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<DIV>Bruce</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I agree with you that walking your dog on mansion </DIV>
<DIV>grounds would deter vandalism. I agree with you the</DIV>
<DIV>public has a right.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But with "right" comes respect & responsibility. I sledded</DIV>
<DIV>at the mansion since I was a little girl. We built bon</DIV>
<DIV>fires in the big metal cans, cooked hot dogs, drank</DIV>
<DIV>hot chocolate, sat on logs, sang songs. It was a great</DIV>
<DIV>time - even my kids & I enjoyed it. Would I sled there</DIV>
<DIV>now or let my grandchildren sled there? NO. It is now</DIV>
<DIV>a beautiful historic spot & a museum - it is not a play</DIV>
<DIV>ground because I have a "right". And if any of the grass</DIV>
<DIV>etc got messed up from the sledding - I can just see</DIV>
<DIV>a parent coming forward to pay to resod etc or anybody</DIV>
<DIV>exercising their "right" stepping up to the plate to fix it.</DIV>
<DIV>Therefore, we should choose Not to sled at the mansion.</DIV>
<DIV>And teach our children that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We may have a right to burn our country's flag when</DIV>
<DIV>we are angry - but is that respectful to our country? </DIV>
<DIV>With our "rights" come responsibility for the consequences</DIV>
<DIV>of our "rights" - there are other ways to choose to show </DIV>
<DIV>we are angry at our country. Choosing our "right" to burn</DIV>
<DIV>our flag - only shows what kind of a person we really are.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The mansion is a wonderful spot to run a dog as long as</DIV>
<DIV>it is only a few exercising their "right" - but if many other</DIV>
<DIV>residents wanted to run & play too - that would be </DIV>
<DIV>disrespectful as the mansion is not a dog park.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You would not see the residents at Mt Vernon running</DIV>
<DIV>their dogs thru Mt Vernon or Robert E Lee's house or</DIV>
<DIV>James Madison house etc - ---maybe early in the morning</DIV>
<DIV>or in the evening a few residents would walk historic home</DIV>
<DIV>grounds & as long as nothing major happens everyone </DIV>
<DIV>closes their eyes. And this is ok.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I think what I was responding to is if one person thinks it</DIV>
<DIV>is their 'right' - then 100 other dog owners would think it is</DIV>
<DIV>their "right" - and it is their "right" - but it is not appropriate, </DIV>
<DIV>respectful etc etc.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just because we have a "right" does not mean we have to</DIV>
<DIV>exercise that "right" - we can CHOOSE to be respectful,</DIV>
<DIV>CHOOSE to look at the consequences of exercising our</DIV>
<DIV> "rights" & use good judgment.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Emily</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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