Tuesday, September 19, 2017

All hail the mighty state!



Maybe you remember this little gem from it's earlier appearance here.  It's a plaque to be found on the back (IIRC) of a pillar in the back of the Texas Capitol (you really have to go looking for it to find it), placed there by the Texas Division of the Children of the Confederacy in 1957.  So, clearly, a monument from deepest, darkest history erected shortly after the termination of the unpleasantness between the states.  Or 92 years after that war ended,  in order to respond to the nascent civil rights movement, whichever is the truth.

You may not know that Gov. Abbott had agreed to meet with State Rep. Eric Johnson, whose office is near this plaque and who wants it down and departed.  The governor bravely (and inanely) said about statues in general, not this plaque in particular:

"But we must remember that our history isn't perfect," Abbott added. "If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it. Instead of trying to bury our past, we must learn from it and ensure it doesn’t happen again. Tearing down monuments won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future. As Governor, I will advance that future through peace, not violence, and I will do all I can to keep our citizens safe."

Fortunately nobody is coming to violence over this plaque.  Abbott has agreed to meet with Johnson about this matter; but now the Speaker of the House would like to be heard:

Speaker Straus is right:  this plaque is full of lies, and we are not well-served by lies about our history.

Does this mean it will be removed?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

We live in hope.



2 comments:

  1. That's a surprising statement from a Texas Republican...at least to me.

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  2. damn...Abbott said something smart? damn.
    and as much as i dislike the prick, he's done a good job working with the disasters caused by hurricanes and floods.

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