Ocassional Thoughts of an Independent Progressive Atheistic Humanist
New Orleans, Charlottesville, and Baltimore are the latest flash points in countering white supremacy efforts to sanitize our history. Confederate statues and monuments have been removed or there are plans to remove them. Some people complain that such actions are erasing history but in fact removing Confederate statues is one step in acknowledging our historical mistakes.
In recent weeks the number of refugees running from war in Syria has swelled. Most are headed to Europe even if some countries don’t want them. The conflict is partly be tied to climate change and a civil war assisted by nations like the US and France. Besides being the human thing to do, we all bear some responsibility to help the refugees.
The refugees from Syria are a major humanitarian crisis that is butting heads with old historical bias against outsiders. Countries are taking different approaches in dealing with the influx.
An old saying goes that you are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts. The storm surrounding the confederate battle flag is a good case study for the saying. This is not about an attack on freedom of speech and if you ignore the real history about the confederate flag then you’ve lost any argument about it.
I don’t have much time to waste on people who try to “whitewash” southern history to make it seem like the south didn’t lose the civil war and that the confederate flag is just a symbol of southern heritage.
Usually during holidays honoring veterans, I like to honor my Dad who served in Vietnam. However, for this year’s Memorial Day, I want to honor my 3rd great grandfather Jonathan Lydick (1846 – 1914). He was born in Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Northwest Ohio. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1863 at the age of 17 at Lima. He served in the 12th Ohio Cavalry as a part of Company G.
During his time in the service the 12th Ohio had operations against Morgan’s invasion of Kentucky May 31-June 20, 1864. Action at Mt. Sterling, Ky., June 9. Cynthiana June 12. Skirmish at Lebanon, Ky., July 30 (1 company). Burbridge’s Expedition into southwestern Virginia September 20-October 17. McCormack’s Farm September 23. Laurel Mountain September 29. Action at Saltville, Va., October 2. Stoneman’s Raid from Bean’s Station, Tenn., into southwestern Virginia, December 10–29. Bristol December 14. Marion December 17–18. Saltville December 20–21. Stoneman’s Raid into southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina March 21-April 25, 1865. Wilkesborough March 29. Wilkinsville N.C., April 8. Danbury April 9. Statesville and Salem April 11. Salisbury April 12. Dallas and Catawba River April 17. Swannanoah Gap April 20. Howard’s Gap, Blue Ridge Mountains, April 22. Asheville April 25. Duty in middle Tennessee, eastern Tennessee, and North Carolina, until November 1865.
Conservatives try to adopt President Lincoln as their Republican icon but libertarians have an issue with how Lincoln ended slavery. Yes, libertarians are more concerned about the ‘free market’ then about people OWNING other people. But we already knew how some libertarians are plain assholes. That aspect of libertarianism was on full display recently on the FOX Business Channel (FBC).
In a Black History segment on FBC on February 14th, ‘Judge’ Andrew Napolitano falsely blamed Abraham Lincoln for the Civil War.