In 1965, television’s Robinson family blasted into space with Major West, the evil Dr. Smith, and the greatest robot ever invented.
The Robot, with a clothes-dryer drum body and two retractable claws for arms, was young Will’s best friend and always seemed to find a way to thwart the schemes of the villainous Dr. Smith.
Frankly, I could never figure why Major West didn’t just shove that guy into an airlock and “accidentally” hit the open button. I suppose murder was frowned upon back in the 1960’s. Or, were we more noble back then?
One of the trademarks of the show was when the Robinsons got into trouble (which was every episode), the Robot would swing his arms wildly and cry out, “DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!” Man, did I drive my mom nuts saying that over and over.
[Aside: Wikipedia claims that the Robot only said this once in the entire series in season 3. I don’t believe it]
Unfortunately, the Robot and his warning came to mind this weekend as the story unfolded regarding the White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders being thrown out of a local Virginia Red Hen restaurant with her family.
Apparently, the staff at the facility did not like the fact that she worked for President Donald Trump and they disagreed with the president’s politics.
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!
To be clear, the Sanders party was seated and served some appetizers. When it became clear who she was, the chef and/or server contacted the owner, who immediately came to the facility. After conferring with the staff, she pulled the press secretary aside and asked her to leave. Sanders immediately complied.
Of course, Sanders immediately announced the incident on Twitter so that the whole world could know about this establishment.
Laughably, some old Obama staffer immediately asserted that Sanders broke the law because she tweeted out the information on a government telephone.
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!
Now, I am not questioning whether the restaurant had the right to refuse service to the Sanders party. “No shirt, no shoes, no service” is a common rule in the restaurant industry.
In fact, I agree completely that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Christian baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple. Again, to be clear: the baker offered to make the cake but refused to decorate it as the couple specified because doing so would violate his religious beliefs.
Sort-of like if I walked into a Jewish bakery and asked them to decorate a cake that said “Jehovah is a Myth.” The baker would refuse my request and rightly so.
But to refuse service to a person because of politics (not religion) is entirely new. And really stupid.
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!
That is really dumb business. If an owner were to refuse service to individuals based on political beliefs, the amount of lost revenue could be catastrophic.
That message was not lost on other restaurant owners. The unaffiliated Red Hen facility in New Jersey immediately sent word on social media that this was not their place of business and all were welcome. I am sure that other restaurateurs who had the words “Red” or “Hen” in their names also did the same.
Maybe this owner was not thinking clearly? In an effort to appease her staff, she made a potentially disastrous decision. Now, her establishment will be the focal point of a pointless political argument that will irreparably and permanently harm its reputation.
But, what about the larger implications?
DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!
Are we turning into a society where we cannot even speak to another person who has a differing political view? And will we now turn our backs (literally) on this person and not perform a service nor sell a good?
This is a very dangerous precedent.
And now, we hear Rep. Maxine Waters (always the voice of wisdom and reason) loudly proclaiming that all members of the Trump administration should be treated similarly and given the cold shoulder wherever they appear.
So, Ms. Waters, do you think they should be forced to sit at a certain part of the lunch counter or made to ride in the back of the bus? My, how things have changed, Maxine. Your behavior is disgusting and shameful.
Trump Derangement Syndrome has truly reached a new high. And now, it endangers our ability to be civil to one-another and break bread together as neighbors and friends.
Danger, my fellow Americans. Danger.
Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and used to have a model of the Robot. “Dang, I’d be rich if I still had that thing.” He can be reached at [email protected].
