Gen. George Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress as Commander in Chief of the Army at Annapolis, Maryland, December 23, 1783.

On this day in 1783, future President George Washington, then commanding general of the Continental Army, summons his military officers to Fraunces Tavern in New York City to inform them that he will be resigning his commission and returning to civilian life.

Washington had led the army through six long years of war against the British before the American forces finally prevailed at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. There, Washington received the formal surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War, although it took almost two more years to conclude a peace treaty and slightly longer for all British troops to leave New York.

Although Washington had often during the war privately lamented the sorry state of his largely undisciplined and unhealthy troops and the ineffectiveness of most of his officer corps, he expressed genuine appreciation for his brotherhood of soldiers on this day in 1783. Observers of the intimate scene at Fraunces Tavern described Washington as "suffused in tears," embracing his officers one by one after issuing his farewell. Washington left the tavern for Annapolis, Maryland, where he officially resigned his commission on December 23. He then returned to his beloved estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, where he planned to live out his days as a gentleman farmer.

Washington was not out of the public spotlight for long, however. In 1789, he was coaxed out of retirement and elected as the first president of the United States, a position he held until 1797.

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As I saw it, three school board members were clearly attempting to advance personal agendas and leave some sort of “legacy” to themselves at the expense of Franklin taxpayers. Franklin-blogger Janet Evans went to great lengths to expose this crowd (see “Links to all Open Records Request Emails and Other Correspondence”) after being contacted by former School Board President Scott Bauer, who was unable to stop the “gang of three” from putting their ill-conceived $78 million high school referendum on the April 2007 ballot, which was overwhelmingly rejected by the Franklin electorate.

Now I’m reminded by fellow Franklin–blogger Bryan Maersch and FranklinNOW, that the “chickens have come home to roost,” and in April 2009, the terms of some of the players in this fiasco will expire.

With this in mind I’ve decided to republish "A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY….”  And I’ve also re-opened the aforementioned FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS Facility Needs Survey Report.

April generally marks the beginning of Spring, and Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. This Spring (April 7, 2009), vote Jim Ward and Mary Karolewicz off the Franklin School Board, and transition Franklin Public Schools out of its “dark winter” into a “bright summer.”

Here is "REPRISE: A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY…”

In the past, all that was included in this section was the board member’s name, phone number and official email address.

The City of Franklin’s Director of Administration, Mark Luberda, has once again stumbled across his line of authority and it has not gone unnoticed by Franklin blogger Greg Kowalski in his latest post.

As reported by JSOnline this morning, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights within the Federal Highway Administration, seeking an additional review of the impact on minorities and compliance with civil rights laws over the expansion of I-94 to the Illinois state line.

In his post, Kowalski references a blog post by Kevin Fischer, and correctly asks:

“Why on earth would the Director of Administration for a city that rejected local funding for the interchange in which he's discussing be interviewed in the first place? Furthermore, the interchange isn't even in Franklin - - it's in Oak Creek. While I know the answer, I feel like asking anyways: Where's the exclusive response from Oak Creek's Director of Administration or Director for Community Development? Wouldn't you think Oak Creek or even South Milwaukee residents would have more concerns about whether or not this is built?”

I strongly agree with Kowalski, and reject, in similar terms, Fischer’s ridiculous assertion that Luberda is a “top Franklin official.”

According to the City’s website, the Director of Administration serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipal Corporation; leading, planning, organizing, and directing the administration of the City of Franklin toward the fulfillment of goals and policies determined by the Common Council.

In short, this is a staff position. And although the director “represents the City in intergovernmental and legislative functions,” this is clearly – as Kowalski points out -- not a City of Franklin matter.

We are constantly told at Common Council meetings how busy and over-worked “staff” is. I’m beginning to think that the real problem is a lack of focus, or worse, Adult ADHD.

As I’ve said before, I resent unelected staffers like Mark Luberda, City Engineer Jack Bennett, or Planning Manager Joel Dietl, over-stepping their authority, especially when it comes to matters of policy.

The “sleigh ride” needs to end and the “buck” stops with the Common Council and Mayor Taylor.

• When the 2008 campaign books are closed, President-elect Barack Obama will probably be the first billion-dollar candidate.
• On top of $90 billion for mayors, Democrats are planning to give away another $500 billion to states.
• The head of the congressional panel monitoring the gigantic federal bailout says the government still does not have a coherent strategy for easing the financial crisis despite having already spent billions of dollars.
• Defense Secretary Robert Gates signaled yesterday that Obama's 16-month timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq is flexible.

Merry Christmas, Steve!

The news was “music to the ears” of the curator of the Historic Blockbuster Museum Store which offers its visitors a glimpse of how movies were rented in the past.

Surgeon Christiaan Barnard

Washkansky, a South African grocer dying from chronic heart disease, received the transplant from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old woman who was fatally injured in a car accident. Surgeon Christiaan Barnard, who trained at the University of Cape Town and in the United States, performed the revolutionary medical operation. The technique Barnard employed had been initially developed by a group of American researchers in the 1950s. American surgeon Norman Shumway achieved the first successful heart transplant, in a dog, at Stanford University in California in 1958.

After Washkansky's surgery, he was given drugs to suppress his immune system and keep his body from rejecting the heart. These drugs also left him susceptible to sickness, however, and 18 days later he died from double pneumonia. Despite the setback, Washkansky's new heart had functioned normally until his death.

In the 1970s, the development of better anti-rejection drugs made transplantation more viable. Dr. Barnard continued to perform heart transplant operations, and by the late 1970s many of his patients were living up to five years with their new hearts. Successful heart transplant surgery continues to be performed today, but finding appropriate donors is extremely difficult.

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Formerly RAPID FIRE!

• Analysts warn that the nation’s next financial crisis could come from the $8.5 trillion cost of battling the current one.
• Hordes of lobbyists are lining up to cash in on the $700 billion stimulus Democrats are promising to give away.
• Does Obama's expected pick of Tom Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services contradict his pledge to rid the White House of special interests?
• The Washington Post has joined the New York Times in calling for Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to step down as chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. The Times reported Tuesday that Rangel helped preserve a valuable tax loophole for an oil and gas drilling company while the company’s chief executive was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York.  The Times reported Tuesday that Rangel helped preserve a valuable tax loophole for an oil and gas drilling company while the company’s chief executive, Eugene Isenberg, was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York.

Merry Christmas, Sandi!