Wednesday, November 2, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Commentary...
Our beloved country
Jim Anderson
Correspondent
The other day, my dear
old pal, retired veterinarian,
patriot, and fellow church-
member, Phillip Brittain,
sent me an electronic mes-
sage entitled, “Laus Deo.” I
read it through, because most
of what Philip sends me is
worth the time. This one, for
some reason, hit me right
where America dwells in my
heart.
“Laus Deo” translates to
“Praise be to God,” which
is on a steel plaque hidden
away in the very top of the
Washington Monument. My
way of thinking, should be
emblazoned in all our hearts
and minds as well.
I wish I could have been
a part of the planning and
building of our beauti-
ful Capital. I could have
shook the hand of the man
my grandfather, Benjamin
Franklin Rockefeller, was
named for, and perhaps even
held the string of his kite.
I would also have shed the
tears and felt the heart-break-
ing remorse and anguish
for the thousands of men,
women and children who
gave their all in the battle for
the America many of us take
for granted — as I do today.
This subject is always in
my mind and heart in these
times of awful political peril,
or in the rare and beautiful
shining moments of freedom.
When both my sons were in
combat in Bosnia and in so
many battles in Afghanistan
and other parts of Asia, I wor-
ried and prayed. Especially
one morning at 3 a.m. when
I received a call from my son
stationed in Italy who said,
“Pop, I just bombed two bad
guys with my F-16,” and we
had a long discussion about
causing the death of the
enemy.
When the news channels
carried those heart-breaking
stories of the men and woman
who would never come back
alive — or at all — or were
so smashed by the horrors of
war when they did, I wept.
While pursuing my curios-
ity regarding the Washington
Monument, I discovered that
the same man who designed
it — Major Pierre L’Enfant
(1755-1825), a French art-
ist and engineer who had
formed a friendship with
George Washington while
serving in the Revolutionary
War — requested the honor
of designing a plan for the
National Capital. “After
surveying the site, L’Enfant
developed a Baroque plan
that featured ceremonial
spaces and grand radial
avenues, while respecting
natural contours of the land.”
(Did you get that part about
“respecting the contours of
the land?” I had the same
experience working with
the man who designed Sun
River, Bob Royston).
Snopes states: “The result
was a system of intersecting
diagonal avenues superim-
posed over a grid system. The
avenues radiated from the
two most significant building
sites that were to be occupied
by houses for Congress and
the President.
“L’Enfant specified in
notes accompanying the plan
that these avenues were to be
wide, grand, lined with trees,
and situated in a manner that
would visually connect ideal
topographical sites through-
out the city, where important
structures, monuments, and
fountains were to be erected.
“On paper, L’Enfant
shaded and numbered 15
large open spaces at the inter-
sections of these avenues and
specified that each reserva-
tion would feature statues
and memorials to honor wor-
thy citizens. The open spaces
were as integral to the capital
as the buildings to be erected
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around them.”
And here dear readers
and fellow patriots is where
L’Enfant got himself into
hot water. He opposed land-
grabbers selling land inside
his mapped area prematurely
and refused to furnish the
map to the city commission-
ers in time for the sale. He
was then — unbelievably
and, hopefully, reluctantly
— relieved of his duties by
George Washington, and
another more cooperative
person was then engaged to
produce a map and repro-
duced L’Enfant’s plan from
memory.
As I sat, digesting this bit
of information, I wondered:
could that have been the first
example of land-use planning
running afoul of those who
worship profit in America
today?
L’Enfant’s plan was put
on hold until 1898.
That’s when President
President William McKinley
formed a Congressional joint
committee in February 1900,
with Senator James McMillan
of Michigan as chairman. At
the same time, plans were
put forward for the develop-
ment of a mall which would
include the newly reclaimed
Potomac Flats.
Thanks to L’Enfant,
the model for American
city planning and a sym-
bol of governmental power
to be seen by other nations
worked. The plan conceived
by L’Enfant is little changed
today.
To me, Laus Deo: “Praise
PHOTO BY USAF COL. DEAN ANDERSON - RETIRED
One of the grand symbols of our beloved country; the Washington
Monument, erected in Washington D.C.
be to God!,” those two seem-
ingly insignificant, unnoticed
Latin words — out of sight
and, one might think, out of
mind today by the behavior of
so many politicians — state
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