Op-Ed: Turns out Inauguration Day was about more than just the President

Washington - The other day, President Barack Obama was inaugurated for the second time. Everyone thought it was great, there were parties, speeches were made, some media outlets went mad over Michelle's outfit, but several other events also ran concurrently.

What the mainstream media mainly ignored was all the protests that were happening at the very same time. In fact, according to MSNBC, there were no protests at all! First of all, we have the ‘Arc of Justice’ rally and march which honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose day shared the same date. This protest urged an end to war, called for cutting military spending, freeing Bradley Manning and generally building a full employment economy. They also highlighted some other issues where the Obama administration failed in its first term. In the image above-left you can see the protesters, including the Veterans for Peace. Not to be left out, opponents of genetically modified foods protested for GMO-free foods, or even simply the labeling of food products containing GMOs. They know well that President Obama appointed a food czar who is a former Monsanto executive to the FDA. Some great photos of the event can be seen here.

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Anti-GMO protesters demonstrating on Inauguration Day 2013

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Then there was another appropriate event in the form of a "Drone Die-In", protesting President Obama's aggressive and constant use of drones to kill "terrorists", but meanwhile killing thousands of innocent civilians, including women and children, in countries where the US has not even declared war. At the same time, anarchists were marching with messages including “Don’t Vote, Organize” and “We can Move Forward Without Government.”

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Protests held during the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.

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It is interesting to note something else that wasn't in the MSM on Inauguration Day - the fact that as the DC police walked with the protesters through the streets, close behind them were tanks. Did anyone see that on the news?

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Tanks following behind protesters on the 2nd inauguration of President Barack Obama

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To keep things really interesting, Jewish Voice for Peace also held a demonstration for inauguration weekend. They were protesting against the continued funding for illegal settlements in Palestinian territory by the USA and generally to stop Israeli war crimes.

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Jewish Voice for Peace protesting the continued funding of the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

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And Code Pink were there, uniting people with their beautiful anti-violence message: “Arms are for Hugging.”

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Code pink protesting on Inauguration Day 2013 - "Arms are for hugging"

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