Yesterday the US Senate released a report, co-authored by Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, criticizing the Department of Defense for inappropriate and frivolous spending on military ceremonies at sporting events in an effort to boost marketing through what they are calling "paid patriotism". While much of the DOD's funds were spent on legitimate recruitment efforts, a significant (and undetermined) amount of taxpayer dollars was also spent on paid tributes such as honor guards, staged homecomings, first pitches, and puck drops, ceremonial events that under normal circumstances would be attributed to gestures of good will by the hosting sports organization or its corporate sponsors.
Storm Debris: Paid Patriotism Edition
