The Silence Was Deafening
By Doug Hagin (01/23/03)
The silence, as the old expression goes, was surely deafening on January 20th, wasn’t it? What silence you ask? Well the tragic silence all over the South on what was formerly an honored and revered holiday.
Yet there was no silence on that day one could argue. Surely the holiday honoring Martin Luther King was much heralded as it always is. There were surely parades, and celebrations, and much media coverage wasn’t there?
So again you wonder exactly why this column would deal with a silence on the holiday which was celebrated on January 20th? Well, simply put my friends there was another holiday which some marked on the date of January 20th.
This holiday, which did not receive the coverage of the media also had some parades and ceremonies marking it.
It also honored a Southerner held in great esteem all across not only the South but the rest of America as well.
Yet this holiday was quite differently observed. It was not only given second service, but was in fact pretty much ignored.
In fact this holiday has pretty well been completely forgotten except by a few of us.
This holiday was, at one time, a greatly celebrated event all across the South. But it seems political correctness and intolerance has victimized this day. Those who celebrate it, instead of being left alone in their ventures are now ostracized as racists.
Funny thing is this. The Southerners, who still take the time to pay homage to this hero on the day set aside for him long ago, do not disparage the King holiday. They hold no ill will at all towards it.
See these folks, of which I am one, understand the fact that the birthdays of Martin Luther King and Robert E. Lee fall on the same date. So we gladly were willing to make room on the calendar for both men.
In fact we tolerated the advent of a holiday honoring Dr. King, even though it would mean sharing the spotlight with General Lee. We did not protest, or demand no holiday for Dr. King. No, instead we did, as Southerners usually are known to do. We were hospitable about it. And just look where our famed Southern hospitality has gotten us.
Now those who wanted a day to honor their hero, Dr. King, have now taken aim at destroying the day set aside for Lee altogether. Instead of returning our genuine tolerance with kindness they have chosen to eradicate any honoring of General Lee. Such is the way of Liberal tolerance and political correctness it seems.
Unlike us they were not willing to share the day no, no, they instead sought to shove their day down our throats at the expense of our own. No matter if we wished to preserve the memory of a genuinely great man. No matter if many of us wanted to take the opportunity to honor both men. None of this mattered at all.
No sir! All that really mattered is this. General Lee was a Confederate officer, and therefore has been labeled as an evil, slave owning man. And as such, he deserves no holiday, no honor, no mention at all. Unless of course it in a scornful way which paints him, and of course anyone who reveres him as a racist.
Once again, no matter what type of man Lee was. No matter his military brilliance. No matter his humility, which could be such an example for so many. No matter his actual views on slavery, or race relations. How about his great Christian faith?
Does this seem important at all? No! Does the fact Lee detested slavery matter in the least? Again the answer is a definite no! The facts about Lee are not relevant to the Liberal mind.
Only his service as a Confederate general is of importance to these people. Lee fought for the South; the South allowed slavery, so therefore Lee was a bad man who has no redeeming value whatsoever. See how simple this is?
See how easy judging and stereotyping people is? Just take one factor and leap to negative judgments about them. And forget about being wrong, because there is no right or wrong in the Liberal mind. There are only feelings. And Robert E. Lee feels like he was a not so nice kind of guy to the left.
So say goodbye to his holiday. A few simple-minded miscreants have deemed him unworthy and the rest of us better like it or else.
So if you took note of the silence last Monday, you have a choice to make. You can allow a few intolerant types to dictate to you, or you can start making plans to resurrect Lee’s holiday. Which will it be?
(Printer friendly version) Email: Doug Hagin
