Who are our heroes?

On Friday, 1/9/2009, everyone in Phoenix has been encouraged to wear red and be at the airport for a rally to show our support for men who are on their way to (hopefully) make our city proud.

But wearing red has nothing to do with the email campaign that asks people to wear red on Fridays to show that we support our troops.

And those men that we're asked to rally around are going to Charlotte, NC to play football.

"The council and I are asking - and encouraging - all city employees and everyone else in Phoenix to wear cardinal red on Friday to show their support of the team," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. -source

It probably would not have bugged me this much if I hadn't heard a report on the radio where the reporter asked people if they were going to wear red on Friday. They all responded with some derivative of "Why would I do that?"

Not one person said they always wear red on Friday to show that they support the troops. No one even guessed that maybe that was the answer to the question.

I wonder if they're even going to remember Pat Tillman tomorrow. There was probably a point in his life where his dream was going to a playoff game with the Cardinals.

And I doubt that Mayor Gordon will ever ask the people of Phoenix to wear red on a Friday or be at a rally at the airport (during a weekday) to support the men and women of our military.

Blast me if you will for being anti-football. I'm actually not. I just wish people were as likely to be at a "welcome home" rally for the men and women of our military as they are to be at a send-off for a bunch of athletes.

-Code Monkey