This Is Not My Beautiful House

Today, Amsoil Arena, the beautiful rink that houses our favorite Bulldog hockey teams, that honors our greatest players, that hosted many of our warmest hockey memories, is going to host a fascist rally.

Our six national championship banners (the seventh will be raised in October) will hang from the rafters while people I probably sit next to at hockey games, people who might even read this blog, mindlessly chant anti-democratic slogans and cheer like trained seals at vile, racist statements from the minority-elected president.

I can’t stomach the thought of seeing my favorite city and my favorite arena serve as a backdrop for a horde of racists, frothing at the mouth as their empty eyes gaze up at a tyrant in rapture and adoration. And these people won’t be strangers. They will be my colleagues, my former neighbors, the people behind me in line to see the national championship trophy. Lining up to listen to lies and filth from a megalomaniac, in the building where Olympic gold medalists like Haley Irwin, Sidney Morin and Maddie Rooney played (and will return to play), where Mike Connolly thrilled us with five goals against the Gophers, where Lara Stalder dazzled us by taking over game after game after game, where some random guy won $50,000 scoring from the opposite end of the rink. It’s nauseating to consider.

This arena wasn’t built to house hatred and bigotry. It wasn’t constructed to host a man who is ripping toddlers from their parents as they flee violence and poverty, housing them in internment camps and tent cities. Amsoil Arena wasn’t LEED certified so an orange blowhard despot who employs a criminal as head of the EPA could get his rocks off in front of a crowd.

If you’re forced to attend this tragic circus because you work at the DECC, or you’re a city official, or you’re in the press, I am sorry, and I worry for your safety. Especially if you’re in the media – this president encourages the zombies who worship him to harass the media. Then probably goes and wipes his ass with the Constitution.

If you choose to attend this rally of your own free will because you think this president is great, get the hell out of my beautiful house.