Talbot County stands at a crossroad with The Talbot Boys memorial
Talbot County stands at a crossroad with The Talbot Boys memorial.
The County can plow forward as if there's nothing coming and hope the issue of the Talbot Boys eventually resolves itself, if only out of loss of interest from the handful of players making the veterans' monument a controversy.
The County can turn left and cave to the cancel culture mentality and tear down the veterans' monument and ban any future monuments to our veterans, as the Council has proposed.
The County can turn right and set the example for the nation how a divisive issue can bring opposing forces together to build something greater and better.
“Whether you agree or disagree with the cause that these young men fought for doesn’t change the historical facts of war. It would be a sign of dishonor to those 90 deceased soldiers, as well as disrespectful to family members, should this council or any other council remove, deface, or alter this monument in anyway."
Those words uttered by The Honorable Corey Pack hold as true today as they did five years ago when he first uttered them. One's change of sentiments over the years doesn't change the fact the Talbot Boys monument is a memorial to veterans who fought in the Civil War.
It is not a memorial to the Confederacy.
It is not a memorial to slavery.
It is not a memorial to White supremacy.
It is a memorial to honorable soldiers who fought to protect their communities and families from outside forces that threatened them.
It's easy for the history revisionists and cancel culture supporters to point fingers at a scapegoat and demand justice by erasing all remnants of those lives from the pages of history. Immediately after the War, the Union soldiers punished the South in the same manner during the failed Reconstruction Era. Almost a hundred sixty years later, we're still punishing the South. It is a lot easier to point to dead soldiers of a century and a half ago for the racial ills of today and say, "It's his fault" than to look in the mirror and ask, "Where have I failed?"
The Council and the citizens of Talbot now face a choice - tear down or build?
If we tear down the monument, we set the precedent that future generations can decide history is fleeting and subject to interpretation. It can be rewritten and mothballed in a museum or cemetery, forgotten until the trashman hauls it away...to be forever erased from our collective memories.
A society without accurate history is rootless, a fantasy to be blown away at the whim of a sneeze. Taking the turn at the crossroads towards the cancel culture's wishes teaches future generations that they, too, can rewrite history and erase the parts they don't like. The pages of history they tear out might very well be the pages we, today, are being written into.
The other turn we could take is to keep the monument to veterans and allow a complete story to be told.
Not all monuments celebrate a moment or cause. Some force us to pause and reflect in somberness. That long, black wall in DC doesn't celebrate American Imperialism and disregard for others' national sovereignty. Millions place their hands on the cold, black walls in remorseful respect for the high price our veterans paid for misguided policies of those in power.
A group of Talbot citizens hope for the same somber respect in their vision for the Talbot courtyard grounds. The veteran's memorial, The Talbot Boys, is already there. Accompanying the Talbot Boys, is a memorial to the great abolitionist and Talbot County native, Frederick Douglas. And in another corner is a memorial to our Vietnam veterans.
What is missing that they hope to build - over time - is a Union memorial next to the Confederate Talbot Boys, a memorial to WWI, WWII, and Korean War veterans and all of it tied in with a Memorial Walk and Gardens for everyone to revere in silence the price our veterans, specifically the veterans of Talbot County, paid to make this country what it is today.
What an example to set for the nation. No glorifying of war or the underlying causes of war, but a somber respect for the veterans who are called upon to fight those wars. That's what the Talbot Boys and just about any veterans' memorial is about.
.By taking the turn to preserve The Talbot Boys and all veterans' memorials, Talbot County will send a clear message that we never take our anger out on the veterans called to serve. We don't rewrite history to our liking. And we face the ugliness of the past so we can move forward.
The group (of which I'm part of) asks for some sort of Memorandum of Understanding that their efforts will be met with the promise by the present and future County Council that space will be allocated for the memorials they envision.
The request is not unprecedented. At the end of the Vietnam War, our veterans were greeted with protests of "Baby killers" and with none of the fanfare of returning vets from previous wars. In addition to the insults and middle fingers, many were spat upon. Many of our Vietnam veterans hid out in Europe for a month or so to grow beards and long hair so they would escape the humiliation sure to greet them when they returned.
When the founders of the Vietnam War Memorial began their effort, many people didn't want to get involved because of the tumultuous memories the Vietnam era invoked. But the organizers of the Vietnam Memorial succeeded in raising money for the memorial by winning over many fronts.
First, and foremost, was a national change in how we viewed Vietnam veterans, of which the organizers were instrumental in bringing about. Instead of viewing Vietnam veterans as perpetrators of war, we began viewing them as victims of war. That slight change in perception set the stage for donors to feel comfortable fighting for recognition of our Vietnam vets, got the attention of celebrities and well known people to support our Vietnam veterans, and got Congress to pass legislation allocating property to a memorial to be built. The whole process took 3-1/2 years plus a few more years to make it "more correct" by adding the Vietnam's Women Memorial and The Three Soldiers, the first memorial to depict an African American veteran.
The Talbot Boys stand alone and with condemnation. They are spat upon as perpetrators of a war to preserve slavery. The first step in correcting this history revisionism is to acknowledge they were veterans protecting their communities and families.
The sense of nationalism we hold near and dear today was nonexistent in the Civil War era. It's time to view the veteran of the Civil War in the era they lived in, not the era we wished they lived in.
First, and foremost, we ask the honorable men and women of the Talbot Council not to default into the cancel culture that pop culture dictates. Five years ago, the council defined the Talbot Boys as a veterans' memorial, not a Confederate memorial. We ask the Council to reaffirm the Talbot Boys as a veterans' memorial subject to all the state and federal protections afforded a veterans' memorial.
Second, we ask the Talbot County Council to review the plans made so far and commit to a Memorandum of Understanding. Just as the Vietnam Memorial would never have gotten off the ground without Congressional support, a Civil War veterans' memorial will never get off the ground without the Council's support.
Third, we ask the Talbot County Council to conduct a verifiable public poll asking citizens if they prefer a demolition and ban of all veteran memorials on courtyard grounds or build and expand on what is already there.
A handful of vocal loudmouths shouldn't be dictating the future of memorials. Let the people of Talbot speak. Conduct the poll. Find out where the people stand. And listen to what they say.
The Honorable Corey Pack may have spoken eloquently five years ago in defense of our veterans, but the Corey Pack speaking in the 23 JUN Council meeting didn't speak for the people of Talbot. He spoke for himself and declared it's time for the Talbot Boys to go.
A group of us concerned citizens beg to differ. We're working on building, not destroying, but we need a Council commitment to allow us to build and give confidence to potential donors they are investing in a good cause.
Which way will Talbot turn at the crossroads? Tear everything down or build for a better future and understanding?
Posted by A Drunk Redneck
The County can plow forward as if there's nothing coming and hope the issue of the Talbot Boys eventually resolves itself, if only out of loss of interest from the handful of players making the veterans' monument a controversy.
The County can turn left and cave to the cancel culture mentality and tear down the veterans' monument and ban any future monuments to our veterans, as the Council has proposed.
The County can turn right and set the example for the nation how a divisive issue can bring opposing forces together to build something greater and better.
“Whether you agree or disagree with the cause that these young men fought for doesn’t change the historical facts of war. It would be a sign of dishonor to those 90 deceased soldiers, as well as disrespectful to family members, should this council or any other council remove, deface, or alter this monument in anyway."
Those words uttered by The Honorable Corey Pack hold as true today as they did five years ago when he first uttered them. One's change of sentiments over the years doesn't change the fact the Talbot Boys monument is a memorial to veterans who fought in the Civil War.
It is not a memorial to the Confederacy.
It is not a memorial to slavery.
It is not a memorial to White supremacy.
It is a memorial to honorable soldiers who fought to protect their communities and families from outside forces that threatened them.
It's easy for the history revisionists and cancel culture supporters to point fingers at a scapegoat and demand justice by erasing all remnants of those lives from the pages of history. Immediately after the War, the Union soldiers punished the South in the same manner during the failed Reconstruction Era. Almost a hundred sixty years later, we're still punishing the South. It is a lot easier to point to dead soldiers of a century and a half ago for the racial ills of today and say, "It's his fault" than to look in the mirror and ask, "Where have I failed?"
The Council and the citizens of Talbot now face a choice - tear down or build?
If we tear down the monument, we set the precedent that future generations can decide history is fleeting and subject to interpretation. It can be rewritten and mothballed in a museum or cemetery, forgotten until the trashman hauls it away...to be forever erased from our collective memories.
A society without accurate history is rootless, a fantasy to be blown away at the whim of a sneeze. Taking the turn at the crossroads towards the cancel culture's wishes teaches future generations that they, too, can rewrite history and erase the parts they don't like. The pages of history they tear out might very well be the pages we, today, are being written into.
The other turn we could take is to keep the monument to veterans and allow a complete story to be told.
Not all monuments celebrate a moment or cause. Some force us to pause and reflect in somberness. That long, black wall in DC doesn't celebrate American Imperialism and disregard for others' national sovereignty. Millions place their hands on the cold, black walls in remorseful respect for the high price our veterans paid for misguided policies of those in power.
A group of Talbot citizens hope for the same somber respect in their vision for the Talbot courtyard grounds. The veteran's memorial, The Talbot Boys, is already there. Accompanying the Talbot Boys, is a memorial to the great abolitionist and Talbot County native, Frederick Douglas. And in another corner is a memorial to our Vietnam veterans.
What is missing that they hope to build - over time - is a Union memorial next to the Confederate Talbot Boys, a memorial to WWI, WWII, and Korean War veterans and all of it tied in with a Memorial Walk and Gardens for everyone to revere in silence the price our veterans, specifically the veterans of Talbot County, paid to make this country what it is today.
What an example to set for the nation. No glorifying of war or the underlying causes of war, but a somber respect for the veterans who are called upon to fight those wars. That's what the Talbot Boys and just about any veterans' memorial is about.
 |
| What d'ya know...it is easy to rewrite history! |
The only obstacle to this group of citizens' efforts
is the Talbot County Council's reluctance to commit to a positive effort first expressed by the Council five years ago. With the nationwide turbulence of tearing down monuments, throwing monuments in harbors, and spray painting those to large to tear down, solid support to any monument pre-1900 is hard to come by. Even veteran organizations such as the VFW and American Legion won't commit to any memorial honoring any veteran from the Civil War unless they have some sort of promise or guarantee that their money will be well spent.
The group (of which I'm part of) asks for some sort of Memorandum of Understanding that their efforts will be met with the promise by the present and future County Council that space will be allocated for the memorials they envision.
The request is not unprecedented. At the end of the Vietnam War, our veterans were greeted with protests of "Baby killers" and with none of the fanfare of returning vets from previous wars. In addition to the insults and middle fingers, many were spat upon. Many of our Vietnam veterans hid out in Europe for a month or so to grow beards and long hair so they would escape the humiliation sure to greet them when they returned.
When the founders of the Vietnam War Memorial began their effort, many people didn't want to get involved because of the tumultuous memories the Vietnam era invoked. But the organizers of the Vietnam Memorial succeeded in raising money for the memorial by winning over many fronts.
First, and foremost, was a national change in how we viewed Vietnam veterans, of which the organizers were instrumental in bringing about. Instead of viewing Vietnam veterans as perpetrators of war, we began viewing them as victims of war. That slight change in perception set the stage for donors to feel comfortable fighting for recognition of our Vietnam vets, got the attention of celebrities and well known people to support our Vietnam veterans, and got Congress to pass legislation allocating property to a memorial to be built. The whole process took 3-1/2 years plus a few more years to make it "more correct" by adding the Vietnam's Women Memorial and The Three Soldiers, the first memorial to depict an African American veteran.
The Talbot Boys stand alone and with condemnation. They are spat upon as perpetrators of a war to preserve slavery. The first step in correcting this history revisionism is to acknowledge they were veterans protecting their communities and families.
The sense of nationalism we hold near and dear today was nonexistent in the Civil War era. It's time to view the veteran of the Civil War in the era they lived in, not the era we wished they lived in.
First, and foremost, we ask the honorable men and women of the Talbot Council not to default into the cancel culture that pop culture dictates. Five years ago, the council defined the Talbot Boys as a veterans' memorial, not a Confederate memorial. We ask the Council to reaffirm the Talbot Boys as a veterans' memorial subject to all the state and federal protections afforded a veterans' memorial.
Second, we ask the Talbot County Council to review the plans made so far and commit to a Memorandum of Understanding. Just as the Vietnam Memorial would never have gotten off the ground without Congressional support, a Civil War veterans' memorial will never get off the ground without the Council's support.
Third, we ask the Talbot County Council to conduct a verifiable public poll asking citizens if they prefer a demolition and ban of all veteran memorials on courtyard grounds or build and expand on what is already there.
A handful of vocal loudmouths shouldn't be dictating the future of memorials. Let the people of Talbot speak. Conduct the poll. Find out where the people stand. And listen to what they say.
The Honorable Corey Pack may have spoken eloquently five years ago in defense of our veterans, but the Corey Pack speaking in the 23 JUN Council meeting didn't speak for the people of Talbot. He spoke for himself and declared it's time for the Talbot Boys to go.
A group of us concerned citizens beg to differ. We're working on building, not destroying, but we need a Council commitment to allow us to build and give confidence to potential donors they are investing in a good cause.
Which way will Talbot turn at the crossroads? Tear everything down or build for a better future and understanding?
Posted by A Drunk Redneck
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