Quote of the Day:

"We're America's band right now," said Liddell, 21, a senior English major from Memphis, Tennessee.

–from a news report on the historically black Talledega College marching band that is marching in the inaugural parade, despite criticism

Charlotte Allen this morning blogged on the gracious letter hospitalized former President George H. W. Bush sent to Donald Trump. The forty-first president of the United States rose above family slight to offer his assistance to the man who will become our forty-fifth president around noon today.

We know that a lot of people don't intend to behave with such magnanimity today. We support free speech and the right of protestors, though we can't help feeling their rancor has much to do with the breakdown of their party and should be shelved for another day. But you know what? They aren't spoiling democracy's big day!  

The ceremony with the Trump family at the Lincoln Memorial last evening was moving and impressive. Without the tiresome performers Hollywood regards as A-List celebrities, it was perfect: old-fashioned, patriotic, and thoroughly American. The military bands' patriotic music made you want to cry and the celebs who dared to perform were giving the wildly enthusiastic crowd a night to remember. I couldn't but think that Andrew Jackson, another man who had a people's inauguration, was smiling on the proceedings!

And you know what, D.C. feels great today! The New York Post describes the scene:

Washington is filled with school groups, families and busloads of people from all over the country; they were buying souvenirs from street vendors, a choir group was spontaneously singing “America the Beautiful” and families like the Vigeant’s were holding hands and celebrating the peaceful passage of power.

They were all either heading to the Memorial for the concert or streaming into congressional offices to pick-up their inaugural tickets for Friday’s big day.

Even folks who did not support Trump.

I fell in love with the kids in the marching band from Telladega College in Alabama. They were so excited to be participating in the inaugural festivities, even though I doubt that many at the historically black college supported Donald Trump. The college was criticized for its decision to participate in the inauguration. But the band members, some of who were making their first trip outside of Alabama, reaffirmed your belief in America's youth. From CNN:

Talladega is now a household name — and the darling of conservatives, who helped raise more than $626,000 (that's more than eight times the $75,000 goal listed on the band's page at gofundme.com) to send nearly 230 band members, 50 students and about 20 others to the nation's capital.

"We're America's band right now," said Liddell, 21, a senior English major from Memphis, Tennessee.

And this is America's day to observe a ritual that began 228 years ago.

Wishing you a happy inaugural day–don't let anybody spoil it because it is one of the great things we as a nation do.