Joseph Wood (painter)
Please follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Truth Social, Gettr, Twitter
No sooner had the Key Bridge collapsed than it started. I saw it on social media and heard it on various podcasts. The Progressive left wants to take this opportunity to rename the bridge when it is rebuilt.
For a while, certain civil rights groups have been intent on erasing any and everything from history that they don't like. Never mind that leaving up monuments or statues that remind us of a fractious past that should not be repeated.
The destruction of the Key Bridge offers them another chance. The sad thing is that the case is built on history revised under the guise of what people think now. Not many people could stand up to that standard, even African American heroes. Key was born to a wealthy family in 1779. He went to school at St. Johns College in Annapolis and established a law practice in D. C. Key's religious beliefs prevented him from supporting war, but he served in the War of 1812, On September 14, 1814, Key was at Ft. McHenry when the British assaulted the fort with an overwhelming overnight bombing attack, but the fort still stood with the flag flying. Thus, he wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" which became our National Anthem.
Key's views on slavery are confusing and damning. At one point, he supports slavery, then at another he condemns it.
From Biography.com :
After the War of 1812, Key continued working in law and, in 1833, became Washington, D.C., district attorney. In this capacity, he oversaw proceedings that upheld the system of slavery by prosecuting abolitionists. Key was an enslaver himself, though he went on record as saying that the system of slavery was full of sin and “a bed of torture.”
His complex views on race also led him to help establish the American Colonization Society, which advocated for the transport of Black people to Africa.
Another complaint is that the third verse of the Star Spangled Banner portrays Black people negatively. Here are the entire lyrics:
O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
First of all, does anyone know or sing the third verse? I've never heard it.
Even more important, while slaves are mentioned, it doesn't seem like he's glorifying or supporting slavery in the song. And I really don't see how he portrays anyone but tyrants negatively. But the ever-offended picked words they didn't like, twisted them, and changed their meaning.
So, back to the present. Now they want to rebuild the Key Bridge and rename it after Parren J. Mitchell, the first black from Maryland to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Has anyone done a forensic check of his past? Did he have any skeletons or write anything controversial or offensive to anyone? I know that his nephews spent some time in prison over taking bribes from a defense contractor. Was he involved?
The group also wants to rename the Frederick J. Malkus bridge between Talbot and Dorchester Counties. They want to rename it because Malkus was alleged to have been against desegregation in the 60's and 70's. Well, if that's the case, better not let Joe Biden stay in office for all the statements he made against desegregation in his career.
Joe Biden’s Problematic Record On Racial Justice Explained (nymag.com)
Joe Biden Can’t Stop Making Racist Comments (msn.com)
Or, even better, don't name anything after Bill and/or Hillary Clinton since they were long time friends of Robert Byrd, a one-time KKK leader and their mentor was openly racist William Fulbright.
Robert Byrd was an Exalted Cyclops in the Ku Klux Klan. What does that mean? (slate.com)
Why Is Hillary Clinton Still Honoring A Segregationist And Anti-Semite? (thefederalist.com)
What would be the point of renaming either of these bridges? I think we know. It's part of the movement to remove anyone who was a historic figure, especially if they were one of the founding fathers. Those who want to do this ignore the fact that many flawed men and women were able to do great things in our country and our world. They also ignore the teachable moment this gives to our young people who need to learn that even if you have made mistakes, you can still do great things.
Many say it's an attempt to remove American history from the public square. This is a tactic of totalitarian societies. Once the history is removed, the people forget, and our culture, good or bad, is lost.
The problem is that there are no perfect people alive now, and there were none in the past either. Therefore, maybe we should have no buildings, bridges, or any public buildings named after anyone.
Maybe we can use letters of the alphabet. That's probably offensive too.
