Thursday, May 12, 2011

Owner Of House Used In The Underground Railroad Says He Won't Sell To Developers

NBC Action News

LAWRENCE, Kansas - It’s not unusual for perfect strangers to just drop by Dennis Dailey’s Lawrence home, and the former University of Kansas professor doesn’t mind it at all. In fact he likes sharing the history of his home, especially with the African American families who stop in.

Dailey’s home used to be a stop on the Underground Railroad.

'There’s joy and tears it’s just a amazing experience to watch them relate to what the underground railroad means to them," Dailey said.

The Miller House was built in 1858 by anti-slavery activist Robert Miller.

Today the five acre farm still has a country feel though it’s on 19th Street just east of downtown Lawrence.

Ironically the house once hosted Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill.

“He stopped here, he knew the Millers, that’s one of the reasons he didn’t burn the house down I think," said Dailey.

Quantrill raided Lawrence the next day burning down most of the town and killing more than 200. Now the home is a collection of the past and present and Dailey wants to make sure it stays that way even though some people would like to change that.

Dailey said, "A developer came in here and offered us an obscene amount of money and the intent was to bulldoze everything and put up apartments.”

Daily said he’ll turn the place into a park before he lets that happen.

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Thousands Stage Counter Demonstration Against LSU Student Who Was Going To Burn American Flag

Fox News

A student’s plans to burn an American flag on the LSU campus were cut short Wednesday when thousands of combative counter demonstrators arrived on scene, prompting police to escort the student to safety.

Crowds wearing red, white and blue and chanting “U-S-A” threw water balloons and ice at Benjamin Haas, a communication studies graduate student, while he tried to read a prepared statement in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500 to 2,500 students and community members.

Haas publicized the event on Facebook and obtained a permit for peaceful protest from the university, according to LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard. But when he found out he also needed a burn permit from the city to set fire to a flag, he decided to read a statement instead – but the rival protesters still would not let up.

“The crowd was following him because he mhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1076693466498072201oved from one location to another, so I think the police wanted for everyone’s safety involved to escort him out of the area,” Ballard told FoxNews.com.

Horse-mounted police worked their way through the crowds until they were able to escort Haas off the premises in a police cruiser, according to LSU's student newspaper The Daily Reveille.

Haas organized the protest in response to the arrest of fellow LSU student Isaac Eslava, who was charged last week for taking the American flag at the Baton Rouge campus’ historic War Memorial and burning it hours after news of Usama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. Navy Seals.

The 10-by-15 flag burned by Eslava flew atop a 102-foot pole 24 hours a day at the campus and honors all the war dead from LSU. Police said there was about $7,530 worth of damage at the memorial and called it very "coincidental" that the event took place so soon after bin Laden's death.

“I think that (Haas') goal from this protest was to have LSU drop charges (against Eslava) and handle the matter internally,” Ballard said.

Haas said in his statement that he “initially began this flag burning protest to define due process for students and suspected terrorists alike,” The Daily Reveille reported. “Solidarity means standing with those who are treated as guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other day around.”

LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said in a university-wide press release that he was pleased Haas opted not to burn the flag.

“I’m happy that after talking to university officials and realizing how many people are against flag-burning, that he thought better of it,” he said in a statement that appeared to contradict Ballard's explanation for Haas' decision. Officials were not immediately available to explain the contradiction.

Haas' protest was followed by a separate peaceful assembly led by LSU student government president Cody Wells. In front of a crowd gathered around the campus’ flagpole, Wells read the history behind the American flag and led the audience in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the national anthem.

“My main message behind all of this is that it’s time for my generation and our society to start speaking up so that the minority voice does not always seem like the loudest voice,” Wells said. “(Haas) did have the right to burn the flag, but it was not an honorable thing for him to do and our student body and fellow Louisianans made that very clear today as they rallied on campus to show support for our county.”

Reverend Billy Graham In Hospital Recovering From Pneumonia

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Evangelist Billy Graham remains in an Asheville hospital after being admitted for treatment of pneumonia.

Mission Hospital released a statement Thursday morning, saying the 92-year-old rested comfortably Wednesday night and was able to sleep well.

Graham was admitted to the hospital Wednesday after he experienced sweating, coughing and breathing difficulty Tuesday night.

Graham's doctor confirmed Thursday that he has pneumonia and his temperature is normal. According to the hospital, Graham is doing well enough to resume his normal activities, including physical therapy.

Graham is listed in fair condition. A discharge date has not been set.

A hospital official said Graham has been watching television and joking with hospital staff during his stay.

Graham's spokesperson, Larry Ross, said Graham is grateful for the outpouring of love, concern and prayers of people across the country.

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