Fair Weather Friends?

The Confederate monument has been removed and will be placed in a museum where it can take its place in an accurate historical context. Very likely this means among items illustrating the Jim Crow era.

Coincidentally, this may be the only time I ever wrote to the County Executive and got action within 24 hours.. (Of course, I had put off writing my letter...)

For the first time ever, I feel rather sad for the County Executive. It seems that a bunch of the folks who voted for him are truly mean-spirited people. And they don't look to be too loyal, either.

I'm serious about this. Don't take this as snark. It can't feel good to see people who elected you spew ignorance and hatred. I don't usually recommend reading the comments but this time it's mighty educational.

I'm not a political blogger. I certainly have political opinions. It was quite an eye-opener to see supporters of the County Executive say that this one act destroys his chances for reelection. Their narrative went like this:

1. Real conservatives will never vote for you again.
2. If the Democrats run someone popular, those Dems that broke from the pack and voted for you last time will return to the fold.
3. You're sunk.

In short: you're not conservative enough for the Conservatives, and you're not progressive enough for the Progressives.

Somehow I feel that this argument should be followed by a "nyaah-nyaah" or a rude noise. Formed in the heat of anger, it's meant to wound, or perhaps it's a bit of a threat. Get back in line, Mr. Kittleman.

Surely the County Executive knew all this when he made his decision. He's had enough political experience to know how this would play out. He moved forward anyway.

I want to make sure to point out that Mr. Kittleman didn't make this decision in a vacuum. Many good people mobilized to bring the existence of the monument to light and to work for its removal. The County Executive didn't just wake up one morning and decide to take action. His decision comes as a response to listening to the community. Without community activism I'm not sure this would have happened. At least, not now.

When it comes to politics, I firmly believe that this is not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. All Americans should know enough about our history to understand a) why that monument was placed by a courthouse in the year that it was, and b) why it needed to be removed.

I wonder how many Howard County citizens will visit the Howard County Historical Society to find out?