Inauguration with Boys

In a dream I would be a big player invited to the inauguration. Instead I went to my son's school and watched it with him and his class. There is no place I would have rather been.

I can't say the kids were overly interested, even the news that the musical portion was arranged by the same man who composed the Star Wars music failed to impress my son and his posse. The 21 gun salute after President Obama was sworn in got their attention however, as did any mention of the 5000-plus Porta-Potties brought into town to serve the inaugural crowds. The boys were speculating that perhaps some of the salute would hit the Porta-Potties leading to a literal, ahhh... poopy-storm. I expect to see a version of this in my son's Captain Underpants fan fiction.

I didn't have the heart to tell them, it was just gunpowder, but no shells in the salute.

After watching the ceremony, the children sang a series of patriotic songs, America the Beautiful and Grand Old Flag. It warms my heart to hear the children of liberal Jews (an oxymoron perhaps...) singing Ronald Reagan's campaign theme song, I'm Proud to be An American. Of course this only balances the folkie This Land is Your Land and If I had a Hammer. (The folkie standards being passed onto another generation warms the heart of his Trotskyite grandfather.)

I would push for them to add The Battle Hymn of the Republic for a bit more balance, but it is a bit Christian for a Jewish Day School.

Still, I believe in musical deterrence. No one would mess with the U.S. if they knew we had a serious battle hymn.