Confederate monuments insult African-Americans
I’m amazed lately that some of my liberal friends have come out in support of President Donald Trump’s opinion that removal of Confederate statues is rewriting history, or that we are destroying the historical record.
The fact is most if not all of these statues like the Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee monument in Baltimore; the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia; and Stone Mountain in Georgia were done during the shameful era of Jim Crow, which most white Americans know nothing about.
For instance, Stone Mountain, a giant carving of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis, was a memorial donated by the Daughters of the Confederacy, not a municipal monument. Both the Lee statue in Charlottesville, erected in 1924, and the monument in Baltimore, erected in 1948, were donated with private funding, all of these right during the height of Jim Crow. What an insult to African-Americans.
These monuments rewrite history, after all the Confederacy lost the war supporting a totally untenable moral belief, and all those wonderful generals were on the wrong side of history. It’s due time we set the record straight over these statues glorifying traitors.
Donald Gray
Rockland
Honoring Civil War veterans
Is Marc Pelletier aware that flying the Confederate battle flag anywhere in Maine during the Civil War, like he did at a blueberry field in Sedgwick, would have gotten him arrested or worse? Is he aware that many Mainers fought and died to defeat what that flag stands for, and that these veterans are buried in cemeteries throughout Maine? No doubt he has driven past those graves flying the flag of their former enemies.
Pelletier should also be aware of the deep irony of calling himself a “Yankee” while flying the Confederate battle flag. If he wishes to honor veterans and our country, he should display the flag that now represents our whole country, not just the Southern states that attempted secession and lost the war against the Union.
Tim Bishop
Palermo
LePage monument hypocrisy
The governor says removing Confederate memorials is akin to removing those honoring victims of the 9/11 attacks, yet he felt free to remove and hide a mural honoring people in the labor movement. Hypocrisy doesn’t begin to explain this, as his bigotry is rivaled only by his ignorance.
Bruce Pratt
Swanville
Davitt for City Council
Clare Davitt has the skills, abilities, experience, and passion necessary to be a fantastic leader for Bangor as a city councilor.
Davitt graduated from Bangor High in 1997 and, like many young Mainers, spent time out of state pursuing educational and professional opportunities. Several years ago, she returned to Bangor for her ideal job as a librarian for Bangor Public Library. In that role, and through that return, she’s had the opportunity to see ways that the city can do even more to support its citizens.
As a city councilor, Davitt will work to help families thrive in Bangor by addressing the needs of multiple generations of citizens. Her insight and practical leadership will support Bangorians who wish to stay nearby or return to their beloved city as she did. She will develop tools that connect workers with growing industries and business. She will promote economic and social developments that help Mainers maintain independence throughout their lives — like supporting technology access, infrastructure and training for people of all ages.
I encourage you to meet Davitt and get to know her. You’ll doubtless see her at many events around Bangor, supporting the community. She may even come knock on your door to talk with you about your experiences in Bangor and how she could best represent you as a city counselor. And this Nov. 7, vote Davitt for Bangor City Council.
Jordan LaBouff
Bangor