SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 2, 2020
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/7/20
In this edition:
*Laws Work Better!
*Richard Mentor Johnson
*”Our” Road
*Did You Know?
*Laws Work Better!
Why should Governor Reynolds mandate masks? Because laws work better than “personal responsibility.” If everything was simply left to personal responsibility, the world would be chaos. “Just say no,” never worked, and “Just wear a mask,” will fare no better.
I hope you are wearing a mask. I wish it was required. I wish the Board had the ability to require it – we do not. Please allow me to repeat that. The Board may NOT mandate masks.
Governor Reynolds, however, could delegate that authority. Please call her and request that she do so. Laws work better than just hoping people do the right thing.
*Richard Mentor Johnson
This originally ran in Salvos on 9-12-17. I was interested to see a recent Opinion piece in the Press Citizen advocating the same thing. For what it is worth, I was pilloried in the local media for even speaking this 3 years ago. Needless to say, the trolls had a feast. I had a few people I respect oppose it as well; no one really stepped up and said they supported it. Most people seemed to be satisfied staying as far away from the issue as possible!
Have things changed? Who knows. As I told the person who wrote the letter to the Press Citizen, if it comes before the Board, I would vote for it. But he will have to convince others it is worth pursuing. Here is the piece:
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 tens of 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. Maybe a more local Johnson. What do you think? Should we “rename” Johnson County?
Literally 90% of the respondents on social media did not understand the county would NOT be renamed; we would simply be changing the namesake. But clearly, I failed to get that message across.
Perhaps the namesake should remain. Perhaps we have a contest to choose a new namesake. Perhaps we all get voted out of office. Salvos readers, what do you think? The Board will be discussing this topic Wednesday, July 8 at 9AM if you want to weigh in before then.
*”Our” Road
I grew up on a farm, way out in the country, on a gravel road. And I still refer to that gravel road as, “our” road. Why wouldn’t I? That road was the only way out, and the only way home. It was our personal lifeline. It was “our” road.
In reality, however, the road I grew up on was not “our” road; it belonged to all the people of the County. Almost every road in Johnson County is publicly owned, and therefore the property of all of us.
Even though almost every road is a public good, the people who live on certain roads assume an extra level of ownership. Oftentimes, this can result in unrealistic expectations.
For example, I sometimes get calls asking me to, “Keep those outsiders off our road.” Sorry, but that is not how it works with public roadways. Any driver can travel the road, any time she pleases.
I get it; I have done the exact same thing my whole life. But we need to remember – the road belongs to ALL of us.
*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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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:50 PM
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