It took almost 150 years, but Virginia has finally surrendered at the Battle for the Wilderness — without firing a shot. In a terrible blow to historians and preservationists, the Orange County Board of Supervisors caved into pressure from Walmart and business groups to allow the construction of a huge Walmart store next to the historic Wilderness battlefield where 145,000 Union and Confederate soldiers fought and close to 30,000 were killed or wounded. Despite international objections to the damage to this historic area, the pro-development board voted 4-1 to side put a big box store ahead of its own proud legacy.
I will admit to being a military history nut, but this is a story that should outrage every American.
One of the most intriguing things about these historic areas is how locals will often show away such legacies to developers, even for a big box store. It is a sharp contrast to the courage shown by thousands of men who gave their lives in the area. Rather than protect the sacred ground around this site, they selected a Superstore.
The Wilderness battlefield is where generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first met in battle. It turns out that if General Grant had simply offered retail opportunities, he would have been welcomed with open arms.
We are now approaching the 150th anniversary of the battle — just in time to coincide with the opening of the Superstore. No doubt many of these board members will be present to espouse pride in their legacy at those celebrations after selling out to a big box store. It will also not likely stop some citizens from denouncing the lack of patriotism of other citizens and waiving the flag when they just sold out part of our history for cheap Superstore.
For historians, that is not even thirty pieces of silver, it is more like selling out for a slurpie and a discount card.
Only one-fourth of the Wilderness area is protected. Supervisor Chairman Lee Frame insists that “the current proposal … is the best way to protect the battlefield.” That is much like the theory that you must destroy a village to save it.
Barbara Wigger insisted in one article that “I know we’ve been referred to as ignorant shoppers. I feel bad about that but I’ll live with it. Let us have our Walmart and let us stop the battle.”
Locals ignored one of the most impressive collections of world leaders and historians ever assembled. They included authors David McCullough and James M. McPherson, filmmaker Ken Burns, actor Robert Duvall, Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, and congressmen from Vermont and Texas. However, Wal-Mart and its lobbyists were on the other side with a promise of jobs and tax revenue. That was an easy choice for the board.
It is quite a legacy for these four board members who voted to sell out to Wal-Mart: Supervisors R. Mark Johnson, Zack Burkett, Teel Goodwin and Lee Frame.
Only Teri L. Pace stood with the area’s proud history and legacy.
Greatings everyone,
First apologise if this will not be the right category. Please move it if necessary. I’d like to ask all of you Folks if you ever tried expired domain search equipment and if yes could you provide some very good resources to search out expiring domains and backorder it.
The best software program would get the job done like that: seeking domains by PR Page Rank, Alexa, traffic values and date to expire. It could fetch results from google or other search engine.
At the moment I’m utilizing Expire Domain Name tools and it operates very great but I need more sources like that. Please post in this thread or drop me a private message if you use any application but don’t want to share in public.
Just in case anyone thought Wal-Mart was only screwing up our country . . .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32730103/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
IS writes: What country are you from? you said somewhere that your family came from another country in the mid part of the 20th century.
my family is from the Old Country. There is only one Old Country.
There is no going back.
you can call it eastern europe if you want. I went there two years ago just to see. i cried everyday.
I am american. born in chicago. this is my country.
GWLSM:
What country are you from? you said somewhere that your family came from another country in the mid part of the 20th century.
Walmart has bought preserve land all over this country. Around 3 years ago when their campaign to open Walmart banks in America was denied Walmart decided to buy land and “preserve” it for x amount of years. I do believe when land becomes scarce or when more people move into the areas surrounding Walmart’s “protected” land they will just open stores on their previously untaxed, unregulated plots… forgoing their original idealistic goal (ie: lies).
Walmart has opened stores in Mexico on top of and adjacent to Indigenous ruins and burial grounds.
If they have no respect for culture 1000s of years old, what makes anyone think Walmart gives a $#@@$# about some measly Civil War dirt?
Let’s sell this whole country and its beautiful protections piece by piece until we have no freedoms left whatsoever! Who’s with me?
IS writes: I must say she started this entire thing by calling me passive aggressive. So I dont see any reason not to take a shot across her bow.
i called your method of dealing with this rather stupid little analogy of yours passive/aggressive because it is.
it is the very definition of passive aggressive behavior after the noisy lawn mover comes what? dog poop on your neighbor’s porch? funny phone calls at 3 AN? better hops after your little harassments your neighbor isn’t a gun person.
and of course making it personal, your imagining my squeeze is hilarious. it doesn’t harm me or affect me in any way, but just the time yo spent crafting that zinger. wow. no wonder you can’t think of bette ways to deal with a noisy neighbor.
IS writes: now how was that? After asking nicely 3 times I should call the cops? I think an 8 am mowing might get the point across without involving the local constabulary.
go back to nagging your husband. Although I suppose it is therapeutic for you to bash me and keeps you off his back.
I bet he says a couple of hail Mary’s for me each night.
me: these are your only two choices?
see, this is why the conservative agenda is such a failure. no one teaches you to think independently and creatively.
as for me and my husband, this is exactly my point. you can’t think of anything else, so you insult me and with something you know absolutely nothing about. sticks and stone, IS, sticks and stones.
AY:
I must say she started this entire thing by calling me passive aggressive. So I dont see any reason not to take a shot across her bow.
IS,
That post was not nice. It would serve you well not to irate this one. She does not make it personal but will slice you and dice you with all her might.
now how was that? After asking nicely 3 times I should call the cops? I think an 8 am mowing might get the point across without involving the local constabulary.
go back to nagging your husband. Although I suppose it is therapeutic for you to bash me and keeps you off his back.
I bet he says a couple of hail Mary’s for me each night.
IS writes: 6 am is way to early on a saturday I was thinking 8 am, much more civilized.
me: 6am, 8 am…. neither is very civilized because your passive/aggressive BS is just that….and meant to do one thing… escalate a situation that might have been handled in a truly civilized, and intelligent way.
Indentured Servant 1, August 31, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Gyges:
some zoning laws are useful, you wouldn’t want to build a house in a commercial zone or vice versa but those sorts of zoning tend to actually be considerate of the land use and owner. The sorts of zoning I am complaining about are the ones that are done for environmental reasons, such as limiting lots to 5 acres in “sensitive” watersheds or limiting density because you want more trees or wildlife habitat. Or limiting construction because of flood plains that are not really flood plains. That type of thing.
***********************
Wanna see a need for Zoning laws go to Houston. I kid you not at one time they had an Emergency Room of a hospital, a Mexican Restaurant, a Chapel and Funeral Home all in the same shopping center. Across the street was a Grave yard. Proper Land Use. Or you could have a bar next door unless a deed restriction is in place. That happened in the Heights area.
IS,
Yeah, I know that you don’t like those kind of zoning laws. I may or may not depending on the specific details of the individual laws (I know, my refusal to make decisions based on sweeping ideals annoys you).
This instance, however has nothing to do with that. The case you cited doesn’t have anything to do with this instance or environmental regulation.
I’ll say it again: You’re talking about unrelated issues, and it’s unreasonable of you to equate the three. That’s really all I wanted to say. So I’m done.
gwlsm:
6 am is way to early on a saturday I was thinking 8 am, much more civilized.
Gyges:
some zoning laws are useful, you wouldn’t want to build a house in a commercial zone or vice versa but those sorts of zoning tend to actually be considerate of the land use and owner. The sorts of zoning I am complaining about are the ones that are done for environmental reasons, such as limiting lots to 5 acres in “sensitive” watersheds or limiting density because you want more trees or wildlife habitat. Or limiting construction because of flood plains that are not really flood plains. That type of thing.
Those “take” land out of production and can increase land cost. Thomas Sowell has a good oped on his reasons for increased land cost in California.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-1_5_06_TS.html
Where I live they do these types of things with zoning.
IS writes: And no I would not call the cops, I would ask them nicely at least twice, the third time I would go away until early on Saturday morning and then I would start cutting my lawn or some other noisy job.
Why do you want to go straight to the cops?
We conservatives believe in taking care of things ourselves at least as far as we can prior to involving authorities. Appeal to decency that sort of thing.
me: what you mean is that you conservatives believe in ramping up a situation that doesn’t have to become a problem. where yo had a neighbor who played loud music you now have an enemy who will not think of your lawn mower at 6 am a sign of decency.
it isn’t
it is a sign of immaturity.
IS,
First, as an aside: I framed the example in a way that assumed calling the cops wasn’t your first action (Hint: Wouldn’t isn’t the same word as Didn’t).
I could make an argument that loud music at 2:00 AM does cause actual physical harm, but I was mainly using the example to highlight that we both agree that owning property doesn’t allow you to do whatever you want on it. This is a shades of gray discussion.
It’s unreasonable for you to class all actions of governments regulating use of property that don’t fit into your definition of appropriate regulation as clear abuses of power, or even as the same type of (supposed) abuse. Kelo v. City of New London has nothing to do with zoning. That was all.
Gyges:
because it is their property and short of setting off an atomic bomb (i.e. doing something that would be physically destructive) you should be allowed to do what you want with your property.
And no I would not call the cops, I would ask them nicely at least twice, the third time I would go away until early on Saturday morning and then I would start cutting my lawn or some other noisy job.
Why do you want to go straight to the cops?
We conservatives believe in taking care of things ourselves at least as far as we can prior to involving authorities. Appeal to decency that sort of thing.