OK, so maybe I shouldn’t let things like this get to me but this one just burns me up. A few nights ago, I was watching the CBS evening news and this story came on. It was about a drum corps from a New Jersey school that was going to be in the Inaugural parade. Sounds innocent enough doesn’t it? But wait, now here is the rest of the story.
Well for starters it really isn’t a school. It is a home for boys that have been in trouble. I thought that part was great but there’s more. The home director whose name is Bill, really wanted to get his boys into the parade, so he wrote a letter to the committee asking if his drum corps could be a part of it. OK, so far so good, but here is where the problem is. He lied. He put on the application that the corps consisted of 12 marching drummers and he went on to describe their colorful uniforms and how good they were.
The truth is, there were only 6 members of the “Corps” and they had never marched a day in their lives! They also had no uniforms. He made it all up in an effort to get into the parade and was, as he said "hoping for a miracle" if he got in. Well to make a long story short, they got accepted. Once accepted, some other kids decided to join the corps since it would get them a free trip to Washington. Then a music company donated some new drums because it was great for publicity. Next some town’s people donated some uniforms so that they wouldn’t be disgraced when their town was mentioned on TV. Bill said it was a miracle. I say, what a crock!
My daughter is a hard-working member of her high school band. And they do everything possible to raise money. They have given up afternoons and weekends and have worked their frickin tails off to get as good as they are today. I’ve seen the blood, sweat and tears that they’ve put in to win competitions and the disappointment when they don’t. It doesn’t matter – I’m proud of them either way because I know the effort they’ve put into it and I know they’ve done their very best. My daughter has come home exhausted after band camp stinking of sweat from an 8-hour day of drills and marching. She’s come home sun burned, wind burned, bee-stung, and from time to time, even with injuries. Her entire bands works just as hard. I understand completely how hard they work and exactly what goes into creating a show. I was in a military style drum and majorette corps for six years growing up. I know how hard kids work, day and night, memorizing formations, enduring the weather, chapped lips, burned faces and tired feet.
OK, so finally my point. Somewhere out there is a band or other performer that really wanted to be in the inaugural parade. They followed the rules, they worked hard, they did what was required to get in but they were one team away from getting in. They didn’t make it because someone else lied and was deceitful. At the end of the segment, Katie Couric said how wonderful it was that this drum corps had made it in and that it truly was a miracle. She said she was looking forward to seeing them in the parade. Has she gone completely mad?
There is nothing worse than a liar. This is a slap in the face to every kid that has ever been in band and worked their butts off with practice, fundraisers, band camp and more practice. As Jim Carey said in the movie "Liar Liar", "The truth shall set you free!"
Miracles don’t start with lies and the end never justifies the means. Katie and CBS should be chastised for taking such a stance and supporting lies and deceit. Now that the cat is out of the bag, if the inaugural committee allows this to go unchecked, it will only be a sign of things to come with this administration.
As one very proud band parent, this is my two cents worth. OK I'm all better now...um, maybe.
1 comment:
Amen.
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