A group of Democrat state lawmakers in Georgia are seeking the destruction of one of the most iconic symbols of the Confederacy as they attempt to move legislation to expunge the South from the US Civil War.
Reps. Shelly Hutchinson (D-Snellville) and Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain) announced proposed legislation that would prohibit Confederate monuments across the State of Georgia. It was also put Stone Mountain Park, a reserve with a massive carving honoring Confederate leader, on the chopping block.
Hutchinson and Mitchell were joined by other legislators and activists at the state Capitol where their indifference to the whole of US history was on display.
“The reality is, it’s not a matter of if these symbols come down,” Mitchell said. “It’s just when.”
One group of state lawmakers hopes to strip down protections for the largest Confederate monument in the world, while another hopes to add members to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, the body that oversees the park. https://t.co/9YoohK2VqK
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) February 4, 2021
Their proposed legislation, HB237 and HB238, would both remove protections for Confederate monuments – protections that are current written into Georgia law, but prohibit tributes “related to the Confederate States of America, slave owners or persons advocating for slavery” on public property.
The woke legislators said there would be exceptions for museums and Civil War battlefields.
Mitchell said he would be advancing a corresponding bill that would take a more direct approach where the Stone Mountain Memorial Park was concerned, eliminating restrictions on the Stone Mountain Memorial Association’s ability to make changes at the park.
Under the association’s charter, the governing body charged charged by law with maintaining an “appropriate” tribute to the Confederacy inside the park.
The association’s board, apparently devoid of concern for the loss of teachable moments about the Great War, recently tasked the association’s CEO with seating a task force to entertain proposals that would “bring the park into the 21st century.”
Georgia state Rep. Billy Mitchell is proposing legislation that would restore the Stone Mountain Memorial Association's ability to remove Confederate monuments and symbols.https://t.co/cHCXThxXqg
— WABE News (@wabenews) February 3, 2021
The prevailing opinion is that current Georgia law limits what changes can be made, and that it would be more likely that additions would be made to the rather than subtractions of any Confederate imagery.
At risk in the actions of the Democrat legislators is the loss of educational opportunity. Many thoughtful educators believe that destroying monuments removes opportunity for teachable moments for students.
The destruction and removal of monuments like the iconic carvings and unique monuments in Stone Mountain Memorial Park – and across the State of Georgia – eliminates perspective and, thus, kills an opportunity to understand the full measure of the realities of the US Civil War.