The National Park Service got a sharp lesson from Pennsylvania on Monday: you don't even hint at removing William Penn's statue.
The leader in teaching the NPS this lesson was the Keystone State's Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro.
On Monday morning, the Park Service unveiled an unusual — even bizarre — renovation plan for Welcome Park in Philadelphia. The plan included removing the statue of William Penn from the neighborhood of his former home on Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Penn is the English born-writer who founded the province in the colonies that became the Commonwealth (state) of Pennsylvania — named for him, of course.
Penn's statue, read the Park Service's website, would be replaced by an "extended interpretation of Native American history in Pennsylvania."
Pennsylvanians of all ages and faith hit this hard, and the NPS site was soon deluged with attacks on what was widely considered an assault on the state's founding father. Many posted comments on the website branding the proposed removal of the statue "stupid" and "Communist."
"Students to senior citizens agreed this proposal ranged from the laughable to the absurd," former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker told Newsmax, adding that Penn was a gentle Quaker who preached respect for people of all faiths.
But it was the present governor of the state who led the charge to save Penn's statue. Throughout the day, the governor's staff was in touch with the Biden administration to, as Shapiro posted on X, "correct this decision."
It did. At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, the Park Service announced the plan to rehabilitate Welcome Park was shelved and that William's Penn statue would remain where it is.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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