Confederate Rest, reconsidered
Re: Reconciliation, not hate (8/31/17)
Instead of adding its puny voice to the chorus of howls demanding the removal of Confederate monuments, Madison could have taken a courageous stand against this fit of iconoclasm by pointing out that the word “Confederate” has connotations besides slavery and treason.
Men like General Washburn and General Fairchild, who actually fought Confederates, found it within themselves to honor Confederate Rest as a place of healing and reconciliation. Their view, one of unassailable moral authority, should determine the fate of the monument at Forest Hill, not the petty outrage of PC fanatics and the preening of local politicians.
Washburn, in his eloquent Memorial Day address of 1872, when memories of the Civil War were still fresh, warned his listeners they should “wage no war with lifeless clay and [their] resentments [should] stop at the grave.” His words should give pause to those who wish to further desecrate Confederate Rest.
Gary L. Kriewald (via email)
Correction:
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This year’s Annual Manual suggested two well-known Madison characters — Thong Cape Scooter Man and the guy who rides around in a three-wheeled motorcycle with two Yorkies wearing sunglasses — might be the same person. They are in fact different people. While Thong Cape Scooter Man’s identity remains a mystery to Isthmus, the man who rides with Yorkies is Dennis Treinen (right).