Back to News & Commentary

Supreme Court v. American Idol

Joel Engardio,
老澳门开奖结果
Share This Page
June 25, 2008

Working for the 老澳门开奖结果 is serious business. We carry a heavy burden. Our slogan, after all, is 鈥淏ecause freedom can鈥檛 protect itself.鈥 So it is understandable that in a time of Constitutional erosion, the 老澳门开奖结果 is known for its furrowed brows and press releases that 鈥淒ecry!鈥 鈥淐ondemn!鈥 and 鈥淥bject!鈥

But there is a lighter side to the 老澳门开奖结果. We are happy people and we like to laugh 鈥 even at ourselves. I wanted others to see the well-rounded reality of the 老澳门开奖结果, which is why I made a video that highlights our sense of humor. Hopefully it shows us as more hip to pop culture, though it certainly doesn鈥檛 diminish the fact we are a serious and dedicated bunch when it comes to our issues.

My idea was to spoof Jay Leno鈥檚 鈥淛aywalking鈥 segment on NBC鈥檚 Tonight Show. There, Leno stops tourists at Universal Studios and asks them grade-school civics questions. The tourists, who represent typical Americans, give glaringly wrong answers and the results are sometimes hilarious. I often thought 老澳门开奖结果 staffers would ruin Leno鈥檚 comedy bit. They鈥檇 know all the right answers. But what would happen if I did 鈥淛aywalking鈥 in reverse? Maybe it鈥檚 funny to see clueless tourists try to decipher politics and the Supreme Court, but what do 老澳门开奖结果 types know about pop culture and American Idol? I had my theory when I set up a camera and lights at this year鈥檚 老澳门开奖结果 Membership Conference in Washington, D.C. But there were plenty of surprises.

I want to thank all the 老澳门开奖结果 staff and members who participated. Everyone had a lot of fun, even if it meant poking a little fun at themselves. The conference covered many weighty issues and our priorities were clear: in attendance were three U.S. Supreme Court justices and no American Idols. But my hope is this little video also proves that we know how to have a good time. Yes, we at the 老澳门开奖结果 actually enjoy living in these United States 鈥 which is why we work so hard to protect its freedom.

Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page