Last night at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, DC, the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund remembered Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, who passed away on September 5, 2016. Schlafly, the founder of the Eagle Forum, is perhaps best remembered for leading grass-roots campaigns against Communism, abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. Perhaps less well known, Schlafly was a champion of inventors, and a defender of a vigorous and strong patent system.
As recounted recently in an article on IPWatchdog.com, Jim Edwards and Peter Harter explained that Phyllis Schlafly opposed the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, understanding the perils of requiring patent applications to be published prior to a patent being issued. She also opposed the America Invents Act of 2011, explaining that it would lead to Chinese dominance.
“Relentlessly and tirelessly, Phyllis Schlafly fought to preserve, protect and defend the world-class patent system the Founders gave us and American inventors of all stripes have taken advantage of, to our nation’s great benefit,” Edwards and Harter wrote.
Indeed, Phyllis Schlafly was a giant who well understood the importance of the U.S. patent system, why structural choices were made that lead to a unique patent system compared to the rest of the world, and how vital it was to our national and economic security. In the end, as she knew she would not live forever, she wanted those similarly dedicated to the mission to understand the that work must continue, which was a recurring theme of the celebration and remembrance of Schlafly last night.
Numerous dignitaries were in attendance, many who provided thoughtful and inspiring remarks. In the coming days and weeks we will circle back to those very important speeches, by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), Congressman Dave Bratt (R-VA), Chief Judge Paul Michel (ret.), Pat Choate, Peter Harter, Kevin Kearns, Ken Blackwell, Laurie Self, and both Andy and John Schlafly.
What follows is a picture diary of the event. Stay tuned for more!
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3 comments so far.
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May 26, 2017 10:36 amAh. And so too are the “fundamentalist building blocks” of science and human ingenuity that the SCOTeti lug around worthy of such acclaim.
Peter Kramer
May 26, 2017 06:06 amSome may say she was a “giant” but her description of creationist nonsense as inclusion of the “full range of scientific views that exist” was a giant pile of hogswalop. There is nothing in creationism or crackpot “intelligent design” so-called theory that qualifies as a scientific view. Her statement that “quality science education should prepare students to distinguish the data and testable theories of science from religious or philosophical claims that are made in the name of science” was a towering example of doublespeak worthy of the Ministry of Truth.
step back
May 25, 2017 07:40 pmGene,
Thanks for this posting.
Reminds us all that there is more than one way to serve one’s country.
While our soldiers are fighting overseas to supposedly defend our Constitution, there are others fighting on the home front to keep America great by sticking to our Founding Fathers’ advise that we should “promote the progress of science and the useful arts” by maintaining a strong and secure patent system.