The Denali-McKinley feud

[struggle4progress]

... A prospector informally named the mountain after McKinley in the late 1800s, and the name was adopted by Congress two decades later. Gov. Jay Hammond and the Alaska Legislature first asked that the name be formally restored to Denali in 1975. The Alaska Geographic Board has recognized the name of the peak as Denali since then, putting it at odds with its official federal designation as Mt. McKinley. The national park that surrounds the mountain was renamed in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, shifting from Mount McKinley National Park to Denali National Park and Preserve. A 40-year battle between politicians in Alaska and Ohio has been waged since the Legislature weighed in, with members of Congress from McKinley’s home district repeatedly blocking efforts to restore the name Denali ...

... The latest bill to change the mountain’s name was proposed by Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan earlier this year. The Obama administration said in July that it would not block the name change ... A bill was proposed by Ohio Rep. Bob Gibbs in January that would have prevented a name change ...

... Changing the name has often been a bipartisan legislative priority among Alaska’s congressional delegation. Lisa Murkowski (R), the state’s senior senator and chairwoman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which is responsible for the matter, has sponsored legislation in every session of Congress to do so since taking her seat. She hosted hearing on the bill earlier this year, at which a top National Park Service official said the Obama administration had no objection to the change ...

... Every year, the same story plays out in Washington, D.C.: Alaska legislators sometimes file bills to change the name from Mount McKinley to Denali, and every year, someone in the Ohio congressional delegation -- the home state of the 25th President William McKinley -- files legislation to block a name change ... "I’d like to thank the president for working with us to achieve this significant change to show honor, respect, and gratitude to the Athabascan people of Alaska,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a video statement recorded on the Ruth Glacier below the mountain. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said in an email that "Denali belongs to Alaska and its citizens. The naming rights already went to ancestors of the Alaska Native people, like those of my wife’s family. For decades, Alaskans and members of our congressional delegation have been fighting for Denali to be recognized by the federal government by its true name. I’m gratified that the president respected this” ...

... The Obama administration's action breaks a 40-year impasse over the name of the mountain. Alaska has been petitioning for a name change since 1975, but a bipartisan effort by Ohio's congressional delegation has blocked the effort by introducing bills requiring it to be named after McKinley, who was born in Niles, Ohio and buried in Canton. And for years, just introducing the bills was enough to block a name change. That's because the United States Board on Geographic Names has a long-standing policy of not making name changes under consideration by Congress. "While the board does have a policy of deferring action when a matter is being considered by Congress, contradictory bills on this issue have been proposed by various members of Congress since the late 1970s," Jewell said in her order. A 1947 law gives the secretary the authority to change names on her own when the board does not act in a reasonable time ...

[HassleCat]

1. They're blaming it on Obama

From an AP article by Josh Lederman:

Obama's move to strip the mountain of its name honoring former President William McKinley drew loud condemnations from Ohio lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs, who said he planned to work with his colleagues to see what they could do to stop it.

"This political stunt is insulting to all Ohioans, and I will be working with the House Committee on Natural Resources to determine what can be done to prevent this action," Gibbs said.

Sometimes politicians jut don't know how ironic they are. Here is a guy complaining about a political stunt when he is pulling a huge political stunt. Lederman's article pretty much blames Obama for the name change, without giving any real explanation.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/alaska-bound-obama-faces-backlash-on-mt-mckinley-renaming/ar-AAdMsM7?ocid=iehp

[hifiguy]

9. If the mountain were in Ohio he might have

a plausible,it petty, beef. It's in freaking ALASKA.

[roguevalley]

15. no one here calls it mckinley. ohio should shut up. We don't mess with them

so they should butt out. We changed the name in 1975 and wanted the feds to do the same.

[Blue_In_AK]

30. It would be like us insisting that

Serpent Mound in Ohio be named Ted Stevens Mound. LOL.

[Glassunion]

18. I think his head would explode if he realized that his state sourced its name from

the Iroquois' word for "great river".

[struggle4progress]

2. meh. alaskans will be happy. ohioans will get over it in a few days

[yeoman6987]

3. If McKinley was part of Ohio in some way, why not name

Something after him there. What did McKinley have to do with Alaska besides being president?

[loyalsister]

6. Apparently he never even visited

This is truly a dumb controversy.
It's just another excuse to oppose the president. I suspect there are plenty of Ohio landmarks, buildings, roads, etc. named after McKinley.
Good for pres. Obama for honoring the people who are actually affected. Symbolically returning some land to Native Americans is a meaningful show of respect.

[Glassunion]

19. They can rename Campbell Hill.

[struggle4progress]

33. Mound McKinley, mebbe?

[louis-t]

4. ...keeping in mind that Alaska wasn't even a state

when it was named after McKinley.

[AngryAmish]

7. Alaska is not a state.

[CreekDog]

8. yes, Alaska is a state

[AngryAmish]

11. Not a chance.

They only put the 50th star on the flag to even things out.

[CreekDog]

12. Alaska isn't the 50th state, it's the 49th

[roguevalley]

16. BWAHAHAHA! you two are funny. :D

[AngryAmish]

21. 48 stars are unlucky, so they just went ahead and put 50 on there. To even it out.

I bet you even believe it when someone says they are from Alaska.

Don't go to Australia. The drop bears will get you.

[Renew Deal]

27. lol

Best DU argument ever.

[louis-t]

26. Haaa!

[Glassunion]

20. Alaska wasn't named after McKinley.

It derived its name from the Aleut word "aláxsxaq"

[AngryAmish]

22. It was named after a popular dessert. Thus the joke.

[Glassunion]

24. Only after pot was legalized.

[Matariki]

5. I hope we can revert Mount Rainer's name while we're at it

http://www.kplu.org/post/it-time-rename-mount-rainier-its-former-native-name

http://www.theclymb.com/stories/out-there/5-mountain-naming-controversies/

[hifiguy]

10. They'd probably have to change the beer's name as well.

This bear is disappoint:



See:http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026990392

[roguevalley]

17. BWAHAHAHAHA

[Matariki]

25. LOL

The bears, they like to party!

[Glassunion]

23. Just great... First Obama renames a mountain after a GM truck, and you want us to

rename another after a Toyota.

I think we should rename Mount Foraker to Escalade.

[hifiguy]

28. Why am I reminded of this?

[RobinA]

32. No!!!!

That hideous Escalade vehicle does not deserve a mountain! That thing IS a mountain already when it's riding my bumper and I'm looking at its grill hoping he doesn't just run right over me because I'm not doing twice the speed limit. In a parking lot.

[cherokeeprogressive]

13. Can't get excited OR upset about it.

It's three words on a map. The people who matter have always called it what they wanted to call it.

[olddots]

14. we should be lucky Trump hasn't wanted to name all the world's mountains

Trump Luxury High Rise Plaza

[CBGLuthier]

31. I was born in Ohio so I can legitimately say i am happy to see the name restored

to Denali instead of that of a dead president.