A reader’s photo submission has got us thinking about Mount Rushmore. Mr. A. Alexander Stella of Pennsylvania writes:
JFK… Mount Rushmore… ’bout Time, Don’cha?!
[Enclosed is] my rather rough suggestion for how the likeness of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy should be chiseled on Mount Rushmore.
Here’s that “rather rough” image:
Mr. Stella continues:
The executive board in charge of the Reagan Library is rumored to be planning a massive campaign that involves Mount Rushmore. Maybe it’ll coincide with the upcoming presidential election. If all that should come to pass, what a coincidence that would be!
Well, yes and no. Congress already discussed adding Ronald Reagan to Mount Rushmore in 1999 and rejected the idea. In fact, GOP candidate Michele Bachmann just brought it up again the other day.
‘Reagan on Mount Rushmore’ t-shirts are still available online:
It would be a thrill to see a stoneworker chisel out the perfectly-sculpted hair of either Reagan or Kennedy, of course. (In Reagan’s case, it might be fun to darken his hair and then insist that it was perfectly natural Black Hills granite.)
But both the Reagan and JFK camps are missing the point. Activists always want to crowd one face in on the left or right end of the monument. In truth, Gutzon Borglum left plenty of room for MANY new presidents. They just need to go in a second row.
In the spirit of bipartisanship artistry, I bring you: The Rushmore Ten.
Problem solved! The Rushmore Ten gives us room for Reagan and Kennedy, plus four more of our own choosing. I’ve selected:
- John Quincy Adams (famous name, and his 17 years as a U.S. Representative should grease the skids with Congress)
- Ulysses S. Grant (Civil War hero, two-termer, we need a second beard to balance Lincoln)
- Gerald Ford (because his head just looks like it should be chiseled in rock)
- Harry Truman (Democratic balance to the Republican Ford, plus everyone loves him)
That’s a nice fit: five 20th-century presidents, four 19th-century, and George Washington from the 18th century. You may have your own choices. The actual selections will fall to Congress, and I can’t imagine they’ll have any trouble agreeing on the final four.
The point is, this is a chisel-ready project that everyone can get behind. It would really bring the country together. And talk about creating jobs! The environmental impact statement alone should add 100,000 new positions to the economy.
Thanks to Mr. Stella for a literally groundbreaking idea. Here’s where to write your Congressman in support of The Rushmore Ten.