Down the Road From Barack

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So weird. Up and out of the house by 5 AM and on a plane after going through security and getting patted down at the airport. I got to take off my shoes as well. Ah well, used to that by now when flying. You can tell the seasoned flyers too because they can dress and undress in about a minute and a half.

Landed in Baltimore by 7 and off to the races. You know the drill down there...on a shuttle to a train, and if you're lucky you avoid a bus. Settled into Barack's neighborhood by 8:30 or so.

And there are cops on every corner. We needed to enter a building called IMF...supposed to be a big deal building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Our licenses were scanned. Shoes off again. All items in a bin.

"Come here Mr. Clifford, I need to take your photo," the perfectly polite woman wasn't about to try the old last name.

"Try and make me look good," I said.

She didn't smile.

She didn't make me look good either.

They scanned my driver's license. We laughed at the photo, and we were asked to stand off to the side.

A building rep with a walkie-talkie in hand stopped by. He was joined by at least five other people.

"Are we all set with security?" he asked.

We nodded.

"Okay, well, sad to say, you aren't allowed in the building."

"Do they store gold here?" I asked.

"Sadly no," he said, "but it's an international building. Best I can do is take you to the roof."

I took the photo from the roof.

Back on the street there were more cops. Security watched us all leave. As we headed down 95 our driver slowed.

"They snap photos of speeders," he said.

By 7 PM I was back in Buffalo. I covered the 18 miles from the airport in 15 minutes.

Good to be home.

Some places are way more free than others.

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