A Dose of Reality

I doubt most Americans know anything about Moses Ezekiel. Two years ago, I wouldn’t have. But this is the least of the challenges facing those who think it is important to save the Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery. To begin with, the sculptor’s own descendants have called for its removal to a museum. According to the Washington Post, Judith Ezekiel, a women’s and African American studies professor says:

“All of us agree that monuments to the Confederacy are racist justifications of slavery, of owning people.”

The United States military is led by men who call Confederates traitors at Congressional hearings. Your average politician from either party could care less. Austin Scott a Republican Member of the House of Representatives from Georgia was on the Naming Commission and signed off on the final report.

Sure, lots of people on Twitter are making a big fuss but Twitter is not real life. The reality is that they are winning and will win if the people who care about preserving Southern history and culture don’t change it up. Here are a few questions to help clarify my point:

• Who is the leading spokesperson for saving monuments in the United States?
• When is the first protest event in Washington DC to publicize the fact that a piece of art by a Jewish sculptor in a cemetery is going to be destroyed?
• Which writers and influencers with more than 10,000 followers are making the case for saving this monument?
• Who is raising money to fight the battle in the courts?

In fairness, the Sons of Confederate Veterans has a campaign to raise money for legal actions but think about it. We know the SCV is a fine organization, but please, they are not going to get it done. We must deal in reality. What does the average American think of the SCV?

If you care about the preservation of the memorial, there won’t be any Battle Flags at a protest either.