How to take the "devil" out of "Mount Diablo"? Rename it after President Ronald Reagan, of course

[Kadie]

The battle for Mount Diablo's name (and soul), Part II

How to take the "devil" out of "Mount Diablo"? Rename it after President Ronald Reagan, of course, declares Arthur Mijares. A pious Christian, Mijares, of Oakley, believes "Diablo," the Spanish word for devil, is "derogatory and profane" and proposed the name change to the United States Board on Geographic Names.

This is his second try to rename Contra Costa County's 3,849-foot-high mountain after Reagan, who died on June 5, 2004. During Mijares' first campaign in 2005, he told the Chronicle:

"When I look at that mountain, I see beauty, an entity that was not created by the devil. The devil does nothing but rob, cheat, steal and kill. That is his nature. I've known about this for years, but I've now decided it is time to act."

His initial request was denied because he was told honorees must be dead for at least five years. Undaunted, Mijares suggested Mount Kawukum, which he said meant "laughing mountain, everywhere seen." Kawakum is apparently a fictitious word, according an official interviewed by the Chronicle. He also suggested Mount Yahweh, Mount Miwok or Mount Ohlone.

The mountain's demonic moniker stems from an incident involving the Spanish troops around 1805. Soliders who were hunting for Native American runaways came across a village of Chupcans. They surrounded the village at a willow thicket, but the Chupcans mysteriously escaped, so the Spaniards dubbed the area "Monte del Diablo" or "Thicket of the Devil." "Monte" was later misinterpreted as mountain and as time passed, tales of "evil spirits" and a Satanic sighting by a priest emerged.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?entry_id=56221#ixzz0dwvNKSWe




The Prince of Darkness has a peak: Mount Diablo (Chronicle photo courtesy of Fredric Larson)

[denverbill]

1. Mount Dumbass? n/t

[Kerrytravelers]

2. Seems to me that Mount Diablo is already named after Reagan.

:shrug:

[Turbineguy]

3. Reagan?

How about Mt. Hitler.

[Raineyb]

4. I though they wanted to take the devil out of the name.

Reagan = devil to me.

[nosmokes]

5. I say anything named after that sonofabitch is fair game to any vandalism

that right minded youth and young at heart old farts can muster the will and wherewithal to commit.

[demosincebirth]

6. Why don't we change all the cities and towns, in California, and change

and give them "murcan" names

[L0oniX]

7. You might as well name it Satan as name it Reagon ...it's the same thing anyway.

I still hate that SOB and I will always hate him ...and that fucktard Nancy too.

[11 Bravo]

8. Remember when Bob Barr wanted to name a structure in every county in the U.S. after Reagan?

At the time I sent a letter to his congressional office stating that I had named my dick "The Ronald Wilson Reagan Memorial Penis", and informed him that he could scratch Fairfax County, Virginia off of his list. Funny, I never heard back from him.

[louis-t]

9. "The devil does nothing but rob, cheat, steal and kill."

Name it Mt Republican.

[RainDog]

10. ronald wilson reagan=666 lol. n/t

[Liberal In Texas]

11. I'm surprised they don't want to name it Mt. SAINT Reagan. n/t

[Spirochete]

12. You would think

that if they didn't want it named after the devil, they would name it after someone better, not worse...

[LeftishBrit]

13. So if you translate 'Diablo' into English you get 'Reagan'?

I always wondered. Though in British English you'd get 'Thatcher'.

[theothersnippywshrub]

14. They want to name it after the Hollywood Rapist?