You Need a Helmet if You’re Target

That’s right. Target needs a helmet and I need one every time someone asks me if I’ve joined the boycott of a business that has been nothing but supportive of equal rights in the past. My father was a union man and I learned at an early age never to cross a picket line, but there’s a big difference between a line of striking workers and a line of people who are merely playing nasty politics. Targets is caught in the cross-hairs of a very big gun aimed, and please pardon me for this, at the wrong target.

The day after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the 5/4  Citizen’s United decision, I was surprised at the large number of tweeters and bloggers ranting about the result. How could all of those individuals have had the time to read an extremely long judicial opinion replete with concurrences and a 90 page dissent, study it, analyze it, and write confidently about it so quickly?  Unfortunately, most of them had not read it. However, this isn’t the place to expound upon complex legal issues, the scope of the First Amendment, the significance of 5/4 decisions, and the intricate, inner workings of the third branch of government. The bottom line is that case made it legal for any organization, whether a non-profit, a union or a corporation, to spend its money on political advertising and campaigns.  Justice Kennedy wrote "If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech."

So what did Target do? The corporation made a perfectly legal $150,000 contribution to MN Forward, a Minnesota organization promoting economic development and job growth. Why would they do that? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s because Target, headquartered in Minnesota, is a business and economic growth is good for business.  MN Forward gave money to several candidates from both major parties, including one Tom Emmers, who is pro-business but opposed to marriage equality. Good for Emmers; bad for Target.

Target Corp. has long had a reputation for being gay friendly. It provides benefits for domestic partners of its employees. It sponsors the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival in Minnesota. It scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index in 2010. MSNBC, the so-called liberal news channel, refused to air MoveOn.org’s big Boycott Target ad. Target apologized. (Note to self- possible blog topic - You Need a Helmet when reading about people apologizing for things they did even if they weren’t wrong)

The boycott was a bust. Why? The entire thing was unfair and the organizers simply picked the wrong target. I’m off to Target now. Don’t yell at me as I go in and, please, don’t throw anything at my head in case I’m not wearing my helmet.

John Olerud and His Helmet

The blog title “You Need a Helmet” ties to the axiom that life is tough and the fact that we all need protection from time to time. I’ve wondered recently why it seems that folks aren’t as hardy as they used to be.  This is probably not the time to harangue about prima donna MLB pitchers who make millions yet go on the DL at the hint of a hangnail, but that’s the type of thing I notice.  I was shocked backalong by the sight of a rodeo cowboy wearing a helmet.  It seemed so very wrong somehow. If a bronco buster can’t be tough, who can be? I may have grumbled to the TV screen, “Man up, Dude. Get your cowboy hat!” forgetting momentarily that those, too, are often disguised helmets.

So where are we going with this? First baseman John Olerud wore his batting helmet while playing the infield. I had never seen anyone else do that and it made me curious. If you don’t know much about Olerud, you can read all about his MLB career at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/olerujo01.shtml  but you do need to consider he played 17 seasons in the majors, winning three Gold Glove Awards as well as two back to back World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Suffice it to say, he was an outstanding ball player.

If you’re a Red Sox fan like me you should remember Johnny O. because he played for the Jays for many years, for the Yankees for one year and for us in 2005, his final year.  We saw him bat many times and watched him play first base without removing his batting helmet. Why didn’t the guy take off that helmet? According to Wikipedia it was done as a precaution since he’d suffered a brain aneurysm while playing college ball. That entry is not supported by a footnote but there’s no reason to suspect it isn’t true. (Note to self - possible blog topic - You Need a Helmet when relying on Wikipedia as your main reference)

At any rate, I’m still curious and my questions abound. Did the other players tease him? If they razzed him, how much did that bother him? How hard did they hit him on his head when he headed to the dugout after scoring a run or two?  We can only speculate.

As I head off for what promises to be a long and difficult day at work, I find myself wishing I had a batting helmet. But if I had one, would I wear it? Would you?

Life’s Tough. Get a Helmet!

One of my favorite curmudgeonly expressions is “Life’s Tough. Get a Helmet.”  When I first thought about this blog I wanted that for my title. Alas, it was taken (because life is tough), so I went with “You Need a Helmet.”

But do you really need a helmet?  In Maine you don’t need a helmet to operate a motorcycle if you are over 17. Unless the park or facility in which you’re riding requires one, you don’t need a helmet to skateboard.  However, since 1999 Maine has had this law on the books in Title 29 -

§2323. Bicycle helmet use; passenger seat use

1. Use of helmet.  A person under 16 years of age who is an operator or a passenger on a bicycle on a public roadway or a public bikeway shall wear a helmet of good fit, positioned properly and fastened securely upon the head by helmet straps.

2. Passenger seat.  A bicycle passenger must be seated properly in a bicycle passenger seat.

I can’t help but think back to an earlier time before seat belts and air bags when we kids got to ride in the open back of a pick-up truck so long as we didn’t stand up or make too much noise. My Dad taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels on a rutted, dirt road. There were no helmets. All I had for protection was his hand on the back of that seat. By the time I’d finished yelling, “Don’t let go, Daddy”, I was pedaling solo down the road with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, and an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment. It was a great day!

Here’s a picture showing what would be three bike law violations today.

• No helmet for operator


• No helmet for passenger


• No passenger seat

Didn’t we have fun? Well, my baby sister looks a bit nervous, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Wouldn’t you, Sis?