Don’t Learn from History, Simply Erase It!

The events of August 12 in Virginia are of interest from many different viewpoints. Not least of which is the demand that it be blamed on the white supremacists or alt white or anything other group not associated with persons of color. The fact that, whether right or wrong, the group had a parade or rally permit, and the other agitators did not is lost on all of the main stream media, including the so-called conservative Fox news. But focusing not on the news of this story is a bigger, and possibly more important, look at the historical significance of events leading up to the riots and confrontations. A few years ago, a white man attacked a black church, killing several people. He was found guilty and sentenced to death for this. However, in response, the state ordered the removal of the old Confederate flag from public display. This was not the first instance of something offensive to some group or other was removed from public display. It has been happening to Christian displays for decades, but that is a story for another time. In addition to removing Confederate flags, many southern states have been removing Confederate statues from various public places over the past few years. The most recent being the intent to remove a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incidents of the past weekend have led other jurisdiction to say they will follow suit. New Orleans already has taken such action against certain former ‘enemies of the state.’ This trend does have an historical parallel. St. Petersburg, Russia was renamed Petrograd in 1703, then Leningrad in 1924, and back to St. Petersburg in 1991. Volgograd was renamed Stalingrad in 1925, and then reverted to Volgograd in 1961. Those two dictators had fallen out of power, so did their popularity. But because of the Soviet Union’s control of the country, until it collapsed the names and statues remained in place. What brought about the changes were the need to, at first, remove Lenin from the collective memories of the people, then Stalin and Lenin in 1991. Simultaneously, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, not only were these cities renamed, but statues of Stalin, and if any were left, of Lenin, were destroyed. Throughout the seventy year history of the Soviet Union, statues were removed, cities renamed, photos airbrushed, and history altered. All of this in the name of keeping current leadership first and foremost in people’s minds. The situation in our country is not a direct parallel to the Soviet Union, especially regarding Lee, and other Confederate leaders. First, Robert E. Lee was not alive nor in a position to demand public recognition when his statues were erected, whereas the Soviet statues were put in place for political reasons, and at the direction of then living dictators. Confederate statues, and flags, and names, while odious to many, are still a part of this country’s history. Good or bad, it will not be erased by tearing down monuments, as the Taliban did in Afghanistan, and Russians in the former Soviet Union. As George Santayana said: “Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it.” Removal of our historical monuments are a testimony to political correctness nor a reparation for sins or errors of the past. If the political leaders of Virginia are sincere, then they must immediately move to rename Washington and Lee University. Washington was one of the biggest slave owners in the state, and, obviously, Robert E. Lee was a leader who fought to keep slavery in place. Also, Lee and most of his family are buried on the grounds of Washington & Lee University, they should be removed post haste. Again, a page from the old Soviet Union playbook could be copied, and they could be thrown into a well somewhere, just as the last Tsar and his family were in 1918. In addition, twelve of our first 18 presidents owned slaves at one time or another. We probably should remove them from our history books and air brush their photos or portraits from all documents. Poor old William Henry Harrison: he just can’t catch a break. His presidency only lasted one month before he died in office, and now, he will be but a fading memory of those of us who remember he once was a president! Hopefully, readers of the last few paragraphs will realize the sarcasm and understand the absurdity of trying to erase history, and any symbol relating to history.