In a Washington Post article on inaugural security, Tom Ridge exclaims: "There is no specific threat directed toward the inaugural or the inaugural activities. But the fact that...the decibel level is down doesn't really mean that we would ever be less vigilant...This is the most visible manifestation of our democracy."

So: Private elites are shutting down 100 square blocks of the city to throw a $40 million party for the president, making taxpayers pick up the $20 million security tab, and keeping 13,000 bouncers on hand to prevent any spontaneous acts of free speech from breaking out. Is this, really, as Ridge insists, the most visible manifestation of our democracy that we can summon these days?