It All Began with Roosevelt

Not Franklin Roosevelt, but Teddy Roosevelt. In her interview today, NPR’s Terry Gross talked with Timothy Egan. Egan is the author of  The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America, about a massive forest fire in 1910 that saved Roosevelt’s National Forest Service and the reputation of Gifford Pinchot.

Theodore Roosevelt, according to Tom Woods, “is responsible for devising and putting into action the philosophy of the presidency to which all modern presidents have subscribed.” In his interview, Mr. Egan inadvertently gives us a perfect example:

“Consider this: Roosevelt basically bequeathed us with an area about the size of France that every American owns.  . . . He did it by executive order. . . I mean he famously said when he created the first wildlife refuge, he asked his attorney general, he said is there any law that will prevent me from declaring Pelican Island — this is in Florida — a federal bird reserve? And his attorney general told him there was no such law. And Roosevelt said, very well, then I do so declare it. And that’s how the National Wildlife Refuge System was started.”

“I do so declare it.” That is the cry of most every president since Teddy Roosevelt. Lew Rockwell is right: “The presidency must be destroyed.”

A personal note: I remember back in early 2005 when some of my Christian brethren wanted to crucify me because I quoted in my article “Those Bush Vetoes” a paragraph that included that above line from Mr. Rockwell’s article, “Down with the Presidency.” Bush, the great Christian, was the president then. These same Christians are now singing a different tune now that someone they consider an Obamanation is the president.

Recommended reading: Bully Boy: The Truth about Theodore Roosevelt’s Legacy, by Jim Powell. Tom DiLorenzo’s review is here.

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8:36 pm on October 29, 2009