Amnesia

I write about a wide variety of subjects. You should know this one will be political in nature so if you aren’t interested in a reasonable presentation of facts on such a topic this is your notice so you may move on.

Which brings me to my topic. You’ve heard of MoveOn.org. Perhaps not so in vogue now that we have BLM and ANTIFA but a going concern nonetheless, which has been active in the political sphere. MoveOn was created in response to the Clinton impeachment hearings, in an effort to get Americans to do just that, move on from an unpleasant topic whereby the man in the highest position of power took advantage of a girl in one of the lowest positions within his sphere of power and influence. IMO, the textbook example of sexual harassment. Democrats felt uncomfortable with the dichotomy that created for them, their hero calling into question…no, outright violating… one of their platforms, “women’s rights”.

Another glaring example of wanting to quickly move on was in the wake of the Benghazi scandal. As the horrors of that 13 hour debacle created by former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton began to trickle out, the Democrats were quick to urge American voters to forget about that ugly bit of recent history. Forget about the young heroes’ lives lost. Forget about the mishandling of a major international terror attack.

Now we have the left systematically destroying evidence of America’s path toward growth and development, even its not so pretty aspects, but it’s past nonetheless, short as it is in comparison to some other countries’.

Looking past the fact that the monuments being destroyed belong to the people (whether of that local community, state or the nation), and the correct action for proper and legal removal …the destruction of evidence of the past is harmful.

First, we learn from the past. History repeats itself but reasonable good citizens can combat treacheries such as slavery and Naziism, to use two examples, by studying and learning how those institutions occurred and recognizing the warning signs.

Having just re-read George Orwell’s 1984 for the third time, I am reminded of the dramatic way that the understanding of the populace can be dictated by controlling access to knowledge of the past. If the past (even if not happy or moral or accepted by current standards) can be stamped out, this gives way to the possibility of controlling the present. And, just as our Founders understood, if you get certain people or groups in power, this can be a not so happy occasion. And elections do not prevent this…just look at every instance where the “democratic” process has been manipulated.

It is also important to note that tearing down statues can lead to widespread violence. You don’t need look all the way back to the French Revolution to see this. Just look at the news.

And instead of moving on, remember & think.