This is hardly the first time Ferry Farm has been in the news, and it has long been known that it was GW's childhood home. While you can take a cynical view of the foundation doing a press release that coincides with a patriotic holiday, you might also say that a well timed release results in a far larger and more attentive audience.
Now, regarding the politics: can't we just stick to the archaeology? Its a great site and worth learning more about. Dave Muracca has been doing a great job there for years now.
Also, Jeffrey, if you are writing from a state government address should you really be discussing politics at all? I know an archaeologist in SC who was fired from a cushy government for doing so...
-----Original Message-----
From: Boyer, Jeffrey, DCA <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 12:01 pm
Subject: Re: Washington's Boyhood Home Is Found
Assuming that the site identification is accurate (or at least they're pretty
darned sure it's accurate), why not wait until the day before the national
holiday to release the information to the public? Who cares? Might it add to a
sense of national identity or pride or even patriotism? So what? Would that
actually be a bad thing, if it happened?
So far, though, I haven't seen it being picked up and run with by the
presidential candidates, and it barely got noticed in the mainstream media.
Neither of the major presidential candidates is savvy enough to know how to make
much of it; McCain probably has "I played there with George when we were kids"
stories, and Obama is simply too irrelevant to understand its relevance. And
most media outlets are too impressed with the sounds of their own voices to
actually care about an announcement that might draw attention to the national
past.
If one were interested in deconstructing pride in the national past, which Obama
and many in the media think they are as long as they don't have to work at it,
the announcement could call into question a couple more stories about George's
mythic life. Curses. First the cherry tree, now the little cabin that burned and
left the family to celebrate Christmas in the barn. Oh, and I noticed that they
found toothbrush handles . . . what of poor George's wooden dentures?
Sigh.
Jeffrey L. Boyer, RPA
Project Director
Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico
mail: P.O. Box 2087, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504
physical: 407 Galisteo Street, Suite B-100, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
tel: 505.827.6387 fax: 505.827.3904
e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Da_n the books! Let's go get some data!
________________________________
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY on behalf of geoff carver
Sent: Wed 7/2/2008 1:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Washington's Boyhood Home Is Found
Now, I'm a little suspicious about the timing of this particular press
release:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/science/03george.html?hp
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