Obama - day one

[wuapinmon]

Usually in NO, the people throwing beads and such expect a quid pro quo exchange of services and/or visuals.

Let me clear up a common misconception about Mardi Gras:

Mardi Gras is the most family friendly outdoor public holiday in the country, moreso than July 4th because it runs from Jan 6th through the day before Ash Wednesday. Your above comment couldn't be more uninformed. Your perception of Mardi Gras would be like my going to a Pi Ro Halloween party, filming it, and then telling the world that their hedonism was "Halloween," When we all know that Halloween is a family holiday. The Church has official Mardi Gras parties at the St. Charles chapel, and if you had flashed your boobs or schlong to anyone where we were you would've been arrested immediately. Once a kreweman tried to get a girl to raise her shirt, and the crowd started pelting him with beer cans and bottles, forcing him to flee to the other side of the float (the parade was stopped for some reason). We booed and the cops came over and told the guy if he did anything else they were arresting him on the spot. The idiots that Girls Gone Wild catches throwing and receiving beads are not on any official parade route, but rather on the public sewer we call Bourbon Street.

I have purple, gold, and green C9 lights up on my house right now and my neighbors think I'm nuts, but Mardi Gras is awesome....I wish I could afford to go back every year.

The Krewe d'Etat and The Krewe of Muses are my favorite parades.

[myboynoah]

Did the U Band make it to the inauguration?

Also, day one update - Chris Mathews' head is about to explode with exhultation over being able to say President Obama and former President Bush.

[creekster]

Let me clear up a common misconception about Mardi Gras:

Mardi Gras is the most family friendly outdoor public holiday in the country, moreso than July 4th because it runs from Jan 6th through the day before Ash Wednesday. Your above comment couldn't be more uninformed. Your perception of Mardi Gras would be like my going to a Pi Ro Halloween party, filming it, and then telling the world that their hedonism was "Halloween," When we all know that Halloween is a family holiday. The Church has official Mardi Gras parties at the St. Charles chapel, and if you had flashed your boobs or schlong to anyone where we were you would've been arrested immediately. Once a kreweman tried to get a girl to raise her shirt, and the crowd started pelting him with beer cans and bottles, forcing him to flee to the other side of the float (the parade was stopped for some reason). We booed and the cops came over and told the guy if he did anything else they were arresting him on the spot. The idiots that Girls Gone Wild catches throwing and receiving beads are not on any official parade route, but rather on the public sewer we call Bourbon Street.

I have purple, gold, and green C9 lights up on my house right now and my neighbors think I'm nuts, but Mardi Gras is awesome....I wish I could afford to go back every year.

The Krewe d'Etat and The Krewe of Muses are my favorite parades.

Thanks for that. I was defedning NO and Mardi gras in antoher thread and was pretty much alone. Nice to have someone with background agree that Mrdi gras in NO is a family friendly event.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Did the U Band make it to the inauguration?

Yes.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705277568,00.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705278737,00.html

[il Padrino Ute]

A metrics question: Does today count as part of the media-driven first 100 days crap? Or does that measure start tomorrow?

I think the folks at the networks - Fox excluded - will randomly pick 100 days at the end of this 4 year term and declare them the "first 100 days".

[Jeff Lebowski]

Here is another band article. Ironically, the SL Trib gave more focus on support given to the band from LDS members in Virginia:

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11486480?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

The University of Utah marching band has two communities to thank for the historic opportunity to parade down Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday.

People in Utah opened their wallets to raise the money needed to get the band to Washington for the inaugural parade.

And Mormons in Virginia -- many with Utah ties -- took care of just about everything else. They organized the transportation and activities and provided food and even a bed to sleep in for each of the 128 band members.

[Pheidippides]

Let me clear up a common misconception about Mardi Gras:

Mardi Gras is the most family friendly outdoor public holiday in the country, moreso than July 4th because it runs from Jan 6th through the day before Ash Wednesday. Your above comment couldn't be more uninformed. Your perception of Mardi Gras would be like my going to a Pi Ro Halloween party, filming it, and then telling the world that their hedonism was "Halloween," When we all know that Halloween is a family holiday. The Church has official Mardi Gras parties at the St. Charles chapel, and if you had flashed your boobs or schlong to anyone where we were you would've been arrested immediately. Once a kreweman tried to get a girl to raise her shirt, and the crowd started pelting him with beer cans and bottles, forcing him to flee to the other side of the float (the parade was stopped for some reason). We booed and the cops came over and told the guy if he did anything else they were arresting him on the spot. The idiots that Girls Gone Wild catches throwing and receiving beads are not on any official parade route, but rather on the public sewer we call Bourbon Street.

I have purple, gold, and green C9 lights up on my house right now and my neighbors think I'm nuts, but Mardi Gras is awesome....I wish I could afford to go back every year.

The Krewe d'Etat and The Krewe of Muses are my favorite parades.

Say whatever you want. I live in the area, and I disagree. About the holiday in general, although I will agree that the majority of the shenanigans are on Bourbon Street.

[wuapinmon]

Say whatever you want. I live in the area, and I disagree. About the holiday in general, although I will agree that the majority of the shenanigans are on Bourbon Street.

Apparently you and I don't see the same thing. I lived there for five years and I went to over 100 parades, on St. Charles....there are no parades on Bourbon Street. You just admitted that the majority occur on Bourbon Street, so how can you still assert that I'm wrong? Seriously, what gives? Did you ever go to Metairie parades? Did you ever take in the glory that is Orpheus at night?

And for the record, Houston ain't New Orleans. I've never been to Mardi Gras in Galveston, but New Orleans is all about the family.

Hail Rex!

[Pheidippides]

Apparently you and I don't see the same thing. I lived there for five years and I went to over 100 parades, on St. Charles....there are no parades on Bourbon Street. You just admitted that the majority occur on Bourbon Street, so how can you still assert that I'm wrong? Seriously, what gives? Did you ever go to Metairie parades? Did you ever take in the glory that is Orpheus at night?

And for the record, Houston ain't New Orleans. I've never been to Mardi Gras in Galveston, but New Orleans is all about the family.

Hail Rex!

Let me back up a step. Also, I realize that what I am about to say is somewhat hypocritical, given my view of Halloween.

My problem with Mardi Gras is not about what they do or don't do in NO. If I am going to drive there for boobies, I am a sad man anyway. Nor do I doubt you folks about the family parades and such, as our area (which has many, many NO transplants) celebrates it too, in NO fashion. My original comment was meant to be flippant, not serious.

The serious bit is that the whole Fat Tuesday concept is not my favorite. That's my beef, and sorry to confuse the two issues. Again, I recognize my inconsistency. When I reconcile it, I will let you know.

[wuapinmon]

Let me back up a step. Also, I realize that what I am about to say is somewhat hypocritical, given my view of Halloween.

My problem with Mardi Gras is not about what they do or don't do in NO. If I am going to drive there for boobies, I am a sad man anyway. Nor do I doubt you folks about the family parades and such, as our area (which has many, many NO transplants) celebrates it too, in NO fashion. My original comment was meant to be flippant, not serious.

The serious bit is that the whole Fat Tuesday concept is not my favorite. That's my beef, and sorry to confuse the two issues. Again, I recognize my inconsistency. When I reconcile it, I will let you know.

Well, I don't practice Lent and it contains not an ounce of spiritual symbolism for me, just like the bonfires I build on St. John's Day don't mean anything to me, nor does the Halloween party. They are all excuses to have fun, divorced from their original meaning....indeed the vast majority of Mardi Gras krewes are Protestant-led organizations. So, if your issue is with the adoption of a holiday without understanding its meaning, I understand that, though I find it capricious to no end. But, if your objection is a moral one because of what could happen, well then I don't think we'll see eye to eye ever about Halloween, El dia de los Muertos, Mardi Gras, or Buddha's Birthday.

I hold a Groundhog Day party EVERY year at my house. Holidays are just excuses to get together and have fun with friends.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I suppose the greatest endorsement Bush receives is that Obama will change very little that the Bush administration initiated.

Guantanamo? Do you really think Obama is going to let those guys go?

Iraq? The Surge has made it possible for us to talk about withdrawal without leaving the country in a complete mess.

Health Care? The Medicare prescription drug program has been a rousing success.

Tax cuts? Those will continue under Obama.

Domestic Surveillance? Bush established the legal remedy for the program to continue. I seriously doubt Obama will dial back any surviellance of those in the U.S. connected to terrorist organizations.

Economic Stimulus? It was the Dems looking for cover from Repubs to do exactly what they wanted.

I guess Obama has promised to increase U.S. commitment to the war in Afghanistan (a NATO action), as well as to invade Pakistan if it doesn't cooperate. There's some differences.

Boom. There went that one.

[myboynoah]

Boom. There went that one.

To where? Fort Levinworth?

[Jeff Lebowski]

To where? Fort Levinworth?

Are you going to go all Tex-like on me and claim he is not really canning Gitmo based on technicalities? He is shutting it down as best he can. These things take time, but that's a pretty quick start if you ask me.

[TripletDaddy]

Are you going to go all Tex-like on me and claim he is not really canning Gitmo based on technicalities? He is shutting it down as best he can. These things take time, but that's a pretty quick start if you ask me.

He also implemented a wage freeze for white house staff that make more than $100K. I think he did that within a few hours of moving in.

[creekster]

Are you going to go all Tex-like on me and claim he is not really canning Gitmo based on technicalities? He is shutting it down as best he can. These things take time, but that's a pretty quick start if you ask me.

I thik his point is that these guys may not be in gitmo any longer, but they are not all going to be freed; they will be incarcerated somewhere.