Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
June 24, 2020
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” - attributed to George Santayana (1863-1952)
The United States of America is devolving and degenerating into an us versus them society losing sight of what civilized society used to be. The politically correct are no longer progressive enough. The cancel culture does not seem progressive enough anymore either. Humanity is teetering on the brink.
It is not hyperbole to say that we the people are on the precipice of the end of days of decent, moral, respectable, honorable, and peaceful existence and coexistence. While America is burning all around us, what’s left of the conservative structure is fiddling at best, cowering in a corner at worst. They refuse to speak out against the atrocities being perpetrated by the progressive, anarchistic mob - the unholy alliance of Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Sadly, decent society is counting on the conservatives to be the adults in the room.
Indoctrinated since kindergarten and indelibly rooted in socialist, anti-capitalist, anti-democracy, anti-law and order, and anti-American radical beliefs, civilization is staggering toward the great egress of reality.
I recently had a conversation with the college-age child of friends. Raised in a conservative, upper-middle class home and attending a large state university in the Midwest, this collegian defends the destruction of government, public, and even private property in the name of so-called justice. This 20-year-old calls these acts of perversion part of a revolution.
The destruction of American monuments and statues, the assault on our houses of worship, via graffiti and other vandalism are crimes being committed by the uneducated mobs continuing on an increasingly brazen level. Anyone involved with these actions is now a criminal, should be arrested, charged with vandalism, destruction of public or private property, be made to make financial restitution, pay a fine on top of the restitution, and have a permanent criminal record following them from college applications to job applications. These criminals should also be part of the physical restoration of these structures. These domestic terrorists are following in the footsteps of ISIS with the destruction of our American antiquities. They simply hate the United States and are seeking its destruction, “by any means necessary.”
These criminal revolutionaries believe that the United States is inherently evil with no room for redemption and needs to be destroyed from within.
In a speech given in Springfield, IL, on January 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) said “At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up among us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
That which Lincoln said is the direction of these United States - the downward spiral of a civilization that has lasted nearly 250 years - the average length of a civilization.
There is no legitimate reason for the statues of American patriots to be vandalized, defaced, or torn down. They built this country giving us a foundation from which to build - to form “a more perfect union.” Warts and all, the good, the bad, and the ugly, what present day so-called American revolutionaries are trying to destroy, millions of people the world over are desperately trying to acquire. People living in 2020 cannot judge those who lived in 1920, 1865, or 1776 by the present day morees.
Women were finally granted the right to vote in August of 1920. How many statues did the Suffragettes deface or tear down? How many businesses did they loot? Abolitionists worked day and night to help free slaves. How much property did abolitionists destroy? In fact, they knew that slaves should not be considered as property and some even died in the attempts to liberate such “property.”
Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution ruled that slaves counted for three-fifths of a person for representation purposes, even though slaves could neither vote, nor were even considered people. A more perfect union. Amendments 13, 14, and 15 resolved that disgrace following the War Between the States.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to freed slaves. The 15th Amendment granted that voting rights would not be denied based upon race.
Peaceful protests, sans mob violence, should be supported by all - yes all, regardless of message. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it,” said Evelyn Beatrice Hall (1866-1956), a British writer. That is the beauty of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Protesters would garner more support from people heretofore opposed to the message because of the violence attached to it.
The child of my friends said the violence and destruction of property is designed to get people to listen. This young person said the crimes of vandalism, graffiti, and arson should go unpunished because they should not even be considered crimes in the first place. These monuments and statues are marked for destruction because they offend those who are willfully destroying public property. Should everyone have free reign to destroy what offends them?
As a lifelong New York Mets fan, should I have the right to desecrate the statue of Baltimore native George Herman “Babe” Ruth (1895-1948) standing outside of Oriole Park at Camden Yards simply because he played for the hated New York Yankees? Perhaps the revolutionaries would endorse such a crime because Ruth played Major League Baseball at a time when black players were still barred from playing in the majors. On the other hand, would it be permissible to destroy the statue of Henry “Hank” Aaron (1934- ) in Atlanta by a Yankees fan as Aaron broke Ruth’s then all-time home run record? Where does it end? When no more statues are left standing? And when there are no more statues remaining to be attacked, what will be the next target of the ochlocracy? The artworks in galleries and museums? The books in bookstores and libraries? Buildings on college campuses because the schools admissions’ committees denied people entry into those schools?
The now no longer shocking scenes of violence and depravity are a stronger visual than the audible words of protesters. From the journalistic mantra, “if it bleeds, it leads,” videos run viral before the first words are heard. Violence will only beget more of the same while the message will get lost in the shuffle. If any listening is being done, it is being done out of fear. The houses of worship and businesses with signs of Black Lives Matter seem to be akin to the lambs' blood upon the doorposts of the ancient Hebrews before the liberation in Egypt - the Passover. They believe those signs will protect them from attacks from Black Lives Matter. Time will tell if that will work.
If there is any listening to be done, it must be done by these radicals who will only succeed in creating a deeper chasm between the revolutionaries and supporters of the rule of law. Clearly their knowledge of history is absent real facts and details. More American history must be required for graduation from every American high school as well as college and university. I have a number of years of classroom instruction from grade six through the college level so I know what history curriculum looks like. It’s disgraceful. History can’t be whitewashed. They may have their own opinions, but they cannot have their own facts.
A group of students is demanding, among other things, that the statue of William Marsh Rice (1816-1900) be removed from, of all places, Rice University - the school he founded in 1891. Rice owned 15 slaves and founded the school for white students of Houston. Rice University opened its doors in 1912. The first black students were admitted in 1965, and 55 years later roughly 10 percent of the student body consists of black students. That is progress, considering the black population in the United States is about 13 percent according to the last census. This is an insane request. Even the child of my friends recognized that. The same demand has also come from students at Yale in New Haven, CT regarding a statue of its founder. Elihu Yale (1649-1721) was involved in the slave trade. The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), principal writer of the Declaration of Independence, first Secretary of State, second Vice President, third President of the United States, and yes, a slave holder. Students on the Charlottesville campus are also calling for the removal of his statue. How many of its students are transferring in order to stay consistent with their principles?
Do your homework before you choose a school. If you don’t like the background of the founder, pick another school. It would seem those students objecting to Rice, Yale, and Virginia on racial principles should have no trouble gaining admission to virtually any other school with a founder of pristine background. How about George Washington University, founded in 1821? Oh, no - Washington (1732-99), the general responsible for leading the American Colonies to victory in the Revolutionary War over England, and served as the first President of the new United States, owned slaves. Yet he ordered the slaves freed upon the death of his wife Martha (1731-1802). Such the conundrum. Should the name of the capital city of the United States be changed? What about the 42nd state of the nation, entering the union in 1889? Apparently a group of criminal vandals in Portland, OR think so, as they wrapped a statue of Washington in an American flag and set it ablaze. In his myopic obtuseness, Democrat Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo (1957- ) called these various criminal activities “a healthy expression.” How healthy would that expression be if the miscreants vandalized the governor’s mansion in Albany?
These principled students will certainly want to avoid James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, founded in 1908. Although Madison (1751-1836) was a co-author of The Federalist Papers, wrote the Bill of Rights, served as the fifth Secretary of State, and fourth President, he too owned slaves. Then there’s the prestigious Georgetown University, founded in 1789 by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore (1735-1815). That’s out, as he too owned slaves. If everything founded, built, or created more than 10 minutes ago were to be destroyed, what would be left of the nation after the scorched earth cools?
History cannot, should not, must not be erased.
Brown University became the first university to confront its link to slavery in a major way. In 2003, Brown president Ruth Simmons appointed a commission to investigate. “What better way to teach our students about ethical conduct than to show ourselves to be open to the truth, and to tell the full story?” she said.
Are the progressive anarchists in Seattle and the newly formed, soon to be dismantled CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, 2020-2020), going to move out of the State of Washington in an effort to remain true to their so-called principles? Sadly, a 19-year-old was shot and killed on Saturday, June 20 within the confines of CHOP, and two more shootings - one each on June 22 and 23, prompting the feckless Democrat Mayor of Seattle Jenny Durkan (1958- ) to call for the axing of CHOP. This is just about two weeks after singing its praises, suggesting it might be another “summer of love.” The love sure waned quickly. After that announcement came another, that Durkan cut $20 million (five percent) of the Seattle police budget - most of which to come from its training division. Isn’t that the part of the police the anarchists are willing to live with? Training new police in their own progressive image? But don’t look for that information on CNN or MSNBC, as that news does not fit its progressive narrative - their networks only run selective facts.
One area where I agree with the protesters concerns Confederate statues, flags, and named military bases. They all should come down and/or be renamed. Why, in the United States of America are bastions of the Confederacy being honored? They were the enemy! Put the statues and flags in museums - do not relegate them to the dustbin of history. The more than 640,000 who died in the War Between the States must not have died in vain. Otherwise, how will students learn from the past, learn not repeat the ugly parts of the past, and also how will they see the evidence of the progress that has been made in the United States. In order to know where the country is headed, it is vital to understand where the country stood in the past and where it is standing now.
While these changes are purely cosmetic, and for those who want them it is certainly understandable, they will not better educate anyone, won’t feed anyone, won’t employ anyone, won’t even end bigotry or racism. The United States should no more honor Jefferson Davis (1808-89) than Israel should honor Hitler (1889-1945) as they were the enemies of the United States and the Jewish people respectively. And although part of Reconstruction called for the repatriation of the former confederates, and the grave sites of their dead should not be disturbed, they were still enemies of the United States.
Any Confederate statues in the Capitol building should be replaced by the states they are honoring. Put a vote before the citizens of those states to determine with whom the current statues should be replaced. Do likewise with the names of the 10 military bases named for Confederate leaders.
The 10 military bases named for Confederate generals are:
Camp Beauregard (LA) - Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (1818-93)
Fort Benning (GA) - Henry Benning (1814-75)
Fort Bragg (NC) - Braxton Bragg (1817-76)
Fort Gordon (GA) - John Brown Gordon (1832-1904)
Fort A. P. Hill (VA) - Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr. (1825-65)
Fort Hood (TX) - John Bell Hood (1831-79)
Fort Lee (VA) - Robert E. Lee (1807-70)
Fort Pickett (VA) - George Pickett (1825-75)
Fort Polk (LA) - Leonidas Polk (1806-64)
Fort Rucker (AL) - Edmund Rucker (1835-1924)
They should be replaced by:
General Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981)
Served in WWI and WWII; first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General of the Army
“...the ablest field general the U.S. ever had,” said President Harry Truman (1884-1972)
Should replace Fort Benning (GA)
Stars *****
Major General John Buford, Jr. (1826-63)
Served in the War Between the States; promoted to Major General for “distinguished and meritorious service at the Battle Gettysburg,” by President Abraham Lincoln
President/General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
Served in WWII - Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, leading Allied invasion/liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe; first Supreme Commander NATO; president of Columbia University; 34th President - signed civil rights legislation in 1957 and 1960
Should replace Fort Polk (LA)
Stars *****
President/General H. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85)
Served in the Mexican-American War and the War Between the States; General in Chief of the Armies; soundly defeated the Confederacy; 18th president - pushed 15th Amendment through to ratification; established the National Park Service
Should replace Fort Lee (VA)
Stars **** (first to earn four, the highest allowed until 1944)
General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)
Served in WWI, WWII, and Korea; field marshal of the Philippines; commanded Southwest Asia in WWII and Allied occupation of Japan following WWII; Chief of Staff of the US Army; earned Medal of Honor
Should replace Fort Bragg (NC)
Stars *****
General George S. Patton (1885-1945)
Served in WWI and WWII; led a fictitious force elsewhere, enabling the landing at Omaha Beach to succeed; played a key role in winning the Battle of the Bulge; captured 10,000 miles of territory in liberating Germany from the Nazis; represented the US in the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympiad in the pentathlon;
Should replace Fort Pickett (VA)
Stars ****
General John J. Pershing (1860-1948)
Served in the Spanish-American War and WWI; senior US Army officer; General of the Armies; opposed armistice of WWI - wanted unconditional surrender of Germany; mentor to Bradley, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Patton, and George Marshall (1880-1959)
Should replace Fort Gordon (GA)
Stars ****
General Roscoe Robinson, Jr. (1928-93)
Served in Korea and Vietnam conflicts; first black soldier to earn the rank of four star general; earned Distinguished Graduate Award; Exemplar Combat Arms Officer; infantry officer rising to four star status; West Point Class of 1951
Should replace Fort A.P. Hill (VA)
Stars ****
General H. Norman Schwartzkopf, Jr. (1934-2012)
Served in Vietnam, led forces in Grenada, and led all coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War - leading Operation Desert Storm; commander of US Central Command; West Point Class of 1956; earned three Silver Stars, one Bronze star, and a Purple Heart in Vietnam; earned a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II
Should replace Camp Beauregard
Stars ****
Dr. Mary Walker (1832-1919)
Only woman to earn a Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service - 1865; worked as an Army field surgeon, yet denied a commission due to her gender; abolitionist; prohibitionist; Prisoner of War during the War Between the States; outspoken women’s rights activist; supported the Suffrage Movement until her death in 1919 - but not the amendment that would be enacted a year after her death, citing the right to vote was already in the Constitution
Should replace Fort Hood (TX)
Tuskegee
A conglomerate representation of the famed airmen, the tragic experiment, and the institute, now university in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black soldiers to successfully complete training and enter the Army Air Corps. Almost 1,000 aviators served as the first black military pilots during WWII as the highly decorated 99th Pursuit Squadron. The 992 pilots flew 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties, earning 850 medals.
The Tuskegee syphilis study (Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male) was the disgraceful use of black males as human guinea pigs by the United States Public Health Service from 1932-72. The “subjects” were neither told they had syphilis nor were given the medication that would lead to a potential cure. They were not even told they could transmit the disease via sexual intercourse.
The Tuskegee Institute, now University, was founded in 1881, by Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) for the initial purpose of training black school teachers, adding the teaching of agricultural skills, later becoming a degree granting institute in 1937, offering graduate studies in 1943, before finally moving to University status in 1985. The school’s third president, Frederick Douglass Patterson (1901-88) founded the United Negro College Fund in 1944. In 1987 President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) awarded Patterson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Should replace Fort Rucker (AL)
(USA Today floated just the names of Dr. Mary Walker and Tuskegee, not the biographical information.)
After 111 monuments and/or statues removed or requested to be removed, there seems to be no end in sight, thus the importance of cracking down with the use of video footage to catch as many of these criminals as possible, and hope some turn on others not identified by authorities. So dangerously out of control are these anarchists that they are planning to destroy the monument of Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in Washington, DC. A monument funded by freed slaves with a keynote speaker at the dedication of Frederick Douglass, himself a former slave.
In spite of all the insidiousness, violence, arson, anarchy, and abject stupidity in the name of G-d knows what, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) reflected that “in America all things are possible. Progress has been made. Progress needs to be made.”
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
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