Get On The Bus

[MuthaWit]

Hola, Loved Ones!

I swear this is the last Barack Obama related blog I will post for a minute(I think :-)) but I want to put this time into a context for me.

There are only two points in my life that I have experienced the fuzzy shock that came over me November 4, 2008 as Barack Obama's election win was announced. The first time was on the night of my daughter's birth when her eyes opened to stare at me. She suddenly flashed that same big smile that she offers the world today(of course it was a toothless smile at that time but you get the point :-P ) and it was truly love at first sight for me.

The second time was during the Million Man March on October 16, 1995. Some of you may remember the March as a call by Minister Louis Farrakhan to African-American men to the nation's capitol for a day of atonement. That is true. For me personally it is a story right out of the movies. I had no plans to go to the march at all. My Dad was making plans with a couple of friends to drive up weeks before the march but I was too busy to bother :-/. On the day they were to leave I drove Dad to where the buses were loading up and it came over my spirit that I absolutely had to make the trip to Washington with him. We ended up renting a van along with a couple other daring souls who decided to make the trip at the last minute. The time spent in DC with my Dad, new friends and the million-plus brothers(don't listen to the skeptics) in front of the Capitol was a spiritually empowering mass experience unlike anything I'd ever felt before or since. I feel like another opportunity for that high is at hand now.

I want y'all to know that we are planning a bus ride to Washington DC for the President-Elect Obama's inauguration on January 20th. I want to invite you guys to roll with us to the Capitol for the historic swearing in of America's 44th President and his Vice-President Joe Biden. Let me pass on a little information regarding the actual ceremonies that will be occurring on the 20th.

The theme of the 2009 inauguration will be “A New Birth of Freedom.”

There are many events going on including the parade, the swearing-in ceremony, the balls, etc. but the trick is that different committees (some of which haven’t even been formed yet LOL) plan different aspects of the inauguration and issue and distribute tickets differently. Anyone selling a ticket to, of all things, the swearing-in ceremony, is more than likely running a scam. 240,000 tickets have been printed for this event and “are in a secure location,” according to the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Howard Gantman, staff director for the committee, said in a release. “Tickets for the swearing-in of President-elect are all provided through members of Congress, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect through the Presidential Inaugural Committee. We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism.” Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony are free but you have to request them from your U.S. representative or senator. If you didn't place that call a few months ago I'd say your chances of getting a quality seat are minimal but try if you will. It might be in your stars. If you are one of the fortunate 240,000 who gets a ticket, you still have to deal with the prospect of a rain-out. If that be the case the ceremony is pushed inside the capitol Rotunda which has space for hundreds as opposed to thousands. Not to be a party pooper but a lot of folks have asked me about the ticketing process.

Now with that daunting news out of the way there is still the banging parade to look towards. The plan right now is to leave New York City early the morning of January 20th for a 4 hour journey to arrive in DC. We will be in the city for 8 hours to experience the parade and any other activities that are being arranged for visitors to the Capitol. We will be returning to NYC later on that evening. Again, the inaugural committees are still in the planning stages but I want to put the word out to you cats now to gauge the level of interest in the trip. We have 49 of 56 seats still available on the charter bus and I would like to have them reserved for members of our URB ALT community. We've been able to negotiate a pretty inexpensive ticket fare of $50 per person. We're even seeking to work out food service for everyone who makes the trip with us. It'll be a fun trip. RAWK!

I have to be in DC on the 20th. It's one of those experiences I need to document or I'll be kicking myself in the future. Hope you cats can make time to share the adventure with me.

B

[Diana]

reading this is helping me closer to the decision... Thank you! im almost there

[MuthaWit]

I'm still waiting to hear what time the parade starts. It generally gets rolling round 9am. If that be the case to get there in time for the launch I plan to leave out like 5am sharp...perhaps 30 minutes earlier! Yeah, it hella early but I want to get us there before things start up. This is history, dadgummit! Of course, if the parade starts at 11am we can leave later. Stay tuned for more info!

[AuntKeke]

When time are you guys leaving New York??

[Brig Feltus]

do you know approximately what time the bus will leave nyc for dc?

[Amanda Ray]

I'll pay my ticket the end of this week. Let me know where we can meet up or if I should mail it.

I'm SO PUMPED!!!

[MuthaWit]

LOL You know when I saw "Get On The Bus" it felt like Spike must have had someone spying on us
cause the experience on screen was very similar to much of what happened with me and my crew. We DID make the MMM though. "Get On The Bus" was kind of anti-climactic because the characters never got the chance to realize the experience and due to that neither did the audience.

[Brig Feltus]

can we do shabooya rollcall on the way there???!!!
:)

[Brig Feltus]

count me in plus 2!!!

[Matrix]

THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER!

I am definitely going. Here's the thing: word on the street is that it would really behoove us to get there as far in advance as possible (ideally a day or two in advance) to beat the INSAAAAAAAAAANE traffic that's gonna go down on the 20th. That said, I'd want to get on that bus REALLY early, like between midnight and 4am, to ensure we're not logjammed/gridlocked/deadlocked out of DC.

Keep me posted on logistics, itinerary, payment due date, etc. Thanks!

[AzoraP]

I am SO there! And, I need two seats please : Thanks for putting this together!