SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 7, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 9/12/17
In this edition:
*Get Out And Vote!
*One Community. One Bond.
*DACA
*Richard Mentor Johnson
*Did You Know?
*Get Out And Vote!
School
Board elections are upon us! Johnson County is the “control county” for 4
school districts – Iowa City, Clear Creek-Amana, Solon, and Lone Tree. Each has
elections; please get out and vote!
*One Community. One Bond.
As
you all know, I have been heavily involved in the ICCSD bond vote. I have had a
few people ask me – some joking, some seriously – “Why did you volunteer for
that?”
I
know the word around the Board of Supervisors office was quite clear – “Avoid
taking any kind of stance on this!” I heard it several times. But sometimes you
need to just take a stand, regardless of whether or not it might cost you a few
votes.
Why get so involved? There are several answers, but the bottom
line? The fight for public education is real! I have talked the talk through
many state and federal elections. I have talked the talk through many platform
committees. If I can’t walk the walk and stand up for this topic at this time,
I should be ashamed.
Today I proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with our teachers, in
support of the 14,000 children in the ICCSD. And I could not be more proud!
*DACA
I
am sure by now you have all hear that President Trump is undoing DACA, throwing
the lives of over 800,000 young people into limbo. Is there is a more cruel,
pointless, nasty thing the Attorney General and President could do? (I do not
want to know the answer to that!)
*Richard Mentor Johnson
I
recently finished an interesting book on the Election of 1840 – William Henry
Harrison versus Martin Van Buren. Harrison and running mate John Tyler
(“Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!”) defeated the incumbent Martin Van Buren and his
Vice President, Richard Mentor Johnson.
This election is generally viewed as the first modern Presidential
campaign, and gave us several common words and phrases: OK, hell-bent, keep the
ball rolling, The Buckeye State, booze, and many more!
There
were two really interesting local angles to the book. First, it is remarkable
how many of the counties in Iowa are named for the political players of that
era. I had never really stopped and thought about it until this book. Secondly,
it was interesting to learn more about Richard Mentor Johnson, the man for whom
Johnson County is named.
Johnson
was born and raised in Kentucky, and became a hero of the War of 1812. Johnson
repeatedly led troops into battle despite being shot 5 times himself!
Johnson
is known as the “Man who killed Tecumseh.” Tecumseh was a great Native American
leader who organized many tribes together to fight the Americans and preserve a
Native homeland. He was killed at the Battle of Thames in 1813, and
unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end of meaningful Native claims on
land in the US. It is said that Johnson personally killed Tecumseh, though
historical records vary. Whatever the truth is, Johnson led the US Army in
battles that killed thousands of Native people.
This
history as a General made Johnson, known as “Old Dick”, very popular. That
popularity began to wane, however, when it was discovered that Johnson had a
long-term relationship with a slave named Julia Chinn. Chinn and Johnson had
two daughters, and he considered her his wife, though they were not allowed to
be married.
Johnson
had a confusing relationship with his daughters/slaves. He insisted that his
daughters were his property, but also paid for their education and left them
inheritances. After Chinn died, Johnson took up with another slave. When she
left him for another man, he had her sold away. Johnson’s flouting of the laws
against racial mixing made him a huge liability for the Democrats, and he was
dropped from the ticket.
It
is interesting to consider the naming of Johnson County in light of the recent
movement toward eliminating Confederate monuments. Should we consider naming
Johnson Country after someone else?
Obviously,
changing the name of the County itself would cause millions of problems for
thousands of people. But what about honoring a DIFFERENT Johnson?
There
is precedence for such a move. King County, Washington – home to Seattle – was
named for William Rufus King, Vice President when Washington was founded and
later an Alabama Confederate. In 1986, the King County Board of Supervisors kept
the name “King County”, but renamed it for MLK.
So
– what other Johnsons do we have? I am a huge fan of the domestic policies of
LBJ, but his Viet Nam legacy would likely be too upsetting for too many. What
about Lady Bird? She was one of the original environmentalists.
Other
possibilities include Bluesman Robert Johnson or Civil Rights Leader James
Johnson. What do you think? Should we “rename” Johnson County?
*DID YOU KNOW?
James Weldon Johnson was a
civil rights activist, writer, composer, politician, educator and lawyer, as
well as one of the leading figures in the creation and development of the
Harlem Renaissance. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Johnson to
diplomatic positions in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Upon his return in 1914,
Johnson became involved with the NAACP, and by 1920, was serving as chief
executive of the organization. In 1900, James and his brother, John, wrote the
song "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which would later become the
official anthem of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People. (The Johnson brothers would go on to write more than 200 songs for the
Broadway musical stage.) Source: Bios.com.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
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serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:18 PM
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