Editorial: Inaugural fears worth the trouble

The presidential Inauguration is a little more than a week away, and we Northern Virginia residents await it with all the bittersweet anticipation of the apocalypse.

The biblical end-times will be a time of great strife, but they also promise the return of Jesus Christ, so for Christians, the “end of the world” has both positive and negative connotations. The same is true for the Inauguration.

After eight years that brought us the monumental terrorist attacks of 9/11, two wars, security fears, civil liberty erosions and an economic crisis, many are ready to embrace the message of “hope” and “change” embodied in President-elect Barack Obama.

However, next Tuesday, a crowd possibly numbering in the millions will descend upon Washington, D.C. Bridges from Virginia into the city will be closed. Life, or at least traffic, will probably come to a standstill for those in and around the nation’s capital. It is frightening to think of so many people gathering in one place and to imagine the logistics necessary to make it happen.

And so it is with anticipation and trepidation that we await Jan. 20.

Lon Anderson of AAA Mid-Atlantic says the plan to close the bridges from Virginia into D.C. is a bad one.

“I think the last time the bridges were closed like this, Lincoln was president and was worried about an invasion by General Lee,“ Anderson said. That certainly puts this event into historic perspective.

Clearly, this presidential Inauguration is not like all the others. Obama has stirred the American spirit like only a few presidents before him. His win signifies the first time an African-American has been elected president. And he is coming to power during a time of great turmoil while proclaiming a positive message of confidence. To treat the event like any other would be foolhardy and ignorant.

When dealing with a situation of this magnitude, it is better to err on the side of caution and be too secure. We think officials are doing a good job preparing for next Tuesday’s event and we hope it goes off without a hitch.

This moment in time, in history, will never happen again. A little inconvenience is not too much to endure.

Stafford County Sun editorials represent the opinion of the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on his page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily the Stafford County Sun.