MORE NARROW-MINDEDNESS -- THIS TIME IN BURTON, OHIO

We're finally getting around to stating our two-cents-worth regarding a story that's nearly a month old, now. Perhaps many of you -- if living in the northeast Ohio area -- are already familiar with the story. The Fire Department in Burton, Ohio -- a small community whose every attraction is directly or indirectly related to history -- has announced its intention to destroy a 140-year-old school building, which is located nextdoor to the fire-station and is owned by the Fire Department, so as to 'expand' its operation. You can find an article about this in the October 19th, 2005, edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The "best" part of this article is a quote from the Fire Chief, which is, as follows: "I'm all for preserving history, until it infringes on progress....We can't let an 1800s building get in the way of that." And that pretty well sums it all up, doesn't it? Essentially, this worship of the God of "Progress" is what has caused the destruction of historic architecture across the nation. Just what exactly is it about History that so many Americans find so 'unimportant'??