Zac mentioned Steve Blow’s column in Leading Off this morning, but this thing deserves its own post. Here’s what we’re talking about. Blow says we shouldn’t choose sides in the deal between Museum Tower and the Nasher. He says, “Let’s enlist a panel of objective, outside engineers and architects to review all the studies and the history. Let them commission whatever new research is needed. Let them assess all the possible fixes. And then let’s marshal public support for all parties to abide by whatever solution they suggest.” We already tried that. His name was Tom Luce. So Blow’s suggestion is fine enough — except that it won’t work. Seems like Blow hasn’t been paying attention.
That’s a quibble, though. The bigger issue with Blow’s column is the analogy he makes between the Arts District and the Middle East. Please, read these words carefully and think about what they mean:
[O]nce you wade into this mess, you can’t help thinking about the Israel-Palestine stalemate. Without the rocket launchers, thank goodness. But with similar rancor, recrimination and failed peace efforts.
We should, indeed, thank goodness that Jeremy Strick, the Nasher director, has not ordered his staff to use rocket launchers against Richard Tettamant and his Police and Fire Pension System. We are fortunate that more than 100,000 people have not been killed in the Arts District conflict. No question. Steve Blow is right about that.
Following his analogy, I suppose the Nasher is Palestine and Museum Tower is Israel, which would mean that Tettamant is Benjamin Netanyahu. Makes sense. But I get confused on the Nasher side. Who is Fatah and who is Hamas? Is Strick actually Mahmoud Abbas, or would that be Jed Morse?
Listen, it is beyond foolish to compare the deal between Museum Tower and the Nasher with the turmoil and bloodshed and complicated, sad history of the Middle East. Doing so demonstrates either profound ignorance or egregiously poor judgment — or both. It is stunning that something so inane could find its way into print in a newspaper that employs adults.
