Don Smiley: The Apology

Summerfest 2008 is now history -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There was good weather, bad weather, and an ugly controversy concerning a virtual war game, the Virtual Army Experience, that Summerfest officials shut down at the Army's exhibit on the festival grounds.

FINALLY, Summerfest CEO Don Smiley emerged, I guess from some underground bunker, to address the matter. The interview was conducted by 620 WTMJ's Jeff Wagner, sitting in for Charlie Sykes.

Smiley could not have been more clear. Summerfest got it wrong.

From 620 WTMJ:

Summerfest CEO Don Smiley said the festival made a poor decision when it banned a virtual game from the U.S. Army exhibit during it's festival last week.

"It was not our intent to offend anyone," Smiley told Newsradio 620 WTMJ's Jeff Wagner Wednesday. "We apologize to anyone currently serving in the U.S forces, those who have served in the past, and to their families."

..."Was it a poor decision? Yes." Smiley said. "I'll take the heat for that."

..."We are in the entertainment business. That's what we need to focus on. We're not in the censorship business."

OK.

Smiley crawled on broken glass and begged forgiveness.

I give credit to Smiley for, in effect, saying, "Blame me." He didn't dodge responsibility for Summerfest's censorship of the Army exhibit.

This interview was dramatically different from the John Boler debacle. When Boler, vice president of sales and marketing, spoke with WISN's Mark Belling, it was a disaster.

I think Smiley knew the best thing to do was accept responsibility for a bad decision rather than dodging and weaving the way Boler did.

However, Smiley had the luxury of apologizing for something that was over. When Boler tried to justify Summerfest's decision to shut down the Army's game, the festival was still in full swing.

It's much, much easier to apologize to the Army and to people currently serving in the military and to their families at this point. It's so much easier to say Summerfest got it wrong now that the Army exhibit has moved on to Six Flags Great America.

Had Smiley admitted that Summerfest's censorship was inappropriate and hypocritical and a slap in the face to the U.S. Army, our troops currently serving, and our veterans when the controversy first surfaced, he would have had to act to rectify the situation during the festival, lifting the ban on the game.

No doubt, that would have sent the extremist anti-military activists over the edge.

So, he kowtowed to these extremists and allowed them to boast of their victory over the U.S. Army.

Smiley and Summerfest did what was easiest, not what was right.

I'm sure the realization that it was wrong to shut down the game, the epiphany that Summerfest was censoring the Army exhibit, didn't occur after the gates closed on Summerfest 2008.

Smiley did drift into making up excuses territory when he said that they were in the middle of the festival when the controversy erupted and they were basically too busy with other matters to act.

That really doesn't fly. They weren't too busy to decide to shut down the game. Were they too busy to think clearly simply because the festival was in the process of its run? That's not good. That doesn't say much for their abilities and professionalism.

Wagner was satisfied with Smiley's apology. He said that some people probably wouldn't be satisfied but he was.

I certainly could understand why some people, especially those currently serving in the military and their loved ones, would have difficulty accepting the apology because it comes too late. It comes at Summerfest's convenience.

I'm sure Smiley and Summerfest are counting on people's short memories. This won't be an issue anymore when Summerfest 2009 kicks off. All will be forgotten by then.

Bottom line: I'm glad that Smiley acknowledged the poor judgment that went into the decision to censor the Army exhibit. I'm glad that he gave an unequivocal apology. I'm glad he took responsibility.

Nevertheless, I'm still troubled by the fact that Smiley and Summerfest were willing puppets of the Left and let the anti-military extremists pull their strings, at the expense of showing tremendous disrespect to the U.S. Army.

Will they grow a spine before Summerfest 2009 opens?
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620 WTMJ has posted the audio of the interview.

Smiley didn't need to end the interview by expressing his disappointment on the spotlight being on the controversy rather than the festival.

I'm just disappointed that the spotlight went off of the event on to an issue that took all of the hard work and hours and so on that we do spend putting on just a wonderful event, a mega-event measured anywhere in the United States, that the spotlight went off of the event and on to a decision. I am disappointed about that but I'm very proud of all of our folks here who work hard to try to put on the best event possible on a year-in year-out basis.

The controversy was of Summerfest's own making.

Smiley should be disappointed in his team, not in others putting the spotlight on Summerfest's censorship of the Army.

He acts like a victim, saying the issue "took all of the hard work and hours and so on that we do spend putting on just a wonderful event."

No it didn't. Not at all.

Anyway, Smiley and Summerfest officials always had the power to shift the spotlight completely back on to the event and off the controversy. They chose not to.