Photo by Matt.DunnHowdy, Washington. In an interview on Good Morning America, President Barack Obama said that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s omission of slavery from his preamble to a state-sanctioned Confederate History Month was “unacceptable,” according to The Hill. Far from piling on, President Obama said that he reckons that the governor realizes his mistake. And while moving on is maybe the right thing for all of us to do now, President Obama missed an opportunity to move the debate forward.
It’s just like Matthew Yglesias says: Why not host a Civil War History Month instead? Had President Obama recommended Civil War History Month, you can imagine that Governor McDonnell would have been forced to respond. Which is maybe an argument against President Obama making that rec — it’s not his job to write Virginia’s calendar. Nevertheless it remains a good idea. The history of the war is truly fascinating, most of it took place in Virginia, and black and white Americans alike have a stake in remembering the Civil War — insofar as commemorating the war is distinct from white Virginians flying the Rebel Flag.
If you’ve never read it, Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. And if you have read that, it’s time to graduate to Ordeal by Fire by the same author. It doesn’t have to be an official Civil War History Month for residents in the DMV to learn more about the subject.
Someone Other Than Ticketmaster Ripping You Off: One of the problems with making one corporate behemoth responsible for selling tickets to so many major shows is that the company represents a major target to crooks. The Washington Post profiles Wiseguys Tickets Inc., a company now under investigation for using bots and other hack workarounds to violate Ticketmaster online security and gobble up tickets for big events — from the Super Bowl to Hannah Montana. These guys (West Coast managers and 15 Bulgarian hackers) are the reason you can’t buy tickets to see the Boss. Of course, these guys would never have been so successful had a diverse industry of ticket sellers developed different Internet security protocols for purchasing tickets. Instead, they only had to slip past Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s gates.
Michelle Obama Takes Up D.C. Voting Rights: Talking with NBC’s Jim Vance, First Lady Michelle Obama sounds off on D.C. voting rights. She says that despite President Obama’s lack of initiative on this matter, he is a booster: “He is a supporter of the rights of citizens here in D.C. to have the vote, and I don’t think there’s much convincing that you have to do there, you just have to get it done.” Mrs. Obama, could you say that a little bit louder, and maybe in earshot of your husband?
Briefly Noted: Street barricades arrive in advance of nuclear security conference . . . National Park Police on the lookout for Hitler vandalist . . . D.C. Democratic Party could be fined for failure to report campaign donations . . . Wonkette calls Cleveland Park’s totally weird new cereal bar “the stupidest concept ever.”
This Day in DCist: Nationals Ballpark got some new sculptures while the National Zoo determined that both its clouded leopard cubs have thingees.
