¡BRAVO!

Oh, just erase history that’ll solve all the problems. The statue removal of historical figures is just stupid and wrong. I’m not defending the confederacy but it’s part of American history.

Those who support removing the statues aren't trying to erase history. That is a myth promulgated to keep the Right Wing Outrage Machine profitably well oiled and operating at peak efficiency. On the contrary, it is those who defend the keeping of the statues who are doing their best to rewrite history. Case in point is the attempt by the State of Florida to introduce into the public school curriculum absolute twaddle about how slaves were treated well and taught marketable skills. If there is anyone in our Happy Little Zihua Family who actually believes that slaves were treated well, trundle on down to your local library and ask them to locate a copy of "To Make Them Stand in Fear: The Slaveowning South." (There are some elements of it available online but it is still under copyright.)

One such horrible -- and for many years, successful -- attempt to rewrite the history of slavery and the Civil War is going to be removed from Arlington National Cemetery soon. The monument depicts a slave tearfully holding the baby of a Confederate slaveholder so that he can kiss his baby before going off to war.

Confederate Memorial at Arlington will be removed despite GOP opposition

Note: Link is good for 30 days from date of post

Since the Civil War, the Southern Dixiecrats, with mostly tacit approval from the Democratic party leadership, were those who kept the Jim Crow laws and white supremacy culture in place. (FDR had to do his best to keep his wife from being photographed with Blacks.) "Tricky Dick" Nixon and his lieutenants Patrick Buchanan and Lee Atwater recognized an opportunity to swing the pendulum when the dreaded LIBERALS rose to power in the Democratic Party and aligned themselves with the Civil Rights movement. Since then, Republicans have skillfully and successfully using racism as a bludgeon against the Democrats while still being able to deny any such tactic. After decades, the kindling was plentiful and Trump came along and lit the fire.

During the Cold War, the Soviets quickly realized that they would never be able to defeat the United States militarily. They understood that the United States could only be defeated from within. They rightly surmised that the key to this would be our original sins of slavery and racism. However, their ham-fisted attempts to gin up race wars through their media outlets of Tass and Pravda were laughable. As hard as it may be to believe, as Martin Luther King, Jr., was fending off accusations of being a Communist from within the States, the Soviets were rooting for his failure as they saw his movement as potentially healing the racial divide.

Vladimir Lenin is reported to have said that the West would supply the rope with which we will hang them. Fast forward to the 21st Century and Vladimir Putin used and continues to use the Western-built Internet to do what the Soviets could not accomplish, namely to stoke the racial divide that is tearing the United States apart. Putin's Internet Research Agency actively supported Trump in the 2016 election. The rewards for Putin's investment have gone beyond their wildest dreams. As of this writing, the Republicans have stymied further military support for Ukraine. In response, the Russian media congratulated the Republicans. "Well done, Gramps!" they gleefully shouted, referring to Senator Mitch McConnell, aka Moscow Mitch.

Who would have ever thought that Russia and the Republicans would be in bed together? Eisenhauer and Reagan and George Bush the Elder and yes, even Tricky Dick are rolling over in their graves. Fact is always stranger than fiction, Dear Fellow Zihua Lovers.

Respectfully submitted,

Padrino

P.S. And yes, Nicatnit, you are correct in that the Confederacy is part of the United States history. However, you are dead wrong when you claim that you are not defending them by insisting these monuments to betrayal, treachery, insurrection, and yes, slavery be allowed to stand.

Whatever you drink, I'd like to buy you a round. That was an astounding summary of two extremely important concepts keeping the USA polarized and fighting within instead of realizing its potential, progressing and becoming stronger while also standing up to Putin, Xi and little Kim.