Those darned Yankees
This isn’t a post on gay rights, politics or religion… I’m fully aware. I had to take a moment to be a history geek.
Well… it seems as though North Carolina gets to keep its copy of the Bill of Rights after all. The former co-owner of our Bill of Rights says that the state illegally seized private property - property which had originally belonged to the state and was stolen from us.
According to an article from the News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), a federal judge has ruled that the rightful ownership of the document belongs to the state. The former co-owner says he will appeal to the Supreme Court.
Way back during the Civil War, some “Yankee” soldiers decided, for laughs I guess, to steal our copy of the Bill of Rights. Since then, the document has floated around from owner to owner, even as the state tried desperately to have it returned to us.
Back in August 2005, our Bill of Rights was finally returned to us, with the help of federal authorities.
What I don’t understand is how this former co-owner can claim that this document rightfully belongs to him. Does he not know that when you buy stolen property it doesn’t belong to you, no matter how much you paid for it and no matter how long it had been stolen from the original owner.
Sorry… the North isn’t winning this time (btw… that was a joke, don’t take it seriously, lol)
Picture: Gov. Mike Easley (left) and U.S. Attorney Frank Whitney (right) show off North Carolina’s copy of the Bill of Rights, which President George Washington gave to the state in 1789. (AP photo, August 2005)
Hat Tip: My usual morning reading of the Winston-Salem Journal and BlueNC.com, of course.
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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