Some name changes are just silly.

It’s National to me, not due to politics but out of the habit of calling it that after living here for so many years. Just as I still call the ‘Verizon’ Center the MCI Center out of habit and probably always will.

“When the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the capital’s subway system, recently changed all its route signs, it neglected to change “Washington National Airport” to “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” even though extensive changes were made to the names of many other Metro stations.

When inquiries were made, WMATA merely replied that the local jurisdiction in Alexandria, Va., where the airport is located, had not requested the change.”

I still am searching for a pre-name change Metrorail map as a present for a friend.

I sympathize with some people’s refusal to go along with the name change – when the various corporate overlords renamed the stadium in Miami I refused to stop calling it “Joe Robbie” in favor of the much inferior “Pro Player.” You want to ditch the name of a beloved local figure so you can name it after UNDERPANTS?

Once something is an institution I’m not much in favor of renaming it, regardless of political ideology. The whole reason we give things names is so we have a consistency of reference.

Ah, DC-we live, eat, drink, and breathe politics. Can’t even talk about an airport without getting into a politicial discussion (I’m not complaining, I know I was right in there) but that’s one reason I love this city. I can insist on calling it “National,” but the guy next door will be insulted if I don’t call it “Reagan National.” Good times.

For record, I still don’t know ANYONE who calls it “Regan National” unless they’re giving me a traffic report, are new to town, or just love them some Ronnie. But you meet new people every day! :)

In fairness to the FAA though, they didn’t respond by ignoring the guidelines – as they did the result of the Rose Report, which they themselves commissioned and paid for – they just redefined them so they were within compliance.

“The mission of the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project is to honor the legacy of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan. The Reagan Legacy Project aims to fulfill its mission by naming significant public landmarks after President Reagan in the 50 states and over 3,000 counties of the United States, as well as in formerly communist countries across the world.”

The comedy in that the RRLP wants to rename existing places and locations – something that has a notable cost in replacing signs and other graphic collateral – is a project of the Americans for Tax Reform, well, that’s probably too subtle for TV.

It is you dear sir, with your elephantine suitcase (please tell me it has wheels at least) that continue to clog our airplanes, airports, and feeder transport, making any egress cumbersome, check-in desks inaccessible, and contribute to airline bankruptcies, global warming, and the senseless death of baby Samsonites for your luggage skin.