I was surprised to see no thread about this very significant news in the latest assault in the ongoing war on Southern history and White identity.
Discuss.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — They were among the city’s oldest landmarks, as cemented to the landscape of New Orleans as the Superdome and St. Louis Cathedral: a stone obelisk heralding white supremacy and three statues of Confederate stalwarts.
But after decades standing sentinel over this Southern city, the Confederate monuments are gone, amid a controversy that at times hearkened back to the divisiveness of the Civil War they commemorated.
The last of the monuments — a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee facing defiantly north with his arms crossed — was lifted by a crane from its pedestal late Friday. As air was seen between Lee’s statue and the pedestal below it, a cheer went out from the crowd who recorded the history with their phones and shook hands with each other in congratulations. Many in the crowd had waited since morning.
Southern born, bred, and raised. Unless you grew up in the South, during certain time periods, no way one can understand. I grew up with Southern Civil War Generals and famous participants as heroes; just the same as Francis Marion, George Washington, etc. Not a racist element to it. It was all about heritage and honoring my family that fought and died during the War of Northern Aggression. Went to a HS that was 84% minority. Really did have black friends. My feelings and Rebel flag were well known; zero issues b/c they understood where I was coming from as well as the fact I was true friends with multiple black guys and it was also well known I had crushed on a black girl for a while. mf&%$@&^*** she was fine! Contrary to the popular narrative of the South, there were free black men in the South during slavery and there were black men that fought for the Confederacy. Not saying it was all unicorns and rainbows, but in small towns, the black families that were productive and good, just like any white, were looked upon favorably. Still had to be segregated, but generally were left alone. Same for Jews. Ask me how I know. This is a very complex issue that is hard to comprehend unless you lived it. It sure as shit wasn’t streets paved with gold paradise for minorities, but it also hasn’t been portrayed accurately in the narrative. For some, absolute hell on earth. But not for all. The South was exceedingly closed for some, but the narrative suggests it was for all.
Some of our northern viewers might shrug their shoulders or say “get over it” to those mourning the removal of the Confederate statues. Others that are not very religious probably blew off the removal of the 10 Commandments or a Nativity Scene from a courthouse grounds.
Well…what makes you think they are going to stop with the removal of a few statues in red states? Before too long, we will hear call for the removal of statues of Jefferson, Washington and others. Laugh all you want…but I am pretty sure this is coming. That is always how this type of action goes…they will eventually call for the removal of something YOU like, admire or cherish.
It’s touchy, and I get it. I too was born and raised in the south; my great grandfather fought for NC in the Civil War. But for most people it is too difficult to extract the history from the heritage a la the Nazi flag or Soviet flag. I am ambivalent. What I don’t like is the vilifying of it when at this point it (and the statues in New Orleans) can be so crucial for education; and the removal of all of those things just serve to make people feel good and eradicate history.
If you think it is going to stop because they run out of CSA Generals, you’re dead wrong.
They’ve got their foot in the door and are rewriting history. Washington, Franklin, Revere and Jefferson will soon follow.
Appeasing the hurt feelings of the failed unwashed and uneducated masses wont stop here.
Well, I’m about as “Northern” as it gets. But it seems to me that we have an obligation to TRY to understand what happened, why it happened, and to learn from it. Just watched “Band of Brothers” again recently, and an elderly Shifty Powers observed that under different circumstances the Germans he fought might have become his friends. Hal Moore of “We Were Soldiers” made several trips to Vietnam to meet and become friends with his Ia Drang opponents. And just the other day I found this: http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/above-and-beyond-my-enemy-my-friend-57179945/
The fools and vandals currently destroying monuments to men who did their duty according to their lights–however that was–are pathetic and unfit to live in a civilized society.
Which raises a question of whether this IS a “civilized society” any more…
Wait till they start taking all the old Presidents off the money because they were slave owners. This country is fast becoming some Orwellian PC nightmare.
Trust me, they’re working overtime on it. Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers are openly derided. I’m a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Sons of the American Revolution so I’m sure it will be obvious where I stand on the subject. As the old saying goes, those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Erasing what essentially is a Second War for Independence is not the answer, but something they want to bury and hide. They know there are those of us that we won’t “conform”, so they keep up their attempts in erasing our southern heritage and pride in the name of politically correct. Once they erase the history, and a few more generations aren’t given the opportunity to learn about said history, then they will have succeeded in their goal. Renaming parks, dormitories, and streets, removing monuments, etc… does nothing but deride the sacrifice ALL Americans made during the Civil War.
It never ceases to amaze me about how much they want to erase from our history. When we forget where we came from, what we stand for, and let them erase our heritage and history, then we are surely be doomed as a nation. Just two cents from someone who is proud of his heritage, and his forefathers contributions to our great nation. Freedom in this nation is doomed, and has been for many years now. It’s just a matter of time.
We were doomed as soon as we erased Civics/Citizenship and Government from High School curriculum and replaced it with a pc version of revisionist history and that as an elective.
When I left, every morning began with a ten minute civics course taught by the people from (I shit you not) MTV.
Substitute Teaching should be like Jury Duty, if you saw what goes on in your local High School you would hang those on your School Board.
History and heritage is one thing, hate is another. As a Northern boy, even I understand that the statues pay homage to American Heroes and are of historical significance. They should remain in place
The problem is when fools (on both sides) start talking about them as symbols of white identity.
Regarding the flag, they (the Confederacy as a whole) lost. They remained Americans. As a result, that flag has as much business flying over state offices or buildings as any other identity flag has flying over any other state office or building - which is none, period, paragraph.
What individuals do regarding the Stars and Bars is their thing. The statutes need to be left alone until a majority of folks in the town - as in a vote - want them down.
Here is how much our country has changed in my lifetime. For Halloween at my Kindergarten in 1963 (I was four years old, do the math), my costume was Johnny Rebel, as the TV series “The Rebel” with Nick Adams was still being shown in re-runs. So, Confederate uniform, Confederate battle flag, plastic Colt 1851 in flap holster, and trailing a large cannon that shot plastic cannon balls. This was in southeastern PA, so not even in “the South”. Today I would be sent home for several violations, suspended, or probably expelled, and teachers, and students would probably pee their pants. We have become a nation hell bent on PC bullshit led by the media, education, and the Democrats. All liberal/progressive, statists.
Oh yeah, my costume would probably have contributed to “man made climate change” also. :rolleyes:
That’s the thing about it. The Civil War wasn’t fought over “hate”, “white supremacy”, etc…, and I’ll leave it at that. Hate is what the liberal intelligentsia wants us to believe (vehemently I might add) that the Confederate symbols represent. Hate and white supremacy are not represented by the Stars and Bars, just as hate and white supremacy had absolutely nothing to do with the seccession of the Southern states. That’s what they want us to believe though.
If someone looks on a statue of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee (Mexican American War as previously noted), Joseph Wheeler (Spanish American War I might add), etc… and sees nothing but “hate” and “white supremacy” then there is absolutely no help for them, or us a nation for that matter. The Stars and Bars were never used by the Confederacy as a symbol of hate. That perception (lie) has been perpetrated by those who don’t want us to show and honor our heritage.
And you don’t have to be from the south to see how ridiculous all of this is. It sickens me that there’s not only people demanding these statues be removed but also that there’s people conforming to it.
Time to bulldoze Stone Mountain. I surprised it’s still standing, especially given its ties to the KKK.
And I suppose Washington & Jefferson on Mt Rushmore will have to be replaced with Obama & Clinton too. [emoji57]
My only tie to the South is my wife; half Cajun and her family has been in Louisiana since the late 1790’s. Lots of her ancestors fought for the South, including Harrison’s 3rd Louisiana Cavalry. Went down there in April for a family wedding and the Confederate Monument talk was all over local radio. Several callers mentioned the fact that many of the old Plantation Homes are historic monuments, and some on the National Register of Historic Places. These Southern Plantations were made functional by slaves and you can still see some of the preserved shacks they used as homes. One historic Plantation I have been to was a Slave Breeding facility near St. Francisville, LA.
The callers to the radio station were wondering if the next step is to demolish these historic homes? They fear the total erasure of history, whether pretty or not. To me it’s like book burning. Eradicate anything that reminds you of a period of history or event that conflicts with a special interest group and their thinking.
It’s not that way out here. Take for example the Spanish Explorer, Juan de Oñate . In New Mexico he was a brutal Indian killer, yet now there are schools named after him and monuments. The Indians here in this State don’t like it, or anything about Oñate, but they are not taking down monuments or changing the name of schools.
Ryno, if the left and PC crowd has their way this will never end until they have stamped out anything remotely “offensive” to them.
I’m from Idaho originally. My time in the South was spent in Texas but even then, I can understand the difference between Civil War era heroes and heritage and the hate that I feel has been pushed out as the cause of the war. I strongly disagree with the tearing down of the Confederate monuments. It is very important to remember that part of American history.
I am a little unhappy with Seattle’s statue of Lenin. That really pisses me off.