A respectful proposal offered to barackobama.com, the Presidential Inauguration Committee (and, remotely likely, change.gov), to the extent appropriate for each, by email and by web link by text message to its contact lists. Please offer your comments and improvements below with my thanks in advance.
"Dear Friends:
The peaceful and orderly transition of government between Presidential administration is a major strength of our nation and our Constitution. We are fortunate to have the chance to celebrate this quintessentially American event and its associated traditions as a free nation. We are very hopeful and excited for a successful Inauguration celebration in Washington and throughout the nation.
Many millions of you are threatening hoping to celebrate the upcoming Inauguration festivities in our nation's capital. Due to the expectations of unprecedented attendance at the events in Washington, EVERYONE - public servants, elected officials and all members of the public - will have to their best to make everything work out extremely well for an enjoyable and memorable day.
In this spirit, we respectfully urge everyone attending or considering attending the events in Washington to follow the following common sense rules for a great day. You may find more about all of this at www.barackobama.com/nof****ngtrainwreckonDay1.html.
- If you have not committed to coming to DC, please consider celebrating the day in your local area instead. Accommodations and transportation resources are very strained within a 30 mile radius of Washington, DC. Raleigh, Youngstown, Reading, Schenectady, Birmingham and Minneapolis are just as American as Washington, DC, is, and have just as much reason to celebrate. Please take a look at our new local celebrations page at my.barackobama.com/staythef***home to help you celebrate with friends new and old OUTSIDE of metropolitan Washington, DC.
- If you have decided to come to DC, please reconsider the option of staying home unless you are coming to DC to volunteer, to work for your job or unless you already have non-refundable travel costs. Again, we won this election throughout this nation and you can meet up with others in your town or city to celebrate at my.barackobama.com/staythef***home.
- If you are absolutely coming to DC, please note that there will be major challenges to the transportation network of metropolitan Washington. Common sense and following the rules matter more than anything else for the Inauguration events. Accordingly, please note our respectful request for your efforts on Inauguration Day to make the day an enjoyable and memorable one for all of us for all of the right reasons.
I. Please respect authority. Respect and follow the instruction of the safety officials. Who are the safety officials? The tens of thousands of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel, Secret Service officers, firefighters, paramedics/EMTs, Transit Authority (Metro) officials, and countless others who are working incredible overtime on little sleep to make you, your friends and families safe in DC. .
II. Please plan ahead. Washington, DC is not a tropical city, and cold, damp weather with high winds is indeed predicted for January 20, 2009 in Washington. Dress in layers and bring blankets for yourself. Bring food and beverage with you if you can; the National Mall has no Cinnabon or ROy Rogers. Not to be indelicate, but restroom facilities may be at a premium; think ahead. Also, you may find it difficult to use your cell phone due to large crowd sizes downtown; try to plan your day as much as possible BEFORE you go to the events, with any meet-ups with friends or family afterwards pre-set.
III. Please don't trash Malia and Sasha's new hometown. What you throw on the ground, someone will have to pick up later in the cold and dark. What would a good citizen do with trash if there's no trash can? A good American will keep hold of it until she passes a trash can later. Similarly, be safe, sensible and respectful with any celebrations after the official events. Washington is our nation's capital, but it's also a real city where real people live and work and pay taxes.
IV. Please note the rule: <span style="color: #F00; font-size:large;">Stand on the right, make progress on the left!</span> This is your rule for handling narrow streets, narrow subway platforms and escalators everywhere including on the DC Metro. It's like in politics: when you want to go forward, you don't stand motionless on the right but you put your left foot forward. Remember: stand on the right, go forth on the left. Of course, rule I Respect Authority comes first, so safety personnel tell you differently, obey them. STAND ON THE RIGHT, MAKE PROGRESS ON THE LEFT. This way, more people get where they are going, while allowing others to rest on the right.
V. Please expect difficulties. Washington is a city of 550,000 people and there will be perhaps 2-4 million people from all around the world traveling to Washington for these events. Accordingly, you should expect a minor mishap or too. Planning ahead will help you get the most out of your visit even if some mishaps occur.
VI. Please be a great passenger (even when it's tight on the train, bus or platform.) When you are coming into DC or traveling within Washington, your common sense and basic decency will make the day go a lot better. On the Metrorail, let people OFF the train before you get ON the train. First OFF, then ON. If the "doors are closing", do not enter or leave the train. Note the "stand on the right, walk forward on the left" rule for escalators discussed above. Buy your transit passes in advance or have local friends buy them for you in advance - THAT MEANS NOW. You do not want to be fiddling with nickels behind 200 people at a Metro station. Please note that supplemental bus service will be available on Inauguration Day within Washington. www.wmata.com will provide you everything you need to know; read that site very thoroughly.
VII. Please be a good neighbor. If someone near you is experiencing difficulty, help that person or contact public safety personnel. We need to look out for each other.
VIII. PLEASE ENJOY THE DAY! We all have a reason to celebrate!
Thanks very much!
Yours sincerely, ...."