They won't be able to chip away the monument at Stone Mountain, GA!!!
On Fri, Dec 20, 2013 at 4:07 PM, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > [[[ I'm Southern born and Southern bred and when I die I will be > Southern dead. ]] > > December 20, 2013 > > *Erasing Southern History: The Bonfire of the Portraits* > > *By* *Fay Voshell* <http://www.americanthinker.com/fay_voshell/> > > When traveling recently to Virginia Beach, I couldn't help but notice that > I was no longer in Yankee land. I was in an entirely different world, one > still significantly defined by the Civil War. > > I passed street after street named after famous southern generals -- > General Jackson Drive, General Lee Drive, General Beauregard Drive, and > General Hill Drive. Though he was a "general" of a different sort, even > General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, has a boulevard named after > him. > > It was clear to me that Southerners revere their generals. > > And for good reason. > > The South's generals have long been a part of the proud history of the > region. Robert E. Lee's and Stonewall Jackson's military strategies are > considered some of the most brilliant in the history of warfare, and this > is to say nothing of their exemplary characters. They are honored to this > day for their bravery and brilliance. That is why their portraits are on > the walls of the U.S. Army War College, which is dedicated to the training > of future generals, some of whom may one day show that they, too, have > absorbed a code of honor and chivalry. > > But according to the *Washington Times > <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/17/robert-e-lee-and-stonewall-jackson-tributes-face-a/#disqus_thread>*, > revisionists are mulling over a decision to remove Lee's and Jackson's > portraits from the walls of the War College, lest that august institution > be sullied by the memory of generals who fought on the wrong side. > > The article reports that the College's spokeswoman, Carol Kerr, stated > there was someone who complained about the portraits. "This person was > struck by the fact we have quite a few Confederate images," she said, > adding that the portraits were re-hung on a third-floor hallway. > "[Lee<http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/robert-e-lee/>] > was certainly not good for the nation. This is the guy we faced on the > battlefield whose entire purpose in life was to destroy the nation as it > was then conceived[.] ... This is all part of an informed discussion." > > How "informed" the discussion will be is anyone's guess. Historians of > the Civil War will be mightily interested in the outcome of > "Portrait-gate," as expunging of the South's greatest generals from the > historical narrative might change the overall story a smidgen. > > The portraits may or may not be in the third-floor hallway now. They will > probably progress to the basement later, and then at the last be thrown > into a bonfire. > > I am reminded of the actions of Thutmose III and Akhnaten of Egypt, both > of whom assiduously devoted themselves to having Queen Hatshepsut's images > chiseled off monuments dedicated to her so no one would remember her. The > pharaohs are a reminder that historical revisionism is nothing > new. Certainly, if similar "off the wall" action is applied to the > Southern generals, it will appear to future cadets that the only worthy > military heroes of the Civil War have been from the victorious Northern > States. Other "losers" like Hannibal, Hector, Napoleon, Rommel, and Von > Manstein -- all of whom fought well but ultimately lost -- may also be > nixed from the list of study-worthy generals, their place consigned to the > dustbin of history. > > While the fate of the portraits is still under discussion, one can draw a > few conclusions and hazard some predictions should the offending visages be > permanently obliterated from the walls of the War College and other > military institutions such as West Point. > > First, the left's smoldering animus toward the South will once again be > revealed. For many progressives, the South is still a bastion of > racism. The institution of slavery and the guilt associated with it never > have been and never will be expunged as far as progressives are > concerned. Attaching the guilt of slavery to the South still provides a > handy and frequently used political tool. Progressives are loath to have > that tool taken out of their hands, as it reinforces their punitive > attitude toward the region and conservatives in general. Removal of the > portraits doubtless is seen as just retribution for the sins of the past. > > Second, progressives love divisiveness and conflict, as it splinters the > opposition and provides political capital. Stoking the fires of the old > Civil War and lighting a match to a new civil war probably is seen as a > positive development. After all, turning Americans against one another > provides a chance for progressives to divide and conquer, as well as to > effect "fundamental transformation." > > Third, the question of just what happens to the history of the Civil War > if a revisionist trend becomes established protocol for writing history > must be asked. Are we soon to see Matthew Brady's and other great Civil > War > photographers<http://listverse.com/2008/11/18/top-20-great-us-civil-war-photographs/>' > work PhotoShopped, the faces of the offending Southern generals > erased? Will revisionist history take on the flavor of the Stalinist > regime, which forbade any portraits or photos other than those of the > victorious? Will Southern history go down a memory hole? > > God forbid. > > But perhaps there is a bright side to Portrait-gate. Poking the South in > the eye may backfire. The insult to the South's military leaders may be > one of many ways to stimulate a Southern stampede to the right. > > Many Southerners are sick to death of the left's condescending > stereotypes. They are tired of being despised for their devotion to > religion; tired of contemptuous dismissal of their view of the history of > the Confederacy; tired of being categorized as still being in the > backwoods, both culturally and socially; tired of being thought of as > ignorant rednecks descended from regressive stock. > > The seemingly insignificant but hubristic takedown of Lee's and Jackson's > portraits may be a symbolic indication that Democrats in Virginia could > themselves be in danger of a takedown. > > Certainly it would be pleasant to think of the prospect that Virginia, > which has been slowly turning purple due to strangulation by progressives, > might once again become bright red with rage. > > The conservative South may yet rise again. > > *Fay Voshell is a frequent contributor to **American Thinker. She may be > reached at [email protected] <[email protected]>.* > > > *Page Printed from: > http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2013/12/erasing_southern_history_the_bonfire_of_the_portraits.html > <http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2013/12/erasing_southern_history_the_bonfire_of_the_portraits.html>*at > December 20, 2013 - 09:43:32 AM CST > > > __._,_.___ > > > > > > __,_._,___ > > > -- > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "PoliticalForum" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- brine http://brineb.blogspot.com/ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
