Friday, May 12, 2017

The City of New Orleans and Its Monuments


The City's decision to remove four Civil War era monuments from its present locations to a new unknown location has divided the people so it would seem from some news media reports.  This writer disagrees with that assessment and many of the comments made by both the news media and some of the people.

Comments that more notice should have been given to the public is silly.  The Mayor, City Council, the city' two newspaper, radio and television have been talking to the public about it for a very long time.  Any thing to do with the Civil War and or Confederacy, regardless of the subject matter will bring about different feelings from different people and different people that will never be reconciled.

Contrary to some people's suggestion that removing the monuments is trying to change the Civil War history is nonsense.  The history of the Civil War has already been recorded.  And the nasty things that were said about the monuments being removed at night with out notifying the public was off base.   The Mayor gave the reasons why.  It was to protect the contractor and the workers who received threats.  That was also reported by the news media.  It was not a secret.

The monument removal will not divide the city any more than usual.  Division is usually the result of a lack of information, understanding and a belief that the I in all of us is always right.  And there are always opinion writers in the news media and or talk shows that leave out facts in their opinions.  

Mayor Landrieu ran on the theme, ONE CITY, ONE VOICE, ONE FIGHT, ONE TEAM.  This writer believes the Mayor has been loyal to that theme.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

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