Friday, September 05, 2003
On the NFL Gala on the National Mall:
For those of you who may have missed it, yesterday was opening day for the NFL. It was kicked off by a concert featuring Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin, and Britney Spears.
Memo to Britney: Your 15 minutes are *up*!!
I’m sure a good time was had by all. The President got a good laugh with the immortal phrase, “are you ready for some football?” The ‘Skins actually won their opener, no doubt shocking many a Jets fan. It was billed as a salute to the military – those in uniform got front row seats. I say more power to them. They deserve it.
Every party must have a pooper and evidently this one had several. “Activists” (I love that phrase) decried the use of the Mall in a commercial setting. They got bent out of shape because ‘for-profit’ corporations (the horror, the horror) had their logos all over the place. Listening to them, you’d think Abe Lincoln was outfitted with a pair of giant Reebok tennis shoes. The organization, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, claims to have 1,500 members nationwide. I myself counted 1,500 people just in the vicinity of the 50 yard line.
I hate to point out the obvious, but football fans, Aerosmith fans, and yes even Britney Spears fans are Americans. Its our mall too. If you allow every two bit, rag tag, foul smelling group with an ax to grind on to the mall to protest timber policies in Alaska, then you better shut the hell up about a party where people are actually happy to be there. If NOW’s female gang rallys, Louis Farakan’s 700,000 man march, and People for the Ethical treatment of Food (ooops, Animals) can hold their picnics on the mall, then you’d better make room for my SUV and the tailgate party that comes with it.
The National Coalition to Save Our Mall needs to get a life. Period.
Here endeth the lesson.