My great-great grandfather on my mother's side was a proud Confederate soldier. I'm sure at the time for him that was the right thing to do. And I wonder why many of my southern cousins wonder why I am so unlike him. I am an Independent, though I tend to lean to more Democratic philosophies. My Dad always said, "The Democrat has ALWAYS been for the working man!" Well, Daddy passed away in 1988, and I don't think that's no longer necessarily true , which is why I consider myself an Independent. But I digress.
Considering these 'statues', that pardon the pun, all of America seems to be up 'in arms' about. They weren't there for the Confederacy originally, most were put up in the early 20th century. They need to be relocated to museums, not shown about proudly! Like I said, many of my southern cousins would be all over me like 'bees to honey' but that's there problem. They may ask: What would your southern great-great grandpa think about your Yankee ways? I don't know. Like I said, I'm sure he did what he felt what was right. He was from proud Virginia. Ironically enough, and this was something I found doing ancestry research and something my cousins don't know: I did find out one of his most bitter foes was his own FIRST cousin, General John Buford, Jr., who although was from Kentucky fought on the UNION sides of the war! And there's many say my parents had a 'mixed' marriage anyway. You see, my Dad was from New York, and the son of poor Hungarian immigrants. Now HIS family says HE married an outsider because my dad married outside his religion and did not marry someone of Eastern European descent. My southern cousins would de-cry, my Mom married a Yankee! Heaven forbid.
What I'm getting is my background, like most Americans is a diverse one. I am who I am, not of how I was raised but in spite of it! I'm 61 years old, I will say what I think. People cannot like it, that's fine, after all, isn't what America is about, Freedom of Speech? I even said to a classmate that I never agree with a saying I got from somewhere, just can't remember where. But I told him, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!"
And isn't that what America is about? Saying what you what, letting the other person say their piece, and not getting into fights over it? Now I will be honest. Since the Trump administration, I have been deeply divided between friends and family. And I'll be brutally frank, that the sooner we get that man out of the oval office, the better off we will ALL be. Democrat, Republic, Yankee or Southerner! This isn't a story, it's just me speaking my mind. Thanks for the 'listen' or read. God Blass you all, or as my Psych professor used to say before exams "May the Deity of our choice be with you."
Mary -- you make some excellent points .... first, we shouldn't judge history from a present point of view. As diffcult as it is, we need to see things in perspective ... it does not mean we have to agree with it but I believe we need to be objective and voice our objections peacefully.
As for the statues ... you make another excellent point. It would be much better for these controversial statues be placed in a museum where they can be viewed and people can be taught about the times they were created.
Again ... you don't have to agree with what they stood for but we should try to understand their context. That's how we learn.
As for politics .... Mary we can agree to disagree. I don't want this to be a platform for politics ... we have the right to vote and attempt to have our voices heard.
I also like your Professors words ... "May the Deity of your choice be with you" A reminder to keep God with you too. It's a two-way street. Susan
I agree with you 100% on Trump and being independent, while leaning towards programs to help the increasingly under and unemployed survive. While I don't have as diverse heritage as you, I do find myself divided among family and friends. It is interesting how much blowback I get from writing about wrongs that need to be worked on and not rejected out of hand as being un-American.
My mother came from poor farmers who benefited from WPA and were the first recipients of Social Security. She always voted and still does, Republican. My father was a Teamster and claimed that he was a Democrat. But as far as I know, he never voted.
I like that song, The Day They Drove Old Dixie Down. The Confederacy stood for a evil feudal society that needed to go. Statues to heroes of that era probably need to go. As for war heroes, that may be a bit different for their sacrifice. History and art work should be preserved in museums and similar to plantations as historical reminders of a failed ideology.
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
