Is it true that FDR cancelled 1945's inaugural ball because of the war?

I heard this on CHOM in Montreal, that FDR cancelled plans for inaugural festivities because the resources would be better spent on the war effort.

According to the announcer, they ate chicken sandwiches in the White House instead.

If this is true, so much for the "Show must go on" Bushies. I wonder what the troops will be eating Inauguration Day?

that all Americans were making. I don't think that the Neocons are very patriotic. In fact, I don't think they would have supported FDR in the depression or the war.

After 9-11, most of America joined together. That means that Liberals and Progressives set their differences aside. I don't think the Neocons can say that they have ever set their agenda aside for the common good.

We are the patriots...screw them.

though I am glad of the escape yesterday from Abu Graib. An excellent chance they did not belong there to begin with.

"$40 million buys how many armored vests? n/t"
Posted by BR_Parkway <<< Great point

Everyone from that particular era also remembers being asked to make sacrifices in their daily lives (food items, gasoline, silk etc) for the war effort too.

Bush is asking people to spend more, and enjoy his fucking tax cuts.

Neocons are unpatriotic, non-troop supporting, money squandering jackasses without a clue.

Stephanie

during WW II and how much everybody sacrificed day to day. I always assumed it was a matter of minor inconveniences.

Somebody gave me a book about the history of Christmas for Christmas and the book went into great detail explaining why the 1950s were such a consumerist time for everybody. It was because they had serious food, liquor, gas, travel, long distance phone call, you name it, there were big restrictions on whatever people were doing in their everyday lives during the war. I had no idea and probably neither do most people.

We are so spoiled, I cannot possibly imagine what Americans would do nowadays if asked to sacrifice ANY of their conveniences and luxuries, let alone have daily food rations!

troops. It's easy for most of them now because they don't have to sacrifice a thing - all you need to do is plaster a "support the troops" magnet on your car. They don't even have to see the coffins being unloaded and unlike the massive MSM daily countdown buildup to this disaster, there isn't even much reporting of the numbers of troops who sacrifice an arm, a leg or their entire life.

A family was issued ration books with little stamps inside, and if you wanted to buy shoes, you had to use so many stamps. When they were used up, you couldn't buy any more. You had to wait to see if you were eligible again. I think same with tires, and other goods.

There were little red or blue cardboard tokens from the OPA (Office of Price Administration) and I believe we used them for meat and other groceries. I was little at the time, but I remember everyone was always talking about their rations.

We had paper drives, bought war bonds, saved tin cans (removed both ends and stomped on them to make hem flat), and saved grease! I don't know what that was for, but I later read they didn't use half of that stuff and it was just to involve the people in the war effort.

Can you imagine such sacrifice going on in our self-centered society? No, the war is just a TV show that comes on between bouts of shopping!

There're some of us knitters saying that we need to get the knitting community on a war footing, at least. The American Red Cross received hundreds of thousands of hand-knitted items during WWI and almost as many in WWII. We could do it, but we'll have to change the country's attitude about the war first. I agree: we're too self-centered. I've actually had knitters say things like, "Why would I knit for the troops? I don't have enough time to knit for myself." :eyes:

Total truth: I have only sent one box and one hand-knitted hat to the war so far, so I'm talking to myself too.

What happened to my post? Why did it get copied three times???

Therefore no "real" sacrifice is necessary. The only people the war is real to is the Iraqis and the soldiers, dead and alive. For the Bushies, it is a business venture.

BushCo told us to spend after 9/11. I think it is only fitting that they're continuing the tradition of "let them eat cake."

Therefore no "real" sacrifice is necessary. The only people the war is real to is the Iraqis and the soldiers, dead and alive. For the Bushies, it is a business venture.

Everyone from that particular era also remembers being asked to make sacrifices in their daily lives (food items, gasoline, silk etc) for the war effort too.

Bush is asking people to spend more, and enjoy his fucking tax cuts.

Neocons are unpatriotic, non-troop supporting, money squandering jackasses without a clue.

Stephanie

FDR cancelled inaugural festivities. Yes, he was ill, but he was also a man who realized how tacky it would look to have a big party during a time of war.

he is the epitome of tacky. And the whole world knows it!

Private and corporate inauguration donations as of last Friday (from the official inauguration website). Sorted by descending $, donor.

A.G. Spanos Stockton CA $250,000
ACS State & Local Solutions, Inc. Washington DC $250,000
Alagem Capital Group, LLC Beverly Hills CA $250,000
Altria Corporate Services, Inc. New York NY $250,000
American Financial Cincinnati OH $250,000
Ameriquest Capital Corporation Orange CA $250,000
Argent Mortgage Company Orange CA $250,000
AT&T Washington DC $250,000
Bank of America Corporation Charlotte NC $250,000
Boone Pickens Dallas TX $250,000
Bristol-Myers Squibb Washington DC $250,000
Burlington Norhtern & Sanata Fe Corp. Topeka KS $250,000
Carl H. Lindner Cincinnati OH $250,000
CheveronTexaco Concord CA $250,000
Cinergy Corporation Cincinnati OH $250,000
Corporate Capital, LLC New Orleans LA $250,000
Dr. Miriam Ochshorn Adelson Las Vegas NV $250,000
Elliott Broidy Los Angeles CA $250,000
Exxon Mobil Corporation Washington DC $250,000
FedEx Corporation Memphis TN $250,000
First Data Corporation Greenwood Village CO $250,000
Ford Motor Company Dearborn MI $250,000
Golden Eagle Industries, Inc. Charlotte NC $250,000
Hunt Consolidated, Inc. Dallas TX $250,000
Kojaian Ventures, LLC Bloomfield Hill MI $250,000
Long Beach Acceptance Corp. Paramus NJ $250,000
Marriott International, Inc. Washington DC $250,000
Marriott Vacation Club International Washington DC $250,000
Nancy and Rich Kinder Houston TX $250,000
National Association of Home Builders Washington DC $250,000
Nelson Peltz New York NY $250,000
New Energy Corp. South Bend IN $250,000
Occidental Petroleum Corporation Los Angeles CA $250,000
Pfizer, Inc. New York NY $250,000
Rooney Holdings, Inc. Tulsa OK $250,000
S. Davis Phillips High Point NC $250,000
Sallie Mae, Inc. Reston VA $250,000
Sheldon G. Adelson Las Vegas NV $250,000
Southern Company Atlanta GA $250,000
Stephens Group, Inc. Little Rock AR $250,000
Strongbow Technologies, Corp. Burtonsville MD $250,000
Susan and Michael Dell Austin TX $250,000
The Home Depot Washington DC $250,000
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC Chevy Chase MD $250,000
The Timken Company Canton OH $250,000
Time Warner New York NY $250,000
Town and Country Credit Irvine CA $250,000
United Parcel Service Roswell GA $250,000
United Technologies Hartford CT $250,000
UST Inc. Greenwich CT $250,000
Wachovia Corporation Jacksonville FL $250,000
Washington Television Center Washington DC $250,000
Thomas F. Stephenson Atherton CA $225,000
Blank Rome, LLP Philadelphia PA $200,000
AFLAC, Incorporated Columbus GA $150,000
Marc S. Goldman Hoboken NJ $150,000
Terry & Jane Semel Beverly Hills CA $125,000
A. J. Scribante Omaha NE $100,000
AFLAC, Incorporated Columbus GA $100,000
Al Hoffman, Jr. Fort Myers FL $100,000
Alan B. Fabian Cockeysville MD $100,000
Alexander F. Treadwell Westport NY $100,000
Amgen, Inc. Thousand Oaks CA $100,000
Andrew C. Taylor St. Louis MO $100,000
Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. Washington DC $100,000
Bensco, Inc. Metairie LA $100,000
Benson Football Metaire LA $100,000
Benson Mineral Group, Inc. Denver CO $100,000
BlueCross BlueShield of Florida, Inc. Jacksonville FL $100,000
Bradford M. Freeman Los Angeles CA $100,000
C. Edward McVaney Greenwood Village CO $100,000
California Farm Bureau Federation Sacramento CA $100,000
Century Homebuilders, LLC Miami FL $100,000
Charles D. Miller Pasadena CA $100,000
Cherie and Robin Arkley Eureka CA $100,000
Cisco Systems, Inc. San Jose CA $100,000
Clearwire Corporation Kirkland WA $100,000
Computer Associates International, Inc. Islandia NY $100,000
Cove Partners, LLC Santa Monica CA $100,000
Donald J. Carty Dallas TX $100,000
Duane Acklie Lincoln NE $100,000
Dwight C. Schar McLean VA $100,000
EDS Plano TX $100,000
Entrepreneurial Capital Corporation Newport Beach CA $100,000
Fairfax Reality, Inc. Salt Lake City UT $100,000
Frank Baxter Los Angeles CA $100,000
GMAC Horsham PA $100,000
H. Edward Baher Bluffton SC $100,000
Hunter Engineering Company Bridgeton MO $100,000
Ilene L. Flaum and David M. Flaum Rochester NY $100,000
Independent Community Bankers of America Washington DC $100,000
International Paper Memphis TN $100,000
Intervest Construction, Inc. Daytona Beach FL $100,000
J. Ronald Terwilliger Key Largo FL $100,000
Jack Overstreet Englewood CO $100,000
Jerome V. Ansel Boca Raton FL $100,000
John L. Kemmerer, III Morristown NJ $100,000
John W. Childs Boston MA $100,000
JPMorgan Chase Houston TX $100,000
KB Home Los Angeles CA $100,000
Lawrence Auriana Greenwich CT $100,000
Leach Capital, LLC San Francisco CA $100,000
Linger Longer Development Co. Greensboro GA $100,000
Lockheed Martin Corporation Arlington VA $100,000
Marc S. Goldman Hoboken NJ $100,000
Marna D. Schnabel Los Angeles CA $100,000
Matthew R. Simmons Houston TX $100,000
Max M. Fisher Detroit MI $100,000
Microsoft Corporation Redmond WA $100,000
Morgan Stanley Jersey City NJ $100,000
Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Dallas TX $100,000
Ned L. Siegel Boca Raton FL $100,000
New Century Mortgage Corporation Irvine CA $100,000
Northrop Grumman Los Angeles CA $100,000
Nuclear Energy Institute Washington DC $100,000
Office of the Commissioner of Baseball New York NY $100,000
Oracle Corporation Rocklin CA $100,000
Peabody Holding Company, Inc. St. Louis MO $100,000
Pepsi-Cola Company Purchase NY $100,000
Phil Wendel Charlottesville VA $100,000
Qualcomm Incorporated San Diego CA $100,000
R. T. Farmer Cincinnati OH $100,000
Richard Warren Lake Forest CA $100,000
Rick J. Caruso Los Angeles CA $100,000
Robert C. Rhein Interests, Inc. Cincinnati OH $100,000
Robert Day Los Angeles CA $100,000
Robert Frank Pence McLean VA $100,000
Robert W. Johnson, IV New York NY $100,000
Sam & Marilyn Fox St. Louis MO $100,000
SBC Communications, Inc. Washington DC $100,000
Stephen A. Schwarzman New York NY $100,000
TC Management Partners IV, LLC Washington DC $100,000
The Boeing Company Arlington VA $100,000
The Coca Cola Company Washington DC $100,000
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. New York NY $100,000
The Limited Service Corporation Columbus OH $100,000
The Shaw Group, Inc. Baton Rouge LA $100,000
The Washington Post Washington DC $100,000
Thien H. Nguyen Redington Beach FL $100,000
Thomas F. Petway, III Jacksonville FL $100,000
Titus Electrical Contracting, Inc. Austin TX $100,000
TRT Holdings Inc. Irving TX $100,000
Tyson Springdale AR $100,000
Union Pacific Corporation Washington DC $100,000
Valhi, Inc. Dallas TX $100,000
Vernon G. Buchanan Sarasota FL $100,000
Waste Management Service Center Houston TX $100,000
Well Care Health Plans, Inc. Tampa FL $100,000
William Earl Riggs Pleasantton CA $100,000
William O. DeWitt, Jr. Cincinnati OH $100,000
American Health Care Association Washington DC $50,000
Beverly Enterprises, Inc. Fort Smith AR $50,000
Burton J. McMurtry Portola Valley CA $50,000
Credit Union National Association Madison WI $50,000
David Girard-diCarlo Washington DC $50,000
E-Team Communications Austin TX $50,000
George Richmond Earth City MO $50,000
James A. Haslam, II Knoxville TN $50,000
LMD Properties, LLC High Point NC $50,000
National Association of Realtors Chicago IL $50,000
Nicholas Taubman Roanoke VA $50,000
Pilot Corporation Knoxville TN $50,000
Tom Benson Metairie LA $50,000
Williams & Jensen, PC Washington DC $50,000
International Traders, INC Nashville NC $30,000
John Elliot Associates Charleston WV $30,000
American Bankers Association Washington DC $25,000
American Chemistry Council Arlington VA $25,000
Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, LLC Washington DC $25,000
Bill G. Hartley Tyler TX $25,000
Bob Tuttle Beverly Hills CA $25,000
Broadcast Music, Inc. Nashville TN $25,000
Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Coral Gables FL $25,000
Cove Partners, LLC Santa Monica CA $25,000
CSC Federal Sector Headquarters Falls Church VA $25,000
Direct Supply, Inc. Milwaukee WI $25,000
Edison Electric Institute Washington DC $25,000
Edison Electric Institute Washington DC $25,000
Frederick R. Meyer Dallas TX $25,000
Horizon Bay Management, LLC Tampa FL $25,000
Hratch Kaprielian New York NY $25,000
HSBC USA Inc. Mt. Prospect IL $25,000
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. Deerfield Beach FL $25,000
Kenneth J. Kies McLean VA $25,000
Lawrence Lacerte Dallas TX $25,000
Lydian Asset Management $25,000
Marathon Oil Corporation Houston TX $25,000
MCI Ashburn VA $25,000
Michael W. Murphy El Dorado AR $25,000
New Breed Corporate Services, Inc. Greensboro NC $25,000
New Breed Corporation Greensboro NC $25,000
Perennial Strategy Group, LLC Washington DC $25,000
Piper Rudnick Washington DC $25,000
PricewaterhouseCoopers Tampa FL $25,000
Retzer Resources, Inc. Greenville MS $25,000
ServiceMaster Memphis TN $25,000
Stanley P. Whitcomb, Jr. Bonita Springs FL $25,000
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. New York NY $25,000
Washington Group International Boise ID $25,000
Beverly Enterprises, Inc. Fort Smith AR $20,000
total $24,755,000

Besides, Bush wouldn't be the first commander-in-chief to pull the plug on a big bash because events might make it look a bit unseemly. Franklin Delano Roosevelt did it back in 1945, when it seemed not just morally obscene but politically dicey to be partying hearty while troops were dying all over the world.

Some - including editorial writers for the Inquirer and New York Sun - have already suggested that Bush cancel the inaugural bash, given how many of our troops have perished in Iraq.

But believe me, it's gonna appear even more grotesque, come Jan. 20, for the world to see televised shots of a waltzing, white-tied Bush juxtaposed with shots of human misery not just in Iraq but in Asia, where, three weeks from now, cholera and other awful diseases may be running rampant.

Especially when this inauguration's theme is, ahem, "A Vision of America."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/10527359.htm

Rove needs to get them on message, tout de suite. Or uncle Richie (Mellon Scaife) might pull funding.

Woodrow Wilson cancelled his during WWI too....

His 1917 inaugural was before the USA declaration of war. The only presidents inaugurated in time of war were:

Madison-1813
Lincoln-1861 and 1865
Roosevelt-1945
Eisenhower-1953
Johnson-1965
Nixon-1969 and 1973
Bush-2005

and his inaugural speech gave the reasons why we were about to join....

"There are many things still to be done at home, to clarify our own politics and add new vitality to the industrial processes of our own life, and we shall do them as time and opportunity serve, but we realize that the greatest things that remain to be done must be done with the whole world for stage and in cooperation with the wide and universal forces of mankind, and we are making our spirits ready for those things.
We are provincials no longer. The tragic events of the thirty months of vital turmoil through which we have just passed have made us citizens of the world. There can be no turning back. Our own fortunes as a nation are involved whether we would have it so or not."

http://www.ku.edu/carrie/docs/texts/33wils2.htm

1941 was the last time Congress, per our Constitution, declared war.

Just sayin'.

It would be interesting to know how this consummate Democrat celebrated.

- straight from his library. Looks like all had a grand old time.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/quiz/inaug.htm

Highlights -

The 1949 Inauguration of President Harry S. Truman Historical Facts At-A-Glance

A Time to Celebrate - Although Harry Truman had been President for nearly four years, this was his first Inaugural celebration.

The Inaugural parade began at 1 p.m., and the Inaugural ball was held at the National Guard Armory at 10 p.m. the same night.

Kansas City Friends - Thousands of Kansas Citians flocked to Washington, DC to support their friend, and hometown hero.

Inaugural "Firsts" - This Inauguration introduced several "firsts":

The debut of the current Presidential Seal of the United States of America at an Inauguration.

The first openly integrated Presidential Inauguration; Harry and Bess Truman ensured that minorities were welcome to attend all events and stay in Washington hotels.

Harry Truman was the first President to be sworn in using two Bibles.

Television - The 1949 Inauguration was the first to be nationally televised, and was estimated to have been viewed by 10 million Americans.

Budget - The 1949 Inauguration was the most expensive and elaborate Inauguration to that date. Republicans in Congress, predicting a Dewey (Republican) victory, allocated a record budget of $80,000, which at that time was the largest amount ever allocated for an Inauguration.

Grandstand for Inaugural parade $189,000
Inaugural gala (ball) $ 29,000
Fireworks $ 3,950
Commemorative medals (souvenirs) $ 7,600

The Crowd - More than 600,000 visitors were expected in Washington, DC for the Inaugural celebration. The Inaugural parade was seven miles long. Trains arrived in Washington, DC every two minutes with visitors for the Inauguration. More than 5,000 persons were expected to sleep in Pullman cars in the railroad yard

If you believe, as I do, that he allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to turn public opinion and provide an excuse to get into the war, he's really no better than Bush. Maybe a little more inclined to think is all.

See http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=408

Say you have seven big balls at around 1,000 people each, and around 7,000 security officers (an approximation of course). So, say a million dollars for food (that's around 1,000 dollars apiece; another million for the salaries of the security personnel, and another million for rentals for the ball. What the hell are they spending 40 million dollars on? Does somebody else have a better handle on the expenditures for these events?

Edited to add: My hubbie says they do furnish alcohol; so, say another couple or three million dollars for alcohol and that's still not even to 10 million dollars. Please somebody chime in. What figures am I way off on?

These things just add up!

http://insite.recordonline.com/registration/login/?goto=http%3A//www.recordonline.com/archive/2004/12/17/17edit.htm

December 17, 2004

Why not show some restraint?
Some citizens see fancy presidential inaugural balls as insensitive during a time of war. Where's the sacrifice?

The idea has begun to pop up in letters to the editor of various publications. It is elegant for its simplicity: With the nation involved in a war in Iraq, the gala inaugural balls for President Bush should be canceled as a demonstration of sacrifice and support for the troops.
This would be in the spirit of Franklin D. Roosevelt who chose to forego the splashy celebrations at the beginning of his fourth term in 1945 because the country was in the midst of World War II. FDR went with a brief speech and a luncheon that featured chicken salad and plain pound cake. It was intended to reflect the tenor of the times and the sacrifices all Americans had been making.
The Bush administration has apparently rejected the suggestion and plans to go ahead next month with the traditional celebration of the swearing-in of a new American president, as did all other wartime presidents.
The inaugural committee officials described the celebration as a symbol of the peaceful transition of power (from Bush to Bush?) rather than a partisan victory celebration. One said, "This is not a political event. This is a bipartisan celebration of a democratic process of swearing in."

>snip<