I am surprised that there have been so few postings about 400th anniversary activities. The History News Network had a link to the 10 January article in the Times Dispatch about VP Cheney's speech at the commemorative opening session of the Virginia legislature at the historic old church on Jamestown Island. Even though he was confused about one 17th-century quote, his talk apparently proved very moving and meaningful for the legislators. Delegate Phillip Hamilton (R-Newport News) felt that the occasion was historic, providing "a great boost to Virginia, and it does reaffirm the role of Virginia in the history of this nation." When the legislature moved back to regular session in Richmond, however, that warm and cozy feeling quickly vanished. As I read in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on 1/17, Delegate Frank Harmon spoke against a "measure that would apologize on the state's behalf to the descendants of slaves." He allegedly told a Charlottesville reporter that "our black citizens should get over slavery" and then added: "are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?" Needless to say, his comments "drew denunciations from stunned colleagues." In terms of the past, present, or future, 2007 promises to be a quite a memorable year. Fred Fausz St. Louis To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html