What a shameful vote. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted this week, 26-1, to approve Elizabeth Warren's amendment to rename ten military bases. These include historic bases, like Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, and Fort Benning.
The problem? Their namesakes, in addition to serving in the United States military, also fought on the side of the Confederacy. And to the radical left, it doesn't matter that they received full pardons and swore an oath to the United States after the war. To them, these names are unforgivable.
After the Civil War, the Union decided to rebuild the South instead of punishing them. To that end, military bases in the South were often named after Confederate heroes. The Union needed Confederate soldiers to rejoin the American Army after the war. They felt that it would be easier to enlist new soldiers if military bases were named after their heroes, and not the American officers who had just conquered them.
Take Fort Hood, in Texas, as an example. That base is named after Lt. General John Bell Hood. Yes, he fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. Yes, he made a lot of mistakes in his life. But he is also, without a doubt, one of the bravest officers in American military history.
He was shot in the arm during the Battle of Gettysburg. He got to keep the arm, but the injury left it motionless. Then, during the Battle of Chickamuga, Hood was again shot in the leg. This time, the injury required an amputation. Left with just one arm and one leg, no one would have blamed Hood for resigning his commission. But instead, he ordered his men to strap him to his horse (so he wouldn't fall off) and he continued to lead his soldiers into battle. Fort Hood was named after his bravery, not after the Confederacy.
But now, this is one of the 10 military bases that Democrats and Republicans want to rename... As I mentioned, only one person on the committee voted against this bill to rename our military bases: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). Every other Republican and Democrat voted for it. The GOP tried to keep the vote a secret by holding it by a voice vote. That way, none of the names would be actually recorded. But since Hawley was the only person to shout 'no,' their little scheme failed. We now know that the GOP is "compromising" with the left and agreeing to rename our most historic military bases...
If they surrender on this, it will only be the beginning. Pelosi is planning to go after statues and monuments next. Leftist Protesters are already tearing down and vandalizing statues honoring people like Christopher Columbus, Winston Churchill, and Mahatma Ghandi. Next, they will go after George Washington and Thomas Jefferson...
Don't let yourself be fooled, this isn't about the Confederacy. Rioters in Massachusetts vandalized and spray painted graffiti on a monument dedicated to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, an all-black unit that fought in the Civil War. As I mentioned, "protesters" also vandalized a statue of Mahatma Ghandi in Washington DC, one of the most peaceful men ever to walk the earth. This has nothing to do with the Confederacy. This is all about rewriting history.
In Fredericksburg, Virginia, the local government just removed an 800-pound slave auction block that has stood on the side of the street for hundreds of years. Up until yesterday, a plaque was affixed to the block, informing passers-by that it was used to literally sell human beings into slavery. There was outrage when the council voted to remove the block, not because people supported the idea of slavery, but because that block served as a reminder of what happens when people are allowed to be dehumanized. That block served as a reminder of the darkest part of our history, not to glorify it, but to ensure that kind of wickedness can never again take root. But now it is gone. It was officially removed last night.
I said it a couple days ago, but I will say it again. We are who we are as a nation because of our scars, not in spite of them. These monuments do not glorify slavery. They serve as a reminder to never go back to that dark time in our history. People who forget their history are bound to repeat it.
If you want to debate use of force parameters in police departments and de-escalation strategies, I am all ears. If you want to discuss eliminating qualified immunity protections so that bad government officials can be sued personally when they violate citizens' rights, I am on board.
But this push to rename military bases and tear down monuments has nothing to do with justice or equality. This is an opening salvo in a culture war that Democrats hope will end up with monuments to Jefferson, Madison, and Washington being torn down too. But it is also an effort for them to do something without actually accomplishing anything. No one can honestly say that they have been oppressed by a sign standing outside a military base. But Democrats are telling the Black Community that their problems will be solved by erasing our history...
And the GOP is shamefully going along with it. With the exception of Hawley, every single GOPer on the committee voted to rename these military bases. Republicans are already lining up to help Pelosi tear down other monuments and paintings in and around the Capitol.
The GOP is caving because they don't believe anyone will care.
But I care. That is why I am fighting back with everything I have, and I hope you will join me in this fight!
No surrender. Not one inch.
Max McGuire
Advocacy Director
Conservative Daily
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