The White House just sent out the text of the executive order. It creates a task force to recommend how and where to create this new garden. And it specifies the statues that should be in the park (including Antonin Scalia): pic.twitter.com/fGjFbr4JtQ
— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) July 4, 2020
Donald Trump’s racist speech last night embroidered on his apparent decision to make his re-election campaign about monuments.
He followed up today with an executive order to create a National Garden of American Heroes. Check his nominees.
Antonin Scalia and Billy Graham? Heavily white male, naturally.
But damn, he’s gone and canceled the Lost Cause. Nary a noble Johnny Reb on the list. How does that square with his tirades about the removal of Confederate statuary? He even includes one nominee who fought heroically for the winners at Gettysburg (FYI: Union troops soundly defeated Marse Robert’s army.)
This should join other bad Trump ideas in the dustbin of history, but let the picking begin for your favorite American. George Wallace, anyone?
PS: An FYI on the left-wing “fascists,” as Trump called them, who are on a tear ripping down statues to the glorious losers in the fight to preserve slavery.
The narrative being pushed by Trump and others that mobs are pulling down monuments is wildly inaccurate. Of the 44 Confederate monuments that have been removed since June 1, only 7 were carried out by protesters. The rest have been removed legally. https://t.co/NYUXZVOMIB
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) July 4, 2020