Cindy Lange-Kubick: A capital time, on the Capitol steps

Perhaps youve heard of The Capitol Steps, the politically incorrect comedy troupe that came to town Friday night -- no doubt lampooning empty debate chairs and wedging in jokes about Mormon underwear.

Well, those Capitol Steps made us here at Lincoln Life think about our very own Capitol Steps, the steps leading up to the north entrance of the grand Tower of the Plains.

And capital they are. All 48 of them, all carefully constructed of Woodbury light granite shipped from Vermont.

Climbing those steps, and counting them while climbing them, made us think of what all those steps have seen.

Theyve seen Abbott and Costello. (The duo were in town promoting war bonds in the 1940s, said Roxanne Smith, tourism supervisor for the Capitol.)

Theyve seen Jimmy Carter, too. (Rumor has it that on his 1976 campaign stop, the Republican governor wouldnt let him in the building.)

Theyve seen hundreds of protests and press conferences, about one a week, as traffic shuffles by the words carved into the building at the top of the stairs: The salvation of the state is watchfulness in the citizen ... .

Yes, free speech is welcome on the Capitol steps -- after filing for and receiving a permit, of course.

Vietnam War marchers. Civil rights activists. Neo-Nazis.

A man dressed in a dog suit and encased in a fake hot dog bun. (No one remembers if he was protesting hot dogs specifically or meat-eating in general.)

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Cindy Lange-Kubick: A capital time, on the Capitol steps