THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407150011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
The thought ``Wounded Knee again'' occurred as I was reading ``Mickey Mouse hearings'' (editorial, June 22).
The pattern was drawn three centuries ago when the settlers needed room and simply pushed the natives aside, sometimes by treaty, other times by force. The pattern prevailed into the past century, when some astute, far-thinking businessmen convinced Congress that the treasures of the Black Hills rightfully belonged to the wise and progressive Eastern nabobs; and, with a pittance of compensation to the Indians, who had lived there for centuries, the U.S. Army drove them into confinement on paltry reservations.
This heinous and barbaric program was repeated countless times during the past three centuries.
Now the Disney moguls, with all of their scientific studies, have selected Northern Virginia for their Black Hills. And they invested millions of dollars to buy the land for their next theme park. Never mind the small businesspeople in the area who would be displaced by such a development, the residents who settled in the area to enjoy its peace and quiet, the vacationers who like to visit historical scenes and enjoy the natural beauty of its environs.
Instead, Disney would provide the mid-Atlantic states with another Orlando-Kissimmee complex, with its vast conglomeration of hotels, motels, fast-food vendors, shopping malls, etc. - gridlock you must see to believe - all in the name of progress! But at a devastating cost to the natives, who wish only to be left in peace.
Compensation to the Disney investors if their plan is rejected? Who told them that their investment was insured against any loss?
HAROLD L. BEAN
Norfolk, July 5, 1994 by CNB