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WASHINGTON — Walking around the National Mall area, trying to find a location to file my stories, I asked a worker if he had any suggestions. I chose to ask this worker because of his last name — Bednarski.
Turns out his name is James Bednarski — and he grew up in Kingston. James told me he now resides in Hawaii and was selected to be a part of the inauguration workforce.
When I approached him, I told him he had a name that was familiar in my hometown — Plymouth has Bednarski Furniture on Main Street. He asked me where I was from and I told him Wilkes-Barre.
“Wilkes-Barre, Pa?” He asked. When I answered, yes, he told me he grew up in Kingston.
James said to say hello to everyone in Wyoming Valley.
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Continuing with the “It’s a small world” theme, a couple on the shuttle bus were talking about Trump’s speech and how presidential he sounded and appeared. The husband and wife live in Lynchburg, Va. Both were pleased with Trump’s speech and said they look forward to his presidency. They asked where I was from. When I told them, she told me she was from Clarks Summit.
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Items not allowed at the inauguration
In case you were wondering, here are some of the things not allowed at a Presidential Inauguration:
Aerosols, animals (other than service/guide animals), backpacks, bicycles, balloons, coolers, drones, explosives (duh), firearms (double duh), glass, laser pointers, mace/pepper spray, selfie sticks, toy guns, weapons of any kind (triple duh).
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Barletta statement on the inauguration
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, said “the world witnessed what is one of the finest attributes of the United States: the peaceful transfer of power from one chief executive to the next.” Barletta thanked former President Barack Obama for his service and wished him and his family well on the next phase of their lives.
“The Trump Administration comes into focus with many daunting issues before us as a nation,” Barletta said. “The new president enters office as the champion of those citizens who felt that their government had stopped listening to them and was more concerned with consolidating power than with solving any of our problems. He also enters at a time when worldwide terrorism is at a fever pitch and our borders and national security measures are as porous and precarious as they have ever been. Meanwhile, too many of our citizens feel that the American Dream is lost to them, and the promise of Ronald Reagan’s ‘Shining City on a Hill’ has faded from view.”
Barletta urged all Americans to assist Trump in finding answers to all problems.
“He has promised to enforce our immigration laws and protect our national security and the American jobs that are threatened by open borders,” Barletta said. “It will be up to Congress and the people we represent to do our parts to fulfill these promises.”
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Toomey’s reaction to Trump’s inauguration
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Zionsville, said he and Trump agree on a number of issues.
“The need for tax reform, regulatory roll back, and a strong American leadership role in the world, for example,” Toomey said. “I am enthusiastically looking forward to working with the new president and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make major progress on these and other important issues.”
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Kudos to inaugural workers
Hundreds of buses filled parking lots adjacent to RFK Stadium. Shuttle buses transported visitors to the inauguration site, about four miles away. The system flowed perfectly. Hats off to all of the bus drivers, shuttle drivers, volunteers, military and law enforcement workers who endured a long day of answering questions, directing pedestrian and vehicular traffic and handling the occasional difficult customer. Job well done.
