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To The St. Louis Cardinals,
Say it ain’t so! Why would Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa appear at the Palin-Beck Rally? What happened to the “Cardinal” rule that athletes should keep their politics low-key, lest they alienate a portion of the fan base? Obviously, they didn’t ask Stan the Man about this first.
I’ve been a passionate Cardinals fan since the early 1960’s, and could never imagine a day when I would NOT be proud to wear the beautiful red cap. But I couldn’t put on the red cap yesterday. It would have been too embarrassing to answer questions about Pujols and Tony LaRussa lending the weight of their celebrity to the causes of Palin and Beck.
By appearing at this rally, Pujols and LaRussa give the appearance of endorsing the divisiveness and misinformation that Palin and Beck have inflicted on this country. Both Pujols and LaRussa have been exemplary citizens and supported many good causes. Association with Palin and Beck conflicts with the very nature of their good works off the field.
The organizers of this particular “non-political rally” are a reflection of the new political trend in the Republican Party of “no-nothings.” Much of their rhetoric is based on brazen lies, including the false notions that President Obama is a Muslim and not born in America. Palin and Beck are in the forefront of spreading these lies and others. It is very sad to see two of our Cardinal heroes being associated with the bankrupt ideology that nearly destroyed this country, and from which we are still struggling to recover. These people attack the Constitution, people not born in America, people of color and people whose religions are different from their own. They ridicule the notions that Americans are entitled to quality healthcare and education. The sad irony is that Pujols accepted the “Hope Award” from a group that has ridiculed this particular theme of the Obama Administration.