Back in DC

Back in DC

And back on grandson duty with such “chores” as reading, going to the playground and, generally having fun.

One of the other benefits of having “DC connections” is learning about special events.  The American History Museum had an interview with Norman Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Commerce.

 For this interview, he is a former Japanese internee who along with his family was forcibly removed from his home in San Jose, CA to Heart Mountain, a relocation camp north of Cody, WY. 

He talked of wondering why, as a ten-year-old born in the USA, he was being referred to as an enemy alien.  His family went to Hialeah Racetrack, where they were lucky enough to be too late to be housed in a horse stall.  In early winter, with only their “California clothes” they were moved to the barren, cold area of central Wyoming.  His father required the family to gather each evening for the communal dinner whereas other children seemed to run wild and depart from their family connections.

One of the good parts of the camp was the forming of Boy Scout troops where the boys had constructive outlets for their energy.  The troops met with troops from town and shared in scouting experiences.  Former Senator Alan Simpson was one of the young scouts Mineta met and they have been good friends since that time.

We had considered the relocation as much a land grab of Japanese owned farm land as a “security measure.”  We were interested in learning of a local real estate attorney in San Jose who enabled Japanese to buy before and to regain their homes after the war.  The California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited non-native born citizens from owning land.  Ben Peckham, a San Jose attorney, helped families get around this law by buying property in the name of young American-born Japanese children and transferring the title when they turned twenty-one.  Peckham also bought homes from Japanese families forced to relocate, not charging a fee for this service.  He then returned the homes to them when the war was over.

Another topic of the interview was the lack of Japanese-Americans to hold top power positions in government and industry.  One of the museum curators did a “rap” on Japanese power seeming more technical than cultural.

After the discussion we had a delicious and discussion-filled lunch with Don and Barbara, friends whom we enjoy meeting each time we come to DC.

We needed to do some chores on the RV parked  Elks Lodge and wanted a reward of doing something enjoyable.  We chose a tour of The Inventor’s Hall of Fame which is located in Alexandria.

Patenting goes back about 5000 years to when pottery had an identifying label.  Our Constitution protects innovation

Abraham Lincoln, the only president to hold a patent, got #6469 in 1849 “For Manner of Buoying Vessels.”  He made the model himself.

We enjoyed seeing the vast range of items that are patented, from Sesame Street characters to electronic ink to leak-proof diapers to game boards.

Acting the proud parents, we went through a security ordeal to “kvell” (Yiddish for to feel pride) at seeing Jeff’s name followed by a patent number.

We have had really poor weather since we arrived, rainy and cold with only a handful of sunny days.  But when Bennett wanted to fly a kite at the Washington Monument after school one day, the weather obliged with light winds and sunshine.