Digging up the past.

Let's talk about our founding fathers, shall we? These are men that A-merry-cans are proud of, and no doubt should be. They all signed on to the Declaration Of Independence from Britain, they crafted The Constitution, and, as history tells us, they were instrumental in taking us through the early stages of our republic.

Now I live in Philadelphia, and our tourist trade is damn near built around the founding fathers.

For instance; if you know anything about Philly, you know that it's all things Ben Franklin in our little neck of the woods. We have the Ben Franklin House, the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Ben Franklin Parkway, and so on. You can't drive two blocks in this city without seeing something having do do with Ben.

Also, if you visit our fine city you can see the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, (the home of The Declaration Of Independence) Independence Hall, Congress Hall (the old US Capital), and The US Mint where we get our money on. There are lots of other historical sites to see as well, but you get the picture, you can really learn your A-merry-can history by just taking a walking tour of Philadelphia. The place is replete with it.

Of course, George Washington, like Benjamin Franklin, was one of A-merry-ca's founding fathers. He was our first president and he led us to war against those damn "Red Coats".

Now here in Philadelphia the national park folks have something honoring George as well. It's yet another tourist attraction in our wonderful city for patriotic A-merry-cans to come and see from all across our great country. It's called the President's House, and thanks to an archaeological dig in 2007 we know exactly where it was located. Now our city is trying to find a way to commemorate this great finding.

But wait, apparently our first president had some slave issues.... and, well, it's a little embarrassing.

"Under a hot July sun, droplets of water drawn from the Nile soothed baked Philadelphia clay at the bottom of a great pit at Sixth and Market Streets - a blessing for the earth and for the dead. River water was followed by ancient Nile sand, glistening grains of the African continent trickling down onto the hard New World.

The libation yesterday was part of a ceremony marking the formal close of the President's House excavation, an archaeological undertaking that captured the public imagination and wouldn't let go.

For four months, archaeologists sifted through Independence Mall soil, uncovering evidence of the home where slave-owning George Washington and antislavery John Adams lived and launched American democracy in the 1790s and where Washington held nine Africans in bondage.

Archaeologists uncovered the rear foundation of the house in early May, about a month after the dig began. Then, in quick succession, remnants of a great bow window Washington installed, the kitchen where his slaves toiled, and an underground passage used by slaves and servants were also discovered.

More than 300,000 visitors watched the process from a public viewing platform and discussed the now-visible relationship between freedom and slavery at the heart of the nation's founding.

The site will now be temporarily re-covered with earth to protect the resources while the city, the National Park Service, and the public try to determine what the next step will be."

Oh my! Slaves in the basement? Hmmmm, what's a city and a park service to do? Maybe they can incorporate some kind of tribute to the slaves to appease you Negroes.

Yeah, that's the ticket. If they don't I am sure that some of you rowdy Negroes will act up. Yep, you started already. Or if that doesn't work, I guess the powers that be could hold public meetings so that you can air out your grievances.

"At a raucous and sometimes profane public meeting Friday night, critics denounced plans for the President's House memorial under construction on Independence Mall.
City and project officials, who had not conducted a session to update the public on the oft-delayed project for almost three years, sought to present a newly revised interpretive plan for the site where George Washington and John Adams conducted their presidencies and Washington held at least nine enslaved Africans.

But before Emanuel Kelly, principal of Kelly/Maiello Architects & Planners, designers of the memorial at Sixth and Market Streets, could discuss the status of construction, he was interrupted by a chorus of loud complaints over the use of a white-owned general contractor at the site, and a torrent of criticism over the site's overall presentation of the black experience.

'George Washington broke the law, he broke the law!" shouted Sacaree Rhodes, a community activist involved in the project for almost 10 years. "Where is the rape? Where is the brutality? I am a black woman! You will not do this. You will tell the truth.'

That opened a floodgate of shouts from several of the roughly 75 people at the meeting at the Convention Center. "

Oh lawd! Some of you Negroes, I swear. We sure could use some of our founding fathers around here now. They knew just how to keep you Negroes in check.