Yahweh Or No Way?  

A drive to rename the California’s Mount Diablo for Ronald Reagan has attracted only mockery, as nearby residents petition Contra County Supervisors opposing the change, and the inevitable Facebook page mobilizes the awesome power of social media to stop the devil hater’s plan.

God-fearing geography gadfly Arthur Mijares has tried to take out Diablo before.  In 2005 he pitched Reagan’s name, was told the late President hadn’t been gone long enough, and briefly substituted “Yahwey,” which was rejected.

Mijares appears outmatched in the online battle ahead.

“According to the proponent, who provided a copy of the Wikipedia entry for President Reagan with his application, “The Commemorative Name (Mt. Reagan) speaks for itself.”

Or perhaps not.  The plucky SaveMountDiablo-istas  petition effort appears stalled at 17 out of the 50,000 names they set for their goal.

 Barry Unfortunate 

AFP via TPM reports that the awesome power of social media is being mobilized by Indonesians unhappy with Jakarta’s statue commemorating Barack Obama’s childhood there.  And proud Americans are joining the fun!

An Indonesian Facebook group has 55,000 members, while their English language clones make do with  2000.

The magic of social media is that anyone may join, and do. But messages may get muddled in the churn.  The English site boasts the lovely monkey statue shown above, while some Indonesians focus on Obama and Israel.

   Apparent non-Indonesian Jack Ellis provides a two-fer, joining denunciations of the Jakarta statue while vowing not to donate to Haiti relief, lest Obama get a statue there, eventually.
Hating Boy & Man

There’s Something About A Train 

 For the Presidential Transport Complete-ist, exciting news from the plains of Texas.

MTH Electric Trains has launched a series of HO model trains commemorating an obscure tribute to former President H.W. Bush.

In 2005 the Union Pacific Railroad appears to have had time and rolling stock on its hands, so the company painted up one of their engines to vaguely resemble Air Force One’s color scheme, and slapped Bush’s name on it.  It served as the highpoint of a railroad exhibit mounted by Bush’s Presidential Library, with as little apparent connection to his presidency as the Clinton Library’s ill-fated “Art of the Chopper” fiasco.

MTH’s model engine comes complete with a “Detachable Scale Snow Plow” and  “(2) Cab Figures“  , all for just $ 189.95.  Coming soon is a more glamor-ific model for a mere $ 429.95.

Why the Union Pacific’s interest in Bush family sucking up?  UP CEO Richard K. Davidson served on a Homeland Security infrastructure advisory board, presumably working to assure that security didn’t get in the way of tons of toxins riding the rails.  He served the Bushes in other ways as well, bundling for Junior and receiving a Kennedy Center board post.

Iron Horse Came

If You Build It They Will Come 

Zoning officials have signed off on George W. Bush’s Presidential Library plunking parking lots right up against its northern neighbors, on a side of the Bush complex not shown in the lovely drawings the Library released. 

The neighbors had complained, and University Park officials made noises about forcing changes in the plans. But at a meeting with no public participation they appear to have caved entirely to SMU’s threat of slapping dorms on the property.

  The lots would be to Mrs. Bush’s right in this photo, the other side of the trees.

Apparently gone are the days when the Bush’s touted their  “truly urban location,” and the Library was to anchor a “string of urban pearls” connected by mass transit.

University Parked

  $15.95 While Supplies Last!    

……although in practice the Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation likes to break little children’s hearts.

The cool kids will also be hanging this Nixonian wisdom on the tree.