Stone Crazy
By ShepherdSpy
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
Omagh, Northern Ireland
October 18, 2008 7:16am CST
I'm a subscriber to the www.thisistrue.com e-newsletter (FREE and paid subscriptions available!
) which offers a selection of interesting news items chosen from what's out there..this item is from the 12th October Edition..:
THE TOMB OF STIFLED PATRIOTISM: John Haines, a retired car dealer from Glenwood Springs, Colo., wanted to do his part: the marble Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has severe cracks, and he decided to take action.Haines commissioned a new piece of marble from the same Colorado quarry as the original, so it would match exactly. It took five years to find a perfect match, and it was cut in 2003. He paid $31,000 out of his own pocket for it, and even arranged free transportation to Washington D.C. But the replacement marble is still sitting at the quarry, since the government won't accept it. Instead, the Arlington National Cemetery has budgeted $2.2million for the replacement project, $80,000 of which is solely to support the bidding process. "A citizen can't just give us any piece of marble and say, 'This is what we'll use to replace the tomb'," sniffed Arlington's deputy superintendent Thurman Higginbotham. "I understand how the government works," Haines said. "But there comes a point when you just say 'to hell with it'." (Denver Post) ...Mr. Haines, welcome to the tail of a long, long queue.
So someone has arranged a matching Slab of Marble from the original quarry out of his own pocket for the Tomb of the Unknown,and the Government would rather spend over $2Million in Tax Money on a bidding contest?!
What's your opinion on the thought processes here?
Thanks for responses!
) which offers a selection of interesting news items chosen from what's out there..this item is from the 12th October Edition..:
THE TOMB OF STIFLED PATRIOTISM: John Haines, a retired car dealer from Glenwood Springs, Colo., wanted to do his part: the marble Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has severe cracks, and he decided to take action.Haines commissioned a new piece of marble from the same Colorado quarry as the original, so it would match exactly. It took five years to find a perfect match, and it was cut in 2003. He paid $31,000 out of his own pocket for it, and even arranged free transportation to Washington D.C. But the replacement marble is still sitting at the quarry, since the government won't accept it. Instead, the Arlington National Cemetery has budgeted $2.2million for the replacement project, $80,000 of which is solely to support the bidding process. "A citizen can't just give us any piece of marble and say, 'This is what we'll use to replace the tomb'," sniffed Arlington's deputy superintendent Thurman Higginbotham. "I understand how the government works," Haines said. "But there comes a point when you just say 'to hell with it'." (Denver Post) ...Mr. Haines, welcome to the tail of a long, long queue.
So someone has arranged a matching Slab of Marble from the original quarry out of his own pocket for the Tomb of the Unknown,and the Government would rather spend over $2Million in Tax Money on a bidding contest?!
What's your opinion on the thought processes here?
Thanks for responses!1 person likes this
No responses
