NationStates Jolt Archive

I've never really been into inaguaral events, per se, but I LOVE drill and ceremony! I suspect this is at least partially due to having been in the military for so many years.

Ceremony, particularly as it relates to the military, is a way of structuring strong emotions. It also serves other purposes, but this is the primary reason I enjoy it so much. Military personnel must deal with extreme emotions ... the death of friends, the chaos and extreme intensity of combat, the love of and devotion to Comrade, Constitution and Country.

It's all but impossible to explain to anyone who has never been in combat, but when I see my brothers-in-arms pass in review, or visit the Vietnam memorial, for example, the emotion is almost more than I can bear. By structuring the grief and love and compassion, we not only validate the sacrifice, but also channel these emotions in "acceptable" demonstration.

No real reason for this thread other than an attempt to explain this a bit. Thanks for bearing with me. :)

You should be British. I hereby nominate Etrusca as an honourary Brit.

Think of all our pomp and ceremony, nearly all military in origin.

The Value of Ceremony.
I'd say about $40 million.

You should be British. I hereby nominate Etrusca as an honourary Brit.

Think of all our pomp and ceremony, nearly all military in origin.
You Brits really know pomp.

I'd say about $40 million.

And that doesn't include the $17 million tab they stuck the struggling city of Washington with.

You should be British. I hereby nominate Etrusca as an honourary Brit.

Think of all our pomp and ceremony, nearly all military in origin.

Wow! I am honored! Thank you!

I've seen "Military Tattoo" on video, which I believe was held in Eddinborough ( sp? ), and the Black Watch are truly impressive! I also love the pipes, even though it takes a "particular ear" to do so. :D

May there always, always be an England!

Eh, I missed it.

Was too busy taking a shit.

Though really, I got the better end of the deal there.

And that doesn't include the $17 million tab they stuck the struggling city of Washington with.
I have no pity for the city that gets itself in debt by spending hundreds of millions on their new team. If you are spending money on a team, it better not be the Expos! They suck, get a real time like The Angels or Cards.

Wow! I am honored! Thank you!

I've seen "Military Tattoo" on video, which I believe was held in Eddinborough ( sp? ), and the Black Watch are truly impressive! I also love the pipes, even though it takes a "particular ear" to do so. :D

May there always, always be an England!

Finally! A reason for me to correct Etrusca! Edinburgh is in Scotland, which is an entirely different nation to England, though our cultures are certainly mixed, whether or not people choose to accept this as being true. (king Arthur is generally accepted as being called Arturius MAC Aidan, a celtic warlord, and William Wallace may be the foundation of the legend of Robin Hood.) Note: These are not fact, but the most popular historical conjecture, and most likely to be accurate.

The black Watch, in particular, is a fiercely proud Scottish regiment in the British army, and is not English.

but I agree, without these common errors, on precisely everything you've said so far in this thread. Again. And I am pretty sure you knew all that anyway. I just had to jump at the chance to be on the opposing side of something you said. (and the Military Tattoo this year was particularly well done.)

king Arthur is generally accepted as being called Arturius MAC Aidan, a celtic warlord
thats funny i always thought he was around cornwall, and in near glastonbury etc

I have no pity for the city that gets itself in debt by spending hundreds of millions on their new team.
There are plenty of people in the D.C. government that do not support the new team. That is why it is harder than expected getting through. And if you don't think it's ridiculous to force D.C. to pay for the President's bombastic show of frivolity, then there's something wrong with you, in my opinion.

I'd say about $40 million.

That $40 million was from the private sector. Did you know Clinton's in 97 cost $42 million?

There are plenty of people in the D.C. government that do not support the new team. That is why it is harder than expected getting through. And if you don't think it's ridiculous to force D.C. to pay for the President's bombastic show of frivolity, then there's something wrong with you, in my opinion.

What about the past presidents' shows of frivolity? Who footed the bill for security at those shindigs?

Wow! I am honored! Thank you!

I've seen "Military Tattoo" on video, which I believe was held in Eddinborough ( sp? ), and the Black Watch are truly impressive! I also love the pipes, even though it takes a "particular ear" to do so. :D

May there always, always be an England!

Boo hiss :D It's Edinburgh which is in the Scottish part of Britian not England. But you're right the Black Watch do rule - but not for much longer unfortunately

thats funny i always thought he was around cornwall, and in near glastonbury etc


He may well have been. I don't pretend to be an expert on the life of Arturius Mac Aidan, but the celts did get around a bit. If I'm not mistaken, a celtic army sacked Rome, or at least attacked it. It wouldn't be difficult for him to come from Scotland (which is most assuredly not where the celts were solely based, they were all over Europe, remember) and travel to England. Glastonbury, after all, is certainly a historical celtic location. I'm sure of that. But this is really off topic for a thread about ceremony. perhaps we should leave it at this, unless you want to go to the trouble of making a thread to discuss celtic history with me? :P

There are plenty of people in the D.C. government that do not support the new team. That is why it is harder than expected getting through. And if you don't think it's ridiculous to force D.C. to pay for the President's bombastic show of frivolity, then there's something wrong with you, in my opinion.
Most of the money was privately donated and the security costs would be the same no matter how extravigant it was. Bush got a higher percentage than Clinton ever got and Clinton spent more.

thats funny i always thought he was around cornwall, and in near glastonbury etc
I think you are right because I know he was not a celtic warlord.
He was a Norman and he had to pacify the Celts, Saxons, and Old Ones

He may well have been. I don't pretend to be an expert on the life of Arturius Mac Aidan, but the celts did get around a bit. If I'm not mistaken, a celtic army sacked Rome, or at least attacked it. It wouldn't be difficult for him to come from Scotland (which is most assuredly not where the celts were solely based, they were all over Europe, remember) and travel to England. Glastonbury, after all, is certainly a historical celtic location. I'm sure of that. But this is really off topic for a thread about ceremony. perhaps we should leave it at this, unless you want to go to the trouble of making a thread to discuss celtic history with me? :P
let's do that!

Edinburgh is in Scotland, which is an entirely different nation to England, though our cultures are certainly mixed, whether or not people choose to accept this as being true.
Well, a different nation isn't really true. Scotland is still part of the U.K., though the cultures are indeed pretty different.

king Arthur is generally accepted as being called Arturius MAC Aidan, a celtic warlord
Is there any question of King Arthur being Celtic? Legends surrounding him were pre-Christian, as was the Graal, the first physical Graal was a stone, with no divine properties. Both were later adopted to fit the new Christian nature of the Celts, which I find most unfortunate, but there should be no question whatsoever that he was certainly Celtic.

Well, a different nation isn't really true. Scotland is still part of the U.K., though the cultures are indeed pretty different.


erk, that's what I meant. Scotland is a different nation to England, but we are the one nation, the UK. it was just to illustrate the point that Scoltand does not equal England, and England is not another name for Britain or the UK.

I don't pretend to be an expert on the life of Arturius Mac Aidan, but the celts did get around a bit. If I'm not mistaken, a celtic army sacked Rome, or at least attacked it. It wouldn't be difficult for him to come from Scotland (which is most assuredly not where the celts were solely based, they were all over Europe, remember) and travel to England. Glastonbury, after all, is certainly a historical celtic location. I'm sure of that.
Woah, woah, hold on a fecking minute! Arthur was most certainly not the leader of the Celts at any point in time, only some of the Britannic Celts. The Celts were never really one nation or anything like that, all they shared were common traits, but they were not unified in any large sense. What you are referring to is when a several united tribes of Gauls sacked Rome. It always makes me feel good that the Celts got their act together at least at one point and schooled some of the Romans.

Here is the Celtic History thread:
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=8006378#post8006378 (http://)

Woah, woah, hold on a fecking minute! Arthur was most certainly not the leader of the Celts at any point in time, only some of the Britannic Celts. The Celts were never really one nation or anything like that, all they shared were common traits, but they were not unified in any large sense. What you are referring to is when a several united tribes of Gauls sacked Rome. It always makes me feel good that the Celts got their act together at least at one point and schooled some of the Romans.

I know that. I was simply illustrating that the celts weren't just a small tribe in the Scotland, but a continent spanning people. I didn't mean to imply that Arthur was the leader of all Celts. Just a particular celtic tribe, and that it's hardly surprising he could be linked to England due to the cultures spread, as a whole.

I thought this was about the parade? Now we are talking about King Arthur? Who here thinks Merlin was a dink?

I know that. I was simply illustrating that the celts weren't just a small tribe in the Scotland, but a continent spanning people. I didn't mean to imply that Arthur was the leader of all Celts. Just a particular celtic tribe, and that it's hardly surprising he could be linked to England due to the cultures spread, as a whole.
Ah, ok, I understand now. I thought you were proposing that Arthur has led the sacking of Rome or something, which was just completely preposterous. I apologise for my condescension, I misunderstood.

Most of the money was privately donated and the security costs would be the same no matter how extravigant it was. Bush got a higher percentage than Clinton ever got and Clinton spent more.
What? No president has ever spent so much on an inauguration. And don't fool yourself, there was plenty of money spent on issues completely unrelated to security. Bush was just being ridiculous, and though a lot of money was donated, so that corporations could win favour in the government, mind you, D.C. still got stuck with a $17 million tab.

I thought this was about the parade? Now we are talking about King Arthur? Who here thinks Merlin was a dink?
What is a dink?
:confused:
I personally liked Merlyn and his theories.

Hello?