John Sims symbolically burns Confederate flags in Detroit on Memorial Day

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2017/05/artist_to_burn_confederate_fla.html

This is an article about John Sims symbolically burning a Confederate flag in Detroit.

It will be at the N'Namdi Center art gallery.

http://nnamdicenter.org/event/burn-and-bury-memorial-detroit-2017-a-john-sims-project/?instance_id=769

We need to do this in Dallas.

"Confederate monument supporters say the darnedest things"

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2017/05/confederate_monument_removal.html

The above is the link to the article. It is a take down of various half-witted things Confederate monument supporters say.

We will hear in Dallas many if not all of the nonsensical arguments that Confederate monument defenders make. So I think this is a good primer to study.

The local Dallas opposition

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/new-orleans-robert-e-lee-old-dixie-down/

The title is "The Day They Took Old Dixie Down."

The author, Rod Dreher, was formerly an editor at the Dallas Morning News.

Dreher is currently asking Christians to withdraw from American life and live in separatist communities. Jim Schutze has this article about Dreher and his "Benedict Option."
http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/former-dmn-writer-urges-christians-to-desert-america-maybe-hell-go-first-7359332

He is giving up on America because of same-sex marriage. Being a separatist it is perhaps not surprising that he wants to see monuments to Confederate separatists remain.

The American Conservative is published by the American Ideas Institute. I recognize many authors from those that write for Chronicles magazine published by the Rockford Institute.
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/about/the-rockford-institute/

And persons who wrote for Southern Partisan magazine.

The chairman of the board is Allison Wicks. He publishes D Magazine, the monthly magazine of Dallas, Texas.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/about-us/

In New Orleans the real power supporting the Confederate monuments was the rich. However, Mitch Landrieu was willing to call them out by name. Using front groups wasn't going to work as a vehicle to allow rich white people to defend Confederate monuments without being associated with the Confederacy. Frank Stewart was outed as a defender of the Confederate monuments in New Orleans and was very unhappy about it. This is my blog on it.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/frank-stewart-is-outed-as-defender-of.html#.WSA-3mgrKiM

So I think we can expect in Dallas various front groups to defend the Robert E. Lee monument and they will be backed by various rich white factions. They will probably have African American spokespersons.

The New Orleans take down of the Robert E. Lee monument is a great example for the nation and I think locally in Dallas it will inspire people to work to take down the Robert E. Lee monument in Dallas, Texas.

However, we should expect that we will face much more than the opposition of American Conservative magazine, we will face powerful white elites and we will face a phalanx of African American apologists for the Robert E. Lee monument.

We need to do this in Dallas, Texas

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-orleans-to-take-down-robert-e-lee-statue-on-friday/

New Orleans is taking down the Robert E. Lee statue today, May 19, 2017.

When will Dallas, Texas take down its Robert E. Lee statue.

Pictures of the Robert E. Lee statue being taken down in New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/confederate_monuments_lee_come.html#incart_big-photo

Kevin M. Levin talks down to Sarah Jones of the "New Republic" magazine.

Kevin M. Levin attempts to patronize Sarah Jones of the "New Republic." You can read the exchange here on Twitter if you are a member. I printed it out for my records.

https://twitter.com/KevinLevin/status/864241228333940737

In this conversation he is the expert talking down to Sarah Jones. He also uses his usual tactic avoiding debate on the issues by either questioning the competency of the individual or their right to debate the issue.

You really have to read the entire series this is one example. Not the capitalization of "WHY" and the expression "you would do well to consider."

Levin pulls out what he thinks will flatten Jones by asking whether she has been to Richmond. If Jones hasn't then she is some type of outside agitator. This is the theme of "Sweet Home Alabama" that Jones is an outsider.

Turns out that Sarah Jones is from Virginia and has been to Richmond many times.

Then it is more patronizing stuff.

Levin's patronizing of Sarah Jones is this article by Jones in New Republic.
https://newrepublic.com/minutes/142710/yes-tear-confederate-monuments

Levin blogs on this encounter.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/05/15/is-richmond-next/

Levin is bent out of shape that Sarah Jones doesn't think much of the efforts of the local historical societies and what cliques they make up and of which he is in good standing.

He can't comprehend that some figures in the larger national establishment are just coming out  and saying these statues need to go and really don't care what rationalizations or excuses or clever strategems the local historical cliques have come up with.

I wonder how long it is going to be before The Atlantic decides that Levin is retrograde.

I wonder if Texas legislators will have the gumption to stand up against white supremacy.

These are some links to stories about African American legislators walking out of the Louisiana House after it voted to protect Confederate monuments. Another is an article denouncing the legislation as part of white supremacy.

I wonder if Texas legislators would stand against Confederate monuments so strongly?

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/louisiana_black_caucus_confede.html

http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2017/05/16/black-caucus-white-supremacy-behind-monuments-bill/101740970/

"Atlantic" magazine has article that it is time for the Confederate monuments to come down

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/the-motionless-ghosts-that-haunt-the-south/526668/

What is interesting about this article is that the liberal establishment and neo-liberal establishment is deciding that the Confederate monuments need to go and are providing the space for voices against Confederate monuments to be heard. This is an important change from the past where these type of publications mostly didn't discuss Confederate monuments.

The old story was the Confederate flag hurt feelings of African Americans, but if the flag was gone, then everything was okay. You had to be a radical to be against Confederate monuments.

As one major journal of public opinion follows the next it will develop that they all will adopt a position that they are for the removal of Confederate monuments. Support for Confederate monuments will be confined to reactionary magazines and websites and support for Confederate monuments identified with reactionary opinion.

Arguments for contextualization will be seen for what they are, an excuse to retain monuments or just plan oddball.

Dallas is the city of boosterism and real estate development is its highest moral value. So as Confederate monuments start being removed elsewhere Dallas will increasingly look backward for having Confederate monuments in prominent locations.

Here is a quote from the article.

Those monuments, that reverence for the Lost Cause and its leaders, do lasting damage to all who live in their shadows. It’s no coincidence that Richmond was the ideological powerhouse of “massive resistance”—defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education—during the 1950s. That constitutional monstrosity flowed directly from neo-Confederate ideology.

Confederate monuments are going down elsewhere.

Confederate monuments are going down elsewhere. Most notably in New Orleans. However, activity is ongoing in Charlottesville, Virginia and in Shreveport, Louisiana to remove monuments.

So far 2 out of 4 monuments in New Orleans have come down. My other blog has been covering the developments closely. The other blog if you are not aware of it is http://newtknight.blogspot.com/.

As soon as the 4th monument comes down, I think that an example will be set for the entire nation that these monuments need to go and they can be removed with a focused effort. As monuments are removed elsewhere, the idea that it can be done will have more and more credibility. Also, the cities which still have Confederate monuments will be seen as retrograde.

So these are the link to my blogging.

White supremacists march for the Robert E. Statue in Charlottesville, VA.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/white-supremacist-protest-in.html#.WRiHeGgrKiM

Washington Post column arguing for Confederate monument removal and rejecting excuses to retain them.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/hell-has-frozen-over1-washington-post.html#.WRiHs2grKiM

Behind the neo-Confederate groups are influential rich white people pushing to keep the Confederate monuments. In Dallas we very likely have the same.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/frank-stewart-is-outed-as-defender-of.html#.WRiIEGgrKiM

Efforts to remove Confederate monuments are starting elsewhere.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/effort-to-remove-confederate-monument.html#.WRiIZWgrKiM

Discussion that a revolution against Confederate monuments is starting in New Orleans.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-revolution-against-confederate.html#.WRiImWgrKiM

Sons of Confederate Veterans declares a boycott of New Orleans. I doubt this is of any consequence to New Orleans perhaps a benefit to the city.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/04/new-orleans-gets-better-sons-of.html#.WRiJo2grKiM

As Confederate monuments are removed from one city people in other cities will ask their leaders why there are still Confederate monuments in their city.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/04/when-one-prominent-monument-is-removed.html#.WRiKcmgrKiM


I will likely have more blogs postings at the other blog about monuments going down.

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