Monday, November 4, 2024

‘What’s In A Name?’: Letter Writer Criticizes Movement to Rename Fort Bragg

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Braxton Bragg [Portrait from the United States Library of Congress]

Editor-

What’s in a name?

A lot more than we thought. Take Fort Bragg. Driven by the pique of social-justice activists, Fort Bragg’s in trouble, because of its name. Philip Zwerling, BA, MFA, Ph.D.—born in New York, here via academia, who retired to Fort Bragg in 2018, appears to be one of the leading spokespersons for a facelift of the Fort Bragg name. Currently, he has come up with a contest for Fort Bragg students to change the name of their town. Additionally, In past letters to the editor, Zwerling has stated: “…it seems to me absurd that our town (Fort Bragg) honors a slaver and traitor by bearing his name.” Our town honors? Hold on PHD-in-theater Zwerling, are all the people of Fort Bragg racist because of the name of their town? Do Confederate flags fly from city hall? 

Braxton Bragg,  (who never set foot in Fort Bragg) was a Confederate general. He and his wife owned slaves before the Civil War. After the war, bereft of slaves, he sold life insurance and was an engineer who ran the water works in New Orleans, until during reconstruction, a former slave was given his job. Ole Braxton got what he deserved: old-time, affirmative action. On the other hand, General Braxton Bragg was labeled “the most hated man in the Confederacy.” Why? For shooting his own men and losing nearly every battle he led. No Bonaparte Braxton Bragg. Did Braxton Bragg contribute to the defeat of the South, which led to the end of slavery? History’s a crafty prostitute who works both sides of the streets. Nonetheless, for a petulant few, especially Ph.D. Zwerling, merely pronouncing the name of Fort Bragg requires washing your mouth out with soap. 

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In the 70s, there was a coffee shop in Fort Bragg named “Braxton’s. The cappuccinos were great. The general’s picture was up on the wall as some kind of kitschy joke. That was the first time I saw Braxton Bragg’s image and full name, as well as learned about his rebel past, and I’d been around Fort Bragg since I was 5 years old, when Fort Bragg was a working-class town with a roaring lumber mill and significant fishing port. I jigged herring down on the docks. At 7 years of age my father, a commercial fisherman, took my brother and me to sea for the first time to fish for salmon out by the buoy. As a teenager, I enjoyed movies at the State Theater on Main and slurped milkshakes around the corner at the Green Parrot on Laurel Street, where scenes from Racing with Moon were shot. (Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage) My son was born in Fort Bragg, and when I was a commercial fisherman my home port was Fort Bragg.  At one point in my nautical life, I had to run the Noyo bar in monstrous, breaking seas to arrive safely back in port. I was never so happy in my life to be back in Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg has a piece of my heart. I’m not alone in this, but most people born and raised in Fort Bragg, or arrived at some point in their lives, or rest peacefully in Rose Memorial Park, never heard of Confederate General Bragg. Fort Bragg was just Fort Bragg, a little town along the coast; not some scandalous appellation paying homage to slavery. That is until Mr. Zwerling and his pious, PC pals appeared demanding that Fort Bragg signs be chain-sawed from the earth. Over the years, most residents of Fort  Bragg had no knowledge of Bratton Bragg and didn’t care if they did. Amigos: quién es Braxton Bragg? Braxton Bragg was lost to history’s dust until the name-avengers dusted him off. Changing the name of Fort Bragg is an acrimonious pursuit and it’s not fair to the enduring people of Fort Bragg to taint them with a racist brush. Like every small town in America, it’s the people, not the name. 

If Fort Bragg changed its name to Wokeland, should other names be changed? Towns and cities, or even our own names? The nuisance of political correctness shadows every name. What about the town of Mendocino, or even the county’s name, named for Antoni de Mendoza, the first Spanish Viceroy in the New World? Mendoza was famous, or infamous, for consolidating the conquests of the conquistadors. Dirty work that—enslaving and torturing Indians, stealing their gold and silver, and forcing them into slavery. Braxton Bragg couldn’t hold a candle to them. How about Ukiah, our county seat? In the Pomo language, Ukiah means “deep valley.” Did the first settlers ask the Indians if they could use that name? Does the word Ukiah have sacred connotations for the valley’s original inhabitants? Is there a hallowed burial ground where the county courthouse presently stands? Did anybody check?  Did the settlers even care? Cultural appropriation. Mr. Zwerling and his civic vigilantes have certainly heard of that—the inappropriate adoption of the customs, language, and ideas of one people by members of a more dominant people. Does Ukiah have to go? Call it Costco if you will. Willits? Willits is a name derived from an old English family surname. The Willet’s motto was: “Dieu et mon devoir!” God and my work! “Work” meant killing in this case. It’s on the Willet’s family crest. “Dieu et mon devoir” was a war cry—the last thing someone heard before they were sliced in two by a broad-sword or clubbed to death with a mace. Gualala? Pomo for “qh awallali,” meaning “where the water goes down.” Righteous language rustlers, isn’t that cultural appropriation too?  Santa Rosa? San Francisco? San Mateo? All named for Catholic saints. Is that fair to Protestants, Hindus, Muslims and Jews? And, what about Boonville in Anderson Valley, obviously named for Daniel Boone? Does Mr. Zwerling and his lexicology vigilantes know that Daniel Boone owned slaves, and—by his own confession—killed 4 Indians? Boonville has to go. Wait: Anderson Valley? Anderson was a sinister, Viking name…poison-mushroom-eating, foaming-at-the-mouth berserkers, who murdered, looted, raped and enslaved people throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Goodbye, Anderson Valley.  Wino Valley, in honor of the tasting rooms?

Come to think of it, what about my name: Koepf? In German “Köpf” means head, as in: “Er ist ein heller Köpf.” He’s a bright fellow. I’ll take that. However, “dummköpf” in German means stupid. Yep, time to cancel myself. 

Astonishingly, I’ve come across a name that, ostensibly, may be more troubling than mine. Worse than Mendocino; even worse than the name of Fort Bragg.  It’s a name that allegedly denigrates an entire sub-section of our populous. Ironically, that name is Zwerling! Zwerling comes from an altered form of German, and in German der Zwerg means— “midget!”  The Orwellian Institute of Lexicon Control currently forbids the use of the word “midget.” It’s the M-word now. The M-word is identity-first language. Identity-first language puts a person’s disability before that which a person actually is as a human being. Worse, the suffix, ling, attached to Zwerg implies a diminutive and, often, pejorative form of the preceding word. Zwer-ling, smaller midget?  Dwarf? Have we arrived in Lilliputian land? I’m certain that Phillip Zwerling, who recently arrived in Fort Bragg, has never, nor would he ever, use any word or words deemed derogatory to m-word little people, or, for that matter, any other group in our population. Nonetheless, nouns and surnames anchor us to the world, whether we seek their origins or not. What’s in a name? Is it best we take a look at ourselves before we point fingers at the name of somebody’s town? 

-Mendocino County Resident Michael Koepf

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31 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t know if people are aware, especially these old drug demented liberals that slavery still exists. It’s called human trafficking. (you could still buy slaves in North Africa in the 1970’s) What no edicts from the city council against that? So someone let this dipshit go on and on and because he’s an academic that gives his opinion more weight? Some of these academics are past their prime mentally and physically (they should be worried about their incontinence or whether they can go once a day) The egos of these people abound! One more mark on the chalkboard of woke achievements. There were slaves in Egypt, should we change the name Egypt? I think the city council should keep the name because its historical and i feel people want to see it kept that way. Why doesn’t he go back to that shit hole NYC and do all the woke things to his heart’s content. We are a majority be ruled by the minority, tis not even a minority, it’s just a few woke individuals looking for virtuous props.

    I’m sad to see that the Thomas jefferson statue was removed from the NYC council chambers because of this bullshit. This is the guy whose work gave all us a say in own own destinies and our own freedom to do what we are doing here. Try that in Putin’s Russia or in China? Need I say more? Think fucking hard on that.

  2. Oh again and again with this name change stuff. Its just another case of people moving somewhere then trying to change it. Their group has minimal membership with majority not even residing here, or having personal investment. Majority of residents do not want name change and I highly doubt anything will change. Also offering a 3000.00 prize to hs seniors for a essay does not show support for cause but shows people will do anything for money. Also they make it appear that high school behind them. I was assured that the high school is not involved in this contest. It’s not school endorsed, and this group has not and will not be allowed to address students at school.

  3. Braxton Bragg doesn’t pass the sniff test, that’s why sir. Shit!! His lingering smell and decay has tainted all the water and air with his rot. Eating the tainted fish simply goes unnoticed, as the pallet slowly dies so will the ecosystem. Your childish rant suggests you owe them $3000 as an ass-hat entry fee. America is better than Braxton “The Killer” Bragg.

  4. This writer misses the point of the name change and seems to deflect to language semantics. Braxton Bragg was a treasonous general of the confederate south. Slavery aside or even cultural appropriation aside. Cities and towns have changed names over time in many countries including in the US. This particular consideration isn’t a controversy except for the triggered southern apologists. Fort Bragg is a noteworthy city in Mendocino and it appears often on maps and globes as a prominent place of interest for this coastal region. People who live in Fort Bragg can choose whether they want their city name to be associated with someone who took up arms against the US gov’t (and fellow Americans) and helped in causing hundreds of thousands of US deaths. It’s not a military post anymore nor does the name reflect on the local inhabitance. Let the residence of Fort Bragg choose its name.

  5. If you translate French, translate it properly. Dieu et mon devoir = God and my duty, no work.
    As for the rest of your letter punctuated with Ad Hominem attacks and “wokeland”, it is nothing but a long, but perfect demonstration of the Whataboutism fallacy.

  6. Wonderful read. Thank you Michael, not everyone is so woke, but we of course get prosecuted in the court of public opinion for speaking out against the woke crowds and ideology. You’ll be portrayed as someone that kills baby kittens for fun if you speak out against the anti-woke agenda.

    If these folks want a woke land that is PC right down to the name of the toilet paper they are wiping with how about they pool a bunch of their assets together and go and buy up a bunch of rural uninhabited and unincorporated property somewhere. They can name it whatever they want, defund whatever they want (or not fund it in the first place), and have socialism for all. It can be your own great Woke Country experiment. Lets see how it works out for you…

    God bless America and our treasonous forefathers for founding this country so the woke-minded can even express their opinions and ideas freely. Yes, lets not forget that the United States of America was founded by an act of treason against the King of England. Should we just dissolve the country because of our treason past?

  7. Per Mr. Koepf’s rant

    Definition: Ad hominem

    attacking an opponent’s character or motives rather than answering the argument or claim.
    appealing to prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to intellect or reason.

    The ‘fort” that was established here was a de-facto concentration camp, wherein indigenous people who had been ethnically cleansed from their ancestral lands were forcibly dumped, systematically starved, and subjected to involuntary servitude before the few survivors were again force-marched off to another camp inland. Bragg was a former US Army captain who turned traitor to the USA and directly caused the deaths of thousands of US servicemen. Neither the fort nor the man is worthy of commemoration.

    Mr. Koepf’s diatribe includes many references to places of his childhood. No doubt the Pomo and other indigenous people who had lived along this coast for more than ten thousand years could have told similar stories of their history and culture — before that history was erased and the culture canceled within the space of less than 30 years by the white invaders. Why should Mr. Koepf’s culture be sacrosanct? Because it’s white?

    The essay contest invites students to argue either side of the question, for -or- against changing the name. Their essays will be judged by an independent panel of educators and writers not affiliated with Change Our Name solely on the basis of logical reasoning, writing quality and support by credible sources. Perhaps one of the students will present a solid, well-researched and supported case for retaining the name. That’s certainly something that no adult has been able to do to date.

    The mission of the Change Our Name 501 c3 non-profit California corporation, recognized by the IRS as a fully tax-deductible entity, is educating people about the *full history of the area — especially including the parts that some people would prefer never be mentioned. More information may be found at: https://www.changeournamefortbragg.com

    • Well, off to the Golden West in Fort Bragg for a beer and a shot plus a round of shuffleboard. These people who have recently moved to Front Bragg spouting platitudes of precious, boring, woke history care nothing about Fort Bragg’s history, nor the families who have lived, worked or have been buried here over the years under their town’s name: Fort Bragg. Ad hominem? Michael, you’ve deliberately confused that term with the word etymology: the origin of a word or name and the historical development of its meaning. Mikael? What? Scandinavian or Arabic? Etymology in Arabic: “the talent from the almighty God, the talent from the almighty.” Whew! If so, a bit pretentious Mikael, so you can just call me Mike.

      • Spot on Mike! So well said…and I remember your days as a tough local fisherman I unloaded you at Alioto’s…a heritage which “speaks” to the necessity of retaining the history We know as locals…a town that has been a “safe harbor” for our lifetimes and all those who have been fortunate enough to live here…present Or past…and Not the evil empire heritage Mikael enjoys painting of the town!

    • Saddens me deeply. I would like to take this opportunity to officially report these murders at the fort, of my native ancestors, to California lawmakers and the Feds alike. It’s disgusting how little respect exists here. Maybe we should erect a giant 21 foot bloody fist gripping various torn and sliced scalps made from bronze so folks see the offense. While we are at it, should we name a town “Jim Crow” so we honor those who criminalized so many?

      Are there bones and body parts of these murder victims at the fort still?

  8. Well said! We can recognize the wrongs of history, but we don’t need to change city names, or destroy historical statues. This rhetoric just keeps people divided.

    • Bwana (big boss) BJ, Mikael…any Bobs, Joes, Willies, or Hanks out there anymore, or has Mendocino county become just one big theatrical flop with pseudonymous names?

      • Never thought that I would live to see the day when these salty old coastal towns like Fort Bragg that were once full of tough men and women would fall too the wayside of wokeism.I suppose that all of the old-world Italians, loggers, and commercial fisherman have moved on or died off.Not to mention the hardcore pre legalization guerrilla and mom and pop growers that have now been replaced with the cannabis cultivators with their medicine and Mendo Love Bullshit.

  9. Philip Zwerling should pack up and go back to fix his home state, which turned into a “s..t hole” thanks to liberal politicians. I immigrated to the US right after grad school 35 years ago. When I first arrived, I was a social democrat. Once I became a citizen, I voted for democrats because I believed in free healthcare and education as we were entitled to in Europe. It didn’t take me too long to realize the hypocrisy of liberals in this country, and as the woke movement turned into a mental disorder that affects so-called progressives, I turned into a raging independent. I no longer recognize my adopted country and I dread what the future holds for us. If you lose your capacity for rational and independent thinking, you’re just another sheep in the flock – whether you belong to the left or right.

  10. Michael Koepf: “Fort Bragg has a piece of my heart. I’m not alone in this, but most people born and raised in Fort Bragg, or arrived at some point in their lives, or rest peacefully in Rose Memorial Park, never heard of Confederate General Bragg.” and: “I’m not alone in this, but most people born and raised in Fort Bragg, or arrived at some point in their lives, or rest peacefully in Rose Memorial Park, never heard of Confederate General Bragg.”
    It’s true that many people who live in Fort Bragg, whether their whole lives or newcomers or visitors are unaware that Fort Bragg was named after a traitorous Confederate general in an accident of history. Most of these same people are probably unaware that Fort Bragg also has the only school district in California that has schools named after a Confederate traitor that took part in killing thousands of Union soldiers.
    I know Philip Zwerling, he is someone I have known with our common interest in cycling with the Seniors on Bikes club, and I am very happy that he has actively participated in monthly activities to make the citizens of Fort Bragg aware of the history behind Braxton Bragg, as well as the campaign of extermination and exploitation of native Americans by the US Army and settlers in the greater Fort Bragg area in the 1800’s. Michael’s rant is typical of those channeling the Trump cult (you see several large Trump flags in the area with Fort Bragg Forever signs plastered on their properties) who are prone to denigrate and insult those they oppose, instead of sticking to any historical facts such as a few I have mentioned here. It’s obvious Michael that you don’t know Philip like I do, and if you did you wouldn’t be posting a nasty commentary about Philip.

    • Insult? The etymology of a name? I discussed mine for a laugh. How about your’s? For instance: Robert Josiah Wilson, Mississippi, 2,300 acre, 39 salves. There are thousands of Wilsons in America. Must they all change their names for the sake of some silly, woke crusade? I’m sure Zwerling’s a well intentioned guy, but his intentions disrespect those that cherish the name of their town, no matter what its origins may have been 160 years ago. . Lighten up. I’ll by both you pedaling, aging wokesters a drink at the Milano to help you relax. What’s next Washington DC?

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MendoFever Staff
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