R.I.P. Silent Sam

Last night a mob of several hundred "students" destroyed the statue of a Confederate soldier at the University in Chapel Hill. The campus police were on hand to watch the proceedings, but failed to make any serious efforts to prevent the destruction of the statue. I don't quite understand why they can surround and protect a set of goal posts at the football stadium, but failed to protect the historical statue.

Silent Sam has stood watch on the UNC campus for about 105 years. In that time, he has not lied, cheated, stolen, used drugs, committed any sexual assaults, or committed any other crimes. That separates him from the mob that took him down last night. They believe that Sam is a racist threat to their existence.  However, they are unable to cite any quotes from Sam.

This morning on the news they interviewed a freshman who started at UNC yesterday. She said that Sam had to come down because it was a symbol against being "inclusive". Funny how leftists want to include everyone but those who believe differently from them.

Today people want to impose their beliefs and standards of today on people who lived in the past. I don't think that process is fair or accurate. Lots of people believe that slavery was the cause of the Civil War. I readily acknowledge that slavery was a factor in the Civil War. Do I believe that it was it the primary cause? No. If it was a war with a single cause, then it was the first and only war with that condition. Suggested reading here is "New York, City of Sedition".  More on this thought at another time.

Here are a few questions to ponder.

I have never seen a picture of MLK tearing down a monument, have you??

Will Sam's demise improve student grades at UNC?
Will Sam's demise improve student safety and reduce crimes at UNC?
Can we round up the protesters and test them on their knowledge of the Civil War? In other words, can we see if they have any real knowledge about the subject??
Will this heal the damage done by the academic scandal with athletes and the African-American studies program?
Will this prevent any future athletic department scandals? Hint: Not a chance!
Do the students who wanted Sam to remain have any voice in this matter?
How does a mob decision  improve the student body knowledge and thought process?
Will this help end racism or merely show that the left is at least as racist as those they attack?
Can we tear down the Smith Center if the basketball team has a bad season?
Can people who disagree with Martin Luther King destroy a statue of him and expect to get praised in the media? Would they face any legal issues? After all, they are just doing what they believe is right.

Here's my closing question. What happens in a few years if the left continues to criticize U.S. history markers and decides that the Vietnam Memorial Wall is racist and offends Asians? They will claim that it makes it hard for Asians to be "included". They will question the reasons for the war and the "real" reason we fought there. Will we tear it down to pacify the leftists?

Thirty years ago, I sat in a restaurant I managed and talked with an attorney about the Confederate monument issue. He was quite the Civil War scholar. I remember his words well. "If you want to honor your heroes, you have to let others honor their heroes."  There's a message for all sides!!