Governor Bob McDonnell rejoins Virginians to celebrate the "Shared History" of the Confederacy
Just yesterday, an article was posted on Salon.com that talked about the hundreds of missing graves, and many more unmarked, incorrectly marked, or group marked graves of Black Civil War era Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Just last month, the Texas Department of Education approved a new set of Social Studies Standards which minimize the role and significance of the civil rights movement, relegate celebrated African American historical figures like WEB DuBois and Ida B Wells to "Muckracker" status, and distort through omission America's real and sordid history on Race. So I guess it is only fitting that now Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has declared April to be Confederate History Month.
His proclamation stated in part:
"it is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War, and to recognize how our history has led to our present"
Yet, Governor McDonnell did not see fit to even mention the whole Slavery thingy that was kinda at the center of the whole damn thing. When asked why he would issue a proclaimation that talked about honoring our "shared history" while at the same time neglecting to mention anything about the 'Peculiar Institution' of Slavery, Governor McDonnell stated that in his proclamation he chose to focus on the issues that he thought were "significant for Virginia".
Significant huh? Well, how about this for significance...
The Confederate Army fought, bled, and died, to defend what they believed to be their God-given right to keep my Grandmother's Grandmother locked in chains. Imprisoned against her will; to be raped, tortured, burned, or whipped, to have her children torn away and sold, or worse... Confederate Soldiers fought, bled, and died, to defend what they believed to be their God-given right, to take men like my Grandfather's Grandfather and work them in hot fields like beasts of burden, starve them, whip them, maim them, destroy their families, rape their wives and their children, and even kill them with absolute impunity. Millions of Africans; worked for generations without pay, forbidden to learn to read or write, forbidden to practice their own religions, forbidden to speak their own languages, transmit their own culture, forbidden even to pass on their own names. Now we walk around as Johnson's, Washington's, Smith's, Davis's, and even Myles's, named for the very people and families responsible...And the Confederate Army went to War to declare that within their States, they should be allowed to do this to my Grandmother's Grandparents, and that the Federal Government should simply mind it's own business. - Well -
For what its worth: Governor Bob McDonnell can go to Hell... For this detestable "celebration" of hatred, evil, and ignorance, I have nothing but contempt.
