The terrible thing that's happened in america

[ZeroHour]

As I am the only person to have used this quote in recent days (that I'm aware of) then I presume the part in bold is aimed at me, maybe I'm wrong and maybe It's not, but if it is, why don't you just come out with the point you and another poster have both said that you think I'm missing.

 

You see, you and Justin Z have a huge advantage over myself and probably the vast majority of the rest of the thread, and that is that you have both worked and lived in America, you may have been educated in America, you might even have been born in America, whilst myself and everyone else hasn't, we, I haven't witnessed what you and Justin have, therefore my understanding of the situation surrounding these statues is not as detailed nor as complete as yours is and nor would I expect it to be, just as I wouldn't expect an American to knew or understand what it was like to grow up in the 60's in the UK.

 

At the start of this week, I, like a lot of other people weren't aware of the symbolism surrounding these statues and that there seemed to be two main periods in time when these statues were erected, those being primary at around the beginning of the 1900's and then again in the 1950's & 60's, there had obviously been others erected every year in between, but the two primary periods are the said periods.

But you know all of this already, so there is no point in going into any detail, but through my own ignorance of the subject I didn't, I knew about Confederate Statues and monuments, but I didn't know that in the vast majority of the cases that Statue had no relevance to that particular town or city, inasmuch as the person being born there, died there or that a battle had been fought there, and that many were put up for the sole reason of racism, indeed it could be argued that every single Confederate Statue & Monument is a symbol of racism, which I now accept they are, and again this was something which I was not appreciative off until the events of last Saturday brought them out into the open, before then I hadn't given it any real thought.

 

I have now read up more on the subject and I now hold my hands up and say that I didn't appreciate fully the symbolism of these statues and monuments and how they were and are intended as a means of keeping racism alive, therefore I have now no objections to the removal of any or all Confederate statues, monuments, renaming of buildings, streets or parks, which people deem to be offensive and a clear symbol of racism.

 

I hope this clarifies my position now.

You only read material you wanted to read, that supports "your side" - hence why you came away with the opinion that the statues are "meant to keep racism alive".

[ZeroHour]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40978515

 

 

Meanwhile the BBC ask if Mount Rushmore should be demolished.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

You only read material you wanted to read, that supports "your side" - hence why you came away with the opinion that the statues are "meant to keep racism alive".

 

Nothing to do with taking sides, it's about what is my own personal morals tell me.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

You are wrong. It wasn't aimed at you. Believe it or not, kickback isn't my only source of info or discussion on this topic.

 

Then I apologize.

 

Believe it or not, we are both singing from the same hymn sheet, just that you are on the chorus whilst I'm still on the first verse.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

Good honest post Jambo-Jimbo.

 

I've also learnt a fair bit from this thread.

 

I think a lot of us have learnt quite a fair bit over the last week or so, like I said I wasn't fully aware of certain details, some of which I hadn't even thought about before, not until they were laid bare and talked about, did I then look at things from a different angle, one which I had paid little to no attention to before.

[ZeroHour]

Nothing to do with taking sides, it's about what is my own personal morals tell me.

How can your personal morals tell you about the true motives of men who erected statues decades ago, in another continent?

 

What does your personal morals say about the BBC article i posted, re:mount rushmore? Should a man who owned 300 slaves have his faced carved into the side of a mountain?

[Cade]

There's at least 190 chapters of the KKK alone, that's not even including all the other neo-nazi, white supremacist and fundamentalist christian groups out there.

 

There's hundreds of thousands of these freaks in the USA.

[Cade]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40978515

 

 

Meanwhile the BBC ask if Mount Rushmore should be demolished.

BBC willfully ignoring the point.

 

It's not about the fecking statue, who the statue is of and what they did in life.

 

It's about the disgusting scumbags that use the statue as a rallying point and symbol of their sick world views.

[Seymour M Hersh]

There's at least 190 chapters of the KKK alone, that's not even including all the other neo-nazi, white supremacist and fundamentalist christian groups out there.

 

There's hundreds of thousands of these freaks in the USA.

 

Perhaps but I'm not sure they're that well populated tbh. However in 1999 there was an estimated 1.4million gang members in the US of which nearly 50% were Hispanic, 34% African American and 6% Asian. Only 13% were white and that I assume would include kkk, Aryian Brotherhood etc. 

[Cade]

Perhaps but I'm not sure they're that well populated tbh. However in 1999 there was an estimated 1.4million gang members in the US of which nearly 50% were Hispanic, 34% African American and 6% Asian. Only 13% were white and that I assume would include kkk, Aryian Brotherhood etc. 

That depends if "gangs" includes the psuedo-political KKK and other far-right groups, or whether "gangs" only means organised crime.

[ZeroHour]

BBC willfully ignoring the point.

 

It's not about the fecking statue, who the statue is of and what they did in life.

 

It's about the disgusting scumbags that use the statue as a rallying point and symbol of their sick world views.

No the debate around the statue precedes the rally controversy.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

How can your personal morals tell you about the true motives of men who erected statues decades ago, in another continent?

 

What does your personal morals say about the BBC article i posted, re:mount rushmore? Should a man who owned 300 slaves have his faced carved into the side of a mountain?

 

Educate me then, tell me what the 'true motives' were of the men who erected them were.

[Justin Z]

I hope this clarifies my position now.

 

Thanks for sharing all that.  I unfortunately had to get riled up to knob levels first, but that's my fault.

[Justin Z]

The BBC also missing the mark badly.  To summarise:

 

- Statues of Confederate leaders: their defence of slavery in the Civil War is their most important contribution to history.  In most cases, it's all they're known for.

 

- Statues of other American historical figures who happened to own slaves: did lots of other things to cement their place in history.  Things like writing a Constitution that is still the law of the land, or leading a revolution against a tyrant monarch, or enacting important reforms during their time as President.  Edit: Oh, and also never committed treason in order to fight a war on the side of an illegitimate, breakaway republic defending the institution of slavery.

 

If the removal of the Confederate statues were in fact an attempt to whitewash history, their argument might start to make a little more sense.  But it's not and it doesn't.

[niblick1874]

The end game in this is to paint everyone that voted Trump as Nazis to the MSM junkies.

 

There are not enough MSM junkies in America to pull it off and they know it.

 

All those that voted for Trump are seeing right trough it and more of those that did not vote for him are seeing the double standards not to mention the out and out lying both through their teeth and through omission.

 

I have said all along it would come to this if they (the deep state) felt their grip loosening.

 

Level heads are called for but what the MSM and those in the deep state are doing is pouring oil on the fire.

 

I will ask again. Does it not give paus for thought that the police are being told to stand down in certain places?

 

How on earth can it be that this is aloud?

 

 

He is the elected President of the country for **** sake. What we are witnessing is a coup

 

When this is taken as par for the course there is something very wrong and I will say again. The American people are seeing right through it.

[ZeroHour]

The end game in this is to paint everyone that voted Trump as Nazis to the MSM junkies.

 

There are not enough MSM junkies in America to pull it off and they know it.

 

All those that voted for Trump are seeing right trough it and more of those that did not vote for him are seeing the double standards not to mention the out and out lying both through their teeth and through omission.

 

I have said all along it would come to this if they (the deep state) felt their grip loosening.

 

Level heads are called for but what the MSM and those in the deep state are doing is pouring oil on the fire.

 

I will ask again. Does it not give paus for thought that the police are being told to stand down in certain places?

 

How on earth can it be that this is aloud?

 

 

He is the elected President of the country for **** sake. What we are witnessing is a coup

 

When this is taken as par for the course there is something very wrong and I will say again. The American people are seeing right through it.

Yup. It's a doubling-down on the "basket of deplorables" rhetoric that worked oh-so-well for Hillary Corruption. Seems like the Russia-collusion conspiracy theory died on it's arse. This will do. What's the political establishments next move?

[Eldar Hadzimehmedovic]

Utter bampots.

[Seymour M Hersh]

That depends if "gangs" includes the psuedo-political KKK and other far-right groups, or whether "gangs" only means organised crime.

 

Gangs does include them and also organised crime like Triads, Yakuza etc.

[Francis Albert]

The BBC also missing the mark badly.  To summarise:

 

- Statues of Confederate leaders: their defence of slavery in the Civil War is their most important contribution to history.  In most cases, it's all they're known for.

 

- Statues of other American historical figures who happened to own slaves: did lots of other things to cement their place in history.  Things like writing a Constitution that is still the law of the land, or leading a revolution against a tyrant monarch, or enacting important reforms during their time as President.  Edit: Oh, and also never committed treason in order to fight a war on the side of an illegitimate, breakaway republic defending the institution of slavery.

 

If the removal of the Confederate statues were in fact an attempt to whitewash history, their argument might start to make a little more sense.  But it's not and it doesn't.

The people including Lee who actually fought on the Confederate side were not fighting for slavery, even if that was the motivation for establishing the confederacy. They were fighting for their country or states just as Washington a hundred years before (despite the fact of slavery) fought his own war of secession. Just as Washington and Jefferson saw slavery as part of the natural order of things so did white Southern society at the time of the Civil War, The Confederate generals, despite being outnumbered and with far fewer resources, generally performed astonishingly well (Lincoln had to regularly sack his own incompetent generals).

 

Equally those Britons who fought and died in WW1 were not fighting to preserve the British Empire (and its subjugation of hundreds of millions) although that was certainly a key British war objective. The UK is littered with statues of heroes of the Empire, who did little other than subjugate and kill in the name of the Empire, against foes much less equipped to fight than the Union forces in the Civil War. There statues do and should survive because they are part of our history.

[Francis Albert]

Educate me then, tell me what the 'true motives' were of the men who erected them were.

Some no doubt were erected in opposition to civil rights and with racist motives.

 

But most I suspect were erected as war memorials (every town in the South, small or large has a statue of a Confederate soldier) and in the case of people like Lee in recognition of the fact that were great generals who performed astonishingly well against much stronger and better equipped forces.

 

Much is made of the fact that many were erected long after the war. But we are still erecting memorials and statues for wars 70 and 100 years ago, and the remembrance of WW1 has reached an unprecedented level a full century on.

[niblick1874]

Utter bampots.

 

Who?

[Ulysses]

Utter bampots.

 

 

But garble warble fibble wibble, Eldar. 

 

Garble warble fibble wibble.  Can't explain that, can you?

 

[niblick1874]

The end game in this is to paint everyone that voted Trump as Nazis to the MSM junkies.

 

There are not enough MSM junkies in America to pull it off and they know it.

 

All those that voted for Trump are seeing right trough it and more of those that did not vote for him are seeing the double standards not to mention the out and out lying both through their teeth and through omission.

 

I have said all along it would come to this if they (the deep state) felt their grip loosening.

 

Level heads are called for but what the MSM and those in the deep state are doing is pouring oil on the fire.

 

I will ask again. Does it not give paus for thought that the police are being told to stand down in certain places?

 

How on earth can it be that this is aloud?

 

 

He is the elected President of the country for **** sake. What we are witnessing is a coup

 

When this is taken as par for the course there is something very wrong and I will say again. The American people are seeing right through it.

 

 

Yup. It's a doubling-down on the "basket of deplorables" rhetoric that worked oh-so-well for Hillary Corruption. Seems like the Russia-collusion conspiracy theory died on it's arse. This will do. What's the political establishments next move?

 

Yep, and all they have left is what you see below. 

 

But garble warble fibble wibble, Eldar. 

 

Garble warble fibble wibble.  Can't explain that, can you?

 

[elvoys]

http://amp.nationalreview.com/corner/450636/re-charlottesville-trump-and-anti-americanism

[niblick1874]

The MSM in America got it all wrong.

 

The reason why is for another thread, but what it amounts to is the MSM backing themselves into a corner with nowhere to go but to double down until their desperation became apparent to the uninterested.

 

The MSM in America gave the American people no choice. It was ether the way they were telling it or they were full of it. They misjudged and arrogance had a lot to do with it

 

[elvoys]

Stabbings, riots and old ladies getting assaulted for holding US flags at a rally for free speech (something the Guardian call 'controversial')

 

Oh yeah, those virtuous 'antifacist' heroes, just so similar to those at Normandy.

[Ulysses]

Yep, and all they have left is what you see below. 

 

 

Lyer?

 

 

[Ulysses]

Anyone else hearing the distinct sound of zoooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

 

[maroonlegions]

White supremacists  racist neo nazis demanding freedom of speech and  freedom of open displays ,(marches), when that very speech and open display at its roots  is indicative of denying non whites their rights to freedoms , non bigotry and  hatred from  neo fascism.

 

You could not make it up, i mean, are these fecking red neck feckwits that thick, that they actyualy belive  that they have  any  right to free speech  even if that free speech seeks to  DENY  or threatens others rights to live and coexist just because of their race, creed or nationality. 

 

Anyone defending these so called rights to such freedom of speech or open displays of neo nazsium should sit in a room of world war veterans that landed on the Normandy  beaches or listen the those survivors of the Nazi concentration camps.

 

These neo nazis and far right neo fascists have lost any fecking rights , why?, because they seek to deny others theirs.

 

 GIRUY. NAZI /FASCIST SCUM.

 

 

   Counter-protesters said the Free Speech Rally accommodates ?white supremacists,? before the demonstration even began, and called for it to be opposed.

https://www.rt.com/usa/400263-free-speech-rally-boston/

[Sydney]

The end game in this is to paint everyone that voted Trump as Nazis to the MSM junkies.

 

There are not enough MSM junkies in America to pull it off and they know it.

 

All those that voted for Trump are seeing right trough it and more of those that did not vote for him are seeing the double standards not to mention the out and out lying both through their teeth and through omission.

 

I have said all along it would come to this if they (the deep state) felt their grip loosening.

 

Level heads are called for but what the MSM and those in the deep state are doing is pouring oil on the fire.

 

I will ask again. Does it not give paus for thought that the police are being told to stand down in certain places?

 

How on earth can it be that this is

 

He is the elected President of the country for **** sake. What we are witnessing is a coup

 

When this is taken as par for the course there is something very wrong and I will say again. The American people are seeing right through it.

The merican peepl can see trough you.

 

I have dug deep and no what your doing. It is clear when yoo see it.

 

Think abowt it.

[elvoys]

White supremacists racist neo nazis demanding freedom of speech and freedom of open displays ,(marches), when that very speech and open display at its roots is indicative of denying non whites their rights to freedoms , non bigotry and hatred from neo fascism.

 

You could not make it up, i mean, are these fecking red neck feckwits that thick, that they actyualy belive that they have any right to free speech even if that free speech seeks to DENY or threatens others rights to live and coexist just because of their race, creed or nationality.

 

Anyone defending these so called rights to such freedom of speech or open displays of neo nazsium should sit in a room of world war veterans that landed on the Normandy beaches or listen the those survivors of the Nazi concentration camps.

 

These neo nazis and far right neo fascists have lost any fecking rights , why?, because they seek to deny others theirs.

 

GIRUY. NAZI /FASCIST SCUM.

 

 

Counter-protesters said the Free Speech Rally accommodates ?white supremacists,? before the demonstration even began, and called for it to be opposed.

https://www.rt.com/usa/400263-free-speech-rally-boston/

You bees trippin.

 

You've just described the sound of one big insane maoist leftist university campus thinking it decides the fate of freedom for 300 million people.

 

Antifa - Anti First Amendment

[Cade]

First Amendment only protects your speech from government censorship.

 

Private companies and media are not bound by it.

 

Which is why all the Nazis at the rally are being fired as soon as they are identified.

 

[elvoys]

First Amendment only protects your speech from government censorship.

 

Private companies and media are not bound by it.

 

Which is why all the Nazis at the rally are being fired as soon as they are identified.

 

Spoken like a true little run to the teacher coward, much like the guy in this mans face at the end of the video.

 

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/watch-trump-supporter-wearing-israeli-flag-told-to-get-the-f-k-out-of-boston-by-hecklers/article/2632062

 

Anyway, thinking that going there unmasked (unlike antifa gimps) is at all sackable is in your imagination just like the equation made by the safe space generation that being a free speech fundamentalist equals Nazism.

 

Anyway, I'll like to see someone explain how draping yourself in an Israeli flag is the second coming of Goebbels let alone a company try to make the case stand up in court.

 

But remind me Cade, why are the 'antifascists' of today and Corbynistas too anti the only tiny glorious free pro LGBT in the mid east, the land where most Jews gather together, many of whom having fled actual Nazis?

[elvoys]

The American left today, doing their best Orwell impersonation.

 

Censorship is freedom.

Violent protest is peaceful.

Victimhood hierarchy is equality.

Free speech is hate.

[ZeroHour]

 

Hysteria

[Cade]

200 white supremacists had a wee rally in Boston yesterday.

 

Over 40,000 counter protestors were there to meet them. Boston said in no uncertain terms that Neo-nazis are not welcome.

 

Donald Trump called the 40,000 anti-facist demonstrators "Anti-police agitators"

 

[maroonlegions]

You only read material you wanted to read, that supports "your side" - hence why you came away with the opinion that the statues are "meant to keep racism alive".

 Totaly crap.

 

Tell me what side was the deep South Confederates on , what outdated racism did they want to keep alive, slavery of the blacks by any chance,

 

What material do you read that supports your side on these matters??     Hopefully not  apologist material for keeping racism alive , as was what these  Confederate statures were doing. Symbolism of racism, no other meaning.

 

 

[ZeroHour]

Totaly crap.

 

Tell me what side was the deep South Confederates on , what outdated racism did they want to keep alive, slavery of the blacks by any chance,

 

What material do you read that supports your side on these matters?? Hopefully not apologist material for keeping racism alive , as was what these Confederate statures were doing. Symbolism of racism, no other meaning.

 

 

Infantile seems an adequate description of your post and ignorance of history.

[maroonlegions]

200 white supremacists had a wee rally in Boston yesterday.

 

Over 40,000 counter protestors were there to meet them. Boston said in no uncertain terms that Neo-nazis are not welcome.

 

Donald Trump called the 40,000 anti-facist demonstrators "Anti-police agitators"

 

 

 

He is truly captain chaos, he is dangerous in fact, a pure nasserist.    

[maroonlegions]

Infantile seems an adequate description of your post and ignorance of history.

 Ha ha, well i am all ears mate try me, so i will ask again what kind of material do you read that supports the idea that these statues are not a symbolism of racism?? or indeed that they are  not linked in any way to the Confederate notion of non white slavery ??

 

What was Lincoln's reasons for war with the South?? 

 

Surely  by that notion  alone its a clear indication  that those statues are and were an intent to remain a reminder of deep racism 

 

Confederates fought for what , the liberation of all black slaves??

 

You are beginning to sound like an  apologist , seems as clear as day mate, are you that  ignorant and indifferent to the sufferings of non whites by a racist white supremacist deep South Confederacy.  

[maroonlegions]

You bees trippin.

 

You've just described the sound of one big insane maoist leftist university campus thinking it decides the fate of freedom for 300 million people.

 

Antifa - Anti First Amendment

 

 

You been on drugs mate, you another apologist troll that hates any references that those who proclaim racist views should have a mouthpiece to do so, read my post again , it clearly states the point that those preaching racist  hatred or nazi like views should not have the right to do so,

 

Simple enough but you knew that anyway.

 

When faced with such a challenge to racist mouthpieces  its easy to scream  leftist rant.

 

Those who preach fascist and racist insane ramblings are in the minority, no way should they be allowed to spew such filth, pity you cannot see that . Look again at the numbers in Boston who counter protested at those insane racist feckwits. 

 

 

Four score and seven years ago our father brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

[maroonlegions]

Those using  apologist  historical spins and excuses for these statues and rights for any neo nazis and racists to have a mouthpiece really need to look at the bigger picture here. 

 

Look at the uproar Nigel Farage created  when he started to appear on TV with his racist like views and comments.

 

The danger here is that this becomes a normalised acceptability for racists,fascists and neo nazis to have more of a mouthpiece, because the notion that they have, or are entitled to that right to such a mouthpiece  is justifiable regardless of the freedoms they seek to deny others because of race,creed or nationality. 

 

A line has to be drawn somewhere and  i would draw that line at marches and the use of main stream medias.

[ZeroHour]

Ha ha, well i am all ears mate try me, so i will ask again what kind of material do you read that supports the idea that these statues are not a symbolism of racism?? or indeed that they are not linked in any way to the Confederate notion of non white slavery ??

 

What was Lincoln's reasons for war with the South??

 

Surely by that notion alone its a clear indication that those statues are and were an intent to remain a reminder of deep racism

 

Confederates fought for what , the liberation of all black slaves??

 

You are beginning to sound like an apologist , seems as clear as day mate, are you that ignorant and indifferent to the sufferings of non whites by a racist white supremacist deep South Confederacy.

Have you read about the subject? I doubt anyone would come away with the opinion it was a single-issue war on the practice of slavery after any kind of critical study. Given it was a civil war, the Einstein quote on nationalism misses the mark for me too. Abolishing slavery wasn't the reason Lincoln went to war in the beginning. This sorry episode of ripping down civil statues is the modern day book burning. It's like listening to Celtic fans sum up The Glorious Revolution as "the killing of catholics!". It's revisionism of history through the lens of modern-day, identity politics to fit a 140-character agenda, without full understanding of the social and political intricacies of those times.

[AlphonseCapone]

Should probably close the thread now it has descended into a rabble of memes and cliches.

 

Rational argument is almost dead these days.

[Francis Albert]

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."  George Santayana (philosopher, poet, and novelist, 1863-1952)

A great quote (though similar sentiments were expressed by others before Santayana).

 

Kurt Vonnegut had a more fatalistic, or perhaps more realistic, take (and having experienced the fire bombing of Dresden he perhaps knew  what he was speaking about).

 

"We are doomed to repeat the past no matter what. It's pretty dense kids who haven't figured that out by the time they are ten ... most kids can't afford to go to Harvard and get misinformed".

 

On the whole History is I think on Vonnegut's side.

[Francis Albert]

 Totaly crap.

 

Tell me what side was the deep South Confederates on , what outdated racism did they want to keep alive, slavery of the blacks by any chance,

 

What material do you read that supports your side on these matters??     Hopefully not  apologist material for keeping racism alive , as was what these  Confederate statures were doing. Symbolism of racism, no other meaning.

 

 

 

 Totaly crap.

 

Tell me what side was the deep South Confederates on , what outdated racism did they want to keep alive, slavery of the blacks by any chance,

 

What material do you read that supports your side on these matters??     Hopefully not  apologist material for keeping racism alive , as was what these  Confederate statures were doing. Symbolism of racism, no other meaning.

 

 

Lincoln during the Civil War (quite a long way after it started) : "If I could save the Union by freeing all the slaves I would. If I could save the Union by freeing none of the slaves I would. If I could save the Union by freeing some but not all I would".

 

He freed the slaves because it helped save the Union, and only incidentally because it was the right thing to do.

[Seymour M Hersh]

Should probably close the thread now it has descended into a rabble of memes and cliches.

 

Rational argument is almost dead these days.

 

[Ulysses]

He is truly captain chaos, he is dangerous in fact, a pure nasserist.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ulysses]

Have you read about the subject?

 

Yes, and you are talking through your trousers.

 

The political nuances and intricacies of the time were all related to the fact that the secessionist states did not want the Federal government restricting or restraining slavery, particularly in the territories that were to become states.  Without the existence of slavery, it is difficult if not impossible to conjure up a set of circumstances in which civil war would have taken place in the United States.

 

 

Lincoln during the Civil War (quite a long way after it started) : "If I could save the Union by freeing all the slaves I would. If I could save the Union by freeing none of the slaves I would. If I could save the Union by freeing some but not all I would".

 

He freed the slaves because it helped save the Union, and only incidentally because it was the right thing to do.

 

That doesn't justify racism, so it would really be better for you to avoid doing so, or avoid giving comfort to those who do so.

[Francis Albert]

Yes, and you are talking through your trousers.

 

The political nuances and intricacies of the time were all related to the fact that the secessionist states did not want the Federal government restricting or restraining slavery, particularly in the territories that were to become states.  Without the existence of slavery, it is difficult if not impossible to conjure up a set of circumstances in which civil war would have taken place in the United States.

 

 

 

That doesn't justify racism, so it would really be better for you to avoid doing so, or avoid giving comfort to those who do so.

Of course it doesn't justify racism, and I have absolutely no idea why you think I intended it to do so. It does suggest the simplistic idea that the North fought the war to abolish slavery is historically wrong. Do you think we should accept distorting history just to avoid comforting racists?

 

I have not disputed that the South seceded and fought largely to keep slavery.