The Enemy Amongst Us

The sun rises on a cold Cleveland November morning. Your alarm clock echoes through the still of your house. The house you purchased unwittingly from the enemy. You slide into your slippers and stumble to the kitchen to make coffee. As you grab the coffee and filter from the cupboard, you go through the morning motions with two products you have purchased from the enemy, most likely, unknowingly. You open the morning paper and glance quickly at the headlines before starting breakfast. You set out bread, eggs, ready cooked sausage and milk, all items you have once again purchased from the enemy. The eggs, scrambled, are steaming and look delicious. You go to the refrigerator and grab the ketchup. You squirt the ketchup on the eggs. Ketchup that was made by the enemy.
You plan your day as you finish breakfast. The bank, get gas and then meet your friend for lunch at a local restaurant. All places where you will hand deliver your hard earned dollars to the enemy.

Is it Al-Queda you ask. Did Bin Laden sell me my home, sell me my groceries? Is he that secretly integrated into my daily life? No, it is not the grand villain of the early 21st Century but Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania based companies. Slowly, as Cleveland has regressed, losing its industry, population and morality, Pittsburgh and it's allies have slowly bought into the area. A microcosm to what has happened to the United States with China.

Howard Hanna may have sold you your house. You probably buy some if not all of your groceries at Giant Eagle. The ketchup from Heinz, the banking at National City which is now owned by PNC Bank, all of these Pittsburgh based. The gas, you may have stopped at Sheetz and the lunch at Eat and Park, both PA based.

We have our resistance out there, fighting for the cause. Forest City owns property in Pennsylvania, perhaps the last bastion of our commerce pride.

So when you go to the next Browns-Steelers game, a daunting endeavor these days for sure, buy your hot dog before you go to your seat and pass by the condiment stand where boldly sits a Heinz ketchup dispenser. Thumb your nose at it. After all, it is the least you can do in this once proud stadium, since you walked under the National City/PNC gate when you came in.