HEFESTAY FOR COMMISSION

On May 8, voters of Jefferson County need to remember that, Jane Tabb’s record displays a callous disregard for public opinion. Her actions undermined and skirted official procedures and the law.

Secret accounts, costly court battles, executive overreach, and a relentless desire to wipe out what makes our area unique is not the record that deserves another term.

Incumbent Tabb claims she is running for re-election “to be a voice of rational, thoughtful discussion and decision making”.

Tabb’s record is quite the opposite.

During her first term on the Jefferson County Commission, Tabb became obsessed with tearing down the historic county jail in Charles Town. Despite massive public opposition, Tabb led the charge to rid the historic district of a major contributing building. Tabb also led the way for the County Commission to ignore state preservation laws.

Thankfully, Carol Gallant, the late Jim Whipple, and a core of concerned citizens established the Jefferson County Preservation Alliance to Save Our Heritage (JCPASH). Major public rallies, countless letters to local editors, and hundreds of citizens voicing their opposition did not stop Tabb’s crusade against the jail.

The Jefferson County Jail was constructed in1918. It is on the National Register and Inventory of American Labor Landmarks. The jail was the pre-trial detention facility for William Blizzard, and other leaders of the “Coal Mine Wars”, prior to their treason trials at the Jefferson County Courthouse in 1922. Had she succeeded, Tabb would have destroyed a major landmark in American history, West Virginia History, local history, and American Labor/Worker history.

A six year legal battle ended with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals siding with JCPASH. In the process, evidence exposed Tabb’s attempt to change state law to restrict historic preservation, and the establishment of a secret Commission “demolition fund”. Thankfully, sloppy bookkeeping co-mingled other County money with the fund, rendering it inoperable.

In it final ruling, the WV Supreme Court admonished Tabb and her colleagues and asserted, “it is incumbent upon us to insure that future generations may still appreciate the beauty and history of these many fine structures”. In spite of this final loss, Tabb tried to mount new legal moves, that were shut down by her Commission colleagues.

JCPASH earned the WV Preservation Alliance’s Most Significant Endangered Property Save award. Its leaders celebrated the reopening of a fully renovated and re-purposed county jail in September 2008.

Public outrage over Tabb’s imperious overreach to destroy history led to her defeat in 2006.

Local memories are short. Tabb returned to office in 2012 benefiting from Republican resurgence in the state and county.

Tabb immediately began where she left off, becoming an ally of Commissioner Walter Pellish in rezoning rural land along Route 340 East as commercial and heavy industrial. They ignored wide-spread public opposition, along with state and local efforts to preserve West Virginia’s tourism gateway. They moved quickly to pre-empt policy guidance from the Route 340 Gateway Study that was moving through public hearings under the leadership of Commissioner Lyn Widmyer.

May 8 is the opportunity to finally end the career of County Commission Member Jane Tabb.

Jack Hefestay is the clear choice for all who care about government integrity, openness, and accountability.

[Scot Faulkner is a lifelong Republican, who served on the State Republican Executive Committees in Minnesota, Virginia, and Wisconsin, and on the staffs of two National Republican Conventions. He was named College Republican and Young Republican of the year. Faulkner was the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as Ronald Reagan’s Director of Personnel on the 1980 National Campaign, on Reagan’s White House Staff, and as a Reagan Executive Branch Appointee.]

PATRIOTISM WITHOUT A PARADE

Published on Newsmax. #LoveAmerica #DrainTheSwamp

The swamp at center stage is the last thing Trump should want.

Trump ran to drain Washington, DC’s swamp. He ran on dismantling America’s corrupt and unaccountable power center.

The last thing America needs is for the world’s attention to be fixed on a parade in Washington, DC. The swamp’s elite will hold viewing parties and be comforted in the visual validation that really important things only happen in Washington, DC.

America is a federal system. This means power is distributed to the states. Republicans embrace power being based locally. Republicans embrace the private sector and actions centered within families and neighborhoods.

A big national parade, like Bastille Day in France, is not America. France is a national government. Its entire history is based on centralized government. Even regionalism is discouraged.

Military parades in France versus America are not about Parisian cobble stones bearing the weight of tanks better than Washington’s pavement. Washington, DC hosted military parades after the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the First Iraq War. No parade occurred for the end of the Cold War, one of the most important victories in world history.

Americans honor heroes, military and first responders, in countless community events. Every Memorial Day, honoring those who died for America, and Veterans Day, honoring those who served America, ten of millions of ordinary citizens attend local events. Parades, speeches, memorials occur on main streets, public squares, in churches and cemeteries. Americans do not need or want Washington, DC upstaging them in honoring our heroes. The swamp should not prevail.

President Trump can do something very patriotic and meaningful that will last far beyond one flashy display in Washington, DC. He can reignite patriotism in the next generation.

Civics are rarely taught in American classrooms. History is shrunk and dumbed-down. For America to remain America, the young must be taught why we should love America and the ways to express that love.

Organizations like Constituting America make America’s founding principles and documents come alive to young people. Their lesson plans, contests, and creative programs should be promoted in the curriculum and content of all K-12 classrooms.

A rural middle school holds an award-winning immersion on what it is was like to be a Civil War soldier. A small university has students write the life stories of local soldiers who died and have them read their paper while standing next to that soldier’s grave. Every school day, inspired teachers find ways to make learning a life changing and affirming experience.

President Trump should make sure these proven ways to establish patriotism among America’s young people are promoted and funded. The Department of Education could establish grant guidelines that fund patriotic and civic education. The National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities could fund projects and programs that promote patriotism and civic education. Trump should appoint leaders to the Corporation of Public Broadcasting who will make honoring America’s military a program priority.

There are proven ways to make sure the legacy of Americans who served, and who gave their lives, live on in the hearts and minds of the young. Teaching patriotism to future generations assures America remains America.

Parades are fun and can be very moving, but they are fleeting. Honoring America’s military, and America, should be timeless.

[Scot Faulkner advises corporations and governments on how to save billions of dollars by achieving dramatic and sustainable cost reductions while improving operational and service excellence. He served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served on the White House Staff, and as an Executive Branch Appointee.]

A TOWN TORN ASUNDER

[NOTE: The Martinsburg Journal, specifically reporter Jeff McCoy, covered this highly divisive issue fairly.  However, earlier this week, perhaps under pressure, McCoy was reassigned and this letter was never published.  Once again outside developers are undermining our community and civic culture. Here are some of McCoy’s articles for background:

http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/01/overlay-ordinance-increases-concerns/

http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/01/new-battle-erupts-in-harpers-ferry/

http://www.journal-news.net/news/local-news/2017/01/motion-denied-for-harpers-ferry-plaintiffs/]

Harpers Ferry is at war with itself.  Not since the Civil War has the community been so divided.

Neighbors no longer speak to each other.  Threats of physical violence spring up on social media.  Public hearings degenerate into tears and shouting.  Armed police keep order at meetings.  Petitions and counter petitions circulate.  One lawsuit is now before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.  An injunction has just been filed in the Circuit Court.

What is going on?

Harpers Ferry is at a crossroads. Harpers Ferry is consistently listed as one of the most historic and scenic small towns in America.  Over 300,000 tourists, and numerous movie production companies, bring revenue to the town every year.  Even with this success, the area is missing a core element that symbolized it as a tourist mecca for decades.

The Hilltop House Hotel was a defining presence in Harpers Ferry since Thomas S. Lovett, an African American businessman and hotelier, constructed the hotel in 1888. The Hotel’s breathtaking views, great food, and service became a magnet for America’s elite. It was the Presidential summer retreat before Camp David. Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain, Carl Sandburg, and Pearl S. Buck were among the notables who stayed at the Hotel. In 1946, Hilltop House hosted the preliminary meetings which led the establishment of UNESCO.

Those glory days are long gone.  A series of owners let the Hotel deteriorate until it became a decrepit reflection of its storied past.  In 2007, SWaN Investors purchased the hotel and its adjoining properties, promising to restore the facility. 

What has happened since SWaN’s arrival depends on one’s perspective.  Is SWaN a savior or a nefarious “Harold Hill” preying on citizens’ naiveté turning the “Music Man” plot into a horror story?

Harpers Ferry’s historic district is protected by layers of town ordinances complying with West Virginia Law and guidelines from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.  This regulatory environment is intended to maintain the architectural integrity. Townspeople must submit detailed forms and drawings, sometime waiting up to two years to alter a rain gutter or doorway. 

Larger projects, and new construction, must fit into Harpers Ferry’s comprehensive plan.  For projects not fitting, the town has the ability to issue a “Conditional Use Permit” that grants specific waivers in the face of a compelling community interest.

This is where the current civil war began.  SWaN refused to follow the town’s ordinances. SWaN refused to go through the Conditional Use Permit process.  SWaN demanded that a new “overlay district” be created, providing them the flexibility to do build what they wanted as big as they wanted. 

Town officials, desperate for a new Hilltop House complex, bent to SWaN’s every whim.  Local citizens raised concerns: will SWaN actually build a hotel or flip the property to a buyer who could build a casino, luxury condos, or something else on the site?  SWaN did little to calm the fears, requesting that requirements for a business plan, and even the requirement for a hotel, be stripped from the draft overlay ordinance.

Town officials went further.  Instead of asking SWaN for proffers, town officials promised SWaN public resources like expanded water and free police protection.  The town has not issued citations for the eighty police incidents on derelict SWaN properties, while townspeople are cited for unmowed lawns.

This unequal treatment has raised concerns that something else is going on.  It is public record that SWaN’s owners have wined and dined town officials.  Rumors swirl of other favors or pay-offs.  Private meetings occur with SWaN.  Townspeople’s public comments are limited to 2-3 minutes while SWaN representatives are given unlimited time.

As the Harpers Ferry’s civil war begins its ninth year many wheels are turning.  2017 may see prosecutions over town finances, court rulings to enforce the rule of law, a voter revolt against the town government, and SWaN leaving.  SWaN’s supporters, which include the town’s elected officials, are hoping the new year brings them victory with the sounds of dynamite blowing-up the overlay district, clearing the way for a 450 car underground parking ramp, and a massive building project.

[Scot Faulkner has been a resident of the Harpers Ferry area since 1987].

The Emancipation Proclamation

Published as part of Constituting America's "constitution reader" series

"90 in 90: History Holds the Key to the Future”

 in cooperation with Hillsdale College

http://www.constitutingamerica.org/blog/blog/2013/05/23/wednesday-may-23-2013-essay-69-the-emancipation-proclamation-scot-faulkner-former-chief-administrative-officer-of-the-u-s-house-of-representatives-and-currently-president-of-friends/

Essay #69 - The Emancipation Proclamation - Scot Faulkner

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s right hand was trembling. He had spent the morning shaking hundreds of hands as part of the traditional New Year’s Day greetings at the White House. He remarked to Secretary of State, William Seward, that, “if my signature wavers they will say I was afraid to sign it.” He then took up his pen and wrote his name firmly on the Emancipation Proclamation. As Seward co-signed the document, Lincoln mused, “Seward, if I am to be remembered in history at all, it will probably be in connection with this piece of paper”. [1]

The Emancipation Proclamation was a masterful document in that it accomplished so much while preserving strict constitutional principles. Lincoln was first and foremost an attorney. He understood the need for government to act based upon the Constitution, which he had sworn to uphold, “I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling [that slavery is wrong]…I understood…that in ordinary course of civil administration this oath even forbade me to practically indulge my primary abstract judgment on the moral question of slavery.” [2]

The reason the Emancipation Proclamation intentionally has, “all the moral grandeur of a bill of lading” is that it is a, “narrowly justified executive action taken by the commander-in-chief of the armed services of the United States under the power granted him only in wartime, doing something he absolutely could not have done in peacetime, or merely on the basis of his own opinion.” [3]

Lincoln’s act was bold and reflected his keen understanding of the Emancipation Proclamation as a pivotal moment in the evolution of public policy regarding slavery and its abolition.

In the mid-1850s, the Republican Party brought together diverse factions from the splintering Democratic Party and the imploding Whig Party. While the “radicals” wanted immediate and universal abolition of slavery everywhere, the centrist position focused on controlling or preventing the expansion of slavery into new territories. Gerrit Smith, one of the financial backers of John Brown’s paramilitary activities on behalf of abolition in both Kansas and at Harpers Ferry[4], derisively declared, “The Republican party refuses to oppose slavery where it is, and opposes it only where it is not.” [5]

The Republican platforms of 1856 and 1860 assertively opposed expansion of slavery into the territories, but remained silent on outright abolition within existing states. At his 1861 Inauguration, Lincoln confronted seven southern states that had already seceded and the possible secession of eight more, which included the four key Border States. Nearly a third of his Inaugural Address was spent assuring these states that he swore an oath to defend the Constitution and the Constitution allowed slavery in existing states, “I add, too, that all the protection which, consistently with the Constitution and the laws, can be given will be cheerfully given to all the States when lawfully demanded, for whatever cause—as cheerfully to one section as to another.” He went onto to provide assurances that, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” [6]

Lincoln’s assurances were designed to “buy time” for his administration to form. They also reflected the political reality that few in the North wanted a war based solely on emancipating slaves. [7]

Political realities were quickly overwhelmed by military ones. The moment Union forces occupied southern territory, slaves flocked to them in the hopes of gaining immediate freedom. The first such action occurred at Fort Monroe in Virginia on May 24, 1861. General Benjamin Butler established the concept of “contraband” whereby escaped slaves would be welcomed into Northern armies and used as workers, “as I would for any other property of a private citizen which the exigencies of the service seemed to require.” As a lawyer, Butler further invoked the concept that property used in a crime (in this case an illegal rebellion) can “be confiscated as “contraband” by legal authorities.” [8]

Butler’s precedent setting action led to a rapid evolution of Northern policy on freeing slaves. On August 6, 1861, Lincoln signed the First Confiscation Act, which authorized the confiscation of any Confederate property by Union forces ("property" included slaves). This meant that all slaves that fought or worked for the Confederate military were freed whenever they were "confiscated" by Union troops.

In October 1861, Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, expanded upon Congressional policy in his annual report, “Those who make war against the Government justly forfeit all rights of property…It is clearly a right of the Government to arm slaves, when it may become necessary, as it is to use gun-powder taken from the enemy.” [9]

Northern politicians were uniting around the concept that slavery was the life blood of the Confederate war effort. On January 14, 1862, Rep. George Julian (R-Indiana) asserted, “When I say that this rebellion has its source and life in slavery, I only repeat a truism. [The four million slaves] cannot be neutral. As laborers, if not soldiers, they will be the allies of the rebels, or of the Union.” [10] This sentiment inspired seven partial emancipation bills and the Second Confiscation Act. [11]

By the summer of 1862, the Second Confiscation Act was passed. It stated that any Confederate official, military or civilian, who did not surrender within sixty days of the act's passage, would have their slaves freed. While this was only applicable to Confederate areas that were already occupied by the Union Army, it did state that all slaves who took refuge in Union areas were "captives of war" and would be set free.

Emboldened by Congressional and Presidential policies, Union field commanders pushed the boundaries of interpretation as they moved deeper into Southern territory. On May 9, 1862, General David Hunter issued, “a sweeping declaration of martial law abolishing slavery in all three states constituting his “Department of the South.” [12] Lincoln quickly reversed this unilateral act, but added that while Hunter’s order might, “become a necessity indispensible to the maintenance of the [Union] government,” it was a decision “I reserve to myself”. [13]

Emancipation was being viewed as a means to victory. Lincoln began to also view it as an end. His efforts to cajole Border State politicians were going no where. Military reality was making his accommodation less and less necessary. On July 13, 1862 the Border State leaders issued a manifesto rejecting Lincoln’s last proposal. On that same day, Lincoln privately told Seward and Gideon Welles, his Secretary of the Navy, that he was ready to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. [14]

Geopolitics was also entering the equation. Lincoln had kept his public pronouncements on slavery to a minimum over concern for Border State loyalty. European nations viewed Lincoln’s tepid pronouncements as a license to trade with the Confederacy under international law. British and French neutrality was skirted by highly creative Confederate agents and European sympathizers. As long as America’s civil war was officially about opposing Southern independence, many British liberal and business interests rallied to the Southern cause. As the war wore on, top European political leaders wished to rebuild their economies, which were being damaged by the conflict. Recognition of the Confederacy, and mediating a peace, were actively debated within the government of British Prime Minister Lord Henry Palmerston. [15]

Lincoln and Seward realized emancipating the slaves would not only alter the dynamic of the war in America, but also end European support for recognition and intervention. England had abolished slavery throughout its empire in 1833 and would not side with a slave nation if the goal of war became emancipation. Lincoln was well aware of this geopolitical chess board, “Emancipation would weaken the rebels by drawing off their laborers and would help us in Europe, and convince them that we are incited by something more than ambition”. [16]

On July 22, 1862, Lincoln called a Cabinet meeting to announce his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. It was framed as an imperative of war, [17] “by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion.” Lincoln also justified, “upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity...” Another significant military aspect of the Emancipation opened the door for a multi-racial army and society, “And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.”

Seward raised concerns over the timing of the Proclamation; citing recent Confederate victories might make its issuance look like an act of desperation, “our last shriek, on the retreat.” [18] It was decided to wait for a Northern victory so that the Emancipation could be issued from a position of strength.

Striving for a game-changing victory became the priority for both sides. The summer of 1862 witnessed a series of brilliant Confederate victories. British Prime Minister Palmerston agreed to finally hold a Cabinet meeting to formally decide on recognition and mediation. [19] General Lee wished to tip the scales further by engineering a Confederate victory on northern soil. In essence, he wanted a victory similar to the 1777 Battle of Saratoga that brought French recognition and aid to America. [20]

The race was on, turning the siege of Harpers Ferry (September 12-15, 1862), the Battle of South Mountain (September 14, 1862), and Antietam (September 17, 1862) into the only battles of the war that had global impact. The final battle of Antietam forced Lee and his army back into Virginia. This was enough for Lincoln to issue his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, five days after battle on September 22, 1862. When news of the Confederate retreat reached England, support for recognition collapsed, extinguishing, “the last prospect of European intervention.” [21] News of the Emancipation Proclamation launched “Emancipation Meetings” throughout England. Support for a Union victory rippled through even pacifist Anti-Slavery groups who asserted abolition, “was possible only in a united America.” [22]

Lincoln accomplished an historic Trifecta. He revolutionized the Union war effort by bringing 200,000 blacks into the Union army. He isolated the Confederacy from Europe, making Union victory inevitable. He also strategically shifted public policy within the parameters of constitutional government and laid the ground work for the immediate and universal abolition of slavery everywhere in America by amending the Constitution. For this masterful strategy of removing slavery strictly within the bounds of law Lincoln has been declared America's "last Enlightenment politician". [23]

Scot Faulkner served as the first Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently President of Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. You may read his columns at http://citizenoversight.blogspot.com  

NOTES
[1] Carpenter, Francis, How the Emancipation Proclamation was Drafted; Political Recollections; Anthology - America; Great Crises in Our History Told by its Makers; Vol. VIII (Veterans of Foreign Wars, Chicago, 1925) page 159.

[2] Miller, William Lee, President Lincoln; The Duty of a Statesman (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008) page 265.

[3] Miller, William Lee, Lincoln’s Virtues; An Ethical Biography (Vintage Books, New York, 2003) page 237.

[4] Renehen, Edward J. Jr., The Secret Six; How a Circle of Northern Aristocrats helped light the Fuse of the Civil War (Crown Publishers, New York, 1995) pages 123, 182, and 187.

[5] Foner, Eric, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men; The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War (Oxford University Press, New York, 1995) page 302.

[6] Lincoln, Abraham, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861.

[7] McPherson, James, Battle Cry of Freedom (Oxford University Press, New York, 1988) pages 263-264.

[8] Detzer, David, Dissonance; The Turbulent Days Between Fort Sumter and Bull Run (Harcourt, Inc., New York, 2006) Page 334.

[9] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 357.

[10] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 495.

[11] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 496.

[12] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 499.

[13] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 499.

[14] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 504.

[15] Foreman, Amanda, A World on Fire; Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War (Random House, New York, 2010) page 293.

[16] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 510.

[17] Op. Cit., Carpenter, pages 160-161.

[18] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 505.

[19] Op. Cit., Foreman, page 295.

[20] Op. Cit., McPherson, page 555.

[21] Op. Cit., Foreman, page 322.

[22] Op. Cit., Foreman, page 397.

[23] Guelzo, Allen C., The Great Event of the Nineteenth Century: Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation (The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 2006) page 3.

What were they thinking?

Elephants supposed to “never forget”, but do they ever learn? They didn’t learn much from being defeated in 2008 [see http://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2008/11/perdition.html  ]


The 2012 elections provide a new cornucopia of lessons learned. Only time will tell if any of them sink in. Here are just a few of them…

Getting out the Vote
Project ORCA was a dismal failure. It was supposed to either supplement or supplant local Republican GOTV efforts. It did neither. Poorly trained and clueless ORCA workers siphoned resources away from real voter efforts. Worse – ORCA was an ill-conceived band-aid for the decades-long decline of Republican precinct capabilities.

Democrats figured out years ago that early voting would be a boon to their cause. Republican leaders hung onto getting out their vote on Election Day – ceding up to thirty days of voting opportunities to the Democrats. Worse – if Republican rhetoric is to be believed – that their supporters work for a living and are family focused – then why assume that these busy working people will either get up early to stand in long voter lines before going to work, or delay being with their families after work to stand in long voter lines? OCRA not only shrunk GOP voting efforts to one day – it shrunk it to the first and last hours of the voting day. No wonder 3 million less Republicans voted in 2012 than 2008.

Voter Fraud
There is always some voter fraud. This happens in the original voter registration or in counting the votes. Republicans chose to ignore these facts to focus on possible irregularities during actual voting. Countless days and weeks of activism, along with mountains of political capital, was spent on solving the one part of the process that worked. Imagine if all this Republican effort was spent on early voting. It also gave the Main Stream Media (MSM) an easy and ongoing target to pummel the GOP.

War on Women/Gays/Science/Privacy
No matter how much conservative talk radio and Fox News denies it, there are large swaths of Republican activists and elected officials, especially at the state level, who yearn for the 10th Century over the 21st. It is a fundamental contradiction to real conservatism and Republicanism to selectively promote unwarranted and aggressive government intervention into personal lives. You cannot assert there is either no or only a limited role for government in society and then create a huge “BUT” flashing in neon lights for imposing narrow theocratic-based dogma.

Originally, faith-based activists within the conservative and Republican movements stood for getting liberal dogma out of schools, homes, and churches. Sometime in the late 1980s things flipped around to replacing left-wing onerous government interventions with right wing ones. Outbursts by Republican Senate candidates were not isolated incidents. They were a mere sampling of a tragically obtuse thread of anti-intellectual totalitarianism that undermines both the movement and the party.

It is long overdue for Republican and conservative leaders to have their own “Sister Souljah” moment with fanatical theocrats. This moment is named for the pivotal Bill Clinton speech where he sealed-off racial hatred in rap music from mainstream public discourse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Souljah_moment

Bush Legacy
The Bush dynasty diverted the conservative movement and the Republican Party into an agnostic pandering abyss. [See my earlier post http://citizenoversight.blogspot.com/2012/06/wrong-track.html  ]

Bush 41 purged conservatives from the Executive branch, raised taxes, expanded government, bungled the end of the Cold War, bungled Iraq, and undermined everything Reagan stood for. Why revere him?

Bush 43 turned conservativism and Republicanism into micro-targeted pandering mush. He bungled Afghanistan, launched a totally unnecessary and dilatory war in Iraq, reduced America’s influence in the rest of the world to fixate on Iraq, undermined civil liberties, and expanded government. Why revere him?

Conservatives and Republicans can and should revere true the leaders of our movement as timeless role models – Presidents Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Coolidge, Reagan; intellectual leaders Buckley, Goldwater, and countless other thinkers ranging back to the Enlightenment. None were perfect, and true independent thought requires critically assessing their legacies, but their writings, speeches, and actions will always remain the touch stones from which 21st Century conservatives and Republicans get their bearings.

A few words about Romney

Romney could have won. His flawed campaign was no where near the fool’s errand of McCain 2008. However, there were numerous opportunities lost and self-inflicted wounds that sank him.

No theme – the conventional wisdom was that 2012 had to be about Obama or Romney would lose. How many think 1980 was only about Carter? Americans in 2012 felt powerless. They were being harmed by an out of control economy. They feared a world spinning out of control. They no longer trusted an unaccountable government. Romney could have spoken to these issues, but didn’t.

Bain – What the federal government needs most are Bain-like teams tearing apart, rethinking, and restructuring every agency and program. Romney could have proudly asserted his value proposition of committing to this long overdue weeding of the federal garden. Instead, he ran from Bain and its positive impacts, ceding the field for his opponents to demonize his strongest credential. When pressed on cutting federal programs Romney opted for going after Big Bird instead of using the question to discuss $650 billion in annually documented waste and how his management background could do something real.

Rope a dope – Why did Romney allow Obama to carpet bomb him from April through August? This period of negative ads created a deficit that was almost insurmountable. Why didn’t Romney run ads about his saving the Olympic movement during the Olympics? Why did he make this historic accomplishment a pre-primetime throw-away at the National Convention? Why did it take a pre-convention Fox news interview at his home to finally show he was a normal human? It is sad that highly intelligent and successful Republican business people (Steve Forbes, Pete DuPont, and now Mitt Romney) cannot connect with the party of business. They should all go back and read about how successful utility tycoon Wendell Willkie became a folk hero during his presidential run in 1940.

Class warfare – Republicans chided Obama and the Democrats for fermenting class warfare. Why oh why then did Romney spew his own version of class warfare? “47%” was a gift that kept on giving to the MSM and the Democrats. First, who in their right mind today, thinks that in this world of smart phones anything they do or say outside of their own home will not be documented and shared if it is deemed stupid enough? The “47%” comment is the antithesis of the type of empowering and inclusive conservatism espoused by the late Rep. Jack Kemp. His world view was that everyone can and will become a conservative once they realize how the free market is in their best interest. This positive message has been drowned out by vapid negativity among the so-called conservative and Republican leaders.

2016 & Beyond
There remains a small hope that (1) Obama and the Democrats will overplay their hand, creating backlashes and opportunities, and (2) that the next generation of Republican leaders – Jindal, Christie, Martinez, Fallin, Haley, Rubio, and others at all levels of government, learn from the past while shaping the future.

Losing our Memory

The following article was published on the History News Network 

http://hnn.us/articles/losing-our-national-historic-parks-and-our-memory

Six months before the Afghan-based Al Qaeda terrorists blew up the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the Afghan-based Taliban blew up the 1700-year old Bamiyan Buddha statues [1].  The world decried this wanton destruction of history.

Unfortunately, every day America’s history is also being wantonly destroyed.  These touchstones of our national identity are not being leveled by Taliban tanks, but by developer bulldozers.

America is in the middle of commemorating the 150^th Anniversary of its Civil War and the Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  It is heart breaking to watch these events against a backdrop of impending threats to core historical properties and viewsheds.

“Sprawl and commercial development are threatening the historic sites where our nation was forged and shaped,” Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) recently said.  “Each time a historic battlefield is replaced with a parking lot, a chapter of American history is obscured, and future generations lose an important window onto their heritage.”

Thirty acres of America’s history are lost each day.  Over twenty percent of America’s battlefields are already lost forever, of the remaining 3+ million acres only fifteen percent are protected by National Parks. [3] While additional acres are protected by state and local parks and by private organizations, the threat to America’s collective memory remains tragically real and immediate.

On September 11, 2012 the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2489 reauthorizing and expanding the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP).  This legislation also covers Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields. Since 1999, the program’s matching grants have helped save more than 16,500 acres of historic sites in 14 states. [4]

The ABPP is currently seeking public comment on its latest report, which details the threats to 383 Civil War sites (Deadline October 12, 2012). [5] Unfortunately, detailed reports and a matching grant program are too little too late.

What is needed is a priority comprehensive federal initiative to save America’s memory.  This should be embraced by leaders across the political spectrum.  Liberals can rally around open spaces and preservation.  Conservatives can rally around making sure patriotic sacred ground and sites that establish America’s exceptionalism remain intact and in context for future generations.

Step One – Identify the land.  The ABPP has already identified core and contributing battlefield land in detail.  Groups such as the Civil War Trust have gone further to identify ownership parcel by parcel.  This information, along with data from local historical groups, should be compiled into both a national map and a set of battle-specific “metes and bounds” setting the stage for Omnibus Battlefield Boundary legislation.

Step Two – Create and pass Omnibus Battlefield Boundary legislation, which would expand the boundaries of existing national parks to encompass all battlefield land.  Where National Parks (battlefields, historical parks, monuments) do not currently exist, establish national historic areas that authorize cooperative agreements with state, local, and private entities to preserve this land. These arrangements would be similar to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. [6]

Step Three – Authorize and appropriate sufficient funds within the Department of Interior’s existing Land & Water Conservation Fund to purchase all the battlefield land.  The current state of America’s economy prevents state and local government, and private groups, from buying land.  Only a fully funded federal effort will meet preservation needs before it is too late. 

Conservatives will balk at this program, but they should view it as stimulating the economy by jump starting the real estate market and family farms.  Most battlefield land is near urban areas and will vanish under developer bulldozers once the real estate market returns (current predictions are for normal sales activity by 2014 and a return to January 2006 market conditions by 2020). [7] Many farmers view their undeveloped land as their 401k investment.  Why not provide them with the ability to cash-in and at the same time save history?

Property rights conservatives will want to avoid eminent domain and have land bought from willing sellers at market rates. The main problem is that, by law, the federal government has to pay appraised value instead of asking price.  While appraisals prevent fraud and extortion, they do not reflect the fact that many of these battlefield properties are “under water” – worth less than their original purchase price or their current mortgage.  There needs to be a way to create clearly documented and reviewed waivers that allow federal realty officials to purchase battlefield land over and above appraised value. Congressional review and/or Federal Register publication with public comment prior to finalizing sales contracts could avoid problems.

Fiscal conservatives will be concerned about increasing the ongoing operational costs for this newly preserved battlefield.  Most unprotected battlefield land is agricultural.  The National Park Service could lease this land back to farmers, thus generating revenue while preserving the land. As this land is contiguous to existing Parks, existing Park personnel would monitor the land.  They probably drive by much of this land while monitoring existing Park acreage anyway.  Additional funds for archeology and public access/interpretation would be decided via normal Park management processes.  The main intent of this legislation is to preserve battlefield land while the realty market is stagnant.  This land will be lost forever once the realty market returns.

Step Four – Mandate a sense of urgency with the National Park Service and provide focused leadership to make sure this mandate is promptly and properly implemented.  This is fundamental to the success of this initiative because too many Park officials mouth preservation platitudes while doing nothing.  It is well documented that some lower level functionaries find ways not to do their job, that too many front line Park officials refuse to think outside their existing boundaries when developing their General Management Plans, that career regional and national Park leaders play internal power games and squander resources on pet projects, and that officials at individual Parks remain unwilling to protect land within their existing Park boundaries from development threats.  Top to bottom reform of the National Park Service will take time and needs to be mounted as part of a general management effort.  It must not stand in the way of this timely rescue.

Historian David McCullough stated, "History is who we are and why we are the way we are." America has a rapidly vanishing opportunity to preserve land on which its collective memory resides.  Failure to fully meet this current challenge will undermine America’s unique identity for generations to come.

[Scot Faulkner is President of Friends of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and a Trustee with The Journey Through Hallowed Ground]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1326063/After-1700-years-Buddhas-fall-to-Taliban-dynamite.html 

[2] http://holt.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1047&Itemid=18

[3] http://www.civilwar.org/take-action/save-a-battlefield/

[4] Op Cit Holt http://holt.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1047&Itemid=18

[5] http://historycoalition.org/2012/09/14/national-park-service-seeks-input-on-civil-war-battlefield-preservation/

[6] https://www.cfda.gov/?s=program&mode=form&tab=step1&id=06c9a62e6758e4c455c97037e3ff7b4e

[7] http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/05/housing-markets

EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER

[Guest Contributor - Richard Dreyfuss]

Here are 3 legs of a coherent, linked strategy that is an unapologetic assault on our most fearsome enemy, the Darkness of Stupidity.


This is not a declaration of war, it is a coordinated response to a declaration of war already moving against us; it is based upon Maxims of Common Sense

Events do not control us, we control events the “Haves” never deny education to their young

It is not meant that All of us must see the light and change, just enough of us

There is a shared anxiety in the country that no two sides agree upon but all sense. Whose fault, who’s to blame, is the current cultural hobby of America, and it is utterly meaningless, a waste of our social intellect, a distraction from its shared consequences.

We have actually reached the point where those consequences have to be restated, and most likely argued, when in fact the consequences of Stupidity, or the lack of excellence as a goal of Education, are as clear as the Fall of Rome, a phrase I no longer believe resonates with enough people of influence or power to make a difference.

When we reach the point of endangering the future well-being of the country with a partisan budget screech that is as shallow and filled with a void of content that one suspects both parties need a designated driver, the over-used senselessness of ‘we can’t afford to give our kids the education they will need” seem inevitably sad and childish. This is the best our system has produced? Let’s at least recognize the pearl we are throwing away, and as we watch our progeny flounder, out-thought and outmaneuvered in the cold world the present office-holders have not prepared them for, remember that right here is as good a beginning to retake a position as can be found.

Here are three endeavors that will solve the problem we are as yet unwilling to admit we have:

A methodology for the re-alignment of the Mandate of Education that is designed to achieve excellence in all subjects and a devotion to those ideals commonly known as Western Civ, with an acknowledged goal of excellence and a demand for expertise that can be comprehended and reflected back from American society.

The mandate of Education which if asked of those in charge could not be answered without political extremism muddying the answer is to make agile and thoughtful the minds of our young, as follows:

We will tie the youngest of our young to the singular design of this nation with Glory Tales and Mythology, and as the brain develops its capabilities to introduce concepts of Reason and Logic, exercises of dissent, debate, in the service of honing the intellect to Clarity of Thought and Expression; to use context, detail and differing opinion as tools to sharpen the mind regardless of subject, and when the necessary maturity of mind is reached, to practice critical analysis on the subject of our political system, so that before graduation from high school our kids will all share a sense of ownership, pride, and realism, and be able to spot a horse thief a mile away, and have the skills to hold him accountable. Any subject can be made more excellent by this shift in emphasis. And we will need Reason and Clarity of Mind well before we need a Mercator Map or Geology.

Part Two: A pathway that leads from classroom to culture, so that the values and ideals that should be taught in schools can be known, accessible.

We are creating an American History Play writing Competition, among all the LORT theaters of the country. Stories unknown, or known but not seen as drama, comedy, destiny; at the end of each season, a financial prize will be given of some hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do that for 20 years or so, and we will raise a crop of writers who can tell our stories.

From all the institutions that make our family lives, artistic and spiritual lives, and with a clearly chosen emphasis on the forms of economics, governance, accountability, and responsibility that lays beneath any definition of Republican Democracy, not only use the tools of intellect enhanced in schools but see them put to use by all our pillars of society, our business ethics, our justice system, our families, and our arts.

We have lived as a nation for over 200 years bound only by the ideas oven throughout our Constitution, its Preamble, our Bill of Rights; all of which share a common set of principles and a fervent belief structure in the importance of the individual as equal to if not more central than the Story of the Nation. We have certain bragging rights regarding our sense of what a nation is, and the inalienable right of all people to know who they are, and why they are who they are.

We have been neglectful of shoring up the Intellectual Capital known by our 1st generation as Enlightenment Values.

Since the 18th Century, there has never been an Institute, Research Facility, Think Tank that is dedicated to the Enlightenment ideals we grounded ourselves within.

There has always been a strong, secure foundation that all Americans stand on and share, and from which we can disagree about almost anything to our hearts content. That foundation has existed on a highly respected set of ideas that have had no support or enhancement other than the separate intellectual fads of Kant, Voltaire, Pitt, Jefferson, Paine Rousseau and others, and the whims of historical events; which is why Values Untaught have wrought such havoc in our present life, with decay the only common denominator.

Decay is all around us. Decay, the loss of a sense of reliability on our own, that decay is a stand-in for another, older word, Darkness. And as representatives of the Light of Intelligence in the eternal war with the Darkness of Stupidity, it’s time we made up for the crippling lack of scholarship and Thoughtfulness and establish the 3rd leg of our re-alignment, an Institute for the study of the values of the enlightenment, individual civil liberties, the willingness to share space with those whom you disagree. An Institute, created now, to mine the ideas expressed by political theorists but never collated, never drawn together, and even with that design flaw

to become the most fateful, the most respectful, the Ambition and heart’s desire of so many......to create such a place, where the knowledge of Man, the varied histories, the sciences scrutinized even if only since they were first put to use.....scholars in residence, who are a stone’s throw from the political Capitol of the West; debates that draw their participants from the cream of today’s wisdom and tomorrow’s visionaries, events hosted by the Institute that allow for innovative thinking, dreadful astonishing pictures of the roads not taken.

Why Visit A Civil War Battlefield?

This article appeared on http://www.hnn.us/articles/138312.html
The audio version of this article is at http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=19791

April 20, 2011 · “A war was fought. The right side won. What else do we need to know?” That person’s comment was recently posted on one of my websites.

Americans have been commemorating the 150th anniversary of our Civil War since October 16, 2009. On that date in 1859, a cataclysmic event wrenched America into its bloodiest war.

John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, was the “September 11” of the 19th Century. Commemorating the actual war began on April 12, 2011 – the sesquicentennial of the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina.

What should we do to remember a four-year war that ended slavery, reunited a country, but also resulted in 1,030,000 casualties (3 percent of the U.S. population), including 620,000 soldier deaths?

We have already seen its politicization by both extremes – souring general interest in the era. This proves that America’s Civil War continues to leave deep legacies, and scars, on our nation’s physical, political, and psychological landscape.

As the weather warms, why should people spend their limited recreation and reflection time visiting a Civil War battlefield?

History enthusiasts have long studied America’s Civil War. Its first battles echoed Napoleon’s wars while the last ones anticipated the bloody trench warfare of World War I. A full century of change in military technology and dogma was compressed into four years.

Those who study management have for years looked to the Civil War for timeless lessons in problem solving, planning, communication and leadership. The Civil War offers countless examples of brilliance and stupidity that provide insights into modern business, government and life.

Why should everyone else visit a battlefield?

First we as a nation, and as individual citizens, need to remember who we are and why we are. America’s Civil War was not some arm wrestling contest where the winner took all. It was a time when everyone in this nation - from founding families to new immigrants – was impacted by its violence.

Why America is what it is today was shaped more by the events of April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865, than any other time period, including World War II. Walking on ground, that was fundamental to shaping our national identity and culture offers insights beyond any book, movie or television show.

Most Americans in 1860 had not traveled more than a day’s walk from their home. The Civil War unified our nation while it was tearing it apart. Northern and Southern soldiers, alike, saw parts of the country for the first time as well as encountered other ethnic and national groups.

Those left on the home front read and learned about new people and places more than at any time prior to the war. No other set of events moved America from a country of isolated communities into a national identity.

The events of the Civil War shaped a generation of citizens who led America into the 20th Century. Some who served in battle went onto become Presidents, Cabinet Members, Congressmen, Senators, Governors and Judges. Understanding their experiences helps us understand the political and social forces at work in America up to and beyond today.

Walking on a battlefield is a window into our past. Many battlefields have preserved the landscape and structures of an earlier era. Seeing what others before us saw is the closest we may come to a time machine. It opens our minds to why things happened and why things are happening.

Walking on a battlefield with your family offers opportunity for learning and dialogue. Young people may ask why a road, railroad, or town was located where it was. This stimulates curiosity that leads to learning. Enough experiences and questions can prepare a young mind to become an engaged and thinking adult.

Reflecting on our past and the “why” that underlies previous actions develops life skills that will well serve a person in their professional, personal, and community endeavors.

Walking on a battlefield is also about recreation and open spaces. Formal parks and sports venues cannot provide the nonlinear joy of wandering. Those of us on the East Coast do not have as many natural national and state parks as the west. Historical parks, and battlefield parks in particular, give us an opportunity to “amble”.

As John Muir once stated, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul”.

During the next four years there will be many commemorative events designed to honor those who fought in America’s Civil War and to grapple with their complex actions and motivations. These special events will add additional activities and insights to our battlefields. Whether you plan a battlefield visit to take advantage of Sesquicentennial-themed gatherings or just go to a site that is nearby, you and your family will be richer for the experience.

[Photo by Jim Davison]

Honoring America's True Leaders

[Guest Contributor - Richard Dreyfuss]

By popularizing “Presidents Day” in the 1980s to effectively combine the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Americans lost both great men—and reduced them, tragically, to the same acclaim given to, say, Franklin Pierce and Warren G. Harding.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise: It reflects our tendency these days to shy away from claims about American greatness and exceptionalism, in favor of what otherwise are laudable American virtues like egalitarianism and equality. But not every president is equal.

It didn’t used to be this way. When I was young enough to receive American Heritage magazine in hardback, I read an essay that compared Washington and Lincoln, polar opposites, as our two greatest Presidents. Washington was great, it argued, because he set the boundaries and established the rituals of the presidency that are followed to this time. And Lincoln was great because he stretched the Constitution as far as he dared.

My respect for Washington was born in that moment; before that he’d seemed pretty dull. I was already deeply bound by affection and the drama of Lincoln’s life; his mind, temperament, and skill at law and politics were already known to me. He was, I thought then and think now, the only president who could have been as successful as Dickens had he chosen to pursue literary glory instead of a political life.

The same can’t be said of John Tyler, James Buchanan, and other small men who pursued personal or regional interests over our nation. Yet we have falsely raised them to the stature of the first president and the awe of the 16th. President’s day made the office the standard—not the performance of greatness within that office. We must bring back Lincoln’s Birthday so we can celebrate Liberty and the end of slavery, which made the world sit up and take note that here was a country unlike any other. We must bring back Washington’s Birthday to honor a man who set the bar for civilized and noble behavior. Both men epitomized singular shape and size, and gave us the gift of appreciating individual genius.

These days schools tend to teach our young out of a sense of grudging obligation, not in order to celebrate America’s rare victory of Light over Darkness. We sometimes say how exceptional we are, but classes in history and civics refuse to explain how or why.

Our country was born by ripping into shreds the curses of caste and class that had been the world’s lot forever. We realized a revolutionary doctrine that the ruler and the ruled could be one thing, that those who come from aristocratic bloodlines should have the same starting point as those who born to the most common.

Let’s trash Presidents Day. Give us George and Abraham, examples of how our democratic system endows common citizens with great power. Our children deserve that lesson—not just talk about American exceptionalism, but proof.