The removal of monuments and statues has not and does not improve civil rights issues. A Presidential Document by the Executive Office of the President filed on 07/02/2020 reveals the government is perfectly aware that a trend of indiscriminate attacks on historical sites and figures is gaining steam across the country while city and state officials are unable to properly contain or counter the crimes. The government knows the tone of our country is worsening, yet the U.S. Military continues to bend a knee to the trend of whitewashing history and now has slated for the removal of an Arlington Cemetery monument. Tell our U.S. Military that enough is enough, quit the cancel culture, defend our American heritage, stop the destruction!

The official Arlington Cemetery site even admits the Confederate monument is educational and valuable, “The Confederate Memorial offers an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the history and meanings of the Civil War, slavery, and the relationship between military service, citizenship and race in America… invites us to understand how politics and culture have historically shaped how Americans have buried and commemorated the dead. Memorialization at a national cemetery became an important marker of citizenship … The history of Arlington National Cemetery allows us to better understand the complex history of the United States.” And yet they’re slated to tear it down completely by the suggestion of an “independent panel.” While racism is real and white supremacist violence is real, the demolition of monuments is not an effective gesture in combating these issues.

• About 130,000 U.S. servicemen and women are buried in 25 cemeteries around the world. How would it be for angry protesters to smash and defile those graves? Because the descendants of Confederate soldiers feel the same way; it’s senseless to punish those of yesterday for what we’re responsible for doing today.
• The claim that statues reinforce “Lost Cause Mythology” is on par with (if not sub par to) the idea that video games cause violence and rap music is responsible for gang activity.
• Historians have been discouraging this practice for years. Constitutional historian and professor Rob Natelson wrote in 2017 that, “the destruction weakens our consciousness of history, including history’s darker side.” “[It] poses a danger, educational malpractice, of missing opportunities to educate people, and of going too far," said Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law Professor Emeritus, in a 2017 interview. Political risk analyst Kevin Amirehsani published, “These situations often serve to harden beliefs on both sides and raise tension…. without limits, the outcome may prove to be even more unhealthy for community members and governments both.” “The semi-hysterical push to remove them is,” Cheryl Benard wrote for the National Interest, “a mistake, a dangerous precedent, and an exercise in ignorance. Mobs pull statues down. ISIS destroys monuments. Fanatics rewrite history to edit out the bits they don’t like. Our country should not be walking down that road…. The people behind the destruction of a statue or an edifice or a monument of course believe themselves to be justified,” but that it, among other dangers, creates martyrs.
• The plaintiff parties claim that it isn’t about erasing history, yet that’s exactly what’s at stake. Monuments are visual cues which prompt curiosity to learn and research history of which future generations will be deprived.
• The origin of Arlington Cemetery is itself Civil War, Confederate history, so this is kind of ironic to strip it of the Confederate monument.
• For Arlington Cemetery to allow the Confederate burial section was a gesture of reunification between the North and South post-War, therefore tearing it down is a step backwards. Our U.S. military had consistently defended bases and monuments commemorating Confederate figures as recently as 2015, when society really turned into a pressure cooker.
• The only reason this monument is being targeted is for its "inclusivity." The Jewish-American veteran who designed this included two black American figures wearing period attire fulfilling socially appropriate roles of the time. Does this reflect who we are today? Absolutely not and that's precisely what makes for history. Monuments aren't supposed to be modern, they capture the bygone days from which we need to study and learn. Historical sites should not be redecorated as nonchalantly as one's living room.
• Statues don’t hurt people, ignorance does. The first wave of Confederate monuments correlates with the passing away of veterans, when their children wished to commemorate their lives, whereas the second wave of Confederate monuments could arguably correlate with opposition to the Civil Right Movement. More information and less bias is necessary for proper evaluation and responsible action.
• 2020 polls show 59% view the Confederate flag as a matter of Southern pride and 44% of Americans feel the statues should remain [which is surprising considering A.) I don’t remember ever being polled on either issue, so the number might actually be higher than reported, and B.) How do you know you’re on the right side of history when 150 yrs ago half of the country was in favor of both slavery and secession, and we see how that turned out?]
• Even black Americans have spoken out against the censoring of, as well as their support for, Confederate history. Author and journalist Sophia A. Nelson, political scientist Byron Thomas, H.K. Edgerton of NC, Freya Powell of Atlanta GA, Anthony Hervey of MS (God rest his soul,) Marcus Daniels, Courtney Daniels (of NY now VA,) and author and MS native Al Arnold. A Google search won’t produce results, but a DuckDuckGo search on black Confederate supporters and reenactors may surprise you.
• Even people who hate the Confederacy think the figures ought to remain as reminders of how far we’ve come, like professor of anthropology Lawrence Kuznar.
• The removal of monuments is, well, illegal by the Antiquities Act of 1906. And Public Law 105 - 101 - Veterans' Cemetery Protection Act of 1997, An act to amend chapter 91 of title 18, United States Code, provides criminal penalties for theft and willful vandalism at national cemeteries. I proffer that a planned demolition is premeditated and corroborated vandalism.
• Funds allotted to the removal of statues becomes funds unavailable for other, more pressing projects and maintenance, such as road conditions (just ask Richmond VA how they’re doing these days.) For over a decade Arlington has been working on the Southern Expansion project involving the Air Force Memorial and roadways; the latest budget request has tripled to $228M, which begs the question, where could this money be better applied?
• After the removal of statues tourism is diminished, directly affecting the prosperity and industry of an institution and town. By removing this statue, Arlington Park will be potentially pissing off a lot of patriots and paying visitors.

Removing statues and monuments is setting a bad example across the country, encouraging wanton destruction. Make it stop!