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February 3, 2010

Satanic Naming, Gipper Haunt Contra Costa Mt. Diablo

What happens when your local mountain has a Satanic name? Some Contra Costa residents in California are trying to change the name of Mt. Diablo because it is "profane and derogatory."

The effort is spearheaded by Oakley resident Arthur Mijares, who has suggested the mountain be renamed "Mt. Reagan" after former President Ronald Reagan.

Now, I have to wonder, is having a mountain renamed after you a good or bad thing? Would the Reagans see this as kind of a backhanded compliment? As in, the first person this guy thought of when he wanted to give a better name to "Devil Mountain" was The Gipper?

Mijares is serious. He feels that many of the social ills in the area are due to the mountain's name, although at least one local official thinks the fellow is a "crackpot."

Mijares is already on the local Alcohol & Other Drugs Advisory Board. He brings to the job a deep faith and an experience as a recovered addict. He's also brought his name change fight to the United States Board of Geographic Names.

One problem is that the devil seems to be everywhere. The Diablo name is on the local high school for instance, leading one irritated graduate to say "I went to Mt. Diablo, home of the devils. I'm not a bad person and I highly believe in God, but come on."

An editorial in the Contra Costa Times also notes that if the mountain is renamed, there are some other renaming challenges ahead: "How about Reagan Valley? Reagan Unified School District? Reagan High School? Reagan Elementary? Reagan Boulevard? Reagan Health Care District?" All of these bear the Diablo name at the moment.

So far the powers that be have been pretty negative about the name change, and to truly voice displeasure, there is a Facebook group you can join if you think this is a silly idea. I'm tempted.

Technorati Tags: Mount Diablo, Mount Reagan, Oakley, California, satanic, naming dispute

Posted by William Lozito at February 3, 2010 9:41 AM
Posted to Licensing | Naming | Naming Rights | Travel and Tourism

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