Published: Monday, July 5, 2010
Bill of Rights tribute for Everett?
Everett's Ten Commandments monument could soon have a patriotic counterpart across the street.
Instead of commandments, the tribute proposed for the Snohomish County campus would honor the 10 constitutional amendments called the Bill of Rights.
The idea was inspired by a group with ambitions to build monuments throughout the country.
“This is the basis of our rights in a time when it's a politically divisive atmosphere out there,” said Michael Swanson, a Lynnwood bank manager, who has signed on to the effort to install a monument in Everett. “This is something that people can rally around.”
The wider movement to build Bill of Rights monuments is the brainchild of Chris Bliss, an Austin, Texas-based comedian and juggler. Bliss said he started MyBillOfRights.org five years ago, as he grew tired of the county's divided politics. He figured reminding people about the Bill of Rights could help Americans of all political stripes find common ground.
“The country was sounding like a bad marriage and I really don't think that's how you solve the kinds of problems we've got these days,” Bliss said.
Swanson and fellow Everett resident Joanne Conger got inspired to take up the cause after watching Bliss perform in Tacoma last year. The two locals didn't know each other beforehand. They decided Everett would be a good place for the monument after realizing they were from the same place.
In theory, all Snohomish County has to do is set aside a patch of ground or a blank wall. After that, Swanson and Conger have pledged to take care of fundraising, design and installation. They found an early supporter in County Councilman John Koster.
“It costs taxpayers nothing except for a place to put it on the grounds,” Koster said.
A draft resolution supporting the idea is circulating among councilmen and could be sent to County Executive Aaron Reardon for a joint signature. During a discussion at the County Council last week, the main concern was making sure any future installation fits in with its surroundings.
The Bill of Rights dates to 1789, when future President James Madison presented Congress with the first draft. More than two centuries later, Americans are quick to invoke that document to defend rights of expression and religion (First Amendment) or to own guns (Second Amendment). The Bill of Rights also protects citizens against illegal search and seizure (Fourth Amendment) and lays the foundation of our justice system (Amendments Five through Eight).
To date, MyBillOfRights.org has helped build just one monument, a metal and brick plaque in Montezuma, Iowa, population 1,345. The group is trying to raise $4 million for a Bill of Rights plaza next to the Texas state capitol in Austin. They've also been working with Arizona lawmakers and talking to supporters elsewhere in the country.
Everett's recent history with public monuments has been contentious. In 2008, the city won a five-year court battle to keep a granite version of the Ten Commandments outside the Everett Police Department. The building at the corner of Wall Street and Wetmore Avenue is the former City Hall. The monument was a gift to Everett in 1959 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Bill of Rights
The name given to the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution.
Virginia Congressman James Madison, later the fourth U.S. president, introduced the original draft to the first Congress in 1789. It took effect in 1791.
For more information, visit the Library of Congress at http://tinyurl.com/10amendments.
Instead of commandments, the tribute proposed for the Snohomish County campus would honor the 10 constitutional amendments called the Bill of Rights.
The idea was inspired by a group with ambitions to build monuments throughout the country.
“This is the basis of our rights in a time when it's a politically divisive atmosphere out there,” said Michael Swanson, a Lynnwood bank manager, who has signed on to the effort to install a monument in Everett. “This is something that people can rally around.”
The wider movement to build Bill of Rights monuments is the brainchild of Chris Bliss, an Austin, Texas-based comedian and juggler. Bliss said he started MyBillOfRights.org five years ago, as he grew tired of the county's divided politics. He figured reminding people about the Bill of Rights could help Americans of all political stripes find common ground.
“The country was sounding like a bad marriage and I really don't think that's how you solve the kinds of problems we've got these days,” Bliss said.
Swanson and fellow Everett resident Joanne Conger got inspired to take up the cause after watching Bliss perform in Tacoma last year. The two locals didn't know each other beforehand. They decided Everett would be a good place for the monument after realizing they were from the same place.
In theory, all Snohomish County has to do is set aside a patch of ground or a blank wall. After that, Swanson and Conger have pledged to take care of fundraising, design and installation. They found an early supporter in County Councilman John Koster.
“It costs taxpayers nothing except for a place to put it on the grounds,” Koster said.
A draft resolution supporting the idea is circulating among councilmen and could be sent to County Executive Aaron Reardon for a joint signature. During a discussion at the County Council last week, the main concern was making sure any future installation fits in with its surroundings.
The Bill of Rights dates to 1789, when future President James Madison presented Congress with the first draft. More than two centuries later, Americans are quick to invoke that document to defend rights of expression and religion (First Amendment) or to own guns (Second Amendment). The Bill of Rights also protects citizens against illegal search and seizure (Fourth Amendment) and lays the foundation of our justice system (Amendments Five through Eight).
To date, MyBillOfRights.org has helped build just one monument, a metal and brick plaque in Montezuma, Iowa, population 1,345. The group is trying to raise $4 million for a Bill of Rights plaza next to the Texas state capitol in Austin. They've also been working with Arizona lawmakers and talking to supporters elsewhere in the country.
Everett's recent history with public monuments has been contentious. In 2008, the city won a five-year court battle to keep a granite version of the Ten Commandments outside the Everett Police Department. The building at the corner of Wall Street and Wetmore Avenue is the former City Hall. The monument was a gift to Everett in 1959 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Bill of Rights
Virginia Congressman James Madison, later the fourth U.S. president, introduced the original draft to the first Congress in 1789. It took effect in 1791.
For more information, visit the Library of Congress at http://tinyurl.com/10amendments.
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