Jan 28 2009
Forget Iraq, Let’s Fight Over a Rock!
The economy is in dire straits; the war in Iraq rages on. Most of the country is covered in ice and snow and there are political problems all over the place. So what are the states of Ohio, Kentucky and the Army Corps of Engineers doing? Fighting over an eight ton rock. You heard me, a rock!
It seems that historian Steve Shaffer decided that he had to find a rock that he had heard about since his childhood. As a fact, it was first made known in 1847. The graffiti-covered rock has a name, Indian Head Rock. Now, this infamous rock hasn’t been seen since the 1920s and has, in fact, been covered by water. The rock was removed from the water where it could now become the center of a fight.
The rock was given to the city of Portsmouth, Ohio. The city offered the rock to South Shore, Kentucky but the offer was refused. Now Kentucky wants i; Ohio claims it; the Army Corps of Engineers says it is theirs. On top of all this, Steve Shaffer has been charged with a felony for removing the rock from the water and trying to place it where the world could enjoy it. While no one knows what the final fate of Indian Head Rock will be, today it sits in the municipal garage in Portsmouth.
Aren’t there any real issues these states can fight about today? If the rock was so important, why was it left buried in the river. I read news like this and just shake my head. When kind of priorities do these three have anyway?
