Posted on 04/07/2010 4:22:15 AM PDT by Zakeet
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, reviving a controversy that had been dormant for eight years, has declared that April will be Confederate History Month in Virginia, a move that angered civil rights leaders Tuesday but that political observers said would strengthen his position with his conservative base.
The two previous Democratic governors had refused to issue the mostly symbolic proclamation honoring the soldiers who fought for the South in the Civil War. McDonnell (R) revived a practice started by Republican governor George Allen in 1997. McDonnell left out anti-slavery language that Allen's successor, James S. Gilmore III (R), had included in his proclamation.
McDonnell said Tuesday that the move was designed to promote tourism in the state, which next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the war. McDonnell said he did not include a reference to slavery because "there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia."
The proclamation was condemned by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and the NAACP. Former governor L. Douglas Wilder called it "mind-boggling to say the least" that McDonnell did not reference slavery or Virginia's struggle with civil rights in his proclamation. Though a Democrat, Wilder has been supportive of McDonnell and boosted his election efforts when he declined to endorse the Republican's opponent, R. Creigh Deeds.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
It is racist to remember great Americans such as Robert E. Lee
NON PC Gov ping. ;)
LLS
This was a dumb move... sorry, but we really don’t need this crap now...
No it isn’t and Confederate History isn’t “crap”.
NO AL YOU’RE THE RACIST and all of your side kicks INCLUDING OBAMA. HOW Dare you have a black caucus, the NAACP, Ms Black America, the national Negro college fund, Affirmative Action, and the list goes on.
SO, NO AL - YOU and your ILK ARE THE RACIST.
Wake Up America!!!
NO it wasn’t! We need to stand are ground and not be cowered into submission ....... PERIOD.
have a nice day :(
Ignoring history doesn’t make it go away.
Al. You won! America is now committed to free college for African Americans, “wealthy” whites paying for African American healthcare, etc.
Al, we have spent trillions of dollars on the African-American community through housing programs, welfare, education, healthcare. Yet, your people still can’t get it together (huge incarceration rates, bad graduation rates, staggering hatred of whites, etc). Try focusing on getting African-Americans off the dole and trying to be self-reliant.
Oh, but you would lose power if they did. Hence, you focus on stupid tirades about Virginia’s governor.
Hey Al, what don’t you move to Africa or Venezuela/Cuba. Then you will discover what racism really is.
No, it’s not a dumb move. 2010 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.
It’s a tourism move.
You’re correct, Conderate History is not crap. Confederate History is part of our US History.
Most of all, I am fed up with revisionist who are trying to change out history. We are in the middle of a very bad time in our history, and whether we survive or not will be up to people like us.
People of VA rise up and protect your Governor from the Marxist who want to completely destroy this country. Take a stand
Totally agree!! We need a statement from the WHITE CAUCUS !!
The Civil War as all about economics and control. The North wanted to control the South’s cotton trade and other resources. Slavery was a sideshow and was doomed to end shortly anyway.
So, it is relevant that the Federal government is trying to control the US economy again (instead of just the South). And they are succeeding!
Minorities, labor unions, and the lazy and stupid all want gub’mint control of everyone so that they get everything (housing, healthcare, food, education). The cost is government tyranny and control. “Free” means that the have to seize resources at gun point since people don’t like being robbed.
So, let’s do anything to celebrate liberty. The South was a good historical lesson in tyranny ... of Federal government.
I don’t see it as a civil war where two or more political factions in all states battle it out for control of the federal government.
I see it as a war between the states where one side chose federalism and the other side wanted states rights.
Today’s mess shows the wrong side won. From Lincoln to FDR it has been a slow slide towards socialism, from FDR to Clinton the pace picked up. With Obama it’s a free fall.
I’m from the north.
I’m with Russ.
There are a lot of people of southern heritage who are proud of their familiy history and their roots. They have been locked in the woodshed for decades and it’s time they have their opportunity to express their pride in their heritage. And I have a hunch that the historical stories coming out of the effort will be vastly more accurate and true than the lying drivel that is taught about black history.
As for the lack of ass-kissing and mea culpas about slavery in the proclamation, good for the governor. There’ve been enough apologies over the last fifty years, enough freebies, enough excuses, enough breaks, enough money , enough screeches about “racism!” and enough special treatment for a bunch of losers that just becomes a waste of resources. I’m sick of it and it’s long past time that somebody takes a stand and quits sucking up to these parasites and hustlers.
“This was a dumb move...”
...um, no. Confederate history is history whether blacks and/or libs like it or not. It’s certainly more meaningful than sectioning off one race from all others for a month.
I didn’t hear any bitching over Black History Month.
When are we Irish-American gonna get March named for our contributions?
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