Robert E Lee
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So in Richmond, VA they are removing a Robert E Lee statue that has stood for 130+ years. I was texting with my 3 buddies and they were shocked to hear that I thought the removal was a shame, and they also thought that “Lee decided to defend slavery, period” whereas my position is he was dedicated to his state, and he (and most who died in the war) deserve to have their dedication to their state honored.
Our text chain went on for a while, and we made a number of additional points (opinions and facts) but I’m curious.... your thoughts on Lee in the context of his legacy and history?
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Personally, I'm a massive Lee fan. And in case I somehow have to defend myself in the court of public opinion later on, I'll admit the excruciatingly obvious by saying that slavery is disgusting.
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@George-K said in Robert E Lee:
There were good people on both sides?
It's a completely unfun truth, but, yep.
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Dwight D. Eisenhower kept a picture of Robert E. Lee in the Oval Office.
https://www.civilwarprofiles.com/dwight-d-eisenhower-in-defense-of-robert-e-lee/
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I am not exaggerating when I state that many of my customers are named Lee. I would ask their opinion, but that might be inconsiderate.
Mao got rid of all that ancient stuff in China. I suppose if you consider Mao a great leader, you do the same thing, right? I mean, the example has to come from somewhere.
IMO remove it, but find a place e.g., a museum. It is part of history, and history should not always be whitewashed.
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@Axtremus said in Robert E Lee:
@Larry said in Robert E Lee:
While you are at it, don’t forget the secret police.
Why am I not surprised that you can't see the difference.
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@bachophile said in Robert E Lee:
Been some mighty good fighting men that toted that flag. Honorable men.
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It was probably a good move by the US Marine Corps. I think it is true (from what little I know) that the Confederate Flag has been "co-opted by extremist groups".
As Jolly said, I am sure that there were many good people that fought who were Confederate, but that was 160 years ago! Nobody today has any memory or direct involvement in the US Civil War. I know some people say that "I am honoring my great great great grandfather, etc.", but I am sure there much better ways to do so.
For example, What are you doing to honor your great grandfather? He was a shoemaker who lived in the state of New York. How do you honor him?
It reminds me of a one cartoon when the US was in Iraq. A US soldier was riding with an Iraq soldier. They were passing through a village and the Iraq soldier mentioned he hated the people who lived in this village because they had fought his relatives. The US soldier says, "wow, when did this happen?" And the Iraq soldier says, "1534!!"
History is important and I love history and there are certainly ways to honor and remember history (like statues, memorials, museums, books, etc).
