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Keep Confederate Statues Standing

August 28, 2017 - 9:30am

A petition drive has started to remove the Confederate Memorial in Pensacola’s Lee Square.  I will not take the time to detail the history of the memorial which was erected in 1891 with private dollars.  The reader should do that with a quick Internet search. That’s the problem with this insane drive to remove Confederate statues from across our nation – ignorance of history.

I am an American who happens to be black. I am not an African American. This is my country. The terms African American, Hispanic American, Asian American and other such phrases were largely unheard of before the late 1980s. As a nation, we must get away from this relatively recent agenda of dividing our country into different ethnic camps. We are one nation under God.  

The insidiousness of these dual distinctions gives the impression to too many people that the United States is not really their nation and that their real deep seated allegiance actually belongs elsewhere. This leads to too many people acting like they have no ownership in this great nation.  It’s similar to how renters act compared to how owners behave. By using these terms, the pride of ownership is not there when it comes to the thinking about the United States, its history and its heritage. This makes it easier to disrespect our culture, our flag, and our history. It also makes it easier to accept dependence from the state.  

We need to reject such nonsense.  We need to be proud to be Americans. This is a nation upon which God has abundantly shed His grace.

America is an amazing nation full of opportunity and potential for those who seize it. As Tom G. Palmer wrote in “The Morality of Capitalism,” the framework for America’s greatness comes from a constitution that limits our government, individual rights, equal treatment under the law, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. This is a recipe for what has made this such a great nation. Of course, parts of our past are flawed (because flawed people were involved) but we learn from our history and our mistakes. We should not try to hide from it and tear it down.

Tearing down a statue is barbaric, a brutish act that belies a civilized people. Nobody’s lives are improved by tearing down statues.  A new job does not suddenly appear. Children do not start performing better in school and those are measurable metrics.  

There are some who insist they will feel better if the statues are removed. But will they? How do they know that? Why should the public pay for them to feel better? It’s clear taxpayers will have to pay to remove a statue that private donors erected.

Let us put a stop to this rush to divide our great nation.  We are a land of tremendous opportunity.  In the United States, every individual has before them an incredible future. My father proudly served as an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force.  I graduated from the Air Force Academy.  My father worked for a Fortune 500 company.  I started my own successful company from scratch.  

I am not unique. There are countless success stories of hard working Americans overcoming the obstacles that happen in life and leaving things better for their children.  Determining your successful, amazing future is within your grasp. Carpe diem!


Mike Hill served as a Republican representing parts of the Panhandle in the Florida House from 2013-2016. 

Comments

Skin

People like you, make me sick.

People like that *%#* woman, make me sick.

Thank you Mike for telling the truth. American history is not being taught in school. This is why today we are stuck in the 1960's. Those who don't know history will repeat the same mistakes, which is the desired outcome. We should learn from our failures, correct the errors and rejoice in our success. We can not judge our past historical figures by today's standards. But not knowing history allows that to happen. Parents please demand to see what your child is reading. The egregious errors in our texts, starting American history at 1865, eliminating civics, calling America a democracy, are only a few erroneous statements which are designed to confuse. Our statues bring us back to the time when we can say, we saw that, it was bad, we self corrected, look at the improvements we made. We can not grow as a people if we do not know all sides which form our country, our values. Our statues and monuments should be reminders, allowing for conversation of where we were, what we have done, and where we are going. Thank you Mike for being a proud American.

Outstanding article, Mr Hill. I commend you on your clear thinking.

Hi Uncle Tom.................... Well I'm an old white southern man and these statues to racism put up by terrorists to honor traitors have no place in the public square If you want to be delusional that is your problem........................ No one that counts is saying destroy them so why are you saying that lie?............................ They need to be put in a museum, cemetery, etc where their traitorous, terrorist meaning can be clearly explained for what they are, not glorified. ---------------- Go back when they were put up and why and read the speeches given clearly shows I'm right for 90% of them. ............... Even Lee clearly said he shouldn't be honored that way as nothing to be proud of.

Sir, you are uneducated and just plain ignorant as to history. Never going farther than a government written history book or watching tv. If you only knew the true causes of what you speak about, then you would also hate this government. I don't have time or patience to tell you all the facts, as a person like you are too hardheaded and set in their ways to ever accept someone else's view. I am going to say you are a yankee and have no family ties to the south whatsoever. It's people like you that gives yankee's me liberals a bad name

This rant isn't even relevant. Mr. Hill is focusing on the present, not giving a history lesson. And his focus is right on.

As your brothers, you and Idisagree on many fronts, but I must say that your article is right on point. On the other hand, the statues should not be used or viewed as an representation of prejudices and surpremency.

rented verses owned - great metaphor. I say we should not honor traitors, but removal needs to come after full public discourse and after methodical conversations - not in a huh to prove a nebulous point. well put Mr. Hill

Mike Hill needs to run for Governor of Florida!

Some heritage. The Confederacy did nothing for Florida but bombard our ports - to keep them from the U. S. It was a horrible time in our history best left to the ash heap.

America lost VietNam. We failed to free people from communism. Should the Viet Nam wall come down because we lost? Southerns understand the value of loosing a war more than any other US citizen. Hiding our past is a sure way to repeat it. We honor our past not because they were right but because they were willing to fight for what they believed to be right. Tear down monuments and you tear down your own past, your own world and your own future to choose 'What is Right"

Hitler believed he was right too... Should he then be glorified or celebrated as you say? Certainly NOT! They were not right, they left the union to preserve slavery and states rights that contradicted the law. They broke the law! Thank God they lost and thank God for the USA!

You are so wrong, read some history. No charges of treason were ever brought because there were no grounds. The Confederate States succeeded legally and were their own sovereign country. During that time period, your country was considered the state you served, they joined the Union only for protection but when they felt abused they could leave. Slavery to us is horrible but at that time it was legal and common place, everyone with money enough had slaves LEGALLY and yes, it was practiced in the North as well as the South. General Grant did not release his slaves until well after the war was over. Had Lincoln lived his plan was to deport all black people. There is documentation that shows Lincoln offered to allow the South to keep slaves if they would just come back into the Union, they refused. Lincoln also introduced West Virginia as a "slave holding state" well after the war began. The war was not over slavery but "money". Also the "Emancipation Proclamation" did not free one slave because it only freed slaves in the south which Lincoln had no authority over while it kept slaves in the North. There is so much more and it is all documented. I hope you will read it and stop the "hate".

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