The statue removal is not about slave ownership. It is about promoting racist attitudes and fear in people of color. Most of the statues were placed during the era of Jim Crow by groups that wanted to keep people of color "in their place" when more equal rights were being won. In case you don't know when the US practiced Jim Crow, we are talking about 1896-1953. These laws promoted racial segregation. These statues were placed to celebrate racial segregation and oppression. In a country as diverse as ours why celebrate racial oppression?

The statue removal is not about slave ownership. It is about promoting racist attitudes and fear in people of color. Most of the statues were placed during the era of Jim Crow by groups that wanted to keep people of color "in their place" when more equal rights were being won. In case you don't know when the US practiced Jim Crow, we are talking about 1896-1953. These laws promoted racial segregation. These statues were placed to celebrate racial segregation and oppression. In a country as diverse as ours why celebrate racial oppression?

I thank you all for your replies. If we could get the people in Washington and the rest of the nation to talk wouldn't it be great. Also we do not have to agree with everything but work together to make things better. I was born in Ohio, my dads' side of the family was from North Carolina and I have lived in Georgia for over 55 years. My last two years of high school here had only white students. In Ohio some of the people I admired alot were of color. We are all the same inside! Except for the "idiots". I love that word.

I agree, the Jim Crow laws were the worst laws ever passed in this country and were dead wrong. I think a good way to handle these monuments is to either move them into museums or place them in confederate cemeteries. The men and women that fought and died on the Confederate side were still American's and we need to remember why they died and why it was a waste of lives. We cannot forget our past or we will repeat it. Slavery, as bad as it was, was unfortunately a fact of life in the past and we really are beating a dead horse blaming those for practicing it in a time where they never even thought about it being wrong. The idea now is to be sure it never happens again and there are places in the world that it does happen even today.

Here are two letters I have submitted to our local newspapers. The first will appear next week in the AJC:

“National History Crisis”
Both sides are at fault with what is happening today and the cities and states are letting it happen. When out-of-state people can go wherever they are “Paid” to go to protest stupid things and “create a riotous” situation this will continue to happen. Look up how many US Presidents owed slaves. Are we going to tear down all of our national monuments and tear up all of our currency? Give me a break! For once one of our politicians spoke the truth and the news media can’t handle it. We all need to take a lesson from our pets. You treat them with love a respect and they don’t care who or what you are they love you back. If all of us did this there would be a lot fewer problems in our lives.

Effect of the Civil War

Stop and think what if the Civil War did not take place? How long would slavery have continued? Has anyone done some research on the number of our first Presidents owned slaves? Depending on the article you read the number is 18 to 19 of our first Presidents. Are we now going to protest removing the history of them also? This would include destroying all of our paper currency and most of our coins. Next let’s move on to Washington and remove the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Monument, and while we are at it lets change the name of our nations’ capital. Stop Ford Motor from making Lincoln cars and destroy all existing ones. If the protesters would spend as much time volunteering in their community to help the poor and needy the country would be much better off. We have to stop giving in to nonsense and selfishness.

I am really frustrated!