2/28/2005

Spotsylvania County is now a battlefield

The Washington Post has published an article - too frivolous for my taste - on the radical strategy of declaring an entire Virginia county to be one endangered battlefield. The authors of this error, Civil War Preservation Trust, are fairly honest about their motives:

"When we ask for money, they are more likely to give for places like Spotsylvania than for relatively unknown sites in the country. There is a financial incentive on our part to be more involved in Spotsylvania County."
Observe closely. The reporter asked about declaring an entire county to be an endagered battlefield and the CWPT had no answer ready - except its own self-interest.

CWPT is lucky to have a sympathetic government in Spotsylvania at the moment. They are going to need that support, now that they have declared war on every developer, large and small, in that county, through this foolhardy action. They say they are raising a warchest for Spotsylvania interventions.

I'm reminded of Lincoln's rhetorical question to McClellan after he requested permission to fire his corps commanders. To paraphrase: Do you really feel strong enough to put your boot on the throat of Spotsylvania commerce and construction and keep it there?

* You have shown an utter inability to define danger or prioritize conservation.

* You have forfeited any claim to the interpretation of historical significance.

* You appear planless except in raising money.

* You have given no comprehensible reason for declaring an entire county to be one endangered battlefield.

* You have dragged your cause into the gutter of local politics and staked your victory on friendly politicians staying in power and supporting you indefinitely.

Meanwhile, CWPT's link to its own report remains broken.