John Fetterman, call your office. You have yet another opportunity to prove that recovering from a stroke restores common sense.

I thought of Fetterman and his return to common sense when I read this tidbit: the National Park Service has announced that it will be “rehabilitating” Welcome Park, one of the most historic sites in America. And in doing so it will remove all vestiges of Pennsylvania’s founder William Penn.

Before removing to the American colonies, William Penn was imprisoned several times in the Tower of London on account of his faith. Persecution transformed Penn into a leading proponent of religious liberty and self-government, which would come to define the Pennsylvania colony… pic.twitter.com/j1LGeOfK3A

— Lafayette Lee (@Partisan_O) January 7, 2024

Located a couple of blocks from Independence Hall, the site of Joe Biden’s Leni Riefenstahl speech, Welcome Park is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Independence National Historic Park.

Named after the ship William Penn came to the continent on, it is located at the site of Penn’s home. The park exists to celebrate Penn’s life and his many accomplishments. That is the whole point of the park.

Not only did Penn become the founder of the state that bears his name, but he did so as a strong advocate for religious freedom and as a friend to the local Native Americans. A convert to Quakerism, he led a mass migration of Quakers from England after having been imprisoned several times for his religious convictions. He was an early advocate of a union between the English colonies, and the Founding Fathers considered him an inspiration for the Constitution.

At the time of its founding, Pennsylvania was arguably one of the freest places on earth.

William Penn was the first great hero of American liberty. During the late seventeenth century, when Protestants persecuted Catholics, Catholics persecuted Protestants, and both persecuted Quakers and Jews, Penn established an American sanctuary which protected freedom of conscience. Almost everywhere else, colonists stole land from the Indians, but Penn traveled unarmed among the Indians and negotiated peaceful purchases. He insisted that women deserved equal rights with men. He gave Pennsylvania a written constitution which limited the power of government, provided a humane penal code, and guaranteed many fundamental liberties.

For the first time in modem history, a large society offered equal rights to people of different races and religions. Penn’s dramatic example caused quite a stir in Europe. The French philosopher Voltaire, a champion of religious toleration, offered lavish praise. “William Penn might, with reason, boast of having brought down upon earth the Golden Age, which in all probability, never had any real existence but in his dominions. “

Penn was the only person who made major contributions to liberty in both the New World and the Old World. Before he conceived the idea of Pennsylvania, he became the leading defender of religious toleration in England. He was imprisoned six times for speaking out courageously. While in prison, he wrote one pamphlet after another, which gave Quakers a literature and attacked intolerance. He alone proved capable of challenging oppressive government policies in court–one of his cases helped secure the right to trial by jury. Penn used his diplomatic skills and family connections to get large numbers of Quakers out of jail. He saved many from the gallows.

In light of all this, it shouldn’t surprise you that Joe Biden’s National Park Service wants to memory-hole Penn and replace the park dedicated to him and replace it with one dedicated to multiculturalism.

PHILADELPHIA — The National Park Service proposes to rehabilitate Welcome Park to provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors. Welcome Park was designed by the internationally acclaimed design firm Venturi & Scott Brown Associates. The park is located on the site of William Penn’s home, the Slate Roof House, and is named for the ship, Welcome, which transported Penn to Philadelphia. The design and construction of Welcome Park was funded by the Independence Historical Trust and was completed in 1982.

The proposed rehabilitation of Welcome Park includes expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia and was developed in consultation with representatives of the indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee, the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The reimagined Welcome Park maintains certain aspects of the original design such as the street grid, the rivers and the east wall while adding a new planted buffer on three sides, and a ceremonial gathering space with circular benches. The Penn statue and Slate Roof house model will be removed and not reinstalled. In a separate and future effort, new exhibit panels will be installed on the south site wall to replace the Penn timeline.

The public is invited to submit comments on this proposed design for the rehabilitation of Welcome Park for a 14-day period from January 8th – 21st, 2024 through the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) athttps://parkplanning.nps.gov. Comments submitted through social media, phone calls, email or mail will not be accepted. All public comments must be received through PEPC by midnight Sunday, January 21st, 2024.

Poof. William Penn is gone.

My thoughts? Joe Biden’s expression here says it best:

This isn’t a stupid idea. This isn’t a mistake. This isn’t just some normal bureaucratic muckup.

This is an insult to every American who has any pride in our history, and it is intended to be exactly that. The Biden Administration is defiling the birthplace of America–this is, after all, part of the Independence Hall historical park, and wiping away one of the historical figures who developed the ideas that formed our country.

William Penn's statue & Welcome Park literally sit on where he lived. It was his home. These Marxist history-erasers @NatlParkServicewant to remove his statue AND a wall noting his timeline. The entire state was named after him. See this picture and you know why. https://t.co/y2OCmvn582 pic.twitter.com/QISUyyRXuw

— 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 ™ © ® ⓘ 🇺🇸 (@PhillyTalk) January 7, 2024

That’s why I can’t wait to hear what Fetterman says when a reporter inevitably asks him what he thinks. Will he continue his return to common sense?

He has already called Harvard “pinkos” and has been an outspoken advocate for Israel against Hamas. Now, he has an opportunity to defend America against these psychopaths trying to destroy every bit of our historical legacy.

Come on, John. It would be glorious to see you call these historical arsonists out. And even lead a charge to reverse this travesty of a decision.