Shameful embarrassment
Friday, Jul 18, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oh, man, this is embarrassing for the state…
Illinois officials hope schoolchildren, churches and businesses will take part in next year’s celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
The Lincoln Bicentennial Commission offered a look Thursday at events it’s organizing to mark the anniversary.
They include a simultaneous reading of the Gettysburg Address by Illinois schoolchildren, having churches toll their bells next Feb. 12 and asking businesses to say “Happy Birthday, Abe” on marquees and message boards.
Gee. I’m overwhelmed.
Not.
* Is the problem budget cuts?
The commission’s budget was $1 million last year, and legislators asked for $5 million this year. Because of the state’s budget problems, however, the commission probably will end up with only $1.5 million.
Maybe. But there’s obviously a lack of imagination at play here. “Happy birthday, Abe” signs? What?
* And there doesn’t seem to be much interest by the bigs…
The commission also has invited U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts as guests for a banquet that evening. None have accepted yet.
Durbin lives in Springfield, so his lack of cooperation so far is simply astounding. Obama announced his presidential campaign at the Old State Capitol, which Lincoln helped move to Springfield. Obama also used Lincoln imagery in his speech, so he has an obligation to cooperate.
* This is from a newspaper article during the centennial celebration in 1909…
It is interesting to note that, while an estimated nine-thousand people gathered for the celebration and probably thousands more having been turned away, across town the colored citizens, who had not been invited, had their own celebration at the A.M.E.Church. There was “great indignation expressed by the colored residents of the city because they were barred from the Lincoln banquet.”
* I checked the list of events for Springfield, and there’s nothing on the agenda to redress this egregious rebuff from the last century. Maybe that’s because of the shockingly low number of African-Americans on the state’s bicentennial commission.
* The budget cuts will have an impact on the celebration, however…
But this month, Gov. Rod Blagojevich slashed the budget for staff at all of the historic sites in Illinois, many of which revolve around Lincoln’s life.
Thursday, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Director Jan Grimes said the cuts mean some sites will have to close or reduce hours.
“All sites will be impacted by that in some way,” Grimes said. “We’ll have some reduced hours; we’ll have some sites that will have to close.
Discuss.
- Been There - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:32 am:
===Durbin lives in Springfield, so his lack of cooperation so far is simply astounding. Obama announced his presidential campaign at the Old State Capitol, which Lincoln helped move to Springfield. Obama also used Lincoln imagery in his speech, so he has an obligation to cooperate. =====
Now Rich, you probably know more of whats going on with this than I do, and I am sure you either decline or accept invitations to weddings, etc on the same day you receive them. But hey, it’s seven months before the event!! I can see if it was a month or two out, but come on. I am sure the staff person has it in their pile with one or two other items and they will response well before.
- Deleted Daily - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:33 am:
What do you expect? Lincoln was a Republican.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:38 am:
We can bake a cake!
- BehindTheScenes - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:41 am:
It’s one more way Rod can stick his thumb in the collective eye of Springfield because many/most of it’s citizens have the unmitigated gall to think that the chief executive of the State should actually live in the Governor’s mansion and show up more than occasionally is his office in the Capitol. Indiana and Kentucky have probably already spent more than Illinois on this celebration and will undoubtedly spend more in the next year than Illinois. Speaks real well for the Land of Lincoln doesn’t it?
- jaundiced eye - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:41 am:
In an economy in which more people are taking vacations closer to home, it seems shortsighted to close either historic sites or state parks, etc. The state could be making money off admissions, fees, impulse buying in gift shops, etc.
- phocion - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:42 am:
Rich, why have you gotten into the habit of race baiting? The Commission has 39 members, five of whom are African American. So, that’s 13% of the membership that is African American. African Americans are approximately 12% of the U.S. population. What is “shockingly low” about the Commission’s membership? And what measure would you suggest that we take to redress blacks not getting invited to a party 100 years ago? You seem to be on a tear on kicking white people in the teeth by finding racism everywhere - it’s no wonder no one wants to speak honestly about race.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:49 am:
===You seem to be on a tear on kicking white people in the teeth by finding racism everywhere===
Please elaborate.
Was it calling out those Republicans yesterday who claimed somebody had used “racial hatred” when she hadn’t?
Are you that hyper-sensitive?
Also, 13 percent is not shockingly low when the Civil War was fought to preserve the union over the issue of black enslavement? Gimme a break. And considering that blacks were banned from the main celebration 99 years ago certainly argues for some redress.
===it’s no wonder no one wants to speak honestly about race===
I try to do just that. Not sure why you’re afraid.
- Vote Quimby! - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:52 am:
from the sjr piece==Those events include performances of the play, “Our American Cousin,” that Lincoln and his wife Mary were attending when he was assassinated in 1865==
Yikes! Are the actors going to freeze in place the moment he was shot? Descendants of JWB jumping down from the balcony? I thought we were celebrating his birth and life not his murder.
- Siyotanka - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 9:53 am:
Doesn’t surprise me any…Our group kicked off the Bicentennial this year with a ball at the Gov’s mansion. Invited everyone of our elected officals…Mayors Dailey, Davlin, Sen’s Obama, Durbin, and locals Poe, Bomke, etc… Offered comp tickets…NONE accepted or came. Nobody cares anymore… This Bicentennial celebration is a joke…
- Leave a light on George - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:01 am:
When making their daily to do list I’m sure our two senators have stay away from anything remotely connected to Springfield and our current Gov. listed a higher priority than doing something for the Illinois citizens they represent.
- Ghost - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:02 am:
I remeber the centienial train back in 1976. Give the decent amount of track in Il (carbondale - St, Louis - sprfld - lincoln! - blmington - Jol - chicago, etc) It seems you coudl generate some activity by having a mock up of lincolns presidential rail car, have actos delivering speeches, telling Lincoln esque tails, and maybe passing out medallions to symbolize the event. Let school kids tour the car etc.
Just a quick idea off the top of my head. Right now this thing looks like some kind of grass roots campaing by an underdog then an event to celebrate one of the best known figures worldwide. When you consider that people travel from all over the World to visit the lincoln sites and how wide spread was his influence, this is pathetic. We should be selling this as a special event to attarct tourists, lots of major celebrations/fair type activies etc. This is a huge opportunity for tourism to draw people to the state, like with a worlds fair or an olympics, we are not just failing to honor our States namesake, we are missing out on a hug revenue generating opportunity. Make it a month long afair etc etc.
- decaturvoter - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:13 am:
I like the Freedom train idea. It was great. As a child I remember the Dearborn village rolling exhibit. It would be a great way to spread the Lincoln message(plus he was a railroad lawyer).
Maybe Blago wants to follow the lead of Lincoln’s second VP. Johnson. Impeachment anyone?
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:13 am:
Interesting, I was driving back home from Michigan last weekend and when I hit the Indiana line the sign said “Welcome to Indiana, Boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln.”
I’m a huge history buff so I’m not objective. The neglect of history and historic sites is galling.
I’m not surprised about the politicians. With the noted exceptions of Paul Simon, Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar, most I’ve known or met in my lifetime believed history started with them.
- NimROD - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:15 am:
Rich:
I admit that my party was pretty over the top yesterday with its claims of race-baiting. I listened to the audio a couple of times and I can’t figure out what they thought they heard. The Republicans need to spend more time actually attempting to be Republican and less consumed with tripe like this.
But - redress for wrongs of 100 years ago? Are you kidding? If we don’t stop dredging up every single slight on both sides of the ledger this country is never going to heal. I would be willing to bet that the persons responsible for the decision to exclude those in 1909 and the people excluded are probably long since passed. People need to stop picking at the open wounds, accept the past for what it was and move on.
- Dan S, a voter and Cubs Fan - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:17 am:
Once again proving that this State Government has absolutely NO leadership.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:19 am:
===But - redress for wrongs of 100 years ago? Are you kidding?===
No, I’m not kidding. We have these events only every 100 years. The last event excluded black people. This event would be the best time to redress that snub.
- Truthful James - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:28 am:
“Our American Cousin” has no redeeming literary or theatrical values other than being played on the night of April 14, 1865.
A first class choice would be the epic poem Stephen Vincent Benet’s “John Brown’s Body” which was presented onstage in the 1950s and I think won some awards.
Otherwise, rotate Lincoln plays, from “Young Abe Lincoln” by Robert Sherwood to ones dealing with his later life.
- NimROD - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:32 am:
Rich:
I respectfully disagree with your position. I don’t see how any meaningful ‘redress’ is possible or even warranted when the people who will be attending have not been wronged, and the people organizing are not responsible for the actions of persons 100 years ago. This is nothing but phony symbolism/populism - something our governor gets pounded for (rightfully, I might add) here on a daily basis.
Guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:41 am:
NimROD, the entire event is supposed to be about HISTORY. Why would you propose ignoring a historical fact from the only other centennial celebration this state has had?
You said this earlier…
===accept the past for what it was and move on.===
You can’t accept the past if you don’t know it exists.
- Siyotanka - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 10:53 am:
As I stated before this is the type of activity that was planned. Go to our website
http://www.10thillinoisvolcavalry.com/band/Presidential_Ball.html
and see the participants. We paid for everything, NOT one dime from any commission or grant. We got a lot of lip service…and in the end “that was nice”…but NO support whatsoever. This state just DOES NOT get it when it comes to historical events…
- imback - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 11:15 am:
Ghost’s post was great. This is so pathetic. Don’t we have a tourist bureau? Or was that cut by the governor? Although I suppose if some muckety muck wanted to make a movie in Illinois about this centennial, Rod the Great would find a way to make sure that project got all the gov’t help needed (IF it was filmed in Chicago).
- Simple Man - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 12:31 pm:
It seems then that the Bicentennial Commission are the folks that should redress the snub. A public apology from the commission and a news story? A black keynote speaker at a banquet? Celebrating the Top 200 most accomplished African Americans in IL? A mobile freedom exhibit of artwork? Not sure the last idea fits, but I kind of like it…
- Princeville - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 1:01 pm:
I don’t think that the racial issue is being ignored totally, but I guess I’m looking at the year over a whole which might affect may thoughts. Springfield has kicked off this summer much on the Aug 1908 race riot both at the museum and the library with other events/walks to inform and acknowledge. The riots supposedly triggered the NAACP which organized on Lincoln’s birthday 12 Feb 1909. Now I doubt even without tensions already running high in Springfield that the African Americans would have been allowed at the 1909 celebration, and that an acknowledgement of the ban and seperate celebrations of the two as actually happened would be historically accurate, I also would feel in someway it might take away from the focus of the race riot events which deserve their own acknowledgement and importance in Springfield history not a shared one with the president’s birthday . I hope my line of thought is coming out as I mean them and not misunderstood, as I feel I’m not getting it out exactly as I’d like to, I mean no offense to anyone if I have not came across clear in what I’m trying to say.
- Nearly Normal - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 1:09 pm:
It has my past experience that trying to schedule senators or congressmen months ahead of an event is difficult. Their scheduling staffers do not like to promise their presence in case something comes up and they can’t get away from D.C.
- Cogito - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 1:14 pm:
It is a sin and an unnecessary one at that. I’ve been following events planned in Indiana and Kentucky, and both of those states are planning many more celebratory events than Illinois. Both are spending more money than Illinois, but many of the things they have planned are not costly.
Now if this were an Elvis celebration……
- Ghost - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 1:21 pm:
A celebration for Elvis Costello in Illinois? Not sure he would come.
- Skirmisher - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 1:50 pm:
A major problem with this celebration is that although Kentucky and Indiana have both been enthused about it from the beginning, there has been pretty much zero support from the current administration in Illinois, and without that support there is only so much that can be done. Our rulers seem to see the primary role of state government to be that of presiding over assorted welfare programs of all sorts and celebrating Lincoln’s birth (Mostly downstate) simply isn’t going to appeal to the class of voters that the adminstration likes to reach. Our neighboring states have tried to get Illinois government involved for the past couple of years, but the response has been token at best.
- phocion - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 2:02 pm:
Er, Rich, I’m not “afraid.” You won’t post my reply. But, hey, your blog. Have a nice weekend.
- Cheswick - Friday, Jul 18, 08 @ 2:22 pm:
The president will be busy at the re-dedication of the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. on February 12, 2009. I imagine that’s where the action will be (TV cameras), so the other invitees will want to be there, too.