In Defense of Dick

America's Most Indignant Homosexuals™ are crabby because Cardinal Richelieu requires that the palace be prepared prior to his arrival.

I'm not usually one to defend the nasty sonuvabitch, but having worked in the performing arts and conference planning for some time, I feel I ought to disabuse these hysterics of their present outrage so they can return to advocating . . . whatever it is they advocate.

It's called a hospitality rider. It's a document(s) designed to minimize the need to make indiviaul arrangements at every stop on the tour. The details aren't there to satisfy the Veep's hunger for imperial luxury, but to make it easier for the hotel staff, the theater staff, the conference center staff, et al. to put together their damned shopping lists and instructions to the building engineers.

Dick Cheney's hospitality requirements are about what you'd expect for a third-rate stand-up comic playing 800-seat theaters in County Seat, USA. You want to see extravagent, wait till David Bowie comes to town. That guy has a prescription for oxygen. I totally shit you not.