The Battle for Freedom - A Few Thoughts on Behalf of the Losers

I celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with mixed emotions. While I’m elated to live in a world where we enjoy the fruits of equality, where we no longer segregate and oppress men and women of color, where we seem to have taken giant steps in righting the wrongs of our forefathers – I cannot help but remember that there those for whom MLK’s “dream” has yet to become reality.

America often celebrates its heroes while wearing rose-colored glasses:

- We declare a holiday to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of a world that was anything BUT “new” to the 12 million native inhabitants who flourished in freedom before 1492.

- We honor the “pilgrims” with a day of Thanksgiving – forgetting those who deserved thanks the most – the native people who gave of their food and land so that the ill-prepared settlers could survive. Of course, the settlers gave them a nice case of smallpox as a “Thank You” gift.

- We commemorate Andrew Jackson on our currency, but do we remember The Indian Removal Act of 1830 (a/k/a “The Trail of Tears”) whenever we pull a twenty from our wallets? Or that Jackson’s inaugural speech referred to the “rude savages” standing in the way of expansion West (and we think Bush was a stinker)?

- We name towering redwoods after General William Sherman, while conveniently ignoring his popular credos: “The only good indian is a dead indian.” And “We must act with vindictive earnestness against the Sioux, even to their extermination, men, women and children."

- We moan over the current woes of the economy and cry for massive bailouts, but how many of us realize that in 1862 the American government refused to honor treaty obligations to the Dakota Sioux Indians during a time of widespread starvation. When tribal leaders, desperate for relief, asked for food on credit because the U.S. government had failed to provide moneys owed, the local Indian agent replied, “If they are hungry, let them eat grass or their own dung.”

- We fear foreclosures and falling home values, not giving a moment’s thought to those living (if you can call it that) on America’s reservations. We ignore the fact that our country’s worst rates of poverty, unemployment, suicide, alcoholism & drug abuse, infant mortality, and lack of health care can be found within a single race of Americans.

As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy of civil rights and President-elect Obama’s promise of change, let’s not forget that the long battle for freedom was lost by America’s indigenous peoples. Let’s not forget that starvation and forced migration were effective weapons of mass destruction. Let’s contemplate – just for a moment – that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was NOT the intention of our founding fathers with regard to Native Americans. Extermination was.

I have a dream, too. I hope that one day we will add “Crazy Horse” Day to our roster of National holidays, and we will see another great freedom-fighter’s words inscribed in granite in Washington, DC:

"In 1868, men came out and brought papers. We could not read them and they did not tell us truly what was in them. We thought the treaty was to remove the forts and for us to cease from fighting. When I reached Washington, the Great Father explained to me that the interpreters had deceived me. All I want is right and just. ....I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.”

-- Red Cloud (Makhpiya-luta) , April, 1870

Romeo & George Gillette -- A Play in Three Acts

We knew it had to happen eventually. At some point, it was inevitable that Elliott Sadler’s PR gurus would finalize the spin on the recent contract debacle, and the Southern Gentleman would have to step into the spotlight and give the media HIS version of events. Yesterday’s annual driver interrogation known as “NASCAR Media Day” turned out to be Sadler’s chance to do some ‘splainin of his own, and the official fan club site has posted the entire interview.

It’s a LOOOONNNNG read!

So… to save my dear readers the time of sifting through the lengthy Emporian saga, replete with Sadlerese redundancy, I’ve taken it upon myself to adapt the situation to a screenplay in Three Acts -- “cliff notes” first-person version for your enjoyment!

“The Reader’s Undigested Version of The Elliott Sadler Contract Interview”

Act I: - GEM Boardroom

George Gillette: “Let’s have a meeting.”
Sadler: “Uh oh!”
#19 Team: “It wasn’t OUR fault!”
George Gillette: “Maybe they’re right. Elliott, shape up or ship out!”

Act II – GEM Boardroom

George Gillette: “Let’s have a meeting.”
Sadler: “Uh oh!”
Geoge Gillette: “I meant what I said in the last meeting.”
Sadler: “Yeah. Right. Anybody seen my passport?”

Act III – Telephone Tag

George Gillette: (ring, ring) “Hello, AJ? Let’s have a meeting!”
AJ: “Lemme call my manager, OK?
AJ (to manager): (ring, ring) “Hey! They want me to drive the #19!”
AJ’s Manager: “OK, I’ll tell the press!”
Press: “OOOOOOOOOoooo!”
Sadler Fans: “AAAAARRRRRGH!”
Sadler Detractors: “Neener, Neener, NEEEEEEEEE-ner!”
Sadler: (ring, ring) “George? You were SERIOUS???”
George Gillette: “Yeppers.”
Sadler: (ring, ring) “Hello, Lawyer? Can they do that?”
Lawyer: “We’ll take care of it.”
Sadler: “OK, and can you get me a new passport?”
McDonalds: (ring, ring) “Hi George! Ixnay on AJ – he doesn’t look cute in funny wigs!”
Best Buy: (ring, ring) “Hi George! Ditto.”
Stanley Tools: (ring, ring) “What they said.”
George Gillette: “OK, we’ll keep Sadler.”

Press: “OOOOOOOOOOoooo!”
Sadler Fans: “YAAAAAAAY!:
Sadler Detractors: “WTF?”
Sadler: “Whew, that was close! Now if I could just find my passport!!!!”

THE END

There. Now wasn’t that easier than reading the whole thing?

Of course, Sadler’s interview does an excellent job of laying down a straight party line and singing Kumbayas with regard to the 2009 season. One thing about the interview stuck in my craw, however. With characteristic repetitiveness, Sadler expressed his unyielding commitment to protecting himself, his team and his sponsors. “Doing what’s best” for those whom Sadler considers the “important” characters in the play is his utmost concern.

But NOTHING is mentioned about his fans. Zilch. Nada.

While not all of Sadler’s fans have been complimentary over the years, the Emporian still has a cadre of loyal (albeit fewer) fans who acted with support and outcry over the possibility of having him absent from the track in 2009. It seems as if Sadler has forgotten the all-important “final act” of his play – the one where he is able to entice, engage, and coerce his fans to go spend their money on those sponsor products! Sadler should realize that his fans are protecting their pocketbooks more fiercely than he is trying to protect his sponsors - and IF it is his “marketability” that saved his job – he should do a better job of looking after those on whom that marketability depends.

So, while the country celebrates a “mandate for change and improvement” next week - just a few miles North of Emporia, VA – here’s hoping that Elliott Sadler and his staff realize that they has a similar mandate – not only to do a better job on the track in 2009, but to improve his relationship with his fans, as well.

(Oh, yeah -- hope you get the passport, E!)