I was surprised and pleased that my thought about Nike and Cedar Hills picked up some attention. First, a local radio program sent me an e-mail yesterday, inviting me to be on the air tomorrow to talk about my theory regarding Nike and Cedar Hills. Though I declined, I'm flattered by the offer. Second, I noticed a few hits coming from Nike itself, so maybe Mr. Knight's team is working on its legislative action plan for 2005. And third, the Knower of All Things says he's thought of two or three other ways to incorporate Nike's campus into a city without Nike's consent. (If I were Nike, that's the one that would worry me most.)
The lesson for Nike from all this? It's one thing to ask the legislature to grant you a loophole or a little extra protection, but it's another and more dangerous thing to call a lot of attention to yourself when you do it, because you set yourself up as a target. That motivates people to look for ways to get around your legislative protection, and makes it a lot harder for the legislature to grant you a favor the second time around.