Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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Courage these days is underrated.
That’s because, at least in the political realm, it is so hard to come by.
And when we do see examples of bravery under fire — consider the Capitol Police who defended the Congress from a mob of blood-thirsty insurrectionists on Jan. 6 — most of us are moved to thankfulness and, yes, tears when life is lost.
But, then, there are others. The people who don’t appreciate what service is all about. How giving your waking moments to benefit others is an act of nobility in the grand scheme of humanity. And what the word selfless actually means — the opposite of selfish.
Those folks seem to be everywhere these days. This past week’s poster child for cowardice is the hapless GOP “leader” Kevin McCarthy, who allowed a woman of courage, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, to be pilloried by her colleagues for voting her conscience while he condoned the outrageousness of a congresswoman who consorts with QAnon conspiracists and has denied the undeniable horrors of elementary and high school massacres.
What happened to those days when people of goodwill and most political persuasions stood up clearly and decisively for the simple concept of right and wrong? When John F. Kennedy wrote “Profiles in Courage,” there were real people in public life who had exhibited that trait and about whom the author would write admiringly for that courage to stand up — even if they stood alone.
Today, even JFK would have difficulty finding elected leaders in the Republican Party to write about.
There is no need to discuss the shame most Americans feel about what is and has recently happened to denigrate our democracy, almost all of it exclusively from the ranks of the Republican fringe turned mainstream. That is a story that unfortunately will not go away anytime soon.
I have been thinking about what our country is facing today — a continuing failure by some elected leaders to hold people accountable for their actions — in the context of Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom’s effort to remove former Sen. Pat McCarran’s name from Las Vegas’ airport and replace it with the most deserving name of Sen. Harry Reid.
The Las Vegas Sun editorial today sets forth some of the many reasons why Las Vegans should honor Harry’s incredible lifetime of public service by placing his name first in front of the millions of tourists from around the world who will visit our city every year.
And it also speaks to some of the reasons why McCarran’s name should go the way of Confederate statuary. That is, confined to history but in a place of infamy not honor.
In thinking about the Sun’s position, I turned to an expert of all things McCarran so I could get a firsthand glimpse into the man whose future at the airport could soon be grounded.
I picked up a copy of my father, Hank Greenspun’s, book that he wrote in 1966. His recollections in “Where I Stand, The Record of a Reckless Man” were up close and personal and 55 years closer to the reality that was Pat McCarran. For those who will vote on this name change who aren’t sure about the man whose name greets the diversity of tourists who make Las Vegas the success that it is, I recommend it highly.
Admittedly, I have and always have had a bias against McCarran because of who he was and what he tried to do — not all that different from the efforts of some in the GOP today whose animus toward the “other” is the opposite of American values. It is that bias based on McCarran’s shameful actions that informs my belief that his name should be nowhere near the airport and certainly not part of the diversity of the Las Vegas welcome mat.
I also know Sen. Reid. I have known him for what seems like a lifetime. And I can think of no person who has done more to benefit Nevada and advance the interests of its people throughout the entirety of his 50 years of public service.
This is an easy decision. It shouldn’t take courage to cast this vote in favor of the name change. Just good sense.
But if those who will vote in a couple of weeks think that courage is required then, so be it.
Harry Reid International Airport will represent, among many other good and admirable qualities, the courage of public leadership.
And it will show the world how Las Vegas honors such service.
Brian Greenspun is editor, publisher and owner of the Sun.
