At around 5pm on Saturday, just as the UK football results begin to roll in, winners ribbons will finally be tied to the cup of another drawn out, arguably dirty, certainly boring competition - the quest for the US presidency.
George W Bush will stand on the West Portico of the Capitol, at 12 noon Washington DC time, place his hand on the bible, and promise he will "faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States". The full text of the Oath of Office can be read at www.presidential-inaugural.com, just one of the many websites set up to support and distribute information about the 54th inauguration ceremony and the swearing-in of America's 43rd president.
The official site is at www.inauguration-2001.org. Dubbya, getting into the spirit of addressing the nation, gives us a potted history lesson, before bringing his subjects bang up-to-date with the information that the inauguration is "the first one to take place in the 21st century and in this millennium".
The theme for the inauguration is "Celebrating America's Spirit Together", and unlike exercising their right to vote against a right-wing reactionary with a penchant for the death penalty, "all Americans are invited to share in this historic celebration". A brief history of inaugurations is on the White House site at www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Family/html/inauguration_history.html.
Bush really is a man of the people: VIP seating at the 20 minute swearing-in is a mere $2,000 per person. After all that official stuff, the new president will be driven through DC to the White House. A map of the route is at www.afic.army.mil/Media/ParadeRoute.htm , part of the army's extensive FAQ pages about the inauguration.
Official inauguration events are taking place all over the country. Check out www.inauguralevents.com to see which of the 50 or so inaugural balls you will be missing over the weekend - perhaps the Black Tie and Boots Bash at $1,750 a ticket, or the "Smackdown Your Vote!" Wrestling Gala, at $350.
If you cannot make it to DC for inauguration day, you can still take away an historic memento from the online souvenir site at www.inauguralgiftshop.com. How about an inauguration ice bucket ($34.95), a packet of inauguration playing cards ($7.95) or an inauguration teddy ($12.95), proudly sporting the tacky golden inauguration 2001 crest? Then, of course, there's the personalised inauguration licence plate. The site states firmly: "Any inappropriate or offensive request will be refused." Whether BUSH CHEATED would be accepted, it does not make clear.
The day may not be all smiles and kissing babies for the new president. One thousand extra police officers have been drafted in to deal with the many anti-Bush activities taking place on the day. Indeed, the day has been awarded the coveted title of J20, taking its place alongside other anti-capitalist days of reckoning - N30, J18, S26. www.j20.org takes you to the Justice Action Movement which is helping to co-ordinate action against the ceremony and parade, and is providing non-violence training and legal support for the thousands of protesters expected. As long as people stay in groups of less that 25, the site claims, they cannot be arrested for peaceful protest.
The Socialist International Action Centre at www.iacenter.org is linking up with the Revolutionary Anti- Authoritarian Block, to hold a Stop The Death Machine march on the morning of inauguration day, and has an informative, but possibly biased, Thirteen Reasons to Protest at Bush's Inauguration at www.iacenter.org/j20_eleven.htm.
A little less confrontational is the Voter March rally for rights and reform at www.votermarch.org. The only protest with police permission, a mix of disenfranchised voters and electoral reformists will parade to the Supreme Court, which became the focus for the legal jousting between the Republican and Democrat camps. Michael Moore, the US equivalent of investigative journalist/comedian Mark Thomas, is headlining the speakers - www.michaelmoore.com
The Supreme Court might turn out to become a flash-point on the day. The pro-Bush Patriots March, Celebrating Constitutional Victory rally is also taking place there. The call to action at www.loudcitizen.com/million/index.asp challenges the "anti-Everything organisations combining efforts and resources to protest Bush's Inauguration and publicly deem his presidency as illegitimate."
Those who can tear themselves away from the UK footy results will be able to watch online as inauguration day unfolds. The main American news websites, www.cnn.com/US and http://abcnews.go.com/sections/US, have web video and rolling news on the day.
Protesters are using their own alternative news site at http://dc.indymedia.org , featuring updates, images, streaming radio reports and footage - from an anti-Bush perspective, as it happens.
• Gideon Burrows is a writer on peace, the environment and 'alternative culture'. Visit him at www.gidstar.freeserve.co.uk.
