Take 'em down
Published August 18, 2017
by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, August 15, 2017.
Now that even the morally obtuse Trump has been forced to say white racist terrorism is wrong, we move on to a knottier issue: Should Confederate statues and memorials stay, or should they go?
Here’s a case in point. If you drive down Hillsborough Street toward the State Capitol in Raleigh, you come to a somewhat phallic memorial that reads, “To Our Confederate Dead.”
Stay? Or go?
I say go.
The Confederates fought for slavery. They went to war to preserve the proposition that human beings should be allowed to own other human beings – and abuse, overwork and mistreat them at will.
They also took up arms against the United States of America. Some might call that treason.
Both slavery and secession were wrong. We ought to say they were wrong. We ought to take down any statue or monument – especially on public property – that honors a moral wrong.
To be clear, no one should do this unlawfully or through violence. You do it through the political process.
I know what the other side of this argument will be: It’s heritage, not hate; we should honor our history and appreciate our ancestors; that was a different time; they thought they were fighting for their way of life; we should recognize their sacrifices, suffering and bravery in battle, etc.
And I welcome anyone who wants to argue the other side. Especially if you do it without personal insults.
I was torn myself when I first pondered this question. But then I thought: How would I feel if I were African-American? How would I feel about North Carolina honoring people who enslaved, tortured and murdered my ancestors?
Take ‘em down.
August 18, 2017 at 8:15 am
Norm Kelly says:
Obviously the author is just another left-wing zealot with a deep-seated hatred of our current president. Another alt-left who is sad that their hero didn't do much good for the nation, ruined race relations, and destroyed the economy & the health insurance business, but was beloved as a savior by those like the author.
So, does the new-found thought process on statues result from the hatred of President Trump, or is it truly a turning point for this zealot?
And what about Trump's statements, multiple statements, didn't clearly enough denounce white supremacists for this arch-left-wing zealot? The point of statues is irrelevant to this discussion. It is history. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. So, have reminders of what went wrong as well as what went right so we know what to repeat and what not to. Simple, right? Of course.
When Trump said blame belonged to both sides, he was right, but it pointed blame at left-wing allies, so lefties didn't like it. Since he blamed lefties as well for Charlottesville, lefties HAD to denounce him. We all know lefties can't be blamed for violence; lefties are peaceful 'for the children' people. Yet, the facts, those ignored by lefties cuz they always destroy the stories of the left, show that white supremacists had permission to be where they were. The gov't approved of what they were doing. What went wrong? Lefties without gov't permission showed up to protest a sanctioned gathering. And what did lefties do that was worse than showing up without permission? They showed up without permission ARMED for a fight!
What's the one thing arch-left-wing zealots such as this author want you to ignore? As always, lefties want you to ignore the facts just as they do, and simply suck down the left-wing talking points. Since lefties are peaceful by default, and everyone hates, absolutely hates, white supremacists, then it MUST be white supremacists who are at fault. And, as always with lefties, they know that if they repeat it often enough, in enough places, with 'trusted' sources, you will accept their lie. It's what lefties do. It's what leftie supporters have been trained to do.
What's the problem with Trump's statements about Charlottesville? He DARED to blame lefties for ANY of the mayhem. He dared to point out that the story you are being told by your left-wing-zealot-leaders is nothing more than ANOTHER CROCK! And if they continue to refer to Trump as 'morally obtuse', you won't question it anymore, you'll just accept it. Trusted leaders MUST be telling the truth. Just like 'if it's on the Internet, it must be true'.
And what's really sad about the schemes of left-wing zealots? Too many supporters accept their lies, distortions, misleading, race-baiting. Without question, in way too many cases. At some point, isn't it logical to think that even left-wing supporters/voters will see the light? Your leaders, like the author, hope not! And they know you've been trained to accept what they say usually without question or doing your own research. Start going against your leaders, and you'll never go back to being a lemming!
