There was a metaphor happening at Brush and Adams yesterday.

Hundreds, nay thousands of Lions fans decided to rise up and demand that the team do better than they have. The source of their outrage was the man in charge, Matt Millen. Under Millen, the Lions have sunken to new lows, and the rhetoric coming out of the front office hasn’t matched the truth of the matter: the Lions are underachieving, and clearly going down the wrong path.
Everyone of those passionate people are all real Lions fans – why? Because they demand performance. They demand accountability from the leadership of this organization, who promised the Lions would be a world-class organization. They brought in key players, none of whom have lived up to their capabilities. Fans in every town are either laughing at the continued support of Millen, or shaking their head, wondering what has happened to a once-proud franchise.
The players knew that this display yesterday was not directed at them, but rather at the front office. They know that this anger is because these fans love this team more than anything. They aren’t demanding anything more than they demand of themselves.
The blame can be shared, for sure, by all involved – the different coaches, the draft picks, etc. But, after all was said and done, the front office is failing, badly. Yet, almost inexplicably, Millen was just given a 5 year extension on his contract. The outrage by these fans at this news was palpable. Yet, the front office gave no real explanation as to why this was done. They couldn’t rely on the record of the team, or the growth of the system. The leadership, as usual, was silent.

Be proud of these fans that have stood up and demanded accountability. They are the ones that make positive change happen. Do you think they are worried about the ticket holder that sits quietly on their hands, saying “there’s always next year”? You may not agree with the methods, but as long as fans continue to put up with the status quo, the management has no reason at all to make any changes. Remember, they are accountable to YOU – you are the ones that put the money into the franchise. Speak up and demand accountability from your team.

Now, let’s substitute some words here…

Hundreds, nay thousands of Americans decided to rise up and demand that the government do better than they have. The source of their outrage was the man in charge, President Bush. Under President Bush, America has sunken to new lows, and the rhetoric coming out of the White House hasn’t matched the truth of the matter: America is underachieving, and clearly going down the wrong path.
Everyone of those passionate people are all real Americans – why? Because they demand performance. They demand accountability from the leadership of this government, who promised the US would be a world-class country. They brought in key officials, none of whom have lived up to their capabilities.
People in every country are either laughing at the continued support of Bush, or shaking their head, wondering what has happened to a once-proud nation.
The soldiers knew that this display yesterday was not directed at them, but rather at the leadership. They know that this anger is because these Americans love this country more than anything. They aren’t demanding anything more than they demand of themselves.
The blame can be shared, for sure, by all involved – the different officials, the lobbyists, etc. But, after all was said and done, the White House is failing, badly. Yet, almost inexplicably, Bush was just given a 4 year extension on his contract. The outrage by these Americans at this news was palpable. Yet, the White House gave no real explanation as to why this actually happened. They couldn’t rely on the record of the government, or the growth of the economy. The leadership, as usual, was silent.

Be proud of these Americans that have stood up and demanded accountability. They are the ones that make positive change happen. Do you think the government is worried about the Americans that sit quietly on their hands, saying “there’s always next year”? You may not agree with the methods, but as long as citizens continue to put up with the status quo, the government has no reason at all to make any changes. Remember, they are accountable to YOU – you are the ones that pay their salaries. Speak up and demand accountability from our leaders.