monument – The View from a Drawbridge

The Confederate Monument Thing Again

We should learn from dark history, but not deify it.

On this day, when we traditionally celebrate American independence, I’m a little surprised that I’m having to revisit a post that I wrote in 2017 entitled, “Historical Statues: One Solution“. But yes, indeed, the controversy over whether or not to remove confederate statues has reared its ugly head yet again.

That 2017 blog post describes a brilliant solution that the people of Budapest, Hungary came up with to deal with their brutal communist era statues. It’s really quite fascinating, and I hope it’s an idea that can be adopted here. It would allow the statues to still exist, but in an educational context in a museum-like setting where those who don’t want to see them won’t have to. Please do read it and tell me what you think.

But for those of you who don’t click through, I leave you with a few points to ponder:

Monuments are not history. They’re the glorification thereof.
No child should have to grow up under the shadow of statues of people who thought they should be enslaved.
Removing a statue won’t erase the history, and we can and should still learn from that history. Learn, but not deify.

It really is okay to become older and wiser as a society. I promise. We’ll be okay.

Happy Independence Day.

Confederate_Monument_-_E_frieze_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2011 — Historically absurd.

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Give Bridgetenders Some Credit

Okay, I admit it. I’ve been a bridgetender for 15 years, so I’m probably entirely too biased to write a blog entry of this type. But if I don’t, no one will.

This job is full of unsung heroes. Simply Google “Drawbridge” and “Death” and you’ll see just how dangerous these structures can be. Think about it: A typical bridge is probably 2 million pounds of moving concrete and steel, and many people feel that they’re immortal, or at the very least that the rules don’t apply to them. That makes for a toxic brew.

I’ve known many bridgetenders who have saved people’s lives. Many have thwarted suicide attempts, fished people out of the water by deploying life rings, or even pulled people out of burning cars after traffic accidents. And yet most people don’t even know we exist.

Bridgetenders come to work every day and make the safety of the traveling public our top priority. Not a day goes by when our independent judgment doesn’t prevent a traffic accident or injuries to pedestrians who have chosen to ignore warning signals. And there are quite a few boaters out there who don’t adhere to Coastguard Federal Regulations. That puts everyone at risk.

There really ought to be a monument to bridgetenders on the Washington mall, or at the very least, a statue at the foot of a drawbridge somewhere. If so, it should be in the likeness of Peter Fancher, who died on the job back in 1981. According to this article, he was working on the Seven Mile Bridge that links Miami, Florida to Key West when a passing truck struck a propane tank that was attached to the tower for some insane reason. The explosion engulfed the tenderhouse and a man who was just trying to make an honest living was cremated instantly. He was 39 years old.

Most bridgetenders aren’t looking for thanks, as I mentioned in a recent blog entry entitled Loving My Thankless Job. But when the stuff hits the fan, after I do my best to set things to right, and after the adrenaline has worn off, I often think of Peter Fancher, and I’m very grateful to be going home in one piece.

Seven_mile_bridge — The Seven Mile Bridge today. The original bridge appears in the foreground and is used only by pedestrians. Sadly, Mr. Fancher’s swing bridge is long gone.