Friday, August 18, 2017

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.

32 comments:

  1. You might add certain Indian Reservations to the places a General Sherman statue wouldn't be welcome.

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  2. I was sitting over there this morning thinking that this CAN'T be happening to the Country now. It is supposed to happen after I am long gone. 1930's Germany, 1950's China, 2010's USA (?) - a horrible list. The young's haven't a clue about history (as you have said here many times). Well, here we go repeating it. I don't think that I have ever considered much political stuff to be offensive because I always thought that the good would win out. Don't get me wrong, I fought it in speech and action. I am concerned now that we are moving towards a tipping point where the Nation might actually move to a point lower than it has ever been before. Is the new generation smart enough to save it? Do they care? Do they even know??

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    1. Good question, Dave's.

      No. They don't care. The 30 somethings out there are the ones that voted for the Chief Cigar implementer because he was cute on David Letterman. They tried to elect Bernie because they didn't grow up during the Global War on Socialism (yes, a huge war, lots of little actions, so many lives lost, for this.) They think Cankles would have been a good Commander in Chief because she supposedly has lady-bits.

      They vote not for the real issues and for substance of character, but for the feeling. The generation of "For the Children."

      I now feel I truly understand how the 'rational' people felt in Weimar and post-Weimar Germany felt as they watched their nation descend into madness.

      And you know that when we reach rock-bottom, no other nation is going to give us a hand up like the USA did with the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, mass forgiveness of serving in the military on the losing side, protection until we get our feet back under us, and so much more. There won't be nice foreign soldiers handing out candy bars to kids in our dark, conquered future.

      Delete
    2. Dave - the Left will not accept the election, not now, not ever. It's all about virtue signalling.

      The vocal ones are in the minority, the leftists are in the minority. If the majority stays quiescent, we are doomed.

      Delete
    3. Andrew - we are the last, best hope of the species, if we go down, then a new Dark Age will begin. There will be no freedom, there will be no peace. Perhaps the end times are upon us?

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    4. Rush had a really good monolog today, https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/
      and he hit on the same thing that you've just said, Sarg, about the minority, the leftists being in the minority...
      America Is Under Attack from Within - https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2017/08/18/america-is-under-attack-from-within/

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    5. It's an insurrection, pure and simple.

      Which needs to be suppressed, one way or the other.

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    6. Oh... God.... It explains it all... Everything...

      OldAFSarge is a...

      "Babylon 5" superfan. Or, something more.

      It is an insurrection by organized 'Anarchists' which truly boggles the mind. They are the children of the "Shadows." And there are lots of "Old Ones" out there who the rest of us need in order to fight the darkness.

      It all makes too much sense.

      Are you secretly J. Michael Strasinsky?

      Delete
    7. Sadly enough, I've never seen Babylon 5. A situation which requires rectifying it seems.

      And yes, we need you.

      Delete
  3. “This morning I ordered the immediate removal of a plaque honoring the Confederacy at Horton Plaza Park,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Wednesday. “San Diegans stand together against Confederate symbols of division.” That's a subjective statement and easily debatable- Confederate symbols of division. I would say it's a historical marker, not something that perpetuates slavery, racism or anything else. Claiming it divides pits yesterday history against today's "feeeeeeelings." Slavery happened, and it was a bad time in our history, but no one today was a slaver, no one today was a slave. Racism exists today in some folks, but to claim that a metal statue is the root case of that defies logic.

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    1. It's all about virtue signalling Tuna. They want to show the ignorant SJWs that they care, when really they don't. The ignorant SJWs will be the cannon fodder for their insurrection. The SJWs have no clue. Not one.

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  4. We are living in a Bob Dylan song.

    Paul L. Quandt

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  5. (Nobody look at this except Sarge)
    Well, I have to admit it, I don't know what SJW means.

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  6. I am sickened by what my country is becoming. The freedoms we were taught as being the most sacred are being attacked. Taking down statues, in and of itself, does not necessarily bother me. New statues go up, old ones come down, it's happened since statues were invented. But the reasons behind the taking down bother the hell out of me. And I will not go softly into that good fucking night.

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  7. Is this post about statues or how "The Left" is responsible for all the world's ills? I really can't tell.

    On statues - I say let them stand. It's part of history, good or bad. I understand the heritage argument, although most of the time it is BS. I also understand the argument about those put up during the Jim Crow era. Let local municipalities decide if they want to take them down and/or move them. Outsiders don't have a say and should not be allowed to protest the community's decision.

    On the election - let's break it down into two parts and they are NOT the same.
    Part 1 - Trump won the election legally and fairly. He received the most Electoral votes. Period. The only people I hear talking about and reliving the election are Trump and "The Right". You won. Get over it and learn to govern.
    Part 2 - Russia and the investigation. FACT: Russia meddled in the election. FACT: Russia's meddling with information and fake news may have swayed some voters minds, but did not directly affect voter machines, ballot boxes or vote counts. When it comes to collusion, that's a different story. We don't have all the facts yet. My personal opinion is the investigation will find plenty of inappropriate contacts but no collusion by the Trump team. I believe the investigation will find that Russia manipulated the Trump team to make them look bad. This is not some conspiracy cooked up by "The Left" to invalidate the election; it happened. The election results stand either way.

    Resistance to the Trump presidency - this, too, is not something cooked up by "The Left" just because they lost. The only people talking about Obama and Clinton are Trump and "The Right". I am an Independent, squarely in the middle, and I vehemently oppose Trump because he is a moron and unfit to serve. Since I didn't vote for either, I "lost" either way. Note: I would like an explanation as to the difference between Mitch McConnell and "The Right", and their opposition to EVERYTHING the Obama administration tried to do, and to the current opposition to the Trump administration. Why was it ok for "The Right" to obstruct everything, but suddenly it's not ok when "The Left" does it?

    Insurrection - really? Point me to one group that is violently engaging federal forces and actively trying to overthrow the government. Other than maybe groups out west trying to steal federal land... Yes, both "The Right" and "The Left" are guilty of violent clashes with each other and law enforcement. This is not insurrection. It is stupid and useless, but not insurrection. I'll chalk that up to writer's flair.

    And while we're discussing all this, can someone explain why so many Internet people belonging to "The Right", have such a problem writing and speaking the names Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? Are we preteens at Hogwarts? I constantly see "The Right" complaining that "The Left" is disrespectful. If that's true, then what's up with childish labels like Libtard, Snowflake and Butt Hurt? In my unscientific sample, "The Right" is 100 times more likely to start name calling when someone disagrees with their views. And what is WPE? I assume from context it is supposed to be Worst President Ever. Haha, not even close. But, for better or worse, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion.

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    1. Mine? No, but something might have touched yours. I enjoy reading your posts. The historical reads are quite interesting. You seem to change personas when you delve into politics and acquire traits I've seen you speak against before. Since we've served together and I got to know you just a little bit, I thought it was safe to ask some relevant questions. If I was impolite, it wasn't intentional.

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  8. Yea, gads. Talk about a peculiar mindset. Forget to vote next time, you cannot deal with the consequence of winning. How about some consequences, the GOP has colluded with a foreign government to " win the election". It doesn't matter the government, the GOP did collude, and get this, it wasn't the first time.where did we learn this? To me this signifies why only 49.6 percent of the people voted.
    How did Mr goodhair win? Easy, electorial college. No genius factor their. Just, 46% of those who voted, but some votes must be more important then others,or, not equally represented thru use of gerrmanding of the district's, focusing more to certain issues. That's where it gets sticky. Is the party focusing on local issues, or an agenda by a outsider? Consider the rhetoric of the people in charge, are they pandering or leading? Or are they following another agenda. Are they talk, or calming? Do they listen to the follower? No. Either one? No. Is there a viable centered movement? Now, they are in power! Hot damn, what's the first thing they want to do, secure power, censure the public, cut out the bas that got them elected. The base was the most obnoxious, nauseous base appeal group, to expose them, is to cut the civil liberties to all citizens. Now, groupthink is raising it's ugly head. But is it a cause? Or an effect? Shucks, Monty and Charlie expressed it alike in their films.

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    1. Moi aussi!

      Les Crazzies, they are out of the Maisson des Nuts, n'est ces pas?

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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