From: John Ginsberg (john.ginsberg@verizon.net)
Date: January 13, 2009 12:42:40 PM EST
Subject: Bush sendoff/Obama welcome demonstration

Friends,

To mark the end of the Bush era and Obama’s inauguration in a fun and poignant way, I propose the following bit of street theater, which I think would garner major media attention and, through that, spread good cheer while highlighting important issues:

On the morning after the inauguration, when the federal government reopens for business, several people costumed as key Founding Fathers — Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, Washington, etc. — deliver copies of the freshly-restored, unabridged Constitution (on scroll) to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department, House and Senate leaders, and the White House.

We let them know we’re coming, of course, and work connections to get people to take delivery (quite plausible on Capitol Hill — we likely would need stand-ins to take delivery at the other branches of government). We hold a mock press conference, field questions (in full costume) from actual reporters (and maybe mock reporters, too — why exclude Fox?).  We announce all of this in an advance press release explaining that we Founding Fathers have been rolling in our graves for much of the last eight years, that we decided we had to rise to the occasion.  The press release (and signs carried by those accompanying the Founding Fathers on their delivery route, among them a mighty irritated Lady Liberty) would tout the Constitution as reNEWed and IMPROVED — now with THREE, yes THREE branches of government! AND a BILL OF RIGHTS! Torture-free! With Habeas Corpus!  (No, Americans don’t have to spend life in prison just because the President thinks it’s a pretty good idea!)  The press release might note that reconstructing the text of the Constitution took some doing, that we found the whole Fourth Amendment on Cheney’s desk in a file marked “Classified,” that much of the remaining Bill of Rights was found stuffed between the seat-cushions on Air Force One, etc.  The press release might note various other laws of the land that should be restored to their un-Bush-butchered form:  the Freedom of Information Act (yes, it’s your government, folks!), the Clean Water Act, the Geneva Conventions, FISA, the Endangered Species Act, etc.

For this to come about here at the last minute, we’d need people to take ownership of it straightaway, preferable people with more free time on their hands than I have this week — students, say, or unemployed investment bankers.  We’d need to find, among other things, players for the roles.   And costumes.   If the players don’t actually look like the Founding Fathers, we could iron-on last names on the back of the costumes, football-jersey style.   (Everyone could be number ‘76.)   I am happy to coordinate, at least until people better-positioned to lead the charge step forward.   Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested or well-positioned to assist in bringing any part of this about.   Civil libertarians.   Costumers and theater people.   PR people.   Well-connected political types willing to go on a lark and out on a limb.   Reporters.   People can contact me by email.

Bestmost, John