Still upset over the devilish connotations of Mount Diablo, an Oakley man has again petitioned a federal agency to rename Contra Costa County's signature peak.
This time he wants to rename the 3,849-foot-high mountain for the 40th president of the United States -- Ronald Wilson Reagan….
[Arthur] Mijares, a devout Christian, says he believes the word "Diablo" -- Spanish for "devil" -- is "derogatory and profane," according to the federal board report. Mijares was unavailable for comment Thursday.
In 2005, he attempted to change the name to Mount Reagan, but the board, citing its Commemorative Naming Policy, told him the late president needed to be dead for at least five years before receiving such an honor. The former California governor died June 5, 2004.
Mijares argued that the devil, or "diablo," was a "living person" so that name should also be prohibited. He eventually settled on three alternative options: Mount Yahweh, Mount Miwok or Mount Ohlone.
Comment #1: I know several people who believe Reagan is the devil. In the unlikely event that Mijares succeeds, they presumably would treat the name change as a mere technicality.
Comment #2: So Diablo is a living person but Yahweh isn't? That's a surprisingly modern brand of Christianity that Mijares is peddling.
