{"id":116,"date":"2025-04-27T21:35:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T04:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ac.nau.edu\/artcrime\/?p=116"},"modified":"2025-05-03T09:06:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:06:09","slug":"roosevelt-is-rolling-in-his-grave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ac.nau.edu\/artcrime\/2025\/04\/27\/roosevelt-is-rolling-in-his-grave\/","title":{"rendered":"Roosevelt is Rolling in His Grave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last month, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery received Theodore Roosevelt's presidential portrait in an inconspicuous brown package placed at the employee entrance. As I had hoped, the package caused quite a stir in the Washington D.C. area. and later, throughout the world as headlines hit the news outlets. 
Unfortunately for me, this mass media attention came at the cost of my freedom. If it had not been for my carelessness in leaving traces of my fingerprints on the package's brown paper wrapping, the FBI and Smithsonian Office of Protection Services might still be looking for me.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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FIGURE 1. Adrian Lamb (1901-1988), after Philip Alexius de L\u00e1szl\u00f3 (1869-1937). 1967, after 1908 original. Theodore Roosevelt<\/em>. 4.3 ft x 3.3 ft. Oil on canvas. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. Accession Number NPG.68.28.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The word is out and there is undeniable evidence against me, so I must confess. I stole Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s presidential portrait from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. last spring (FIGURE 1). This was my protest against President Donald Trump\u2019s executive orders threatening the accessibility, beauty, and health of the United States\u2019 federal lands. Roosevelt is rolling in his grave as the current administration disregards the spirit of Roosevelt\u2019s presidency, an era in which the nation\u2019s leadership valued mindful environmental conservation practices. 
In completing this theft, Roosevelt became my hostage. A series of anonymous notes that I sent to the National Portrait Gallery communicated my demands for the current administration to rescind new drilling plans, and if my demands went ignored, I promised that I would destroy the painting. Did I really think that my heist would be effective enough to convince the government to reconsider these actions? No, I did not. I did hope that my story would reach popular media, bringing these urgent environmental issues to the top of every social media-user's algorithm. I hoped to grab your attention and convince you all why this is a worthwhile cause, because our voices combined may eventually be enough to effect change. Now that I have your attention, I hope you will understand my motivation...
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Our Public Lands are Under Attack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In favor of economic benefit, the current administration\u2019s intensive resource extraction plans infringe upon the health and safety of the ecosystems, human communities, and wildlife of the United States\u2019 public lands. <\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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FIGURE 2. Egan Cornachione and Paula Pletnikoff. Map showing conservation units that existed prior to ANILCA (in hatched polygons) and the protected lands expanded by ANILCA (solid colors). Alaska Region National Park Service<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In President Donald Trump's recent executive order of January 20, 2025, he stated plans to expand drilling operations on American public lands previously protected by \u201cburdensome and ideologically motivated regulations.\" He claims that these regulations have hindered the nation\u2019s use of untapped resources, limited job availability, and drastically increased energy costs in recent years.
The Secretary of the Interior, Doug Bergum, addressing a more recent executive order, stated that the administration will exploit energy sources in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Congress established ANWR in 1980, which protected over 100 million acres of Alaskan lands, including the 20 million acres of ANWR, to protect migratory and resident wildlife species, wilderness and recreation areas, and the ancestral lands of the I\u00f1upiat and Gwich'in Indigenous people. These actions warrant outrage from the nation\u2019s affected populations, environmentalists, and humanitarians.<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Executive Order: Unleashing American Energy<\/summary>\n
Section 1. Background:<\/strong> “America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our Nation\u2019s economic prosperity. \u00a0In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens…” \u00a0– President Donald Trump, Unleashing American Energy<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
Executive Order: Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential<\/summary>\n
Section 1. Background: <\/strong>“The State of Alaska holds an abundant and largely untapped supply of natural resources including, among others, energy, mineral, timber, and seafood. Unlocking this bounty of natural wealth will raise the prosperity of our citizens while helping to enhance our Nation\u2019s economic and national security for generations to come…” -President Donald Trump, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
Secretary’s Order No. 3422: Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential<\/summary>\n
Sec. 3. Background.<\/strong> “President Trump declared that unlocking Alaska’s massive bounty of natural wealth (Alaska is larger than our smallest 22 States combined) will raise the prosperity of our citizens and help our Nation’s economic and national security for generations to come by,
among other policies:
a. fully availing itself of Alaska’s vast lands and resources for the benefit of the Nation and the American citizens who call Alaska home;
b. efficiently and effectively maximizing the development and production of the natural resources located on both Federal and State lands within Alaska;
c. expediting the permitting and leasing of energy and natural resource projects in Alaska (including specifically for the rights of way and easement for roads that enable this development to occur; and
d. prioritizing the development ofAlaska’s liquified natural gas (LNG) potential, including the sale and transportation ofAlaskan LNG to other regions ofthe United States and allied nations within the Pacific region.” – Doug Bergum, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary’s Order No. 3422: Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
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