Something going around...

Regarding the hubbub around the removal of Confederate monuments, can there be a better example of history revised proving that history is mutable under scrutiny?  As an American by birth and a Southerner by geography, I am neither a fan nor hater of such monuments.  But why not contextualize them instead of hiding them?  Make an addendum.  We learn things by addition and once a thing is learned it is darn near impossible to un-learn.  Especially after being mythologized.  Johnny-Rebs rule 'round heunh!

Fans of the Confederate battle flag always opine that it’s heritage instead of bigotry.  This is the same argument about the Civil War being waged over state’s rights.  And it was.  But, the linchpin of state’s rights was precisely the maintenance of slavery.  Everything else shows up reflected in the rear view mirror and objects may appear much farther away than…

Why not add a ring of empty slave manacles to the base of every Confederate monument?  Add a placard explaining why the war was fought and why we lost and America won!  And don’t the victims of slavery deserve to be honored as well?  Wasn't it their tears, sweat and blood that consecrated the ground around every plantation in the South for over two hundred fifty years before the war that abolished the practice?  Or was their blood not red enough?

But seriously, some southern men of a certain age are like an inebriated Kentucky colonel with his pants down around his ankles chasing a young Nubian princess promising, "It's all good, everyone loves white meat." Like anyone wants to hear nor God forbid see anymore old whitey bullshit.

The South indeed has to atone but I can argue that the country has even more to answer for starting with  native Americans.  I believe the only polite thing to do is to allow them to go first.  Start at Jamestown and enumerate the treaties we broke [all of them] along the way to where we stand today with regards to the first peoples--the first Americans.  Do that, then we can talk about reparations for slavery.  That's only fair.  Hey you, back in line!

If the sins of the father are visited on his children, shouldn’t we take better care for the sake of our own?  So why not honor the sacrifices of the victims?  We owe history and the future the truth.  Warts and all.  It's a bitter pill for southerners but one that has to be taken.  Bottoms up!

The thing of it is...

In order to shoot down stupid, you have to come loaded for bear.  And not for one of those cute and fuzzy Alaskan browns or that tundra trotting Coke swilling polar version, I'm talking Ursus Maximus.  The kind a nuclear weapon would just annoy.  Okay, I might be gilding a Lilliputian but stupid is the gift that outlasts the Energizer Bunny.  We might put up our hands now and then and say, "No more, please, I'm full."  But then we surrender, "Mmm why not, maybe just one more scoop."

A coworker had a phrase that fits, "Shit's good if you like it."  The statement is repulsive but nonetheless spot-on.  Social media bears this out.  A smarter fellow than I once said, "Folks would rather be rallied than edified." That alone nails Trump and his minions.  He shows up, pounds the podium for ignorance and the facts lose every time.  Proof enough?

Facts aren't divorced from fallacy. Hell, they've never even met. Fallacy is slathered on everything like butter on hot toast. Facts are like fiber. Good for you and gluten-free. Fallacy is like gluten, stretchy and sticks to everything. Like your beliefs.

Maybe news organizations should treat the truth like cold medication. Flavor it with cherry overtones and more than a hint of Everclear. The taste would be palatable and we'd get a good night's sleep believing we'd done some good. Smartened up a bit, triangulated, delved into the deep end and came up with the truth. Figured it out. Done edified our bad selves. But that's just the dextromethorphan talking.  Nighty-night.

Come sun up it will be screw the fiber and more gluten, please.  Facts lose every time.