Eighteen years ago I spent a week on the Lake Creek River in Alaska fishing for salmon and trout. One of the delights of the trip was the sight of the massive mountain - Denali - about fifty miles away.
The National Park Service maintains the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The continent of North America has been inhabited for at least 16,000 years. It is believed that peoples migrated across the Bering Strait Land Bridge and made their way across the continent. The indigenous peple who stayed in what is now Alaska hadd a name for the greatest mountain of the region - Denali.The assassinated imperialist U.S. President William McKinley has no claim to that area. But Donald Trump, shamelessly indulging white settler chauvinism now demands that the respect we finally granted the indigenous people demands that it revert to the name of the 19th century U.S. President. Not even General Motors buys that. They are developing an EV version of their top of the line Denali pickup trucks. - GWC
EXECUTIVE ORDER Donald J. Trump
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose and Policy. It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.
Sec. 2. Appointments to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. (a) Within seven days of the date of this order, each agency head with authority to appoint members to the Board on Geographic Names (Board) pursuant to 43 U.S.C. 364a, shall review their respective appointees and consider replacing those appointees in accordance with applicable law.
(b) The Secretary of the Interior shall review and consider additional appointments to the Board to assist in fulfilling all aspects of this order, subject to all applicable laws.
(c) With respect to all applications for naming and renaming submitted to the newly constituted Board, the Board shall advance the policy established in section 1 of this order to honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans and may update its principles, policies, and procedures as needed to achieve this policy.
(d) Where Congressional action is required to establish a renaming in public law, following Board approval on renaming, the Board shall provide guidance to all relevant Federal agencies to use the Board-approved name in the interim in federal documents and achieve consistency across the federal government.
Sec. 3. Renaming of Mount McKinley. (a) President William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights. He was tragically assassinated in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success, and he should be honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness.
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