In regards to terry's response [inlink]terry,243[/inlink], I do agree that respect is earned and not given. I was not meaning to start a political debate on RR's policies and whether they were good or bad. I was just trying to make the point that feelings about the President are subjective and as such they cannot be used as a good method for the government (not individuals) to determine whether the flag should be flown at half mast.

On to other things RR, I visited his casket last night, and oh was it a visit. I will start this story from the beginning. Originally, I was intending on walking down to the Capitol right after I got out of work, which is about 7ish. When I got out I was walking with my coworker and all the roads around the White House were blocked up. Having nothing better to do, I decided to wait and see what was going on. About a half-hour later, we saw the presidential caravan. I was surprised that the windows weren't really all that tinted. It was neat.

I then continued my journey, but was then distracted by a filene's basement. On monday I got a navy blazer, but I still needed another suit, so I stopped. I found a navy suit that looked nice and was cheap, but as they were closing I was unable to try on the pants. So naturally, I just bought it any way. It ended up being cheaper than I thought, like $120. But as I now had a suit, I had to go home, which added another 2 hours to when I got in line (I did get to change out of the suit though).

When I finally got there it was 10:30. Going there I thought, good it will be late so there won't be as many people. Apparently everyone else and their mother thought that too. As a result, I stood in line for six and a half hours (I wasn't even one of those who was there the longest).

I got into the Capitol at 5:10 AM. It was really a beautiful setting. We went in through the front door and the Capitol and the Mall looked so majestic. Little patches of navy blue were starting to break through the dark purple night sky. Once we got inside, it was an regal setting to say the least. The whole scene, with the soldiers and the coffin, set against the backdrop of the always breathtaking Rotunda. It was worth the wait. I will never forget it.

Some less moving side notes. When I went, I didn't know how I was going to get home because I was alone, didn't have a car, and the Metro closed at midnight. I was probably going to have to walk the 7+ miles if my roommates had gone to bed. Luckily all of those things didn't matter because two of my friend who live in the same building were in the next row and I just hung out and got a ride home with them. Even if I didn't find them, the Metro was opening in another hour. The craziness.

I would also like to commend all the people that worked on this, from the park police, to the capitol police, to the DC police, to the Metro bus drivers, to the Red Cross Disaster relief volunteers that handed out free water. For the short notice and the number of people, they did an awesome job and made sure everyone was taken care of.

Anyway, It was an awesome experience and I am glad I did it. It is a story to tell the kids. Sorry if I droned too much. Take care.

I went down with my office to see Reagan's casket process down Constitution Ave to the Capitol building today. We stood right at the beginning and I got to see them take the casket out of the hearse and put it onto the horsedrawn platform. The ceremony of the situation was quite breath taking. The most touching thing by far was the riderless horse. All this week I had been reading about the ceremony and the meaning in the riderless horse with the riders boots turned backwards in the stirrups. But once I was there and saw it and connected it to the fact that Ronald Reagan would never ride a horse again, it was really touching. I know it sounds lame but it was something just being there.

In regards to Paul's journal [inlink]paul,1010[/inlink] about flying the flag half mast. I would say it is up to you how you fly the flag. If you do not think he was a good president then don't. It is your right as a matter of free speech to fly your flag how you want.

In regards to flying the flag at half mast in general for the president, I think the requirement for and length of flying the flag at half mast is codified. I know Reagan and his policies were not liked by all and they hurt a lot of people, but what makes a president a "good person" That is such a subjective term. A lot of people would argue that Reagan was a good person if not a great one. I'm not saying that he was or wasn't. But how could one quantify whether he is worthy of it? Should it be how much they were elected by? Kennedy was barely elected to his first term. If it weren't for a few sketchy votes in Chicago, he would have lost. But many would argue Kennedy is one of our greatest presidents. Should it be the economy during their term? For FDR's first three terms the economy remained in a little slump known as the Great Depression. But many would say that he is one of our best presidents and deserving of the flags being a half mast. Should it be their protection of liberty? Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus while president, but he is considered such a great president that he gets a holiday. My point is, determining whether a president was good or not is impossible and can be up for debate. Lacking a solid manner to measure their accomplishments, I think the flag should be flown at half mast at the death of anyone who has served as our president. You are welcome to disagree with me and I would be interested to hear your thoughts on what I said Paul. I apologize if I sound condescending. I don't mean to. That is just what I think. If you don't want to fly your flag at half mast to show your displeasure with him, I encourage you to. That is the beauty of this country. Our speech is not subject to the orders of the government, and I pray that it never will be.

I almost forgot. Welcome Teres! WOOOO HOOOO! I can't wait to stalk you as much as I stalk everyone else. Just remember to publish so I can stalk you. Talk to you later.

So I bought a navy suit coat for work yesterday. I only have two suits that fit me and two others that don't so it was done out of necessity. I wish the fabric was a bit finer but the nicer one was $200 more. I can live with the rough fabric and $200. It is a typical JCPenny blazer, but when I put it on with my khakis and tie this morning I looked like such a preppy ass. It looked like I was about to go sailing on my yaucht after a rousing game of tennis at the country club. Oh well, I gots to do what I gots to do.

Got a crazy call at work today. Someone was telling me how HUD was screwing her and refusing to pay her rent. I'm not exactly sure, she was rambling incoherently for most of the time. I tried to explain to her that we don't handle that. She said that as we give the budget to HUD therefore we had power to tell them to give out the money. I felt bad cause I'm sure whatever she had to deal with sucked but I couldn't do anything for her. She insisted we did so I just took a message and we won't call her back. I feel bad lying to her and acting like we are going to do something. I tried not to act like we were going to call her back too much cause I don't want to get her hopes up, but if she does not believe me what am I supposed to do. I don't know.

On happier news, I finally got my user profile and email. I feel almost legit. Now I only need a photo ID so I can get into the building without having to get cleared in as an appointment each day by my boss. Maybe someday.

Hmmm, I hope I don't get in trouble if this was ever found by a coworker. Just in case, all the situations I describe of me at work are entirely hypothetical, both before and after this point.

That takes care of that. Stay out of trouble, and hopefully I will too.

Along with contributing to this site, I also have started writing articles for one of my friends website that he recently put up, Intellectual Wastebasket. Here is the link: It is also in my links section. Unlike these posts, I actually put thought into developing my position. This article uses experiences that I have had in Buffalo to address what I see as a nationwide problem of government sponsored campaign ads for incumbents. I am curious to hear what other Buffalonians thoughts are on the topic as there is a good chance you have experienced my examples first hand. It is under the "News & Politics" section and the article is titled "Olczak: $ign$" (Sorry about the lame title it was all I could come up with). Please let me know what you think either by posting a response on that site or emailing me through this site. I'd appreciate any feedback I could get even if you think I am a complete moron. Thanks.

In other news, our President declared friday a national day of mourning which means I don't have to go into work Friday. WOOOO HOOOO!!! On Wednesday, my office is thinking of going to see his casket process down to the Capitol and maybe even go see him lie in state in the Rotunda. Oh the joys of working with Republicans.

Hope all is well with everyone. To Jillian: I emailed you back if you have any questions please let me know, we can work out the times or whatever. To everyone, please read the article and let me know what you think. Thanks