Dear Joe,
I wish I could sit down with you face to face and explain why so many of us were offended by the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
For me, it had nothing to do with the UFC or who showed up for the fights. The brand you and Dana have built is a bona fide American success story. More power to you. As for the fighters, in my book, anyone brave enough to put it all on the line in the arena is remarkable to witness. Their dedication and discipline inspire me. I don’t understand anyone who can’t admire that.
And as for the people who attended, I, for one, love Shane Gillis. I think he’s hilarious and brilliant. It was a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand.
My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred. And unlike many of the great powers that came before us, these American monuments belong to all of us. Not to whoever happens to hold power at the moment.
The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people. To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for.
This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants. The White House is the People’s House. This “celebration” could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it.
But that was obviously Donald Trump’s whole point. By holding the event on the South Lawn, what he was saying to the rest of us is:
“This is my house. I own it. I will do with it what I please. I’ll build a colosseum and have the gladiators fight under my gaze. I’ll tear down the East Wing. I’ll pave over the Rose Garden. I’ll cover everything in gold and marble. I’ll erase the names of all the men who came before me.”
The fights were an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy.
The White House is not Buckingham Palace. It is not the Palace of Versailles. It is not the Forbidden City of Beijing. It does not belong to an emperor, or a king, or a commissar.
The White House belongs to us. All of us. The person who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office is nothing more than an honored guest. A temporary caretaker.
The President is our servant. Not our Caesar.
Respectfully, Hunter
P.S. Cage match between me and Don Jr.? Your call on the venue. Anywhere but the South Lawn.
Ian Wright is an absolute hero for saying how we all feel about this World Cup…
“I've just read that the Somalian referee has been denied entry. Every few hours it's another story, another story about fans denied, players denied, officials denied, journalists denied, now refs," Wright said.
"You know something I'm laughing but it's not funny, it's actually not funny and something has to be said.
"The expensive tickets, the most expensive tickets ever, expensive accommodation, transport through the roof. It has to be said.
"Is this how the hosts behave really for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world, is this how the hosts behave?
"Are we not hearing more? Are we seeing how Qatar got dragged, are we not hearing more? Is this the spirit of football, really?
"You know who I feel for? I feel for the American fans who are desperate for this, American soccer fans who are desperate for this, how embarrassed they must be. How embarrassing for them this must be.
"This is the World Cup, this is a World Cup of chaos. Whoever wins this World Cup is going to have to go through some serious chaos to get this done.
"I hope we can do it, but something has to be said now. This is the World Cup."
@Matt_Bove Man, you guys missed Kulich tearing it up in ROC and it shows. The dude is an absolute stud.
Sabres can certainly get better short-term trading someone like him, but you're absolutely trading away the future of your franchise by doing so.
No matter what happens tonight, the past six months have been an absolutely incredible ride. Broke the drought, won a round, added a banner, potentially secured some individual hardware.
Biggest of all, city-wide passion is back. I would die for this team.
Sabs in 7.
🚨🚨Benson Puck Giveaway 🚨🚨
In honor of tonight’s win and Benny’s birthday, we are giving away this signed Zach Benson puck.
To enter:
- Retweet
- Follow me
- Follow @jimmyreu81
Winner will be picked on June 2nd. Good luck!!!! #LetsGoBuffalo
Every time I go outside I see kids playing hockey. It’s because the Sabres are once again good. My daughter even asked if she could play. It’s nice to once again feel the buzz that we felt growing up here in the late 90s and mid 2000s.
@JeremyWGR@OwenP29 To follow up on the beer receptacle discussion earlier: It's an absolute shame that the @AmerksHockey haven't released a beer shield. The perfect complementary piece to the beer sabre.
there’s a point in your 30s when you realize hosting BBQs and dinner parties is the new club scene and high key better without the randoms, overpriced drinks, and terrible DJs still playing Dreams and Nightmares