Governor Ed Rendell

December 28, 2010

Governor Ed Rendell
225 Main Capital Building
Harrisburg, PA 7120

RE: A nation of “wussies” - The Eagles and the Vikings and other lessons of life

Governor Rendell,

Acting on the best information at hand - “intelligence”, perhaps? - and weighing certainties and doubts against the maddeningly fuzzy world of “What if...” the NFL canceled the Vikings v Eagles game 8 hours before the scheduled kickoff.

Commissioner Goodell, unlike President Bush, did not need Congressional approval, an approval that 3/4ths of both Houses gave him, before he decided to act. If memory serves President Bush waited 6 months before he used the authority that the Constitution gave him.

His actions, anyone’s actions, can be faulted after the fact. Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonkin, inter alia... sometimes the truth can’t be known. As a former District Attorney you surely remember that the rule “beyond a reasonable doubt” is not to be confused with “beyond a shadow of a doubt”.

President Bush’s actions were subject to a “booth review” 18 months after the fact. “The play stands” was the verdict of the American people.

If the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl perhaps Michael Vick can host a special showing of “Old Yeller”.

The game would be over by halftime.







Kevin Smith