I detest white supremacy. I detest their rhetoric of hatred and victimhood. I detest their perversion of Christianity, and I detest the religious right in their global failure to denounce the extremes of their base. I know some have, but Christianity, in general, provides a token of condemnation, but they more often simply turn their heads. They have simply been taught to hate the Left more than their own righteousness. It’s a shame really.
However, the extremes of the Left seeking to sanitize American history are wrong. And I detest their efforts. General Robert E. Lee is not the problem. Again . . .
General Robert E. Lee is not the problem.
General Lee was a master tactician, loyal servant of Virginia and the United States and a favorite of President Lincoln. He graduated from the American Military Academy and honorably served the United States for over 32 years. He was against the seccession of the confederacy and believed in unity over disunion. At the onset of the Civil War, he was President Lincoln’s first choice to lead the union army, but because of his loyalty to Virginia, he told Lincoln that where Virginia goes, he will follow. And he became the leader of the Confederate Army.
Every American should be proud of General Lee, yes, he fought on the wrong side of history. However, let us all honor his service, his loyalty, and death for our country. He was greatly involved in post-war politics and substantiated his arguments with civility and reason. An example, his present-day followers should follow. While I don’t personally agree with all he said and did, let me close with a snippet of a letter he wrote five years before his death. Something everyone in Charlottesville, Virginia would be well-advised to read:
"It should be the object of all to avoid controversy, to allay passion, give full scope to reason and to every kindly feeling. By doing this and encouraging our citizens to engage in the duties of life with all their heart and mind, with a determination not to be turned aside by thoughts of the past and fears of the future, our country will not only be restored in material prosperity, but will be advanced in science, in virtue and in religion."