Saturday, August 17, 2013

See no evil, speak no evil, but remember the Maine!


Although the event had posters stapled to every telephone pole in east Flagstaff, Arizona, the Arizona Daily Sun failed to make notice of an event to protest the death of Trayvon Martin, the subsequent not guilty verdict of his killer, racial profiling by police, vigilante justice Saturday morning at a place called Bushmaster Park.
The poster featured black and white block print of a faceless person in a hoodie, giving the impression that entire part of town was haunted by some dark army of ghosty dwarves. You teens could be seen all over town looking grim dressed in their own favorite version of the Unabomber.
Instead, the top item on the front page for events in Flagstaff for August 17, 2013 was a "living history presentation" for the Arizona Rough Riders" bringing the "Spanish-American War era (1898 to life."
The Spanish-American War, in your history-brought-life books is well known as the fodder for the birthplace of the William Randolph Hearst yellow journalism campaign, as well as the somewhat fictional story of the ride of the Rough Riders at San Juan Hill, Puerto Rico, where Teddy Roosevelt is believed to have led the charge.
The war is also famous for the nearly forgotten war cry, "Remember the Maine," which was blown up in a harbor under controversial circumstances to lead American furies in the battle.