Marissa's writings about individual rights, justice, neurodiversity, and being different from the norm
Check out some photos and videos by Judy Smith Photography:
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And from Dixie Forever:
Last month the Providence Journal published an article about the Christopher Columbus statue in Johnston, Rhode Island. Like so many other statues, this one was removed from its original home – in this case Providence – in 2020 by bullies and bigots determined to ensure that people who are different from the norm cannot feel welcome in public spaces.
However, in 2023, the statue found a new home in Johnston. The article gives a two-year update on the statue and describes it as a “fixture in Johnston’s Columbus Day celebrations.” Specifically, a food truck event now takes place on Columbus Day, surrounding the statue in Johnston Memorial Park.
Mayor Joseph Polisena said of Columbus: “I think it’s important world history. When people are like, ‘Oh, you know he did these horrible things?’ I say, ‘Yes, I’m not saying he didn’t.’ But my whole thing is that you have to judge people based on the time they were in.”
The article also notes these heartwarming details: “A cohort of local businesses and individuals helped to transport the 6,000-pound statue and outfit it with security equipment. A local labor union helped move it, a fencing company installed a fence around it for free and a solar-powered security camera with a live video feed to the police station was donated, according to Polisena. He estimated that all the donations and labor had a combined value of more than $10,000.”
Read the full article here.
One of the numerous, numerous casualties of the horrific statue genocide was the Princess Anne County Confederate Monument, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This post by Dixie Forever explains the details of the monument’s history and the horrible decision by the Virginia Beach city council regarding it, and correctly points out the crucial role played by the despicable law passed by the state of Virginia in April 2020 (in my opinion, quite possibly the worst event that has taken place in human history).
But there is a piece of good news to come out of this terrible situation. In July 2023, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation took possession of the monument. With the city paying for the transportation and reassembly costs, the monument was set up on private property, specifically a family farm and cemetery on the outskirts of Virginia Beach. The SVBF, along with the local chapters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy, maintain the monument. And its official rededication ceremony will take place tomorrow.
In the words of Dixie Forever, the monument lives on as a symbol of “unbreakable Southern resilience, honor, and pride.” Amen to that.
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Some of the comments on the post were spot-on as well. A small sampling:
“They’re also the ones crying about free speech today, but chose to remain quiet 4 years ago when the government was taking away citizens’ accounts on social media for wrong think.”
“The same people who installed Kamala without a primary and tried to remove their opponent from the ballot.”
“What is funny if we had a king the protest wouldn’t be allowed!”
Source here
“The Trump administration reinstalled a statue honoring a Confederate official near the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington. The statue depicting Albert Pike…is the only one of its kind honoring a Confederate in the U.S. capital.” – New York Times social media post for its article about the Albert Pike statue
The PTSD that was caused by what was done to the Albert Pike statue (and the numerous, numerous similar instances around the country and world) is still at a point where I am unable to read the article itself, but I found this little synopsis noteworthy. The Albert Pike statue is the only one of its kind. How, then, can those who wish to obliterate such statues from public spaces claim that they are acting in the name of diversity and inclusion? Eliminating something that is the only one of its kind necessarily reduces diversity and is by its very nature anti-inclusive.
Now, thanks to the Trump administration, Albert Pike reclaims his place as the only Confederate in Washington, D.C. My only complaint about this situation is that there aren’t more like him.
Some more positive statue news!
See the following statement from the American Heritage Association, via the Virginia Flaggers:
“We are pleased to inform you that the statue of U.S. Vice-President John C. Calhoun is now in the possession of the Calhoun Monument Preservation Society, a non-profit created jointly by the AHA and the Plaintiffs in the lawsuit (members of the Calhoun family, a descendant of the Vice-President of the Ladies Calhoun Monument Association and the Board of Field Officers of the 4th Brigade). In addition to the statue, all of the associated bronze palmettos and plaques were also turned over to the society. The next phase should be exciting!”
Source and photo of the statue in transit here.
The statue of Benjamin W. Owens, a Confederate Medal of Honor Recipient, has found a new home after being unjustly removed from the grounds of a church in Lothian, Maryland in 2020. The statue will now reside in Point Lookout Confederate Park in Maryland, which is located next to a mass POW gravesite. Check out this post from Dixie Forever to see a picture of the statue en route to his new home.
Also, check out this post for a video of a ceremony that took place at Point Lookout Confederate Park earlier this month.
In 2020, among various other atrocities, vicious bigots demanded the obliteration of this beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus at St. Anthony’s church in Revere, MA.
Mercifully, they did not get their way (knock on wood).
And now, the Revere City Council is trying to keep it that way.
The council members joined together to sponsor a motion requesting that State Rep. Jeffrey Turco, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the Archdiocese of Boston collaborate to nominate the statue as a national historic landmark.
Via the Revere Advocate:
Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna, one of the original sponsors of the motion, gave a brief history of the statue commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and sculpted by Belgian artist Alois Buyens in 1892. It was originally installed at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, but in 1925 Cardinal William O’Connell ordered the statue to be moved to Revere as a gift to the city’s Italian American residents. The statue was intended to symbolize the importance of Columbus to the city’s immigrant community, and it has stood at St. Anthony’s for more than 100 years.McKenna also shared the harrowing story of her family’s escape from Italy during World War II. “The statue is a tribute to my mother and what the Italian people endured,” said McKenna, adding that the timing of the motion was especially significant since October is Italian American Heritage Month.Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya said she regularly attends St. Anthony’s church, and the statue is personally meaningful to her. “It’s an important part of my heritage and history,” she said, adding, “This is special to my heart.”Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro described himself as a proud Italian American. “Five years ago, there were threats to take the statue down. Now we are trying to make it a historical landmark. This is a proud day, and I’m proud to be part of that,” said Cogliandro.The effort to remove the statue was also clear in the memory of Councillor-at-large Anthony Zambuto. Zambuto said he remembers the horror of someone saying during a political rally that the statue has to go. “It was horrifying to hear someone say that. If we go through with this motion, that will never happen,” said Zambuto, who referred to the move throughout the country to remove certain statues and monuments.“This is our heritage, our history, and it’s not going to be erased,” added Zambuto.McKenna said she discussed the motion with church officials at St. Anthony’s, and they support the plan.
“Albert Pike (1809–1891) was an extraordinary figure—a self-made polymath whose life spanned adventure, intellect, and influence. Here’s a snapshot of his key achievements, drawn from historical records:
– Explored the American Southwest (1831–1832), trapping and mapping routes through Texas and New Mexico.– Settled in Arkansas (1833), teaching school and editing newspapers under the pseudonym “Casca.”– Became a prominent attorney in Little Rock, shaping Arkansas’s early legal system.– Served as associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court (in exile, 1864–1865).– Represented Native American tribes (e.g., Creek Nation) in Supreme Court cases against the U.S. government (1850s).– Fought in the Mexican-American War (1846–1847) as captain of the Arkansas Mounted Infantry, participating in the Battle of Buena Vista.– Confederate brigadier general (1861–1862), commanding Native American forces in Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma); negotiated alliances with tribes like the Cherokee.– Prolific poet and essayist; works include Hymns to the Gods and Other Poems (1872) and contributions to Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, where he was hailed as one of America’s top poets.– Renowned orator whose speeches were reprinted nationwide.– Joined the Masons in 1850; became Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite (Southern Jurisdiction) for 32 years (1859–1891).– Authored Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (1871), a 700+ page philosophical tome blending Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Enlightenment ideas—still a cornerstone of Masonic study.
Pike was extraordinary—Northern-born but Southern-hearted, a defender of Native rights who allied with Confederates, and a brilliant thinker.”
As promised by the National Park Service, the Albert Pike statue is back!
Bullies and bigots – whose goal is to inflict as much pain as possible on people who are different – do not deserve to get their way. And in this case, they didn’t. In Washington, D.C., there is, once more, at least one statue that sends the message, people who are different have a right to exist.
Source: Dixie Forever