Day 4

Uggh. Damn stomach flu, why, why now. Seems to be a quick spin through the body, but pretty darn brutal, Elena as I said threw up on my back in the backpack and we’ve had to do several loads of laundry (ok, Becky has). Becky had it and then it hit me hard, I was pretty depressed but then I rallied. We caught our favorite Circulator bus got off at GWU and took the train over to Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery
As I have said in a pervious post, http://theangrymiddle.blogspot.com/2007/05/on-behalf-of-grateful-nation.html Arlington is an incredible place. Not only for members of my family obviously but for thousands of other families. Today, Arlington was a mob scene of buses and people. Thousands coming to “see the sites”. I still have never seen the eternal flame or the changing of the guard, my visits are personal and to my grandparents. As much as I’d like to see these things, I’m usually ready to go on my way.

Going through the throngs there are few people that are actually seem there to visit loved ones, most are there to see the sites, and pay their respects to those who have served in a more general sense. There was a small group of 82nd Airborne troopers in loose formation, who I imagine were in the city on some type of security duty and I later thought probably there in the cemetery to visit someone that they have loved and lost. The soldiers are so young, so many of them look like they are a couple days out of high school, not having felt a razor to their face but likely visiting a lost friend.

Elena got to meet her great grandparents, or in the least a monument to their memory and we got to visit a monument to America’s greatness, or actually the greatest of its people and specifically its warriors.

Walking the Mall
Washington has become on odd place since the days of my youth. Well, I guess it was always a little off, as any place that it the seat of government of the free world would be. A certain sense of self importance by a set of residents that tend to not be long time denizens of the city, brought back and forth by political winds of change. However, today, unlike the days of my youth it is a fortress.

Security since 9/11 has been tantamount, to the point that our Department of Justice looks like something out of a dystopic, post-apocalyptic nightmare. Flowerboxes serve a dual function, the vessel for plant like and also to protect from suicide bombers. Including at some places that I’m unsure if al Qaeda, Baader Minhoff gang or Earth First would ever consider attacking. One thing though it the NEA ever becomes the terrorist group that the former Secretary of Education insisted it may be, it is one of the few buildings that a F-350 could get a good hit of pavement to hit.

The security changes are not only the physical walls and barriers but the absolute exponential growth of security forces, both public and private. You can’t go anywhere without seeing an armed security guard of some kind and often turning in different directions you will see representatives of many different law enforcement organizations. This weekend security of course was at an extreme but on a usual day the capital is an armed camp. Curiously, the National Guard present (estimated at over 10,000) was unarmed, unsure if that is due to posse comitatus or not. Also somewhat concerning was the physical fitness of some of our guardsmen, which was fascinating in these days that the guard is so frequently used in active duty.

The Mall is America’s backyard. When I was little there would be dozens of football games, soccer games, whatever being played upon it. It also is a place of history, with protests and celebrations that have provided the flavor for the vanilla that DC can often be.

We walked the entire mall after walking over from Arlington, it seemed a balmy 35 degrees at that point, it was impossible to get up to the Lincoln Memorial as they had all the stuff still up from Sunday’s concert. Walking through the throngs of people and vendors to the Capitol where the cold started to take over. We got a passing glance at Soledad O’Brien through the crowd, I was shocked, she was like a rock star. I’m just glad I’m taller because I wouldn’t have had a shot. The plethora of Obama gear is still amazing to me, and people are just scooping it up

The on-demand Sesame St. Elmo is a good relaxer for Elena, and gets her to downshift through her stomach issues as we drag her around town, she managed to fall asleep in the backpack for a couple of hours. She got to visit baby Nate this evening and Carrie’s cats Marbury and Madison.