To the editor:
This past weekend I attended the inauguration of President Trump. I was also present while the women’s march took place the following day. Please allow me to share with you what I saw, heard, and experienced about these two historic events.
Friday morning we made our way to the area in front of the Capitol building where the swearing in of the 45th president would take place. The path was well-marked with directions, security, and attendees.
We went through a checkpoint search and ended up in an area off to the right of the central grandstand. While we were not up close, we could see the large screens and hear the words of those giving speeches. I had binoculars to see a great distance, and by noon, people had filled the entire area, including the sides of the Mall down to an area just before the Washington Monument.
The spirit of the crowd was happy, positive, and patriotic. They listened, applauded, and yes, at times, jeered, depending on who was speaking or what was being said. They clung to every word and every imprint those words produced. To my knowledge, there were no disruptions of major impact – only occasional protestors who were escorted out to preserve the civility and peace.
I heard the new president speak up for a more patriotic America, a more protected America, and a more prosperous America – an inclusive, united America. He swore the oath on two Bibles – one his mother gave him as a child and one used by President Lincoln. As I listened around me, the crowd felt lifted up, fulfilled by the music, the prayers, and the promises stated by Mr. Trump in his concise address.
With the ceremony over, people exited the area as orderly as they came in. People expressed their gratitude to the city police and to the men and women from the armed services who stood at intervals to protect all of us. People left the Mall grounds almost as clean as they entered the cordoned area – with care and respect.
Saturday was a very different experience as we walked out to see the city and have lunch. This protest march was made up of men, women, and children who were there for many causes. All were in protest of the Trump presidency. I respect the right to peacefully protest and to have your voice heard.
I will share with you three different experiences that affected me as a woman and as an American. The vulgarity that we witnessed was shameful and disgusting: posters with obscene language, graphic drawings of body parts, and profanity; people dressed in pink hats that refer to the part of the body that seems to occupy most of their brain space. Their language matched this scene – something that could be likened to a Bruegel painting or a “Walking Dead” movie.
At one point, while I was sitting at a restaurant table, looking out the window, a man slammed himself against the pane, wearing a profane poster, and began to beat the glass with his crotch, screaming obscenities. Finally, there was Moral Madonna, telling the crowd how to live their lives and confessing that she would like to blow up the White House. These were the people I will remember. There were protesters who were civil, sincere, and even polite, but they were far outnumbered by the anarchists and radical feminists.
This march extended into the evening. When it was over, the city street cleaners had to pick up tons of trash, garbage, and abandoned posters that littered the streets, sidewalks, parks, and subways. This scene was also offensive, because so many had been marching for the environment and subjects pertaining to health care.
Elizabeth Printy
Damariscotta
