.

>> america is facing a self-jihad, an islamist offense to introduce sharia law bit by bit by bit. islam demands already an america today, separate camping housing for muslims. islam demands that women have separate hours in gyms and swimming pools. schools in america today are planning christmas celebrations, are taking part of the cafeteria menus to avoid offending muslim students. and caught, even in america, in florida, even in america have begun to apply sharia law and be aware that this is only the

beginning. if we do not stop the islamization, we will lose everything that we stand for, everything that we fought for. our constitutional states, our freedom, our civilization, and a europe already today, we are losing the right of free speech, the right to criticize islam. and what we need, my friends -- this perhaps is the most important message today -- what we need is a spirit of resistance, resistance to evil. it's our moral duty. and this assistance begins with expressing our solidarity to all christians, all jews, all non-muslims, all muslim states.

in fact, all people who are the victims of islam. we can see what islam has in store for us if we watch the faith of the christians in the islamist world today, such as egypt, lebanon, syrians in iraqi, christians elsewhere, such as the grave people, the brave christians in nigeria. almost every day churches and christians are assassinated. even in turkey or indonesia, christians face discrimination and humiliation on a daily basis. and the course of all this wristian suffering is islam.

rivers of tears are flowing from the middle east. there is only one, only one safe haven for christians, and indeed, there's only one place in the middle east where christians are safe to be in the state of israel. and ladies and gentlemen, that is why israel deserves the support of christians worldwide. as a matter of fact, israel is the canary in the coal mine. if israel cannot exist in peace, none of us can. israel is the only democracy in the middle east. it's a safe haven for everyone. it's a beacon of light in an area of total darkness.

and if israel falls, ladies and gentlemen, if israel falls, everybody will feel the consequences. as a matter of fact, israel is fighting our fight. [applause] -- mothers in the west can sleep safely at night, because israeli martyrs at night are worried about their sons in the army because they are fighting our fight. and that's why i say that we all are israel. we should all support israel, because islam's so-called holy war is in effect a war against all of us. ladies and gentlemen, in march 2008, i released the 50-minute

come ens air about the korean and the threat of islamization in the netherlands. while at that time i was invited by senator jon kyl in the u.s. senate, the screening of my movie was banned by the european parliament. the government even barred me from entering the united kingdom on the day that i was invited to show fitna in the house of lords. later in that same year, later in 2008, lettish liberal and islamist organizations in the netherlands brought me to court over fitna. they accused me of incitement to hatred and discrimination. i was prosecuted in my own country for merely stating my opinion about islam.

fortunately i was acquitted from all charges. but the legal ordeal lasted almost three years. imagine having to deal with a court case for three years. that's a lot of time and energy . the court finally acquitted me, because i have criticized islam and muslims, and because as an elected politician in a public debate, i was entitled to greater freedom of speech than normal citizens in the netherlands, which, of course, is totally wrong. ladies and gentlemen, it is important that we realize how the west got into this present situation. it's partly our own fault, because we have foolishly

adopted the ideology of multiculturalism. and when i say multicultural ism, i refer to culture relativism, the biggest disease of political correct europe and perhaps even america today. multiculturism or culture relativism is the crazy idea that all cultures are equal. but, of course, cultures are not equal. i am proud to say, i'm not ashamed, but i'm proud to say that our culture that is based on christianity, on judaism, humanism is far better, far superior to the islamist culture. we should not be afraid, we

should be proud to say so. ladies and gentlemen, cultural relativism, this disease, political correct disease, is weakening the west day by day. government leaders, lawyers, judges, churches, trade unions, media, academia, charities, all of them are blinded by political correctness and are condoning islam. and as a result of this cultural relativism, a little bit of the free west, we should realize it every day again, a little bit of the free west dies every day. multiculturalism is promoting islam, an ideology that threatens our core values, such as tolerance.

multiculturalism has made us open our borders to those who cannot be assimilated. it made us tolerate the sbol ranted, and now intolerance is annihilating tolerance. ladies and gentlemen, we should, in the name of tolerance, claim the right, claim finally the right not to tolerate the people who are intolerant to us anymore. [applause] we should, in the name of self-preservation, not allow those who refuse to asam late

to our values, not to their values, but to our values, to enter our country anymore. my dear friends, i'm not a pessimist. we can still turn the tide, even in europe, if we act today. and there are four measures that we must take. first, perhaps the most important, we must tell people what is at stake. in western europe, freedom of speech is being restricted as the demands of france, islam, and their collaborators. if christianity, if someone in christianity is called a form of art, that if some criticize islam, it's called hate speech. that is the reality today. and there's reason for concern

if the erosion of a freedom of speech is the prize we must pay to accommodate islam. there's reason for concern if those would be denied that islam is the problem, they will not grant us the right to debate the issue and speech the truth. and this is our first and most important obligation, defend the right to speak what we see as the truth. that is why we in europe need to follow america's example and introduce the european first amendment. but once we have the right to speak, once we have the right to speak the truth, we need to use that right. the letter is also a message to you in america.

speak the truth. even when it's uncomfortable, even when it's not politically correct, even if the liberal media will kill you, even if you receive death threats. the truth can and may never be compromised. second, we must, as i said, end cultural relativism. we should not be afraid to say who we are and to know and say who we are not. we must say that our christian values are better and superior than the islamist values. thirdly, we should stop the islamization process. morris lamb means more intolerance and more sharia and less freedom.

we must stop the islamization from countries. we must expel criminal immigrants. and last but not least, we should forbid the construction of new mosques. there is enough islam already. and fourth, we must take pride in our nations again. we must demand that immigrants accept our values and not the other way around. what we call home, ladies and gentlemen, what we call home is more than just a place on the map, it is our belonging to a community of values, a community of ideas and ideals.

my friends, you and i, americans and europeans, we belong to a common western culture. we share the values and ideals of our common heritage. and in order to preserve our nations and our homes, and in order to pass our heritage on to our children, in order to survive, we must stand together , otherwise we will be submerged in the uniform nation of islam, and this is what we do not want to happen. so we must defend our civilization. ronald reagan said that the future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted, and reagan was right. president reagan was right. we must embrace or we will be

totally strong by totalitarianism. it is a constant struggle to preserve our faith, our family, our freedom, but we owe it to our children, and this is why i believe that we must stand firm. we will not submit to islam, never. we will survive with our own ideology, with our own judeo-christian heritage. we will defend our values. we will speak the truth. and why do we speak the truth? because we stand for the truth, and because the truth will set us free. ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. thank you. [applause]

>> geert wilders. geert wilders. [applause] >> you will long remember, you will long remember this afternoon summit 2012, when this man of courage, this hero of freedom and of western civilization came across the atlantic to bear his witness and give his warning. bravo, geert wilders. >> this good and brave man who shrinks from absolutely nothing

does not shrink from your questions,, of course. if we can bring up the lights so those watching on the internet and tv can be in the conversation. please identify yourself, and we'll take just a few questions. who's first? >> me. >> please. you have the floor. i'm not seeing you. >> over here. >> this side, please. >> joe from act for america. we at act, we always do the same exactly like you're doing, which is, i felt, i felt myself talking over there. so i know what you feel, and i know what happened, because i'm from lebanon. now, we are seeing mosques in

this country growing like mushrooms. now, the biggest mosque, by the way, for everybody is coming to fort collins. the biggest mosque in middle america, into fort collins. now, what do you think we have to do to stop building these mosks other than resistance? >> well, like i said, and i fully -- let me start with that, i have a lot of respect for act, for america. it's a very good and strong organization with gabriel heading it. the first thing people should do is educate people what a mosque stands for. a lot of people think that islam is a religion and not a violent ideology, and people believe that a mosque is something like -- a lot of people believe a mosque is something like a church or a

synagogue. well, we know that it is not. so, educate people what a mosque, what the islams stand for. this is a. b, what you should do -- and this perhaps is the most important and most difficult thing to achieve -- is elect politicians that are brave enough to say enough is enough, no more mosques in my constituency. the most important thing to do. that doesn't mean it will be realized tomorrow, but it's a very important step and like i said, those politicians or those organizations like act for america will get a lot of people being very nasty, a lot of journalists saying the most terrible things. people, muslim organizations, will perhaps even take you to court, being intimidated. it's called the legal jihad, the legal warfare, to silence people who try to stand up and

speak the truth about no more of courses or no more sharia law, whatever. please continue. it's the only way to fight the process of islamization in our society. >> thank you. >> christian solidarity international. for over nine years, i have been going into south darfur with south sudanese underground railroad, negotiating the release of christian slaves and others. jihad is very real. and i think we need to be more than vigilant. i think we need to be proactive. i'm not sure that many of you in this room knew that jihad was declared in 1983 against the primarily christian south.

to this day, 35,000 men, women, and children are still enslaved in darfur, in cordovan, and in the north, although omar bashir is wanted by the i.c.c., this administration has not delegit tiesed the person conducting not only a genocide in darfur currently for a year and in the blue nile region, and i suspect the people will be next. but actually perpetrated that against the christian south for 23 years before it became free. we must be more than vigilant. >> thank you, pastor. how about over here, please? >> maybe i want to comment

shortly, because i fully subscribe that everything she said. but there is one more thing we can do, and this is what i also describe in my book, is that there is an organization, a very dangerous, but powerful international organization called the o.i.c., the organization of islamist conference. islamist countries subscribe to that organization. as a matter of fact, this o.i.c. is the largest voting bloc in the united nations today. they made a declaration about human rights in cairo, the so-called cairo declaration, and this organization states in this cairo declaration that all are limited to sharia law, and this is why, in sudan and in many other countries, that christians or jews or others, non-muslims, are being harassed

or killed. so, what i proposed, how can it be that in 2012 that the largest voting bloc in the united nations is contained of countries, member states of the o.i.c. that say that human rights are limited to the sharia law. what we should do is we should kick all the o.i.c. countries out of the united nations tomorrow. give an example. and this is the only language they understand. if you discuss with them, it is seen as weakness. we should act, not talk, but act. and as long as they are not -- if there's not a majority, as long as there are not countries great enough to send them out, to expel them from the united nations, we free western countries like america and holland should not fade --

shunned send one cent of contributions to the united nations. >> yes, please, once again recognize our magnificent guest , our brother who loves freedom and loves god from across the atlantic, dutch parliamentarian, our hero, geert wilders. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> today on "washington journal," terry madonna, he looks at the campaign in ohio, pennsylvania and florida. we examine the impact of the current heat wave will have on food prices. and a professor talks about the future of u.s.-pakistan relations. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.

>> on "news makers," lee sonders from the american federation of state, county, and municipal employees, discusses his plans for the union, the upcoming presidential election, and other related issues. "news makers," today at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> we had pulled into the refueling that morning around 9:30. we had more the ship to appear in the middle of the harbor. >> the former commander officer of the u.s.s. cole on the events surrounding al qaeda's october 2000 attack that left 17 dead and 37 injured. >> i was turned back to my desk and doing routine paperwork when, at 11:18 in the morning, there was a thunderous explosion. you could feel all 505 feet and 8,400 tons of destroyer quickly and violently pressed up and into the right. it's almost like we seemed to hang for a second in the air. the ship was doing an odd twisting and flexing.

we came back down in the water, lights went out, ceiling tiles popped out. everything on my desk lifted up about a foot and slammed back down. i let really grabbed the underside of my desk in a brace position until the ship stopped moving and i could stand up. >> more with "front burner" author kirk lippold tonight on "q&a." >> the future of the national mall was the topic for a house natural resources subcommittee hearing last month. witnesses testified on overhaul plans and proposed monuments for the national mall. the trust for the national mall has recently commissioned plans for an overhaul, including underground parking and performance spaces. this is just over an hour.

>> under the rules, opening statements are limited to the chairman and ranking member. however, i ask unanimous consent to include any other members' opening statement in the hearing record submitted to the clerk by the close of business today. so hearing no objection, it will be so ordered. the national mall is america's front yard. actually, it's the back yard. our guides have to say we have a east front and west front, which is a nice way of saying the steps are the east, the west side is the back. that mean the east was the front, because everyone knew washington, d.c. would grow to the east, which means this congress has been wrong from our very inception. so, the national mall is really our back yard, but it stretches from the capitol to the lincoln memorial and is the home of the washington monument, world war ii and veteran and vietnam memorials, as long as the smithsonian museums t. includes

the area from the white house to the jefferson memorial, and millions of americans will visit these historic sites every year, and it is essential they be protected and preserved for the future. each year, congress has to consider potential changes and additions to the mall and deliberate how each proposal would affect this important resource and its finite capacity. in recent months, we've seen exactly why it's important to advance memorials with caution. the memorials has gained significant attention, and in my opinion, the process has still failed to achieve a design with a consensus of support. as that situation has worked out inch i hope we can learn from the process what was done well, what we as a committee and jurisdiction can do to legislate a better process in the future. we must also consider the case in which new memorials have proceed live rated. we have to evaluate each proposal on its merits, and i believe congress has done that

in the past. however, taken on their own, there are probably thousands of ideas that make sense. vietnam memorial is very popular, and most people find it inspiring. but i doubt at the time congress grew the memorial they considered the fact it would lead to a korean memorial, subsequently to an enormous world war ii memorial, and now that that's been built, people are asking why isn't there a national world war i memorial. again, it isn't to say each of these are not meritorious on their own, but the committee must consider the future generations and their heroes and their historic events that may want to be commemorated. before we devour the remaining space in an attempt to immortalize our generation. where do we draw the line? between elements that are appropriate for the mall and what has almost a gettysburg national battlefield. this hearing will provide an opportunity to discuss what we can do better when it comes to the future of our national mall. we have invited witnesses that

should be able to provide us with an inside perspective to the care and planning of this iconic landscape. i welcome insight into what this congress can do better to preserve the grandeur of our national mall and it continues to be blessed ground. every year we have more and more proposals for another addition. we have to figure out the metrics on how we will go forward in that area. for these reasons, i think it's our duty, and i'm sure all my colleagues will agree that we have to preserve a very prominent site on the mall for the memorial to ronald wilson reagan. with that, i conclude my statements. >> thank you. good morning. good morning to our guests. i want to thank all the witnesses for taking the time to come and testify before us today. today's hearing title is the future of the national mall. i am glad that my colleagues have decided to address this

topic. it's always good to revisit our previous successes. there's a lot to talk about on this topic, and i look forward to this morning's conversation. the national mall is where we recognize our triumphs and failures. it is a place to celebrate culture, to re-create, and to learn. the educational role of the mall is often forgotten by congress, and i hope we can discuss that as well today. but every year, thousands of visitors, including students from across the country and international tourists travel to washington, d.c. to learn more about this great nation. but often, the stories and narratives they learned from our memorials and public spaces are not entirely true. some of our memorials even perpetuate myths. for example, lincoln saved the nation, jefferson created the

declaration of independence, roosevelt brought the country out of out of great depression. well, none of these are lies. only one-dimensional story emerges, a story that idolizes a series of events rather than acknowledges the humanity of the person. the public space is not only where history is retold, but where history actually happened. the national mall is a living, vibrant history book where tales are told and the power of the place moves us continuously toward understanding a deeper side of our collective history of the country. the french-born surveyor designed a public space to signify the democratic birth of a country. numerous soldiers camped on the lawn to make a statement to lawmakers about their plight. first ladies hosted an eastern morning outdoor concert. an african-american preacher, speaking in front of the lincoln memorial, ignited a

nation. these stories are among the many that make up the story of our country, where democracy surviveed and continues to thrive, and our national mall is a place where we can continue to learn from the past and build for the future. i look forward to hearing more from our witnesses about their vision for our nation's back yard. with that, i yield back. >> thank you. our panel of witnesses today include officials from the agencies and commissions who are responsible for overseeing the mall, along with two distinguished private citizens who will share their expertise with us. so, on the panel, and i invite them up, is the regional director for the national capital region and national park service. we also have the secretary of the u.s. commission of fine art. we have the chairman of the national planning commission. we have the president and

chairman of the national civic art society. and i hope i didn't butcher those names too badly. we appreciate you coming here. i think you've all been here and know the drill. you see the lights in front of you and the timer in front of you tells you how much you have. we're asking you to confine your oral presentations to five minutes. the green light means everything is going. when you hit the yellow light, it's like when you're driving and you speed up very quickly, so that when you hit the red light you stop. with that, if you would like to start off. >> it is my pleasure to appear before you today to discuss the future of the national mall. i would like to summarize my statement and submit my full testimony for the record. the national mall is a preeminent designed historical landscape and is home to some of the great symbols of our country. my summary will focus on the

process for locating memorials on the mall and also on some current projects to improve the mall. proposals for new memorials and the district of columbia are governed by the commemorative work. the procedures set forth in this law are built on four basic tenets. one, it delegates decision making of the design of memorials to those agencies already legislatively charged with planning and urban design review authority. two, it precludes commemorations prior to 25 years from the date of the death of an individual or the death of the last surviving member of a group, or the occurrence of an event in order to maintain the appropriate historical perspective. three, it limits commemoration of subject toss major conflicts or branches of service with the intention that most future military memorials would be

placed on military lands. and four, it addresses where memorials can be built. in 2003, congress determined that the mall is a completed work of civic art and establish the reserve, an area in which no new memorials would be permitted. at that time, there were 31 memorials already in place or approved on the mall. congress has twice made exception to the prohibition of new memorials, museums, and visitor centers in the reserve. in 2003, for the national museum of african-american history and culture, and in 2009 for a plaque honoring senator robert dole at the world war ii memorial. in addition, the vietnam veterans visitor center was authorized in the same law, which established the reserve. there are currently 12 bills before congress to establish

eight new works. the national capital memorial advisory commission has studied these bills, as well as over 70 other memorial bills introduced since 1986. as various times we've recommended amendments to the bill or locating the memorial on lands not covered by the commemorative works act or commemorating the subject other than a manner in a traditional memorial. turning to operational matters, the demands on the national mall are constant and wide ranging. each year there are over 3,000 applications for public gatherings, resulting in more than 14,000 event days of use. the resulting wear and tear damages turf and trees, impacting the historic landscape and providing continual maintenance challenges. the national park service is responsible for responding to the ever-increasing visitation with a more sustainable and

healthier landscape and improved facilities. towards this end, the national park service developed the national mall plan, which lays out a blueprint to rehabilitate the mall, accommodate high levels of diverse use, protect the historic symbolic landscape, improve energy efficiency and park operations, and better meet the needs of millions of visitors. implementing the plan will require a reinvestment estimated at 600 to 650 million dollars, which we expect to achieve through a contribution of donations and public funding. a major fundraising foundation is being undertaken by the nonprofit partner, the trust for the national mall. several projects can be funded through the american recovery and reinvestment act, including the d.c. war memorial, the lincoln memorial reflecting pool, the thomas jefferson memorial rehabilitation and phase one of the army corps of

engineers potomac park levee project. other projects include phase one of the mall turf reconstruction project and a constitution avenue reconstruction project from 15th to 23rd street. the projects include drainage systems, water collection systems, irrigation, and replacing the turf with high-tech sod and andacks-resistant soil with granite curbs. projects that are currently in the design stage include additional phases of the mall turf reconstruction project, the mall walkway study, the earthquake repairs to the washington monument, the world war ii memorial rehabilitation to address leaks and prevent damages to the memorial, and the washington monument screening facility and thomas jefferson memorial perimeter security study. most recently, the trust sponsored a national mall design competition for three sites in the national mall man,

the constitution gardens, and union square. the architect of the capital will use the ideas generated in the competition to develop specific plans to redevelop the sites. the national park service has recently taken steps to improve transportation for visitors, contracting with various tour operators to provide services in and around arlington national cemetery and the mall. in addition, the national park service is working with the district of columbia to increase access to rental bicycles around the national mall. mr. chairman, this concludes my statement. i'd be pleased to respond to any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have. >> i notice on the constitution project you have cameras that catch you when you run a red light. i think you just got a ticket.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. good morning, chairman bishop and members of the subcommittee. i'm honored to serve as secretary to the u.s. commission of fine arts. the commission thanks you and appreciates the opportunity to contribute to this discussion on the future of the national mall. the commission of fine arts was committed by an act of congress in 1910 as a result of the planning efforts of the senate park commission, initiated by senator james mcmillan of michigan at the turn of the 20th century. since then, the commission of fine arts has played an integral role in the creation and development of the national mall as we know it today. this is a principal federal agency for reviewing proposals for public and private structures in the nation's capital. private individuals and organizations, and the district of columbia government, comprised of seven presidentially appointed members who are selected for their expertise in the art, the commission has a particular role in guiding the design of

national commemorative symbols, including monuments, oversees military cemeteries, or coins and medals produced by the united states mint. these need to be worthy representations of our nation and our civic ideals. the commission has been active the engaged in realizing the full potential of the mall as the nation's public ceremonial space as envisioned in the mcmillan plan of 1902. they've reviewed construction on the mall since 1910, including playing a key role in the design of the lincoln memorial almost 100 years ago. most recently he had additions at or near the landscape. in addition, the commission contributes an important voice in improving design for many operational elements added to national mall sites.

these include security plans for the lincoln, washington, jefferson memorials, and smithsonian institution museums, the design of the potomac park levee at 17th street northwest, and a current reconstruction of the reflecting pool and mall lawn panels. in its active role, the commission also worked closely with many public and private organizations having an interest in the mall. the commission has cooperated with federal partners to alleviate pressure of additional construction on the mall. it collaborated with the national capital planning commission, as well as the national capital memorial master plan of 2001. building on that plan to encourage development of museums and commemorative works into other areas of the city, the commission of fine arts together created the monumental core framework plan in 2009,

which recommended the extension of the commemorative landscaping to key areas of the surrounding city. this says also national mall plan. included in the mission's responsibility is the approval of sites and designs of memorials under the commemorative works act of 1986 . i'm honored to represent them at the national capital memorial advisory commission, expressed established by congress under the law to advise on questions, authorization, location, and design of national memorials. with this group of professionals who are still involved so closely in planning and design of the public realm, congress has a unique resource in considering and evaluating often competing interests for accommodating commemoration within the monumental core of the city. since its creation as a primary design review agency in the nation's capital has been committed to encouraging the

highest quality of design for the development of the mall as the nation's premier civic space. we look forward to continuing our work with congress, other agencies, and the public to achieve the strongest vision possible for the national mall. mr. chairman, that concludes my testimony. thank you for inviting me to testify. we'd be pleased to answer any questions you might have. >> thank you very much. >> good morning, mr. chairman. my name is preston bryan, and i'm from the national planning commission. this is the federal government's central planning agency for the national capital region, and we focus on key issues that affect federal lands and buildings. our activities include, for example, jointly authoring a comprehensive plan for the national capital with the district of columbia. reviewing all federal development projects in the region and addressing the unique planning issues of the

capital city. i'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak with you about the role in the national memorial process in our efforts to protect the historic open space and unique urban design qualities that make washington one of the most admired capital cities in the world. for each memorial project, we strive to ensure that we implement a process that is responsive and transparent. more broadly, our goal is three-fold. first, to ensure that washington's commemorative landscape explores a diverse, rich history and stories of the american -- of american history. second, to meet the expectations of millions of americans who visit the nation's capital, and third, as you said, mr. chairman, to plan for the future generations that have excellent locations for their memorial projects. under the commemorative work act, ncpc approves the site and design of each new work that congress authorizes.

ncpc works with a number of stakeholders, memorial sponsors, the national advisory commission, the u.s. commission of fine arts, and depending on the site or location, either the national park service or the general services administration. we work with the stakeholders to ensure the memorials are located and designed in a manner that supports their commemorative purpose and enhances their surroundings. because memorials are often integrated within some of washington's most prominent public settings, staff works closely with sponsors and either the national park service or the g.s.a. to ensure that each new project is designed to the highest standards. agency partners developed studies. these studies are designed to support memorial process and plan for the next generation of memorials throughout washington. we want to protect the national mall from overbuilding.

overbuilding may diminish the openness of this symbolic place. national capital planning commission and its agency partners have developed two significant works. one is the memorial and museum's master plan, and second, the memorial -- the monument core framework plan, and let me say a word about each of these. the master plan achieved two important goals. first, it identified a reserve area where no new memorials may be built. congress codified the reserve, which includes the mall, in the 2003 commemorative works clarification and revision act. they strongly support the reserve policy, which maintains the mall's open spaces and existing memorial landscapes that are admired and enjoyed by americans today. the master plan also identifies

100 potential sites for future museums throughout washington, d.c. this strategy does a few things. it protects the mall. it helps visualize opportunities for their projects. and it introduces cultural destinations to neighborhoods in all four quadrants of the city. the plan has successfully guided six projects to other locations off. mall, including memorials honoring president eisenhower, the u.s. air force, the czechoslovak jack president, the victims of communism, the victims of man-made ukrainian famine, and american veterans disabled for list. now let me speak to the framework plan. in 2009, we published the monumental core framework plan. this plan identifies strategies to extend civic qualities of the national mall and the vitality of the city into federally dominated precincts throughout the monumental core. in doing so, the framework plan identifies several strategies to make potential locations for

new cultural destinations located off the mall, more attract i have to museum and memorial sponsors. examples include precincts south of i happened pence avenue, including 10th street southwest, and new cultural projects in these areas can serve as anchors to spark investment, add high-quality public spaces and buildings, and provide destinations that introduce visitors to new parts of the city. ncpc coordinated with the national park service to ensure the framework plan's goals and recommendations were consistent with the national park service's national mall plan. these plans provide long-range vision memorial sponsors need to consider areas beyond the national mall. last, our most recent study called washington ads commemoration provides an opportunity to look closely at trends related to memorial content and location over time. the study was conducted in partnership with the national park service and includes the

development of publicly accessible catalogue of existing memorials on federal land in washington, classified by subject matter, theme, and location, and you can see this as an interactive online map at ncpc.gov. the study also includes analyses of how other cities plan for memorials. thank you for inviting me, and i'm happy to answer questions. >> thank you. >> members of the subcommittee, i would like to thank you -- mr. chairman, ranking member, members of the subcommittee, liled to thank you for inviting the national civic a little society to speak.

as an educational nonprofit dedicated to the classical and human, we believe in the importance of preserving and protecting the national mall and mcmillan plan that created it as an essential part of our country's heritage. the mall and the surrounding monumental core are arguably the greatest work of civic art in the modern era. to highlight this, we recently produced a documentary film on washington, d.c.'s classical heritage, which is available to watch on our website, civicart.org. to envision the future of the mall, we must understand its task. the mall as we know it is merely just over 100 years old, yet it appears to have been there forever. it is hard to imagine, but at the turn of the 20th century, there was no breathtaking vista from the capital to potomac, no graceful boulevard lined with noble he had physicians. but instead, a shabby, rambling park anchored on one end by a train station and on the other by a swamp. this was hardly the vision president george washington had in mind when he directed pierre

to create a master plan for a new capital worthy of a new mission, a grand scheme of raid ating avenues whose arrangement was focused on the capitol, white house, and future washington monuments. to this day, these are the landmarks by which we orient ourselves. harmonious and orderly, the plan and its most important structures were to be classical in design, the physical manifestation of our form of government and political aspirations. this decision connected the city to the ideals of republican rome, democratic athens, and the enlightenment. as thomas jefferson emphasized, the classical tradition is time honored and timeless. in a letter, he express the his personal desire for a capital designed after "one of the models of antiquity, which has probation of thousands of years." to be clear, our founding architects no more slavishly imitated european architecture

any more than the founders imitated other forms of government when they drafted the constitution. they created an unmistakably american style. by 1900, the plan had largely been forgotten. thankfully, in 1901, congress created the senate park commission, led by senator mcmillan. serving on that commission were some of the greatest architects of their time, all of whom worked in the classical tradition. they not only revived the plan, they perfected it. they extended the main access. mall to the lincoln memorial site. they also leveled the ground to create one of the greatest man-made vistas and public spaces in the world. this created a site of national unity, one that still stands as the physical embodiment of our collective ideals. beginning after the first world war, some ark teblingts abandoned that spirit. beholden to an ideology that rejected the past, they asserted that classic buildings were must-see piles that stunk of ideas and ideals whose time

had passed. indeed, these architectural radicals oppose the design for the lincoln and jefferson memorials. after world war ii, it was complete. as a result, the mall came to be vandalized by such buildings as the hirschhorn museum, which looks like a alien spacecraft or gun turret looming over the public, as well as the f.b.i. building, which looks like the ministry of fear. today we find ourselves in a predicament like that of the mcmillan commission. the classical vision for the city and its monumental core has once again been forgotten, ignored, and violated. sadly, the national park service and other agencies charged with preserving the mall have been neglecting their commission. the mall was created by the mcmillan plan deserves to be protected, yet when getting official prove to the eisenhower memorial, a post-modern eyesore that clashes with our tradition of presidential memorials, the park service did not even bother to consider the design's

cultural and historical impact on the mall and other protected sites. the good news is there is a solution. the future is rooted in the past. what we need is a plan for the district of columbia that carries on the brilliant vision of our founders. the mcmillan plan for our time, that would preserve and extend the best of our capital into a third century. it was none other than franklin delano roosevelt who made sure the jefferson memorial was built over the objections of out of touch elites. he said, "the principles of harmony and necessity require that the building of a new structure shall blend with the essential lines of the old. it is this combination of the old and the new that marks orderly, peaceful progress, not only in buildings, but in building government itself. it is that sort of leadership which is willing to stand up to architect who is think they know better than the american people that washington sorely needs today." thank you. >> thank you.

>> mr. chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to address the future of the national mall, a place that is dear to me as a native washingtonion and in my role as a history educator for practicing classroom teaches. all of us here believe in the importance of teaching history, and for the sake of today's discussion, let me suggest that good history instruction connects the learners to the story being told and to the significance of continuing to tell the story for many years. one instructional method encourages teachers to share with students their passion for the subject matter through immersion, lengthy exploration, prospective taking and informed debate. but today's teachers face considerable challenges in helping students engage in historical thinking. most teachers, including history majors, generally receive poor instruction from their k-12 teachers, as well as from their university instructors. many teachers feel restricted by standardized tests, and in the absence of strong professional development,

classroom teachers tend to use methods that are familiar and approved rather than those that are more engaging. with the federal funding of the teaching american history grant phasing out, there are even fewer opportunities for teachers to deepen their professional practice. yet the creative teacher can still help students understand and appreciate history. one way is for field visits to historic sites. the national mall, which is a wealth of memorials, monuments and museums and historic sites, is considered the gold standard for history story-telling, welcoming over 24 million visitors each year. but it is not enough to drive eighth graders 1,000 miles to stand at the base of a monument and say, kids, this is important because it is here. the thing that makes historic sites and memorials educational is the question, why is this still here? public memorials and monuments can spark public debate. memorials might offer the most interesting venues for engaging classroom students and historical thinking through the use of wise interpretation that

embraces effective technologies, partnerships, and a posture of humility. if we truly want to honor the people and events from our history, we must do more than create solitary pieces of stone that largely serve as resting places for migratory birds. a person or event worthy of represented station is also worthy of interpretation that brings the stones alive and places it in the context to understanding by future generations. the habits of democracy must be engineered into our memorials and monuments a simple involves chaka and paper for rubbing headstones. another is to teach with website, which allow virtual visits to the national mall before, after, or instead of a trip. whatever the technology, it