Booker will introduce bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol

[struggle4progress]

KARMA ALLEN
Good Morning America
August 17, 2017

Senator Cory Booker .. said he would introduce legislation to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol ...

Booker, D-New Jersey, announced his plans on Twitter ...

"I will be introducing a bill to remove Confederate statues from the US Capitol building" ...

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/sen-cory-booker-introduce-bill-remove-confederate-statues-052404285--abc-news-topstories.html

[bdamomma]

1. hey if the Confederate flags are gone

so be it. But how to eliminate the sickness of hate, bigotry and racism of these hate groups (remove Trump too). These men need some sort of mental health intervention they are not well mentally.

[Kleveland]

2. This is a very good point, and needs to be part of the conversation.

The statues, flags, monuments are all just physical affectations.

Their removal would certainly be welcomed by those of us who are decent human beings.

But as you alluded to, the problem is in fact that the deluded and hateful citizens of this country, (or any country for that matter), cannot find it within themselves to be accepting of people who are not like them.

What is it that makes these mentally ill people have such desperate need to find a scapegoat for their own inadequacies, and personal or financial problems?

The occupant of the White House exhibits these exact same tendencies, as he never takes any personal responsibility, and is always pointing a finger at "them".

It is no wonder these deplorables find solace in his lunacy. Peas in a pod, rotting on the vine.

[bdamomma]

3. hmmm....

I think it stems from what they have been listening or brainwashed into thinking by Fox News, Right wing radio, and lack of education. That is why they do not like elitists (that term has been used), they are allergic to facts and truth which was introduced by trump, thus the term "FAKE news".

They really feel threatened and do not realize we are a melting pot of cultures and religions. Also Muslims were viewed as terrorists, but you know all these events of horrific killings of black people the AME killings were all perpetrated by white men.

Also after the (stolen) election of Trump there was such a spike in hate crimes, and little boys grabbing little girls private parts and other events it was deemed to be ok because he did it and deemed this was acceptable behaviour.

Dialogue is the key, but another thing those voters felt who voted for him felt like they were forgotten and hurt, and Mr. Putin felt it was the right time to tap in on those fears of people.

[George II]

4. At least once a year I drive from New England across New York State. Once one radio station fades..

...out, I scan for another. It seems that for every normal news or talk station there are four or five right wing stations. Sometimes you get several all playing Limbaugh or Hannity.

So, this is about all the people of rural New York (and most likely most of the Midwest and South) can listen to during the day. It's no surprise that this hate is increasing.

[progressoid]

5. I'll vouch for most of the Midwest.

And some of the west as well.
I usually bring audio books with me because some areas are only RW talk radio, Christian radio, and Country & Western stations. If there isn't a state university nearby, there won't be any public radio either.

[bullwinkle428]

6. Western Ohio is exactly the same way. This is what compelled me to

go with XM satellite radio when I purchased my new car a few years back.

[MrPurple]

9. Noticed that one Sunday when I had to drive across Ohio

Was going from Kansas City to Boston, SW Ohio from Indianapolis to NE for I70 or I90. The first 2/3 was like the south - nothing but religious broadcasts, country music and RW politics. In the northeast part, I started to get radio stations I could listen to.

[George II]

12. Ohio is strange - I used to live near Cincinnati, and drove several times from there....

....up to Cleveland. During political season you see all republican billboards in the SW, as you reach Columbus they're pretty much 50/50, and by the time you get to Cleveland they're mostly Democratic.

But where ever you go you're inundated with right wing radio.

[calimary]

11. My husband recently had to take a cross-country business trip . On the return trip, through Texas,

he told me you could not find ANY television in ANY restaurant or bar or store or waiting room that was NOT tuned to Pox Noise. Every time. Everywhere. In every case. No exceptions, no exaggerations. He said it was rather repulsive.

Good thing I didn't go with him. I would probably have gotten us thrown out, everywhere. Because when I go into some store or restaurant or place of business and see Pox Noise on the TVs, I go to the manager and ask that the station be changed. I got Pox Noise removed from the monitors in my neighborhood bank branch, too. EVERY TIME I went in there, I saw that and complained. It worked. I got it switched. Now they run CNBC during business hours and CNN otherwise.

[LeftInTX]

17. Not where I live

McDonald's mostly has CNN. A few McDonald's have ESPN. A few have Fox.

The doctors' have America's Funniest Videos, Circus Soliel, TBS or a boring doctor station. I think doctors gave up on news in waiting rooms.

Unfortunately, Fox is always on at my gym..

[IronLionZion]

7. It has to start somewhere

They put up these symbols many decades after the civil war mainly to protest efforts at civil rights. It was around the time all the minorities were fired from the federal government because the Wilson administration was concerned about crimes like interracial rape if people worked in the same office.

Removing powerful symbols is part of reducing the underlying hatred.

On the flip side, installing new monuments to people who did good things would also be part of encouraging more good things.

[pnwmom]

8. Good. The presence of the statues validates the traitors' cause, and is a slap in the face

to everyone who believes in freedom and equality.

[calimary]

10. And by a writer named Karma.

Exquisite!

[zentrum]

13. I think the statues need to stay

.....BUT the plaques underneath needs to tell the truth of who the statue is dedicated to, what they did, their cruelty and racism. The horrors they inflicted.

Then the kids who look at these statues would not feel the surge of patriotism and pride and idealization they now feel. Instead they'd be shocked. History would finally be being g taught. Over time, I really do think this could teach critical thinking without relying on the schools alone to do it. Over time, people would naturally become more progressive because they would understand why we question the power structures in the country.

But of course this will never happen. If we had the real truth of our country known and taught to all, the economic powers would lose one of their main methods for keeping the country distracted, afraid of the guy "underneath" instead of the one who is really taking their life possibilities from them.

So--keep the statues but tell the truth about the so-called honoree. Including telling the truth about the slave owning Washington and the slave raping and beating Jefferson.

If we take the statues down---it will all be swept under the rug. But we need that conversation about what has really happened in this country.

Over time, as a result of that conversation being widespread and some real political changes happening as a result, no one would want those statues. They'd come down.

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. George Washington died in 1799.

He wasn't around when the Confederacy was founded years later.

[heaven05]

19. to all confederate

statue lovers, yes they are a part of ameriKKKan history but they represent treasonous bastards that, IF THEY HAD WON, would still have their foot on the throats of POC in general and African-americans particularly, such as they are trying to do again. DOWN WITH ALL STATUES TO TREASONOUS ameriKKKans!!!!!!!!! I wish I could transfer a picture of them pulling down statues of Hussein in Iraq after his ouster by america....same feelings here....topple all of them. Put a few in museums, where history belongs, even hateful racist history.