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Title: Bulldozing Monuments and the War on American History
Source:
Breitbart
URL Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern ... d-be-preserved-not-demolished/
Published: Jan 12, 2016
Author: Jarrett Stepman
Post Date: 2016-01-12 08:27:16 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 1803
Comments: 16
Editor’s Note: The following is a debate with Timothy Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation over the New Orleans City Council’s December 17, 2015 decision to remove four monuments relating to the Confederacy. Read Sandefur’s article here. On December 17, the New Orleans City Council voted to remove four Confederate statues from the city, using obscure “nuisance” laws to strip these over 100-year-old historic monuments from their places of display. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said it was a “courageous decision to turn a page on our divisive past and chart the course for a more inclusive future.” Of course, the plan to remove the statues is itself divisive as a number of preservation organizations have filed lawsuits to save the monuments. The New Orleans statues to be removed are of General Robert E. Lee, General P.G.T. Beauregard, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The city will also remove an “obelisk dedicated to the Battle of Liberty Place” according to CNN. The Lee and Beauregard statues are on the National Register of Historic Places. The most controversial of the monuments on the chopping block is the Battle of Liberty Place monument—dedicated to a Democratic white supremacist paramilitary group that fought the state and federal government during Reconstruction. But an adjacent commemoration was constructed in 1974, which states, “Although the ‘battle of Liberty Place’ and this monument are important parts of the New Orleans history, the sentiments in favor of white supremacy expressed thereon are contrary to the philosophy and beliefs of present-day New Orleans.” There are times when it is acceptable for monuments to come down: Americans tore apart a statue of King George III during the Revolution, Lenin and Stalin statues were destroyed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and most Americans today remember the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue during the second Iraq War. These were all revolutionary events in which an old regime was entirely replaced by a new one, a clean break with the past. However, the war on Confederate monuments is part of the most recent effort by national activist groups to strip elements of American history deemed offensive and not in line with their current, ever-evolving political agenda. They wish to do more than create a new political order, and insist that the only way for the U.S. to move forward is by entirely erasing the past. The anti-Confederate monument activists are not just setting their sights on the Confederacy, but American history as a whole—deep down they make little distinction between the Confederate founders and the Founding Fathers of the United States. There are plenty of reasons for critics–both contemporary and modern–to attack the Confederacy, especially the ideas that were at its cornerstone. Yet neither the ideas nor the personal character of the monuments’ likenesses are particularly relevant in this crusade. All that matters is that they are currently politically incorrect. Those who argue to remove the Lee and Davis statues, for instance, claim that the two illustrious men were traitors and not even from New Orleans, so the statues are inappropriate on those grounds. However, this is clearly not their real standard. The statue of Andrew Jackson is next on next on the agenda, yet Jackson saved New Orleans from British capture during the War of 1812 and was one of the staunchest unionists, known for his famous phrase, “Our federal union, it must be preserved!” He had deep ties to New Orleans and was the furthest thing from being a secessionist. But Jackson owned slaves and killed Indians in war, so he must be purged alongside Jefferson Davis. Similar arguments can be made about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and a never ending list of now unacceptable historical figures. America doesn’t need a whitewashing of history, it needs a renewed commitment to the leaders and inspiring people, heralded and unheralded, who made this country what it is today–and an understanding of those who may have caused it harm. New monuments and reinterpretations of the past will undoubtedly arise, but this should not necessitate the bulldozing of priceless and irreplaceable works of art. The current efforts to fundamentally transform history are fueled by people who believe America has been rotten since day one and want nothing less than total political and cultural revolution. It would be a travesty and a foreboding sign for America’s future if there is no attempt to preserve these monuments against the push of a temporary majority or—more accurately—an incredibly vocal and insistent minority. In the last few years alone, leftist activists have been relentless and often successful in their pursuit of dismantling this country’s past in an attempt to recreate the nation in their own image. Amongst many other examples they have attempted to remove: Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill, Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill, Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson from annual Democrat Party dinners, President William McKinley’s name from Mount McKinley, and even progressive forefather Woodrow Wilson’s name from Princeton University. And perhaps most disturbing of all is the effort to dig up Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife from their graves in a park in Memphis, Tennessee. Even the dead are not allowed to rest. For the modern Robespierres there is simply no difference between the ideas of Thomas Jefferson who wrote that “all men are created equal” and Confederate founders such as Alexander Stephens who claimed that “our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition.” Backers of the movement to eradicate the Confederate monuments in New Orleans claim it is an attempt to bring unity to the to the now mostly-black community, yet it does the exact opposite. As Ian Tuttle wrote in National Review, “The Left’s Confederate-eradication frenzy is not meant to promote healing or encourage dialogue but to enforce conformity,” he continued. “…the goal of folding up the Confederate battle flag — or discarding a bust or renaming a school — is not to facilitate racial unity by minimizing the visibility of potentially hurtful displays. The goal is to impose a uniform ideological perspective on dissenters.” When this agenda is stoked and accepted, monuments will increasingly face a permanent and revolving ideological test, subjected to destruction after sudden shifts in power and minor changes in the cultural milieu. New Orleans suffers with rapidly climbing murder and crime rates, some of the worst roads for a major city in the United States, unsafe drinking water, and sky-high levels of debt. It is only now starting to build an effective system of education based around school choice, after scoring among the worst in the country for generations. Is the crusade to remove the monuments going to change any of this or fix racial tensions? No. And it will come at a great additional cost. A city that struggles to fill potholes should perhaps be focused more on the immediate problems at hand than demolishing century old statues. As Ellen Carmichael noted in National Review, “One New Orleanian said he spoke with a contractor who said that the cost to remove just the statue — without its foundation — and store it for a single month would top $1 million. This could instead be used to pay for the salaries for 228 new police officers during that same period.” If Americans continue to back down to the relentless attempts to erase our history—essentially everything that falls outside of the constantly shifting and increasingly narrow band of ideas acceptable to the modern intellectual left—there will not be merely fewer statues of Robert E. Lee and old Confederates. There will be little of this country’s history and ideas left to protect, reflect on, and uphold. We will live in an intellectual and moral wasteland in which the only views deemed acceptable to express or examine come from the loudest and most indignant purveyors of social justice haunting college campuses.
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#1. To: cranky (#0)
God forbids Confederate statues.
Given that at least 75 percent of the blacks in this country today are slaves to the Dim Party,government housing,affirmative action jobs,affirmative action placement and degrees in higher education,and a lemming-like unity in following along with any damnfool thing popular in what passes for their culture,that's a hard statement to argue with. That 75 percent or more owe their whole existence to Big Massa Government. Even sadder,the 25 percent who stand and succeed on their own are almost uniformly afraid to speak out about the volunteer slavery of the 75 percent because they will be verbally and even physically attacked if they do. Hell,the honest blacks are even afraid to identify criminals that live in their neighborhoods because they and their family members will face violent attacks if they do. It's easy to be brave and say you will speak out when the consequences are low or it is just you that may face them,but speaking out when you know your children will be attacked in the streets and in the schools if you do puts speaking out on a whole new level of risk that would keep almost all of us quiet. Even the successful and wealthy blacks not dependent on government jobs play the "ghetto game". When was the last time ANY of you saw a prominent black like Will Smith or any other multi-millionaire black in the entertainment communist speak out against the racism of "knock out games" and similar activities? Being free means living your life like you are free,and damn few blacks live their lives and conduct themselves like free people. And that is just talking about blacks in America. Remove white money from Africa,and the whole damn continent starts starving to death and eating each other again. Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority? (Ron Paul,2012) American Indians had open borders. Look at how well that worked out for them.
Is that right,Mullah Willie? Can we also assume you want to tear down the statues of MLK Jr,and rename all the streets and public buildings named after that communist piece of human shit? Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority? (Ron Paul,2012) American Indians had open borders. Look at how well that worked out for them.
You voted for mass murderer Obama. You will vote for baby murderer Hillary cunt. Maybe your house should be bulldozed. People who support murderers don't deserve a home.
You can tear them ALL down, pete.
Of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be so hot to see them torn down. Like them,hate them,or don't care about them,statues commemorate history,and history should never be ignored because it is an indicator of what can and will happen again if we aren't careful. Or in some cases,maybe even remind of of things that SHOULD happen again. I don't get upset over the statues of that evil old bastard Dishonest Abe on display all over,or the ones of that old whoremonger criminal and communist known as MLK Jr. I'm not happy about them,but they do serve as examples of the pieces of human shit we sometimes elevate to public sainthood,and serve as visual examples of why we need to be more careful in the future. And let's face it,but Dishonest Abe and MLK Jr would fit right in the WH these days. What we need is more public discussion about the people the statues represent that shows how history has been distorted for public gain by more modern politicians for their own public gain. Lincoln was maybe the most evil asshole to ever hold the office of President,yet most people would gasp in horror if you said that in their presence. Even educated people. He and King are both venerated to the point they might as well be Gods because nobody can speak the truth about them without being attacked. Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority? (Ron Paul,2012) American Indians had open borders. Look at how well that worked out for them.
So you would be against the tearing down of Commie statues in Eastern Europe?
It depends on which concrete monument. For example monuments commemorating fallen soldiers or talented generals, I would leave alone. Same with monuments having special historic or artistic value. I would leave Confederate monuments unless particularly offensive. Taliban and ISIS has shown us how we should not treat the past.
DNC - Hamas - isis - black lives matter ... rape - riot - pillage - plunder - sudden jihad syndrome - * PC SHARIAH * --- what's the difference ! If you ... don't use exclamation points --- you should't be typeing ! Commas - semicolons - question marks are for girlie boys !
game set match ...end of discussion ! Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Andrew Jackson was vehemently opposed to central banking, and he shut down the Second Bank of the United States. I believe the choice of his likeness on the $20 bill was to mock him, not to honor him, and he'd like nothing more than to have it removed.
Since I am neither a commie or a citizen of any Eastern European countries,my opinions on that subject doesn't matter. However,yes,I AM against tearing them all down. IMHO it is better to let them stand as both symbols of history,and a warning of what can happen again if the people stop paying attention. Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority? (Ron Paul,2012) American Indians had open borders. Look at how well that worked out for them.
AMEN! The past IS the past,and it will always serve as a reminder of where a people were while giving them a gauge to judge where they are now. Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it’s the enemy of the minority and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority? (Ron Paul,2012) American Indians had open borders. Look at how well that worked out for them.
Things are never as simple as they seem. God COMMANDED some statues (the cherubim in the ark, the oxen on the 'sea') and he banned many things now taken for granted including the wearing of mixed fabrics.
Thank God the article speaks up against the plot, but it's a shame to do so thus backhandedly. Thre's no such thing as a good reason to erase Confederate culture anywhere. It's entirely good and wholesome -- certainly as much so as anything gets in this depraved world. And suppressing it is always a signal that an area is pushing to become another black hellhole like Detroit or Newark. New Orleans is enough of one already as Stepman says at the end. Already 25 years ago David Duke was saying there are restaurants there that nobody walks to -- they only drive or take a taxi because of the neighborhood. Confederate heritage deserves to be saved because it is GOOD. To do so just because it's "history" will never be enough. It's pure communism to steal our past, our ancestors, our pride by calling these things racist! THANKS FOR POSTING, cranky -- even if you don't happen to agree with me.
You're certainly welcome. There are three kinds of people in the world: those that can add and those that can't
Exodus 20:4
You shall not make to you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Tear them down.
#2. To: cranky (#0)
(Edited)
Confederate founders such as Alexander Stephens who claimed that “our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition.”
#3. To: Willie Green (#1)
(Edited)
God forbids Confederate statues.
#4. To: Willie Green (#1)
God forbids Confederate statues. Tear them down.
#5. To: sneakypete (#3)
Can we also assume you want to tear down the statues of MLK Jr,and rename all the streets and public buildings named after that communist piece of human shit?
I don't care who it is...
I don't have any emotional investment in any particular type of statue.
#6. To: Willie Green (#5)
(Edited)
I don't have any emotional investment in any particular type of statue.
#7. To: sneakypete, A Pole (#2)
#8. To: Pericles (#7)
So you would be against the tearing down of Commie statues in Eastern Europe?
#9. To: cranky (#0)
The anti-Confederate monument activists are not just setting their sights on the Confederacy, but American history as a whole—deep down they make little distinction between the Confederate founders and the Founding Fathers of the United States.
#10. To: A Pole (#8)
Taliban and ISIS has shown us how we should not treat the past.
#11. To: cranky (#0)
they have attempted to remove: Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill, Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill,
#12. To: Pericles (#7)
So you would be against the tearing down of Commie statues in Eastern Europe?
#13. To: A Pole (#8)
Taliban and ISIS has shown us how we should not treat the past
#14. To: Willie Green (#1)
#15. To: cranky (#0)
#16. To: NeoconsNailedAgain (#15)
THANKS FOR POSTING, cranky -- even if you don't happen to agree with me.
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