The powers that be in Chicago have determined that the city is far too cluttered with statues, monuments, plaques, and even gravestones. So they formed a commission — the Chicago Monuments Project — that will determine which historical figures are worthy of being honored and which should be consigned to the dustbin of history. There are 41 historical markers on the chopping block which is a very good start to altering the past, but so much still needs to be done.
It’s hard work erasing history, so praise for the work of this commission should be forthcoming from all of us. We should be grateful for being instructed in how to think, what to feel, whom to admire, whom to despise. If you dare question their judgment in these matters, you’re a racist, sexist, misogynistic, Indian-hating, slavery-loving, nerf herder. (Apologies to all you Wookies out there.)
The city is under siege by gangs, the coronavirus is racing through neighborhoods, the vaccine distribution program is a clusterfark, but it’s heartening to see time and resources spent on the really important task of appeasing a mob of radicals.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot doesn’t have much of a clue what’s happening in her own city but she’s politically astute enough to ride the wave of anti-white, anti-American, sentiment.
Reasons for making the list include promoting narratives of white supremacy; presenting an inaccurate or demeaning portrayal of Native Americans; celebrating people with connections to slavery, genocide or racist acts; or “presenting selective, over-simplified, one-sided views of history.” (author’s emphasis)
I can’t be the only one giggling at that last reason to tear down a statue of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, or William McKinley. Most of these activists have a stick-figure view of most of the people they want to erase from history. We know that because some of their choices are incredibly stupid.
Besides five statutes of Lincoln, others on the list include the General John Logan Monument in Grant Park; the General Philip Henry Sheridan Monument at Belmont and Lake Shore Drive; a statue of Benjamin Franklin in Lincoln Park; the Haymarket Riot Monument/ Police Memorial at 1300 W. Jackson Blvd; the Italo Balbo Monument in Burnham Park; and the Jean Baptiste Beaubien plaque at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Benjamin Franklin, the founder of the first abolitionist society in America, is to be erased? Well, he IS white and he IS American and he DID own two slaves at one time. So, DOWN WITH HIS STATUE!
Lightfoot called the project a “powerful opportunity for us to come together as a city to assess the many monuments and memorials across our neighborhoods and communities — to face our history and what and how we memorialize that history.”
“Given the past year and in particular the past summer that made clear history isn’t past, it is essential that residents are a part of this conversation. This project is about more than a single statue or mural, it’s about channeling our city’s dynamic civic energy to permanently memorialize our shared values, history and heritage as Chicagoans in an open and democratic way,” the mayor was quoted as saying in a press release.
Lightfoot swears she’s not doing this to placate the rioters. She says it’s about “public safety.” “This was about public safety. Anyone who saw the videotapes from a previous Friday night, which saw a peaceful protest hijacked by vigilantes who came there to hurt the police but also other people got hurt in the ensuing chaos [knows better]. This was about public safety, pure and simple,” she said last summer.
In making the erasure of history a priority, Lightfoot is, indeed, placating the rioters. The radicals are threatening the statues. They’re going to be taken down. Hence, she is giving the rioters what they wanted all along.
My disgust at spinless creatures like Lightfoot makes the bile rise in my throat. The courage of a General John Logan, who could always be found at the front of his soldiers leading them into battle, or the courage of Christopher Columbus who made a journey into an unknown that would have any radical rioter or BLM protester urinating in his pants, deserves to be remembered and respected.
The Communists discovered that when trying to erase someone from history, there were always those who kept their memories alive. That will be the case here. No matter how hard they try to alter the past, the future will have its way with them.
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