That's the ticket

I am entitled to one ticket. It is a ticket to one of the biggest events in our country's history. The ticket can not be sent to me. I must pick it up in advance of the event. The ticket is to the swearing ceremony of our 44th President Barrack Obama. This is one of the few events in my life that I will attend, come hell or high water. The only thing that could keep me from the event is if I passed away, and then I would still try to attend.

I was surprised I even got a ticket, considering they are the hottest tickets on the planet. Four to five million people have put in applications for tickets to what in political circles they call "the big dance." A week after the election I called Sen. Byrd's office and talked with his press person who in turn told me who to write to for a ticket. I submitted an online application as well as copies The Shepherdstown Chronicle and another letter on the newspaper letterhead. This all had to be done by Dec. 15. With the Inauguration a week away, and still no word I thought I would have to find another way to get to the event. Then last Friday I received a E mail which said "In response to your 2009 Presidential Inauguration request, the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents has assigned you the following for the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2009: 1 Ticket."

I was born and raised in Washington D.C. I have been to several inaugurations over the years, the most recent in 2001But this one is different. This event is historic on several different levels. In some ways, it is as important as the founding of our country or the election of Washington or Lincoln or FDR. With the swearing in of Barrack Obama as our 44th President, the words of the Declaration of Independence finally ring true: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."