My Congressman, Matt Gaetz who I have always supported and voted for, sent out an email which included an idiotic comment about how we have to oppose these hate filled right wing groups. He said nothing about the far more powerful and numerous, leftist thugs. In addition he failed to defend Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest men America ever produced.
My ancestors have been in Walton County, FL since at least the 1700s and I will not allow them to be slandered without opposition.
I sent him an email saying basically what Horowitz is saying. So far no response from his staff. If I do not hear from him I will actively oppose him next election.
I’m from PA but I have a Great Grandfather who fought for the Confederacy. 30 years after the war, he moved north to a small community where he lived with his family until he died at the age of 80. He was buried in the wooded graveyard behind the church in our small town.
Every Memorial Day, and on their birthdays, the locals place flags and flowers on the graves of war veterans. On his grave they have always placed a lonely confederate flag, and I never heard a single complaint. My great grandfather was a beloved member of this northern community, and now lies peacefully in his grave surrounded by union soldiers and their descendants.
I believe this was not at all unusual. I believe people who were alive during the CW, or who actually conversed with people who were, developed an understanding about how to reconcile, following the tragedy of a war fought “brother against brother”, as they say.
A civil war isn’t like other wars where the the losers are vanquished. There had to be a mutual respect in order to continue - my great grandfather was never accused (while he was alive) of fighting to keep slavery, or any other evil intent. By all accounts, he was taken at his word, that he was fighting to protect his home and family, and respected for it.
I think that whatever understanding the two sides came to, that helped them reconcile, move forward, respect one another, is now forgotten.
It’s almost like a horrible fight between spouses; it’s awful but finally they make up - one apologizes, the other shares some blame. They embrace and move on.
Then, a few weeks later, when they have forgetton how horrible the fight was, one spouse might stupidly say something like “but it was all your fault and I should never have apologized” - then the fight begins all over again.
This business of tearing down Confederate statues is extremely dangerous, because it amounts to a retraction of the terms of peaceful reconciliation that allowed the war to end.