buttercup

Really, Rummy? A DoD-organized parade and concert (I'm sorry, "musical salute") to commemorate September 11th? Of all the crap. Tying in remembering that day with supporting our troops? More crap. How about throwing your "America Supports You" parade on, say, Memorial Day, or Independence Day, or even a random day, since the troop-supporting should really take place throughout the year?

Please don't get me wrong, I support our troops; I don't support the war, but I support our troops. But this is distasteful, tactless, and kind of revolting. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I loathe it so, I just do so instinctively, and am picking up on the reasons why as the day goes along and I stew over it a little more.

I would probably feel a little better about it if it were, say, the weekend after the eleventh. Or even the day before. But not on the actual day. And if there were no freaking COUNTRY MUSIC CONCERT.

The Post dropped its sponsorship because of the pro-war slant, leading to a Newspaper Guild rep giving us this gem of a quote:

"The Post has a code of conduct that says employees should avoid a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest," said Rick Ehrmann, a Local representative for the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild. "In this case The Post was sponsoring the Pentagon's Freedom Walk, which ties the attack on Sept. 11 to the Iraq war, and of course, The Post's reporters have proven ... that there is no connection between the two, that that link is false."

Basically, because the event is pretty much political (pro-war), news media should not be sponsoring it. And I think it's pretty obvious that it's political. So, WTOP, since you're backing the Freedom Walk, are you backing Operation Ceasefire, too? (I would like to point out that Op Ceasefire is [decently] being held later in the month of September; if it were being held on the eleventh, I would be just as pissy about that. Well, maybe a little less, because Op Ceasefire is not being organized by the DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, but anyway . . . )

I don't know if my blood pressure is going to be able to withstand three more years. Really.