Apple pie, the one slice of Americana not sacrificed on the altar of political greed, is next.
When professional baseball decided to stick its rosined nose into Georgia’s legislative voting protocol, Dave and I both held our hearts and grieved. Okay, I held my heart and grieved. Dave had a few, choice, frustrated words, as did numerous baseball buddies of his era.
Major League Baseball’s hierarchy opted to remove this summer’s All-Star Game from Atlanta, Georgia…the same Atlanta where our son Adam began his professional career and our youngest son Andy played his first major league game.
Our family loves Atlanta and the people who work at Braves’ stadium. Many employees we met were black and were some of the kindest, most dedicated individuals we’ve ever encountered in pro ball. But because somebody’s MLBPAA feathers were ruffled over the biased voter I.D. being required in Georgia (which would somehow be “unfair” to blacks), the mid-season game was moved to Denver…you know, where 93% of the people are white (as opposed to Atlanta where 76% of its citizens are black). And that is “fair” to the black people…how? Apparently, professional baseball thinks it prejudicial to ask voters to show their I.D.’s. The same organization that has asked for my I.D. for the past…oh, say 2,000 professional baseball games when I pick up my tickets at the Will-Call window. So, apparently everything is fair game…well, except where the All-Star game will be held. Nothing in my generation is to be left untouched as politics has caused a drastic upheaval in the way our citizens are asked to view:
1. The American flag
2. The National Anthem
3. The military
4. Prayer in school and in the workplace and in church and at assemblies and ________
5. Gender identification
6. Our police
7. Illegal immigrants
8. Freedom of speech
9. Guns
10. Rights of the unborn baby
11. Protests
12. God
And now, America’s favorite pastime…baseball.
Lucky #13 on the list.
Which brings us back to the one “untarnished” of American symbols: Apple pie.
After all, when you think of that popular dessert, surely you think “discrimination.”
Why else would the ala mode topping be vanilla and not chocolate? Um-hmmm! And then there is the “Gala” apple. Who, I wonder, came up with such a defamatory name? Reason enough to relegate apples to the orchard graveyard, if you ask me. One thing is for sure. Apple pie cannot remain guiltless. After all, many believe that an apple was the fruit of choice for Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, leading to the fall of mankind. If that isn’t serious, I don’t know what is. And since Scripture is silent on the fruit, we might as well take matters into our own juicy hands.
Readers, call your Congressmen/women. Correction: call your Senate people and Representative people. Remind them that one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. They will know what you mean.