Protesters from various states, ages and races scattered around the corner of Fourth and Pennsylvania avenues, one of the designated places for them to voice their opinions during the 55th Presidential Inauguration.

Republicans dressed in cowboy hats and fur coats silently dashed down the sidewalk, often shielding their children’s ears from vulgar shouts.

Police officers from across the country lined the street three, sometimes four people deep in an unprecedented show of security.

As I stood on “America’s main street” at the beginning of the inaugural parade route in Washington, I soaked in the event. A week later, one particular chant from the protesters still echoes in my ears.

“This is democracy. That (pointing to Republican vehicles on the street) is hypocrisy.”

That saying seemed to be the theme for the second inauguration of George W. Bush, a man who promotes reduced government spending on domestic issues and wants to unite the country.

As a historical display of our nation’s democracy, inaugural events always have allowed the public to take part.

But as Bush’s Presidential Inaugural Committee created a fortress around the National Mall, it seemed a path was cleared only for those with cowboy hats, fur coats and large wallets.

Waiting two hours -some nearly four hours – to make it through security checkpoints, many members of the general public were hassled and inconvenienced.

Since the public’s freedom to participate in the events throughout the day seemed limited, in what some attendees compared to as a “banana republic,” many questioned how much Bush really was trying to unite the nation.

For a typical American, finding a spot on the parade route wasn’t an easy task. With many of the prime streets filled with bleachers for invited guests, the public was left with few areas to crowd 10-deep. Even as many bleachers sat empty with the presidential motorcade nearing, members of the general public were turned away from a seat. Apparently, without a golden ticket, you’re just not good enough for a seat.

While Bush spoke of freedom and liberty in his speech, he sure didn’t have much freedom that day. It was easy to miss the presidential motorcade – in a parade celebrating the one and only, most attendees didn’t get that memorable photo of the president walking down Pennsylvania Avenue or even waving out of a window.

Instead they got a quick view of several black limos flying by at 20 mph, one possibly carrying the president.

I wonder if that was Bush’s way of “taking more in” than he had at his first inauguration, which he claimed he wanted to do.

As the hype for the first post-9/11 inauguration built in Washington, many began to wonder if the extensive security would become second-nature. Welding manhole covers shut, closing down 100 square blocks of downtown and creating a dog and pony show throughout the city did prevent terrorist attacks. And maybe that’s the world we’ll be living in, but the right to peaceful assembly still needs to be considered.

Despite this, being in the middle of a crowd of both Bush supporters and haters showed me that no matter what your political affiliation or preferences on policy are, the inaugural process is an amazing display of democracy in our great country.

Now, that’s not to say $40 million was needed to do this.

So, let’s see here. Our country is in the middle of a war, and the world is aiding one of the largest natural disasters in history; yet, the Bush administration planned the most expensive inauguration in U.S. history.

You wouldn’t think a president who won with only 51 percent would be that arrogant and thoughtless as to spend $40 million on parties to celebrate his re-election, would you?

And then ask the District to fork over $20 million from its homeland security funds to help with his celebration. After all, who needs security?

Regardless of who was standing on the capitol steps taking the oath of office – whether it was Bush or Kerry – it would have said a lot for the administration if inaugural events were scaled back.

For example, 60 years ago, our nation was at war while Franklin D. Roosevelt held his inauguration. But, instead of all the glitz and glamour, he held events that reflected the nation’s situation: no parade and no balls, simply a cold lunch after the swearing-in ceremony at the White House.

Perhaps by minimizing the extravagance and expenses, the administration and Inaugural Committee would have sent a more supporting message to troops and disaster victims.

One politician, Rep. Anthony D. Weiner, D-N.Y., even wrote a letter to the administration asking it to use the $40 million on a bonus for troops or armor in Iraq.

After discussing this situation with my colleagues at The Spectator, we decided there is not much we can do to change this administration’s attitude. Instead, we’ll just go along with it.

We’re in the planning stages of an extravagant ball to be held in honor of our new Spectator staff members. Funding for this elegant occasion will come from our very own Student Senate.

What do ya say, Senate?