Inaugural Security: Leave Chairs, Strollers Home

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

No strollers near the Capitol. No tents on the National Mall. None of that Silly String on the parade route.

That's just a sample of the items forbidden from President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration for security reasons. And while many people say the inconvenience is a small price to pay to witness the swearing-in of the nation's first black president, others are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how they will sit, snack, carry diapers or transport tired tots.

Some older people are backing out of their inaugural plans, partly because of a no-chair rule for the parade route. Parenting blogs are abuzz with complaints about the less-than-kid-friendly restrictions. Thermoses, coolers and backpacks are out at both the Capitol and the parade route....

The tightest rules are reserved for the lucky 240,000 ticket-holders, who get to sit closest to the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. There are understandable prohibitions on weapons and pepper spray. But you also can't carry an umbrella. And don't think about holding up any ''Yes We Did'' signs -- posters also are not allowed.

It could get tricky as people congregate along the parade route, where many items allowed on the Mall will be off-limits. That list includes bicycles, backpacks, aerosols (which could include Silly String), coolers, thermal containers and chairs....

***

(Antron Johnson, who's organizing an inauguration trip with three busloads of Obama supporters from Atlanta and Savannah) said some people are worried about packed Metro trains now that officials are sounding warnings. Metro has said its bathrooms will be closed for security. The option left for parents wanting to change stinky diapers? Hundreds of portable toilets that the transit system and park officials are providing downtown.

''It's truly scaring people,'' Johnson said. ''The news is becoming more and more bleak.''...

The rules aren't so strict on the National Mall, where most people will end up because tickets aren't required. Officials have said everyone will be checked, but they haven't said what that will entail. People won't be able to see much, except what's on Jumbotrons, but they can bring all sorts of stuff. Besides the obvious no-nos -- firearms, explosives, fireworks -- the only bans are on alcohol, tents and glass bottles....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2008/12/20/washington/AP-Inauguration-Security-Rules.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. how they will sit, snack etc

They missed out Walmart trolleys. :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Strollers are my latest pet peeve.

How in the world did parents of my generation manage to take our kids so many places without a gigantic stroller? I used the stroller when I was walking in the neighborhood. It never went through my mind to take it to the mall or the inauguration. :)

[dkf]

8. How'd they did it without disposable diapers?

Or those wet cloth thingies.

[Warpy]

11. Remember those cheap fold-up jobs?

They weren't nearly as lethal to other pedestrians as those gigantic models with the huge wheels and big, fat bumpers. Plus, when things got really crowded, you could close them up and carry the kid piggyback.

Those monstrosities are the bane of my existence in every art show these days. Crowds are large and aisles are narrow and one dawdling mommy with a kid buried deep into one of those things can discourage a whole lot of other people from looking for what they want.

Leave the fucking Cadillac at home, please.

I came of age in the hippie years. When parents my age went out in a crowd, the kid got put into a backpack arrangement on Daddy's back. Infants went into Snuglis with Mom.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. What's wrong with letting the kid walk?

I saw a mother with a 5 year old in a stroller a few weeks ago. The kid's feet were dragging on the ground! She got out of the stroller and Mom told her to get back in! :crazy:

[Warpy]

14. Kids who are old enough can certainly walk

but kids 5 and under tend to get tired rather quickly. Remember, they have to take two steps for every step a grownup takes.

That mother was using the gigantic stroller as a restraint device, I think, to keep the kid under control and her hands off the merchandise.

[customerserviceguy]

16. Nobody five and under is going to remember this anyway

leave them at home. By the way, that's my advice for anyone who would stick a kid that young on a commercial aircraft. The kid is not going to remember anything about the travel six months from the time of the flight.

I travel cross-country a couple of times a year to visit family and friends in the Northwest, and its surprising how many people make their kids and especially their fellow travelers suffer through six or more hours of enforced boredom that the Sesame Street generation simply cannot handle peacefully. No doubt the waiting for the Inauguration and the parade will be similarly unintersting (except for a few key moments) for the little ones.

If you're lucky enough to have a ticket or a way to get to the parade, have a close friend or a relative keep your kid five and under, tell the child to see if they can see you on TV. After fifteen minutes of not seeing Mommy or Daddy, the kid will just lose interest and go off to do something else, and both of you will be glad that you handled things this way.

[jetphixer]

20. RET BUTLER

Frankly SCARLET i don't give a DAMM !! Warren BIG FAT CRISTO NAZI PIG

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. I agree

When my kids were little, we just didn't go out much or take many vacations.

[SaveAmerica]

18. Yep, if your kid hits you in the face with his/her hands when they stretch, time for them to get out

of the stroller! I actually saw this the other day, kid was stretching and the outstretched legs were so far in front of the stroller and on the ground, it couldn't be pushed. The umbrella stroller I use for each of my kids was the best ever.

[MadAnne]

19. These things are the size of hummers. They completely

block the aisles in stores.

[NWHarkness]

3. Put 'em back in the closet

Oh wait, this isn't a Warren thread!

[MineralMan]

4. Well, it wasn't, anyhow..

until you introduced it...

[NWHarkness]

7. Just trying to make a joke

Sorry if it fell flat

[MineralMan]

9. Probably not a good time just now...

[MineralMan]

5. Why would one take a stroller-aged child

to the inaugural? I can definitely understand taking older children, but not kids in strollers. This is going to be an uncomfortably crowded, situation. Ticket-holders are going to have to stand around for a long time, due to security checks and the like. I wouldn't go, myself, because I dislike being in the midst of that kind of crowd for long periods.

The Mall will probably be a little more child and elder-friendly, but even there, it's going to be a long winter day in D.C. It's worth thinking about.

Now, I'm going to be glued to my television set. No question about that, but I wouldn't attend in person.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

6. Show up in wheelchairs and let them deal with that one.

[MineralMan]

10. Great idea.

In fact, show up in a wheelchair in uniform, if you are a disabled vet. I'm thinking you'll get right in, despite anything.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[makinguphumans]

15. only the able bodied without babies allowed to see the parade.

[customerserviceguy]

17. Everyone in the country will be able to see both the Inauguration and the parade

on TV.

Crowd events are endurance trials. The more important the event, the more that's true. And this one promises to be a doozy, both in sheer size and the security requirements.

[Mike Daniels]

22. 4 million people = 15 square inches per person

That translates to shoulder to shoulder crowds.

People who think they are going to be able to move around much less have space to change their children's clothing once they are on the Mall need to think again.

I have several friends who voted for Obama who live in DC and they have no intention of going anywhere near the event sites. Anyone who wants to rough it on site in light of all the information coming out has no room to complain at this point if the experience becomes hellish.

[earth mom]

23. The inauguration sounds much like *'s which reminded me of the Soviet Union.

:yoiks: