·An estimated $40m (about £21m) will be spent on parties and parades in Washington next week - an inauguration record
·About 250,000 people will watch the swearing-in ceremony, and twice that number will line the parade route. It will take President Bush less than a minute to take the oath
·With security paramount, 6,000 police officers and 2,500 military personnel will protect the guests
·Packages offered to guests include a $1m deal, for which they get four nights in a hotel a stone's throw from the White House, return travel from any city in the US, a chauffeur and a butler on 24-hour call for the duration, his-and-her diamond watches and designer outfits, spa treatment and monogrammed bathrobes
·An exclusive lunch with Mr Bush and the vice president, Dick Cheney, and two tables for 19 friends at an eve-of inauguration banquet is not cheap either, at $250,000
Inauguration Shutdown Of Downtown Extensive
Washington Post | January 12, 2005
By Spencer S. Hsu and Sari Horwitz
Federal officials announced plans yesterday to close roughly 100 square blocks of downtown Washington to vehicles on Inauguration Day and to restrict traffic on another 100 square blocks.
Motorists should prepare for detours and delays even before President Bush is sworn in for a second term Jan. 20. Some streets will be closed Sunday for a dress rehearsal of the inaugural parade. Others will be closed from time to time starting Tuesday as Bush and other dignitaries head to concerts, receptions and other events.
Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- the parade route -- will be closed after 6 p.m. Jan. 19 for security, as workers remove streetlights and weld shut manhole covers, D.C. police said.
Bush is to take the oath of office in a noontime ceremony at the Capitol on Jan. 20. Throughout the day and into the night, much of downtown will be off-limits to motorists. The restrictions cover Second Street east of the Capitol to 23rd Street to the west, extending roughly between E Street south of the Capitol and K Street to the north, plus an area around the Washington Convention Center.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge acknowledged yesterday that security plans go well beyond those undertaken in 2001 for Bush's first inauguration. This is the widest planned shutdown of the core business district in memory, and Ridge said authorities intend to be "as prepared as possible."
"You can well imagine that the security for this occasion will be unprecedented," said Ridge, who gave an overview of plans in a briefing near the Capitol. "Our goal is that any attempt on the part of anyone or any group to disrupt the inaugural will be repelled by multiple layers of security."
For the first inauguration after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, officials plan to deploy 6,000 law enforcement officers and 7,000 U.S. troops. Roughly 60 federal, state and local agencies will handle security, led by the U.S. Secret Service.
Ridge's announcement came amid criticism from D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) that the federal government was forcing the District to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects to pay for the inauguration. Williams was scheduled to appear with Ridge yesterday but did not; aides said he was ill.
Ridge said the department had approved the District's use of homeland security grants intended for contingencies, such as police overtime when the national terror alert level is raised. Aides added that the District has received $240 million in homeland security aid over three years and that many federal assets were also being used this month.
Asked how much the federal government was paying for inauguration security, Ridge said: "It's in the millions, and I don't know how many millions. . . . We haven't calculated it yet."
To illustrate the magnitude of the undertaking, he and other Homeland Security officials literally assembled a dog-and-pony show for yesterday's briefing.
Ridge not only was surrounded by federal law enforcement, members of the military and local police chiefs, but he also was flanked by explosives-sniffing dog teams from the Army and by U.S. Park Police officers on horseback. Also on display: mobile command centers belonging to the Secret Service, the Federal Protective Service, the joint military command for Washington, the D.C. Emergency Management Agency and others.
Combat-ready troops with the 3rd Infantry Regiment showed off M-4 assault rifles and night-vision goggles, joining troops with a Marine Corps rapid chemical and biological agent reaction force and the Military District of Washington engineering company specializing in rescues from collapsed buildings.
Ridge acknowledged that U.S. authorities have received no information for several weeks to even consider raising the national terror threat level. Last spring, authorities predicted a high "election-year threat" continuing through the inauguration.
"There is no specific threat directed toward the inaugural or the inaugural activities," Ridge said. "But the fact that . . . the decibel level is down doesn't really mean that we would ever be less vigilant. . . . This is the most visible manifestation of our democracy."
Later, Secret Service officials announced the first details of the many restrictions to take effect.
The list of items prohibited from all event sites includes weapons of any kind, aerosols, supports for signs and placards, packages, coolers, thermal or glass containers, backpacks, laser pointers, bags larger than 8 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches and "any other items determined to be a potential safety hazard," the Secret Service said.
A dozen public entry points have been set for the tens of thousands of people who will be coming downtown for the parade, mostly within two blocks of the parade route, to open at 9 a.m. Jan. 20.
Some restrictions already are drawing complaints. The Christian Defense Coalition, a Washington-based advocacy group, protested a ban on carrying crosses that could be used as weapons.
D.C. police announced the limits on vehicle traffic. All vehicles will be barred from a security zone starting late Wednesday, "no ifs, ands or buts," D.C. police Capt. Jeff Herold said. Hotel and office building garages will be inspected and shut inside the zone, which includes the area around the White House to the Capitol, plus around the Convention Center.
Most street parking will be barred from wider vehicle-restricted zones, and only people who can show they live or have legitimate "business that you can articulate" inside will be permitted to drive in, Herold said.
Authorities urged people to walk or use Metro on Inauguration Day. Limits will be relaxed in phases as Inauguration Day proceeds.
"We realize it is an inconvenience for one day, one partial day, even. We really hope everyone can wrap their arms around it and deal with the event as it is, and help us keep it as safe as possible for every citizen, business, attendee and demonstrator," Herold said.
Inauguration to have 6,000 guards
Unprecedented security to include larger no-fly zone
CNN | January 12, 2005
There will be several thousand police officers from several jurisdictions on duty during the inauguration.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Security for President Bush's inauguration -- the first swearing-in since the September 11, 2001, attacks -- will be unprecedented with some 6,000 law enforcement personnel, canine bomb teams and close monitoring of transportation.
In describing the plans for the January 20 event, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said that while the decibel level was down on terrorism chatter, the 55th quadrennial presidential inauguration was such a high-profile event that security would be at its highest level.
"This is the most visible manifestation of our democracy," Ridge said at a news conference near the Capitol, where Bush will take the oath on the West Front.
Ridge detailed some of the security plans, including patrols of harbors, mobile command vehicles, round-the-clock surveillance of the key facilities, a record number of canine bomb teams and thousands of security personnel. He likened the resources to those used during the political conventions last year.
"Security will be at the highest levels of any inauguration," Ridge said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will expand the no-fly zone, now a 15-3/4-mile radius around the Washington Monument, to a 23-mile radius around Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International airports. The temporary flight restrictions will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on January 20.
Roughly 2,500 military personnel will also be on hand to bolster security, with another 4,700 involved in ceremonial duties, said Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman, who commands the Army's military district of Washington.
Jackman said he did not think all the security would detract from the experience of the 250,000 people expected to watch the swearing-in and the estimated 500,000 expected along the parade route from the Capitol to the White House.
"I don't think people will notice kind of an encampment mentality here," Jackman said. "I think they'll feel very comfortable with what we've arranged."
Ridge noted that intelligence picked up in March and April suggested terrorists may be interested in attacking during the election year. He and other counterterrorism officials have said that threat could extend through the inauguration.
On Tuesday, he sought to play down the warnings issued last year. "There is no specific threat directed toward the inaugural or inaugural activities," he said.
City officials in Washington are still working with the Homeland Security Department to sort out who will pay some of the bills. The district's total cost for the event is expected to be $17.3 million, which includes overtime for members of the more than 60 law enforcement agencies that will be brought in to help.
Among other charges: almost $3 million to build viewing stands and $43,260 to develop special license tags, according to a letter Washington Mayor Anthony Williams sent to federal officials late last month.
City officials are seeking permission to dip into the district's $240 million allotment from the federal government to pay for other costs it will incur during the inauguration.
When asked if he thought it was appropriate to use city dollars for basics such as bleachers, Ridge said he was not aware of city money going toward infrastructure improvements, but said the district is eligible for federal reimbursement for overtime expenses.
"We believe there are significant resources available to help the district with costs associated with increased security," Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.
Inauguration prompts unprecedented levels of security
The Orlando Sentinel | January 15, 2005
BY TAMARA LYTLE
WASHINGTON -(KRT) - President Bush's second inauguration will draw unprecedented wartime security, from airspace closed to all but government aircraft to screening everyone, even parade-goers, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge promised Tuesday.
While the inauguration marks the first such gathering in the nation's capital since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Ridge said intelligence forces have picked up no specific threats aimed at such a tempting symbol of American democracy.
"We wanted to ... assure all of you that the local, state and federal government is as prepared as possible to thwart any attempts at disruption of this celebration of democracy," Ridge said in a news conference on the National Mall.
He was surrounded by troops with night-vision goggles, chemical-response teams showing off their gas masks and a half-dozen bomb-sniffing dogs - all, Ridge said, aimed "to thwart terrorists and to protect the hallmark of our democratic and constitutional traditions."
When Bush raises his hand to take the oath on Jan. 20, members of Cabinet, Congress and the Supreme Court, foreign dignitaries and 250,000 other people will be gathered on the West Front of the Capitol. Another half-million will be waiting along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route.
About, 6,000 police from all over the country as well as federal agencies will fan out over the inaugural sites. Florida Highway Patrol will send a contingent on its first-ever security mission outside the state, said Lt. John Bagnardi, who will lead the group.
"It's nice to be involved in something of this magnitude - to showcase your agency in front of the world and to be exposed to this type of security on such a large scale," Bagnardi said.
Florida troopers get lots of opportunities to work with Secret Service when the president or presidential candidates come to the state because of the state's political stature.
But, he said, one thing they're not quite prepared for is the bitter weather expected in Washington. "Our uniforms are not that conducive to that hard, cold weather," he said, noting Highway Patrol had ordered uniform sweaters and plan to pack long johns.
Ridge said that intercepted intelligence information last year indicated a potential terrorist attack during the election year. But now "the decibel level is down," so the nation's security threat rating will not be changed. Still, he said, this inauguration will have unprecedented security.
Some of the measures include: monitoring ventilation systems of hotels, keeping 24-hour surveillance of all facilities involved in the festivities, using portable x-ray machines to check delivery trucks and even requiring parade-watchers to go through security checkpoints.
As Ridge spoke Tuesday, a convoy of recreational vehicles was parked behind him - each one a mobile command center for a different agency.
Charles Ramsey, chief of police for the District of Columbia, said his agency was ready for protesters, although they don't know how many to expect. "I know we'll have a few. We'll handle it."
The military will have 2,500 troops working on security and another 4,700 performing ceremonial roles and ready to jump in if there is an emergency, said Army Maj. Gen. Galen Jackman, who commands the military district here and will escort Bush down the East Front of the Capitol to review the military units before the parade.
"I don't think people will notice an encampment mentality," he said, noting many of the security measures will be invisible.
Jackman said that although the security is tighter than any previous inauguration, it is comparable to recent events such as the Republican and Democratic national conventions and the funeral for former President Ronald Reagan.
Jackman said the inaugural crowd will be smaller than the May gathering for the dedication of the World War II Memorial.
The Reagan funeral included a security scare that caused a panicked evacuation of the Capitol when the military became alarmed by an unknown airplane approaching Washington. The plane, carrying Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, turned out to be traveling legitimately but with a broken transponder.
William Shumann, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA knew Fletcher's plane was not a threat, but a lack of communication between the FAA and the military led to the misunderstanding.
That won't happen again, he said.
In addition to the usual no-fly zone that extends nearly 16 miles in every direction from the Washington Monument, the FAA on Inauguration Day will enforce a separate ban on private aircraft within 23 miles of the three major airports in the region - Reagan National, Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International. And exemptions for elected officials will be canceled that day.
Private donors pay the tab for the $40 million in balls and other festivities. But the security costs fall to the government.
Washington Mayor Anthony Williams has complained that his city is not getting enough help with its $17.3 million in costs.
Ridge said he's not sure how many millions all the security will cost.
"It is the greatest manifestation as to who we are and what we stand for in our country," he said. "And whatever we need to do to ensure the safety of the participants and the citizens of the city around the inaugural, we will do."
Unprecedented security planned for Bush's inauguration next week
Canadian Press | January 14, 2005
By BETH GORHAM
WASHINGTON - With coast guard boats patrolling the Potomac and bomb-sniffing dogs roaming the crowds, security at next week's inauguration of President George W. Bush will be the tightest in U.S. history.
There will be about 6,000 police, mobile command vehicles and portable X-ray units, with extra manpower scouring downtown hotels and transportation areas under an expanded no-fly zone around the capital during the Jan. 20 event, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Tuesday.
While there's been "no specific threat" from terrorists to stage an attack during the 55th inaugural events, "this is the most visible manifestation of our democracy," he said.
"Security will be at the highest level of any inauguration."
Ridge and other officials warned last year of terrorist threats to disrupt events during the U.S. electoral season, prompting accusations from critics that they were trying to bolster support for Bush.
"The decibel level is down" on intelligence chatter about potential strikes that reached a high point last spring, said Ridge.
About 2,500 military personnel are also expected to help secure events next Thursday, including the official swearing-in and a parade from the Capitol to the White House that's likely to attract an estimated 500,000 people.
The gala day is costing $40 million US before security costs are factored in.
Not everyone will be celebrating, however.
Several organizations that opposed Bush's re-election plan marches and rallies designed to disrupt the inauguration.
"Americans of conscience must shun any president who so arrogantly shuns democracy, civil rights, the environment and the poor," said Morrigan Phillips of the DC Resistance Media Collective.
Officials held a dress rehearsal Sunday for the big event to ensure that the timing of music and speeches would lead to Bush's swearing-in at noon as scheduled.
The ceremony will take place on the Capitol's west terrace, where it's been held since former president Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Soldiers practice security for Inauguration
Army News Service | January 12, 2005
By Spc. Justin Nieto
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 12, 2005) -- Elements of the Joint Forces Headquarters-National Capital Region gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11 to participate in a public demonstration of some of the biggest and best tools being used for security in the upcoming Inauguration.
Among those present for the event were Charles H. Ramsey, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Tom Ridge, secretary of Homeland Security and Maj. Gen. Galen B. Jackman, commander of the JFHQ-NCR.
Lining the street in front of the Capitol were various mobile command centers, booms raised, doors opened and personnel ready for a brief tour by the senior officials.
On the Mall itself were representatives of the various security and ceremonial agencies, including Soldiers from the Military District of Washington, members of the Metropolitan Police Department and Marines from the Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force stationed at Indian Head, Md.
“It’s important to note that the people and the organizations represented here in person and with this equipment have been working together for years and years,” said Ridge during the press conference following the demonstration. “They work together all the time on all the events in the National Capital Region.
“These organizations represent what the Department of Homeland Security tries to do nationally,” said Ridge: “Integrate capacities, abilities and all jurisdictions, because together, they are an extremely strong force.”
Ridge said the reason for the display was to assure public that all the levels of government are ready and prepared to deter and defend against any threat to the inaugural events.
“These resources will cover all aspects of the Inauguration, including the oath of office, the parade and any inaugural balls,” said Ridge. As many as 6,000 police officers from different agencies will be present, augmented by Homeland Security personnel, Ridge added.
Among those joining the police and other security personnel in defense of the inaugural events are the troops of the JFHQ-NCR.
“We have a Joint Task Force within the National Capital Region, which is responsible for providing support to a lead federal agency,” said Jackman, who commands the task force as well as the Military District of Washington and the Joint Task Force, Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, which coordinates the military support “on the ceremonial side … like for the swearing-in ceremony and the parade.”
Jackman went on to outline some of the security measures his commands are responsible for during this event.
“We coordinate all of the air defense for the air space around the National Capital Region, we coordinate the maritime security on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, and the Washington Channel,” Jackman said. “In support of the Secret Service,” he add, “we’re providing significant medical capability, robust explosive ordinance disposal and detection capabilities.
“Also, we provide a special technical rescue ability for collapsed structures and then, stationed a little bit further away from the Metropolitan area, we have forces that are stationed to respond,” said Jackman.
Jackman also fielded questions about his organization’s readiness and planning.
“We’ve worked just about every threat tendency that we could think of here,” said Jackman. “We worked through all of the ‘What ifs’ -- how we would respond, how we would work with the agencies and this team together in what we call ‘tabletop exercises’.
“We’re very confident in our preparations for this event,” Jackman said.