This whole kerfluffle about removing Confederate monuments is just stupid. In the first place, they were not erected DURING the Civil War; they were erected during the Jim Crow years that followed as an intimidation. The South lost, and they decided to erect monuments to their fallen leaders. Does anyone else see the irony of those folks who supported Trump's election screaming at the opposition that "you lost, get over it!", and yet are unable to do the same about something that happened over 100 years ago?
Do we have monuments dedicated to Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, Mussolini? Of course not - they were our enemies and were responsible for killing many Americans. So why then do we tolerate monuments dedicated to Lee, Jackson, Davis and other Confederates who did the same? Were they not enemies of the United States? Why are we honoring them?
Removing a monument to Robert E. Lee does not erase his place in history - he will forever be remembered as the General who led the army trying to defeat the United States. We don't need a statue to remember that; history will do that for us. The Confederate statues belong in either a museum or a cemetery or a scrap heap. They do not belong in public view to be venerated by those who can't get over the fact that they lost the war. You lost - get over it.
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