Revisionist History

Greg, a social studies teacher at Rhymes With Right, has up a very good post on a particular bugaboo of mine dealing with those who would warp history by evaluating historical acts in terms of modern ethics and mores. It happens all of the time in the retelling of history, but is most obvious every year when Columbus Day and Thanksgiving come around. This from Rhymes With Right, discussing revisionism in the context of several recent events, including Confederate History Month in Virginia and the priest scandals:

I have, time and again, been confronted with precisely that question in recent days. Looking back at the events of the past, there are those who wish to judge individuals and their actions based upon the morality of 2010, as if those standards are universal and eternal. Little consideration is given to the fact that moral standards have changed – that which was deemed morally licit or legally just might not be viewed as such today.

Consider the recent dust-up over the Virginia declaration of Confederate History Month. Now I have no problem commemoration of the Civil War – indeed, as a social studies teacher I would like to see a greater focus on historical study and commemoration of historical events because of the historical illiteracy that afflicts our society. Personally, I’d prefer that April be declared Civil War History Month rather than Confederate History month, to honor and commemorate those on both sides who fought (and often died) in defense of their principles and their conception of our nation’s founding principles as contained in the Declaration of Independence. But for Virginia – home of the Confederate capital and site of most of the major battles of the conflict – to focus on the Confederate side does not offend me. But some have taken grave offense at the commemoration, based both upon the defense of slavery that was a part of the Confederate cause and the assertion that the Confederate cause was one of “sedition and treason”. And yet most Americans in the immediate aftermath of the war recognized that those who fought for the Confederacy did so for reasons that transcended slavery and that both the Union and the Confederacy were espousing legitimate views on the nature of the American experiment. After all, the Declaration of Independence itself is premised on the right of “one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.” Yet to the modern sensibilities of a certain segment of the American populace, one which usually argues against an ethnocentric imposition of contemporary American values on other cultures, there is a peculiar desire to re-judge that earlier era by today’s standards and declare any different interpretation to be evil rather than simply incorrect. After all, those who fought on the Confederate side were, by the lights of the time in which they lived, patriots. . . .

Do read the entire post.

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World Class Dumb and Even Dumber Still

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World Class Dumb - Michael Steele

This mensa reject played the race card on Republicans over criticism that boils down to the fact that he is burning through money faster than he is bringing it in - which, as RNC Chairman, is failing at his primary duty. (Update: See this from Another Black Conservative: "To date, Steele has done nothing to regain the confidence of conservatives like myself. If anything his constant missteps has pushed conservatives further away.")





- & Even Dumber Still - Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell . . .



. . . who announced "Confederate History Month" in Virginia, then tried to explain why it didn't involve racism. Here is a hint Bob - if you have to explain why the imagery involved in your act is not really racist, you have completely lost the issue.

Do either of these two bozo's have a clue how they have played into the narrative of the left's race baiting industry, that racial animus is at the core of the Republican party and opposition to Obama. In normal times, these acts would be plain dumb. But we are in a situation today where the left is throwing race cards out like candy, doing their gutter best to smear the right in general and Tea Party advocates in particular as racist in order to end all debate on Obama's profligate spending and destructive policies. That takes the above acts from simple dumb to a world class absolutely numb-nuts level of dumb. With people like these in leadership positions, we really could see Republicans yet again pull defeat from the jaws of victory.

It should be noted that these remarks come on the heels of today's honest report from CNN's Shannon Travis who travelled with the Tea Parties:

[H]ere's what you don't often see in the coverage of Tea Party rallies: Patriotic signs professing a love for country; mothers and fathers with their children; African-Americans proudly participating; and senior citizens bopping to a hip-hop rapper. ... It is important to show the colorful anger Americans might have against elected leaders and Washington. But people should also see the orange-vested Tea Party hospitality handlers who welcome you with colorful smiles.

There were a few signs that could be seen as offensive to African-Americans. But by and large, no one I spoke with or I heard from on stage said anything that was approaching racist.

Almost everyone I met was welcoming to this African-American television news producer.

A salute to Mr. Travis. Now, which of the above narratives do you expect to play across the MSM?

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