Re: D.C., Puerto Rico & territory quarter designs submitted for review

On Sun, 18 May 2008 05:30:05 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:

>
>"Padraic Brown" <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
>news:hl4v249a43fbj0oqdbihcu20muqsh9dugt@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> On Sat, 17 May 2008 19:42:56 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Padraic Brown" <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>news:gn8u24paint6ub8b49ijtn2tojeecdbg0s@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>> On Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:16 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>"Padraic Brown" <elemtilas@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>>>news:dgkr24l3mbev74vti2qcrdk2lkfrig8vu8@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>>>> On Fri, 16 May 2008 11:24:59 -0400, "Bruce Remick" <remick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>"stonej" <stonej@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>>>>>news:72afa17f-3ba0-4e3a-9838-47605617c7fb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>>>>>On May 16, 8:56 am, "Bruce Remick" <rem...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>>>>>> "stonej" <sto...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  D.C. is mostly African American so I think those designs are
>>>>>>>> appropriate
>>>>>>>> in that context.   The survey guy is rather obscure.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Few DC residents ever heard of Banneker and the few that have
probably
>>>>>>>don't
>>>>>>>know what he did.  He apparently never lived in DC, just did some 
>>>>>>>survey
>>>>>>>work there.  Ellington was born in DC but made his name worldwide
and
>>>>>>>isn't
>>>>>>>really otherwise associated with DC per se.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Right. Except for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts; Duke
>>>>>> Ellington Jazz Festival; Duke Ellington Society; Duke Ellington
>>>>>> Bridge; Duke's City (restaurant/jazz club); etc.
>>>>>
>>>>>Strictly because he was born there.
>>>>
>>>> Naturally. If he were born in Chicago, I wouldn't expect so many
>>>> references to him in DC! But that was rather the point: he's a DC
>>>> native son, went out in the world and did amazing things with music.
>>>> It's perfectly reasonably that he should be celebrated here in his
>>>> birthplace and be commemorated on the quarter as part of the local
>>>> culture.
>>>>
>>>>> He had little connection with DC during
>>>>>his career.
>>>>
>>>> So?
>>>
>>>So, few residents knew he had enough of a DC connection to merit
choosing
>>>him to represent the District's on its quarter.  I suspect few even 
>>>realized
>>>he was born here.  There are many monuments, memorials, and namesakes
in 
>>>DC
>>>for individuals who were famous but weren't born there.
>>
>> Yep, and here's a guy who's famous and was actually born here!
>>
>>>> Mind you, I still think "Taxation Without Representation" is more
apt.
>>>>
>>>>>>> Douglas was a prominent African
>>>>>>>American in DC in his time, but that was long ago and mostly 
>>>>>>>forgotten.
>>>>>>>As
>>>>>>>for the designs, maybe the preliminary line drawings won't do
justice 
>>>>>>>to
>>>>>>>the
>>>>>>>final rendering.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Kind of sad that these rather outstanding men have amounted to
>>>>>> "few...ever heard of", "isn't really associated with" and "mostly
>>>>>> forgotten".
>>>>>
>>>>>Strictly a reflection of the types of people that inspire today's
>>>>>generation.
>>>>
>>>> Or the lack of education the present generation has received, coupled
>>>> with the attitudes bequeathed by the last generation!
>>>
>>>I imagine that the DC student curriculum may included more information
on
>>>Douglas than that of students in other areas.  How much of it they 
>>>retained
>>>or cared about is debatable.
>>
>> *That* is true for students everywhere.
>>
>>>Most don't relate much farther back than MLK.
>>
>> If they even know who *he* is.
>>
>>>The previous generation probably doesn't either.  Who knows?  If
Douglas
>>>makes it on the DC quarter, things may change.
>>
>> Doubtful. I'm sure the DC quarter will be hyped beyond all estimation
>> here when it does come out -- if it weren't for that, I doubt people
>> would even notice!
>
>But isn't that pretty much the same the same with every state quarter? 
No 
>local hype, no notice. 

The point being that DC (and the other 2009 quarters) isn't a *state*
quarter. They weren't included in the original legislation. Everyone
else in the country at least knew with a certainty approaching 100%
that there would be a quarter with their state commemorated.

The hype here isn't going to be "yeah, isn't our state fabulous, we've
*finally* got our outline on the back of a quarter!"; but is going to
be "Every day, every year is a struggle for this city -- from being
second class citizens in the greatest country on earth to home rule to
a federal government that doesn't bother with its own federal district
-- and we've overcome most of these shortcommings. Here, at least, is
a symbolic victory: the same federal government that ignores the
second class status of the city's people snubbed them when drafting
the "statehood quarter" legislation. Well, we got *that* straightened
out!" And that sort of thing.

Padraic
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