Confederate History Month in VA (schools, live, plantation)

[Stephen 81]

So Governor McDonnell proclaimed April "Confederate History Month" in the Commonwealth. Such proclamations were standard during the Republican governorships in the 90's, but both Warner and Kaine refused to issue similar proclamations during their terms.

Governor Robert F. McDonnell: Our Commonwealth

What do you all think of this? Are any of you centrists who thought that McDonnell was a moderate and that the VA GOP had moved past this sort of thing?

[Coconut1]

Doesn't surprise me. I knew McDonnell was no moderate. It really cracked me up when he gave state workers a couple of hours off and is giving them back furlough days this year. Fiscally conservative? Yeah. Right.

I don't think the Confederacy is something to celebrate. Read about it in history? Yes, but there is nothing to be proud of when it comes to the Confederacy.

Shameful, IMO.

[JD984]

It just seems like pandering - perhaps he wants to curry favor with the Dixie-flying crowd in other parts of the state (or country) after having emphasized his NoVa connection during the general election and then subsequently refusing to tinker with the school funding formula that made more money available to NoVa schools and localities. The proclamation itself is certainly quite the grab bag of ambiguous messages.

Having said that, if McDonnell tacks far enough right, I wouldn't be at all surprised if NoVa starts to reject GOP candidates again, particularly if AG Cuccinelli continues on his merry crusade to become a darling of the ultra-right wing.

[tgbwc]

It is more of an observance than a celebration as stated in his proclamation.:

WHEREAS, this defining chapter in Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live, and this study and remembrance takes on particular importance as the Commonwealth prepares to welcome the nation and the world to visit Virginia for the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, a four-year period in which the exploration of our history can benefit all;

I have no problem with it and definitely don't see it as shameful.

[Bigfoot424]

What the hell are you people blabbering about? The Confederacy is a part of our history and should be remembered. He's not celebrating slavery or its bad points but is only remembering the people of the time.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

What the hell are you people blabbering about? The Confederacy is a part of our history and should be remembered. He's not celebrating slavery or its bad points but is only remembering the people of the time.

I disagree, as apparently did our last two Governors. While I don't personally subscribe to the view that "there is nothing to be proud of when it comes to the Confederacy," the tone of the proclamation arguably goes beyond simply urging Virginians to study the state's history.
Statements such as "it is important for all Virginians * * * to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War" come awfully close to waxing nostalgic, and the suggestion that all the defeated Confederates fully embraced reunification at the end of the Civil War is not exactly supported by later developments.

[normie]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

What the hell are you people blabbering about? The Confederacy is a part of our history and should be remembered. He's not celebrating slavery or its bad points but is only remembering the people of the time.

I agree... but I'd be more impressed if we also devoted months to the other phases of Virginia's history.

Why don't we have a Tobacco Plantation Month. A War of 1812 month. A Signer of the Declaration Month. An Industrial Revolution Month. A Jazz Era Month. A Depression Month. A McMansion Month.

[Stephen 81]

For me, the fact that the proclamation fails to mention slavery is quite telling. While the Confederacy is clearly a part of Virginia's history and not something that should be ignored, to mention the Confederacy without mentioning slavery is bizarre.

If we are to be sympathetic towards the sacrifices of Confederate leaders and soldiers, how about also being sympathetic towards the sacrifices of those people whose rights were completely denied under the Confederacy?

[Lariat]

I'm fine with it...Virginia IS a southern state. NoVA people can't get that into their heads. Maybe we need rename NoVA to East Virginia or something, it's like a damn different state.

[CaliTerp07]

This really rubs me the wrong way. It's one thing to know your history; it's another to celebrate the ugly parts. This comes across as the latter.