This will be a rant. No, I really mean it---THIS WILL BE A GODDAM R.A.N.T!

[Atticus]

To all of the knuckle-dragging white supremacist assholes who are all het up about the removal of the Bob Lee on a horsey statue from its pedestal in Richmond, Virginia, get used to feeling like you feel today! We, the people---of ALL colors---have decided that there is no place in our nation for monuments that honor racist TRAITORS!

Yes, I called your idol a "traitor" because that is exactly what he was. He took up arms against the nation he had sworn an oath to serve and defend. By rights, the sonofabitch should have been HUNG!

It is my understanding that the statue will be cut into three pieces and stored until it can be decided what should be done with it. I have two suggestions. I'll tell you the one that does not require a LOT of lubricant.

The statue is, I believe, brass. It should be sold for scrap and the proceeds divided equally between Historic Black Colleges and Black Lives Matter.

So, if any of you Kluxer wannabes is already upset with me, let me double down: when y'all get home this evening, I hope your Mamas run out from under the porch and bite your pasty white asses!

Punks!

[hlthe2b]

1. Glad it is gone. Have no problem with it being displayed at a civil war museum or battlefield

AS long as there is context and not a glorification of the confederate (lost) "cause."

In all honesty, the only thing that bothers me a bit about removal is not the statue itself being gone, but that the artistic talent of the last century that went into making these bronze statues is pretty rare nowadays. So if something replaces it, as it should, I hope they can find someone with the talent to create something appropriate. If you saw the recent statue of Princess Di unveiled a couple of months ago, it was monstrous. (Sorry, Prince Harry and William, but it really is atrocious).

[niyad]

15. What do you think of the monument to Women's Suffrage pioneers Stanton, Anthony

and Truth in Central Park, NYC? It is bronze.

[hlthe2b]

20. Well, I've never seen it. I linked this photo...

I like it--at least from the photo.

[3catwoman3]

24. The Princess Di statue is hideous.

Very disappointing.

[ananda]

2. Righteous!

There oughta be a song and a protest to go with it.

[Resistance1]

3. What he said!

[PirateRo]

4. Right with you, brother /nt

[keithbvadu2]

5. A loyal right winger claimed that REL did not betray his oath to his country because he resigned his

A loyal right winger claimed that REL did not betray his oath to his country because he resigned his commission.

An excuse for a traitor.

[Wolf Frankula]

10. Treason consists of making war against the United States, or giving aid and comfort to its enemies.

If commanding an army in the field against the United States is not 'making war' there is no such thing.

Wolf

[Caliman73]

28. Right wingers are not known for their towering intellect or logic.

There are ONLY two ways to see the Confederacy and anyone who partook in the war on that side.

1. They were insurrectionists, rebels and traitors.
2. If we recognize the secession, they were a hostile foreign power (just like Japan and Germany), that made war against the United States.

If it is choice #1, we don't glorify traitors.

If it is choice #2 We have no statues honoring Hitler, Rommel, Hirohito, or Tojo in the US.

[hydrolastic]

6. scrap metal and money is good, But....

Give it to artist's to make way better castings.. It is bronze probably and bronze would be expensive to buy for other artists.

[panader0]

7. The statue would be worth more sold to some loyal confederate than scraped for brass.

Then donate the monies as you said.

[Atticus]

8. I understand, but I sorta think both of the organizations I named would rather see

that puppy melted down.

[panader0]

9. True

[KT2000]

11. A loyal confederate

would buy land in the center of town and put the statue back up.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Still say they should have scrapped Lee's ass and saved Traveler. Horse was not a traitor. Good boy.

[jeffreyi]

14. Yes, he was, and Traveler also had an interesting, long life.

Lee's army harassed and imprisoned free black people encountered on their march north into Pennsylvania. Pretty awful. Lee was really sick at Gettysburg, maybe one reason for some bad decisions made there.

[Evolve Dammit]

16. Beautiful horse, although I have not seen actual photos. What was Lee's illness at that time?

[jeffreyi]

27. Possible heart attack, apparent dysentery...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1542842/

And others, look up Lee's health at Gettysburg.

[Evolve Dammit]

30. Awesome. Thanks

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Mary Trump said much the same thing in her new book

Back in the day, traitors were hanged, but instead they named a university after him.

[spooky3]

21. They have at least renamed a high school

To Washington-Liberty.

[The Jungle 1]

17. I have used the treason argument for a while.

It is stunning how fast it shuts up right wing loons. They just don't know what to say.
I love point out the treason of the south at my local VFW. Now that is just plain fun.

[calimary]

18. Works for me!

[Blue Owl]

19. Right on!

[mike507]

22. Actually, I think you are being quite restrained d. Well stated.

[spanone]

23. K&R

[FoxNewsSucks]

25. Melt it down, commission a statue of Martin Luther King using the metal

and then put it back on the pedestal.

Think of the reaction . . .

[cadoman]

26. I'm not upset about it but part of making progress is learning from mistakes

Destroying a piece of problematic historical art in a blind rage isn't something a progressive or wise people do.

Thankfully the parts are preserved and perhaps in the coming years, cooler heads might present this artwork in a constructive way.

[Retired Engineer Bob]

29. I can understand your point to a degree

However, some things just need to disappear