Replies

nathanbedford: " I did not decide to use either the pen name, Nathan Bedford, or the avatar cavalierly but deliberately and with full consciousness of the potential for criticism from the left, which you quite rightly point out."

grey_whiskers: "My only point was that in the current environment (bi-racial occupant of the Oval Office, with the meme of "racist, racist!" on steroids being set loose (to protect Obaama as well as attack Tea Partiers), it would be all too easy for any disputants of FR to take the cheap shot -- "the KKK wasn't enough for him, he had to join the Nazis as well." "

I take it that FR's nathanbedford, despite posting from Germany is a natural born American citizen.
So this has nothing to do with Nazis.

These are the first nathanbedford posts I've stumbled on in many months (years?) and I'm first struck by how much better they seem than the previous ones I remember -- proving either that:
a) posting on FR has a salutary effect on people's thought processes or
b) my memory has grown even worse than I will admit... ;-)

In defense of Nathan Bedford Forrest, even a short summary of his life, such as this one, clearly shows that he was as complex as he was brilliant.
So those intending to praise or condemn him can usually find something to cite.

For those wishing to condemn him, we have Forrest's wartime record at Fort Pillow and his two year leadership of the early Klu Klux Klan.

For those defending him, Fort Pillow can be at least partially explained, and his two-year Klan membership ended in 1869, when he not only left, but dissolved the organization.

And Forrest ended his life making a serious effort to reconcile races.
Because of that, he earns our admiration -- if I dare say this -- in much the same way many today admire German commander, Erwin Rommel.
Both fought brilliantly in a lost cause, and both died, in a sense, opposing the cause they had fought for.

I have a special affection for Forrest because one of my great-grandfathers, fresh off the boat, not even speaking English, enlisted in the Union army and tangled with Forest's troops several times throughout the war.
In my opinion, both survived that war because of the unnecessarily decent behavior of the other.

FR's own nathanbedford, despite his unusually provocative avatar, strikes me as being as careful and reasoned as he is bold.
In short, if not fully worthy of his name, then at least striving to achieve it. ;-)

Now, for anyone who wonders just what in the wide world this has anything to do with the value of pi squared, the obvious answer is: you need to back and recalculate, just what are your values? :-)

"a) posting on FR has a salutary effect on people's thought processes or

b) my memory has grown even worse than I will admit... ;-)"

When I was 16 my old man was so ignorant I could scarcely stand to have him around. But when I got to be 21 I was astonished by how much the old man had learned in 5 years.

Mark Twain

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoyed your about page as well.

And Forrest ended his life making a serious effort to reconcile races. Because of that, he earns our admiration -- if I dare say this -- in much the same way many today admire German commander, Erwin Rommel. Both fought brilliantly in a lost cause, and both died, in a sense, opposing the cause they had fought for.

Just as a side note, the Baltimore Orioles all-time great Third Baseman, Brooks Robinson, had a long standing interest in Rommel -- according to the Baltimore Sun he once showed up at a costume party dressed as Rommel.

What does this have to do with Pi-squared?

Third base, three is the first digit of pi; and the four bases in baseball make a square. /stretching credulity to breaking point>

Cheers!