Just wanted to share this excellent post from scientist and libertarian activist Dr. Mary Ruwart:
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bookmark_borderPrior to June 2020…
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In other words, prior to the obliteration of everything that makes life worth living.
Prior to the events that changed my life profoundly and irrevocably.
Back when people who are different from the norm could actually see ourselves represented in public art.
Back when we could actually feel accepted and included, and like we were allowed to exist.
I never could have predicted what would happen to this statue as well as countless others. I likely will never be able to find the words to fully express how horrible these actions were, and why they have had such an enormous impact. And I certainly will never forget.
bookmark_border“Heroes of what, exactly?”
“Heroes of what, exactly?”
This is a comment that I saw on a post with a cool graphic depicting Confederate soldiers of various ranks and wearing various uniforms, with the caption “our heroes.”
This comment is yet another example of the bigotry, intolerance, and idiocy of “woke” ideology.
“Heroes of what, exactly?”
My first thought in response to this comment is… what does that even mean? I wasn’t aware that a person needed to be a hero of something in order to be a hero. I wasn’t aware that the term “heroes” required such a specifier in order to make sense. What exactly does it mean to be a hero of something?
It’s probably pointless of me to even ask these questions, because this comment isn’t really an attempt to make a logical and reasoned argument, but rather a mindless act of aggression for the sake of aggression. It’s an attempt to attack, to dominate, to question for the sake of questioning. Seemingly, this commenter thinks that he’s making an incisive and salient point, that being a mean bully somehow demonstrates his cleverness, that failing to answer the question to his satisfaction (or at all) somehow makes Confederate supporters look foolish and stupid. He seems to be saying “gotcha!”… as if our inability to specify what Confederate soldiers are heroes of, somehow proves wrong our assertion that they are heroes.
In reality, it’s the commenter himself who looks foolish and stupid.
In reality, all that is demonstrated by this thoughtless and incoherent comment is the fact that the commenter is a mean and aggressive bully.
We consider Confederate soldiers to be our heroes, and we have every right to do so. People don’t need to be heroes of anything in order to be heroes.
An additional observation that demonstrates the bigotry, intolerance, and idiocy of “woke” ideology: I left a comment on the original post expressing agreement and stating, “their lives mattered.” Several people chose to react to my comment with the “laughing face” emoji. The fact that every person’s life matters should be so obvious that it shouldn’t even need to be stated. Yet several people chose to express the opinion, not only that the lives of others don’t matter, but that the very idea that the lives of others might matter, is laughable. In other words, to these people, the possibility that people who are different from them might actually have value, is considered ridiculous.
What kind of person laughs at the idea that other people’s lives mattered? What kind of person ridicules the possibility that those who are different from them might actually have value? An intolerant bully and bigot with no mind and no soul.
In conclusion, Confederate soldiers are heroes, and their lives mattered. Period. Full stop. End of story.
bookmark_borderThere’s no such thing as “paying for tax cuts”
“It’s just not the right thing to do to shut down a bunch of rural hospitals to pay for tax cuts,” Sen. Josh Hawley recently said regarding financial legislation that is currently under consideration in Congress.
This statement irks me. I’ve seen statements like this numerous times over the years, and I am irked every time I see one. Because there’s no such thing as “paying for tax cuts.” Tax cuts are not something that you pay for, because tax cuts are not something that costs money. Tax cuts do not involve spending money on something. They involve collecting less tax money to begin with. In other words, tax cuts do not constitute an expense for the government; they constitute a reduction in revenue.
It’s true that both expenses and reductions in revenue have the same result: the government ends up with less money, and therefore has to cut spending in order to balance its budget. But this does not mean that an expense and a reduction in revenue are the same thing. They aren’t.
Tax cuts are not something that you pay for. They are something that requires you to cut spending, because you’re now taking in less revenue.
This distinction is important because in my opinion, tax cuts are a good thing, while spending is not. Every government should strive to collect as little revenue as possible and to have as few expenses as possible. Statements like Hawley’s, about “paying for” tax cuts, are made almost exclusively by people who oppose the tax cuts in question. To portray tax cuts as something that has to be “paid for” is to equate tax cuts with expenses, thereby making tax cuts sound irresponsible, like some new and unnecessary spending program. But tax cuts are not irresponsible; they are exactly what every government should be aiming to implement. They don’t involve spending money at all; they involve taking in less revenue.
It would have been more accurate for Hawley to say, “If the tax cuts are implemented, the government won’t be able to pay for rural hospitals anymore.” Because unlike tax cuts, rural hospitals are actually something that the government is paying for.
Whether or not implementing those tax cuts is the right thing to do is a matter of debate – I would say yes – but regardless of where you stand on that issue, you should use the correct language to describe what you’re talking about. Yes, the government will need to cut spending in order to accommodate the tax cuts. And that is something that a lot of people are opposed to. But tax cuts are not expenses, and they’re not something that anyone needs to “pay for.”
bookmark_border“Conservatives are arming teenagers”
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Um, yes. And this is bad, how?
Conservatives support – gasp! – actually respecting teenagers’ fundamental rights.
Again, how exactly is this bad?
Contrary to what “March For Our Lives” seems to be implying, it actually is fine for people’s fundamental rights to be respected. In fact, it’s the only thing that is.
Plus, this might be nitpicky, but it doesn’t really make sense to capitalize, and thereby place emphasis on, the words “DECADES-OLD.” The age of a law has nothing to do with whether it is good or bad. A law that violates people’s rights existed for decades. And? How exactly does that make it bad for said law to be overturned?
The only bad thing about this situation is the fact that a law which violates people’s rights existed for as long as it did.
Allowing people to actually have their fundamental rights respected is not only fine; it’s a basic moral obligation.
bookmark_borderOn Trump’s birthday, Flag Day, the Army’s birthday, and protests
Happy belated birthday, both to President Trump and to the U.S. Army. These birthdays coincided with Flag Day. Below is some social media coverage of the festivities that brought a smile to my face:
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As for the protests held by authoritarians to mark the occasion, the word that predominantly comes to mind is “hypocrisy.” I use the word “authoritarian” to characterize anti-Trump protesters, and I use that word deliberately. The people who proudly proclaim, “no kings” and “united against tyranny,” are largely the same people who demanded mandatory medical procedures and the obliteration of memorials honoring the losing side of a war. There is nothing more tyrannical than that. The fact that people would be outraged by a leader holding a military parade on his birthday, but consider it perfectly fine for a leader to force people to undergo a medical procedure against their will, is a demonstration of complete and abject moral bankruptcy. It’s disgraceful.
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bookmark_borderAn important reminder from the A.P. Hill Legacy Foundation…
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bookmark_borderAn excellent post from the Confederate Cleaner
I recently came across the below excellent post from the Facebook page, The Confederate Cleaner:
“It was 2020, I had sat back and watched the absolute destruction of our Southern monuments and cemeteries. I was infuriated and began thinking how can I fight against these acts. I began attending rallies that were being held in front of our monuments that were still standing. I began thinking if our monuments become lost then our cemeteries will be our last stand for Southern history. So we got to work preserving the history that’s available all throughout our small rural cemeteries. Most of these remote cemeteries you could tell haven’t been visited in many many years. One stone at a time we began cleaning. Just cleaning turned into cleaning and flagging and then that turned into cleaning flagging and researching. Their stories were so remarkable I felt I had to share em… So thank yall so much in helping remember and save the memories of some of the bravest men/women to have ever walked this earth. “
You can read the post in its entirety here.
I would like to thank the Confederate Cleaner for his amazing and honorable work. Just as I keep history alive through artwork, collecting and photographing statues, and blogging, he keeps history alive by cleaning graves, flagging them, and sharing the soldiers’ stories. I also want to echo the sentiments regarding Confederates being some of the bravest men/women to have ever walked the earth. I believe this with all my heart.
bookmark_borderUDC suing perpetrators of the statue genocide
The United Daughters of the Confederacy have filed a lawsuit against the bigots and bullies who committed the disgraceful atrocities against the organization’s headquarters in the late spring of 2020, as part of the horrific statue genocide.
It’s about time that these despicable people (and I use that term loosely) be held accountable for their actions. It is impossible for a person to commit actions more immoral, or more deserving of punishment, than the ones that took place in Richmond, Virginia in the late spring of 2020. Literally no punishment that the perpetrators of the statue genocide could possibly receive would be harsh enough to fit their actions. But I hope that this lawsuit brings a tiny fragment of justice.
Source: Judy Smith Photography
bookmark_borderTrump announces rightful military base names will be restored
Fantastic news took place yesterday: President Trump announced during a speech at Fort Bragg that he will be restoring the rightful names of military bases that were renamed by intolerant bigots as part of the historical figure genocide.
If the sources that I have read are correct, the bases will actually be returned to their rightful, correct, pre-2020 names, honoring Confederate generals, rather than people who merely happen to have the same last names as the Confederate generals, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did with Forts Bragg and Benning.
The forts are as follows:
- Fort Gordon
- Fort A.P. Hill
- Fort Hood
- Fort Robert E. Lee
- Fort Pickett
- Fort Polk
- Fort Rucker
I have been through so many horrific, traumatizing things over the past 5 years, that I hesitate to fully trust any piece of good news. But if the name restorations actually take effect, this will be an absolutely fantastic development. This is what actual diversity, and actual inclusion, look like.
Sources: Virginia Flaggers, Dixie Forever, Confederate Coffee Company