Media outcry against President Trump was instantaneous this past weekend and has been continuous since for his causing and not denouncing strongly enough the deplorable actions of one side of the protest conflict in Charlottesville. Since then, Confederate Memorials across southern states have been vandalized by the other side of this debate. Is it okay for masked vandals to deface, topple and destroy memorials and statues in our cities? Shouldn't the supposed political leaders of these vandals come out and take a stand against this activity? Why has that not happened? I don't hear the media denouncing this political vandalism. To the contrary, I hear the media supporting this activity as justified anger by the people against oppression and hate. Their anger is caused by others (specifically President Trump). Is violence the right tactic for this debate? Who introduced the violent tactics? Donald Trump? Of course not. Some recent examples:

• Confederate memorial park in Florida vandalized with paint
• Confederate memorial in Seffner vandalized
• Confederate statue toppled in North Carolina after Charlottesville chaos
• Confederate group wants Atlanta statue repaired after damage

Confederate memorials and statues are concentrated in Southern states. These memorials and statues are not threatening by design, they are history. An important part of the history of the southern cities they occupy. History and culture should not be destroyed. The statue pictured below stands on Monument Avenue in Richmond Virginia. This beautiful street in the capital of the Confederacy includes one major Confederate statue every block or two. It is a city landmark - because of its history and beauty. Richmonders aspire to live on this street. Is it right to erase this history? For people from cities where these statues and memorials do not exist to come into cities where they do and destroy their historic culture is the height of cultural hypocrisy. Some compare these monuments and statues to Hitler and Nazi history in Germany. You cannot find any monuments to Nazi history in Germany. That is their decision, not ours. We can certainly understand why they would not want to promote a dark portion of their history where a tyrant ran and destroyed their country. The vandals and their supporters believe America should do the same with the confederacy. Slavery was a horrible institution, supported around the world in the 19th century and millenia before. Included in this has been peoples of all race, creed and color. Slavery of Africans is a dark portion of the history of this country. But the Civil War, as unnecessary as it should have been, ended slavery in this country, it did not start it. Since 1865 we have celebrated that point. Only now, 150+ years later, have the radical left given birth, for political reasons, to the notion that we should not celebrate that success. They believe that the part of the country that was destroyed during that war should not recognize that history and culture, not the slavery, but the culture that was lost. They want to paint that culture over as 100% slavery. To re-fight the civil war again. This is a destructive ideology - obviously, based on its tactics. If the effort is so noble, why wear masks? Most of the country does not understand, has not been taught and are actually re-writing history to erase the cultural aspect of that time. In 1864 & 65, young boys left their farms in Virginia to defend their state from the invading yankee armies. (Robert E. Lee did the same.) They did not own slaves, nor even agree with the institution. But, they went to fight. That is one of the strengths of this country, embodied in the southern spirit, that had nothing to do with slavery. When their descendants in confederate states view these statues and memorials that is what they remember. They may also remember how stupid this conflict was and how horrible the institution of slavery was, so that something like this never happens again. Violence and vandalism in the south should not be encouraged. Those supporting it from other areas of the country should become more educated and less political. The same ideological tyranny is being seen targeting religious memorials to fallen heroes around the country. This is the correct comparison to be made, especially when using the Nazi comparison. When you ask yourself why would anyone want to destroy these two types of memorials you reach one conclusion very quickly - control. This control ideology, not at all different from the Nazi ideology, extends also to speech (political correctness, gay marriage) and even thoughts (climate deniers). Everyone must agree with the controlling elites or else. Their memorials, religious, historical and otherwise, will be destroyed, their ideas attacked and their thoughts criminalized. The best example of the hypocrisy of these desecrations happened in Atlanta this weekend. The Angel of Mercy statue was vandalized. Known as the Peace Monument, it shows the angel extending an olive branch over a confederate soldier. If the vandals (and their supporters) motives are so noble & genuine, why use the same violent tactics which were so unnecessary and destructive 150+ years ago and restart another civil war? Because, just like then, its leaders are pushing a destructive political ideology.