Sunday in the Park with Rummy

It's insane that American taxpayers are paying for a DoD gloryosky event in the midst of everything that's going on, but in case you wanted to know where the money's going, read this WaPo piece:

Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary measures to control participation in the march and concert, with the route fenced off and lined with police and the event closed to anyone who does not register online by 4:30 p.m. today.

The march, sponsored by the Department of Defense, will wend its way from the Pentagon to the Mall along a route that has not been specified but will be lined with four-foot-high snow fencing to keep it closed and "sterile," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense.

Does this sound like fun to anybody? Marching behind a four-foot-high fence, under Fort Knox-like levels of scrutiny?

The U.S. Park Police will have its entire Washington force of several hundred on duty and along the route, on foot, horseback and motorcycles and monitoring from above by helicopter. Officers are prepared to arrest anyone who joins the march or concert without a credential and refuses to leave, said Park Police Chief Dwight E. Pettiford.

These E-Ring guys sure know how to party, don't they?

By the way, the article says Rumsfeld will be there, that the media will not be allowed on the march route, and that a permit has been approved for protestors. Anybody participating in that? The Pentagon expects between 3,000-10,000 people, which sounds like a pretty big spread to me. They don't have a clue who's coming out for this nonsense. Maybe the turnout will be so low because, I don't know, it sounds like walking prisoners through an exercise yard?

By the way, the word "freedom" is in the name of this walk. My question is: how many freedoms does the "Freedom Walk" limit? Freedom of the press, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly...