Statues

General Sherman Memorial, Washington D.C. (Source)

I suppose I had to chime in on this issue eventually. Now seems as good a time as any.

Statues have been produced in many cultures from prehistory to the present; the oldest known statue dating to about 30,000 years ago. The world's tallest statue, Spring Temple Buddha, is 420 ft, and is located in Lushan County, Henan, China.

Many statues are built on commission to commemorate a historical event, or the life of an influential person. Many statues are intended as public art, exhibited outdoors or in public buildings. Some statues gain fame in their own right, separate from the person or concept they represent, as with the Statue of Liberty. (Source)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you're probably aware of the controversy surrounding the removal of statues commemorating heroes of the Confederacy in certain towns and cities in the South. Apparently some people find those statues "offensive." I saw a quote from one person indicating that the mere sight of those statues made her physically ill.

Oddly enough, to me at any rate, the person to whom that quote was attributed was a female of Vietnamese ancestry. Not exactly someone whose ancestors were subjected to the Peculiar Institution in the old South. (Had I been the journalist, I would have asked her how she felt about the new name for the city of Saigon.)

You may be wondering why I chose the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman which tops the Sherman Memorial in our nation's capital. Well, let's just say that there are certain folks in this country that would find that statue extremely offensive were it erected in certain American cities.

Like Atlanta, and no doubt Savannah, probably a big chunk of South Carolina as well. I'm pretty sure there are a number of folks in certain areas of the South who would not be happy if a statue of the late General was present where they live.

I almost understand the why of the statues coming down, it's the why now question that has me concerned. In this writer's opinion, it's all about resisting the legal and Constitutional result of the 2016 election.

Were statues taken down during WPE's time in office? I don't recall, but I don't think so. (Statues, not flags, that's an older issue.)

So really, it's all about Trump. The Left lost, they can't let it go.

I wasn't sure until I read this article. Here's the money quote:

And a relative of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee says he would be fine with removing statues to his storied ancestor if it helps the country heal.

Heal from what? Oh right, Shrillary the Inevitable lost. Fair and square but hey, that's not how the Left does things. So we have to "heal." I'm sorry, fire truck that. You lost, get over it.

How do I feel about the statues of the Confederates? Well, I'm a bit ambivalent about that, as an historian I have a definite view on what the war was about, like most wars it was about power. But as an esteemed friend of mine put it -

Shelby Foote, who wrote the best comprehensive history of the War, spoke of the real settlement of the War, one that we can live with: "The Civil War, there's a great compromise, as it's called. It consists of Southerners admitting freely that it's probably best that the Union wasn't divided, and the North admits rather freely that the South fought bravely for a cause in which it believed. That is a great compromise and we live with that and that works for us."

I fear that settlement is under attack and if it fails..... may God help us. - Gil G.*

The insurrection continues. Like Gil said, God help us.



* Gil is a retired Navy chaplain. A man of God, a true son of the South, and the epitome of a gentleman, in the finest meaning of that word.