Harris haunted by her revisionism and past attacks on Columbus Day



Leftists have worked feverishly in recent years to deracinate and disorient the population, severing America's ties with its history and vilifying those dynamic figures who paved the way for the United States to ultimately become the envy of the world.

Over the course of this resentment-fueled campaign, iconoclasts and revisionists have changed place names, renamed species, toppled hundreds of statues, melted down busts, removed church windows, advanced bogus alternate histories, dug up graves, and built a parasitic industry geared toward racial division.

The Trump campaign and other critics issued reminders Monday that Kamala Harris has long been a proponent of this campaign — and that Columbus Day is one of her many targets.

Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told Fox News Digital, "Kamala Harris is your stereotypical leftist. Not only does she want to raise taxes and defund the police, she also wants to cancel American traditions like Columbus Day."

Leavitt appears to have been referring to Harris' indication prior to the collapse of her previous presidential campaign that she would officially change "Columbus Day" to "Indigenous Peoples' Day."

When asked at a 2019 town hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, whether she supported the controversial name change, the Washington Times reported that Harris first began by talking about legislating to make lynching a federal crime.

'Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease.'

"People did not want to deal and accept and most importantly admit that we are the scene of a crime when it comes to what we did with slavery and Jim Crow and institutionalized racism in this country, and we have to be honest about that," said then-Sen. Harris. "If we are not honest, we are not going to deal with the vestiges of all of that harm, and we are not going to correct course, and we are not going to be true to our values and morals."

Harris added, "Similarly when it comes to indigenous Americans, the indigenous people, there is a lot of work that we still have to do, and I appreciate and applaud your point and your effort, and count me in on support."

On her first Columbus Day as vice president, Harris issued a statement effectively condemning the immigrants who first diversified the continent:

It is an honor to be with you this week as we celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, as we speak truth about our nation's history. Since 1934, every October the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas. But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story. Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for tribal nations — perpetrating violence, stealing land, and spreading disease. We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on native communities today.

In 2022 and 2023, Harris doubled down, celebrating the Columbus Day alternate.

Columbus Day, which commemorates the daring 15th-century Italian whose four transatlantic voyages opened the way for European exploration of Americas, is one of 11 official federal holidays.

The Pew Research Center noted that it was first observed as a federal holiday in 1937 — initially conceived of as a celebration of Italian-American heritage and largely the result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal organization known for its charitable outreach. Not only does Harris want to rename its hard-won holiday, she has suggested that the group's members' Catholic faith disqualifies them from serving in federal courts.

As of October 2023, only 16 American states and the territory of America Samoa observe the second Monday in October as an official public holiday called Columbus Day.

Axios noted that the day is officially known as "Indigenous Peoples' Day" in New Mexico, Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.

President Joe Biden proclaimed Oct. 14, 2024, both "Indigenous Peoples' Day" and Columbus Day.

"President Trump will make sure Christopher Columbus' great legacy is honored and protect this holiday from radical leftists who want to erase our nation's history like Kamala Harris," added Leavitt.

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BBC continues its DEI-fication of British history with 'racially diverse' series about the Battle of Hastings



Leftists appear conflicted about Western history. On the one hand, they have endeavored to sever ties with it, tearing down statues, renaming places and species, and digging up graves. Yet, they also appear keen to transmogrify Western history — to rewrite it and reimagine it in order to bolster their contemporary worldview, advance their agenda, or to accommodate the sensitivities of their peers.

This latter impulse to transmogrify history appears to dominate in the United Kingdom where there is a burgeoning genre of revisionist agitprop aimed at either distorting facts to paint Caucasians uniquely as history's villains or to erase Caucasians from the isles' history.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has contributed to this genre for years and has shown no signs of stopping.

The Telegraph recently revealed that a forthcoming BBC historical drama series about the Battle of Hastings — between Anglo-Saxons and Norman-French forces for control of England in 1066 — will be played by a "diverse cast."

"King and Conqueror," a CBS Studios coproduction picked up by the BBC, will apparently feature non-white actors as Anglo-Saxon characters.

"Adding diversity to a high medieval period setting follows the BBC’s 'colour-blind' casting of non-white stars as Tudor courtiers in another upcoming historical drama, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light," reported the Telegraph.

For instance, Elander Moore, an actor of Trinidadian decent, will play Morcar, son of Ælfgā, the earl of Mercia, and himself an earl of Northumbria, who fought against Viking and Norman invaders.

Jason Forbes, a black English actor from Bristol, will reportedly play a fictional Anglo-Saxon aristocrat named Thane Thomas.

'A cynic might wonder whether such casting is part of a cunning ploy to reinforce the fashionable progressive message that, throughout its history, this country has always been ethnically diverse.'

In the BBC's original announcement of the show, Lindsey Martin, senior vice president of international development and coproductions at CBS Studios — formerly of Netflix — indicated the show would be a "bold and fresh take on a story that has endured for nearly 1,000 years" with themes "as contemporary and relevant as ever."

Historian Zareer Masani told the Telegraph, "Some of us, including people of color, grew up thinking actors ought to look like characters they played."

Masani noted further that it was "absolutely crazy that they've applied this color-blindness to a period when Britain was at its least multicultural, before even the Norman Conquest," stressing further that this approach was "hugely confusing and downright misleading."

David Abulafia, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Cambridge, noted, "Since the whole series will undoubtedly bear little relation to historical fact, I think we shall have to put up with the bizarre notion that there were black earls in Anglo-Saxon England."

"All the more so, since we are no longer supposed to talk about 'Anglo-Saxons,'" continued Abulafia, alluding to the recent name change of University of Cambridge's historical journal Anglo-Saxon England to Early Medieval England and Its Neighbours.

"If they didn't exist, we can do what we like," added Abulafia.

British journalist Michael Deacon noted that, "A cynic might wonder whether such casting is part of a cunning ploy to reinforce the fashionable progressive message that, throughout its history, this country has always been ethnically diverse — which means that, if you object to mass immigration in the 21st century, you're not just racist, but historically ignorant."

Deacon suggested, however, that it is premature to judge the show having not yet seen it but joked about the potential of Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king, being scripted in the show to dismiss the threat of a Norman invasion as "alarmist nonsense," and stating, "I don't want to hear any more of these far-Right conspiracy theories. In any case, it's vital that we remain open to the world. As any historian worth his, her or their salt will tell you, Britain has always been vibrantly multicultural — ever since the Windrush arrived, in 1948BC.”

'It must not be an up-ended seesaw.'

The casting for "King and Conqueror" is par for the course at the BBC, whose program "Horrible Histories" released a song in 2021 called "Been Here from the Start," which suggested Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, the Aurelian Moors, and the early Britons were black.

The second season of the BBC series "Wolf Hall," an adaptation of the Hilary Mantel novel of the same name about the court of Henry VIII, will reportedly have Edward VI's grandmother Lady Seymour played by an actress of Bahamian heritage. Thomas Wyatt, a Yorkshire man who was the first person to write sonnets in English, will be played by an Egyptian actor.

British author Petronella Wyatt, who claims Thomas Wyatt as a distant ancestor, suggested that "diverse casting, if it is to work at all, must have a logical grounding, particularly in an adaptation of a novel that prides itself on historical authenticity."

"It must also work both ways. It must not be an up-ended seesaw. If the logic of modern casting was followed across the board then white actors should also be given roles on the basis of colour-blindness," wrote Wyatt. "But in our cowardly new world there is no equity or freedom from moral indignation, no all-embracing tolerance, only snorts and objurgations. We have become incapable of imagining honourable intentions in those with whom we disagree."

The genre of revisionist agitprop is not limited to film.

In August 2023, the publisher British Bloomsbury released a children's book entitled, "Brilliant Black British History," which erroneously stated, "Britain was a black country for more than 7,000 years before white people came, and during that time the most famous British monument was built, Stonehenge." The book was promoted in the U.K. by a government-funded group.

Leftists have also not limited their revisionism to matters of race.

Last year, the North Hertfordshire Museum decided to retroactively make Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus "transgender" and assign him female pronouns.

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Magic Kingdom erased 'Song of the South' elements from Splash Mountain. The remake may be another Disney flop.



Radicals hostile to America and the West committed to a campaign of deracination and iconoclasm in the summer of 2020, digging up graves, toppling statues, renaming animals, melting down busts, knocking out church windows, and killing off iconic brands. Disney made sure to get in on the action.

Amidst the deadly BLM riots, Disney announced that it would overhaul one of its featured theme park rides: Splash Mountain. Apparently, the ride prickled race obsessives with its depiction of characters and songs from "Song of the South" — Disney's Oscar-winning 1946 musical wherein a former slave shares folk tales during the Reconstruction era.

Despite blowing an estimated $150 million on the overhaul and engaging in a concerted hype campaign, it appears Disney has yet another flop on its hands.

'The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by.'

Splash Mountain first opened in Disneyland in 1989. Disney World in Orlando got its own version a few years later. On both coasts, the ride featured the tale of Br'er Rabbit and his daring escape from a fox and bear. The ride's flume 52.5-foot drop plopped generations of guests down the river and into the moist safety of a mock briar batch.

Anthropomorphic animals and a coherent narrative in a Southern setting were evidently too much to bear.

On June 25, 2020, Disney revealed that Splash Mountain — at both Disneyland park in California and the Magic Kingdom park in Florida — will soon be completely reimagined. The theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, "The Princess and the Frog.'"

"The approach to retheming or 'plussing' attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story?" said the statement. "And with this long-standing history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year."

Despite over 100,000 fans petitioning Disney to spare Splash Mountain, Disney closed the ride in both parks in early 2023.

'It had kind of run its course.'

While the new ride based on a box office underperformer uses the same tracks as Splash Mountain and riders still travel in railed rafts fashioned to look like hollowed-out logs, the New York Times reported that Disney spent an estimated $150 million to alternatively tell the story of lead character Tiana's efforts to cobble together a band for a Mardi Gras party using all-new decorations, audio, and animatronics.

Ted Robledo, the ride's executive creative director, stressed to the Times the various signs of "diversity" at play, by which he meant a black protagonist, three types of music, and signage in Spanish and French.

“We're always looking at ways to cast a wider net," said Robledo. "With the old property, for a variety of reasons, it wasn't that relevant any more. It had kind of run its course."

The Times alluded to some signals that potential park guests aren't interested.

A nine-minute point-of-view video tour of the ride uploaded to YouTube had 10,000 thumbs up and over 38,000 thumbs down as of Monday. That Park Place estimated the ratio of positive to negative comments on the video to be roughly 1:200.

Numerous annual pass holders permitted to preview the ride in person ahead of its grand opening later this month have also effectively given "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" thumbs down.

According to Inside the Magic, the ride has been beset by malfunctions and breakdowns. Apparently the ride's hardware has trouble sustaining and communicating with the new animatronics.

Various videos shared online show new characters frozen in place while dialogue and music eerily play on. Last week, on at least one occasion, guests reportedly had to be evacuated following a ride malfunction.

It's unclear whether the new ride will survive as long as its predecessor, given the initial backlash as well as its apparent failure to win over race obsessives.

Katie Kapurch, an English professor at Texas State University, told the Associated Press that the new ride is silent on the "racial realities of the segregated eras they depict."

"We might see the impulse to replace rather than dismantle or build anew as a metaphor for structural racism, too," Kapurch said. "Again, this is unintentional on Disney's part, but the observation gets to the heart of how Disney reflects America back to itself."

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In reversal of broader trend, Virginia school board votes to restore schools' Confederate names



There has been a concerted effort in recent years to sever ties with the nation's past. Iconoclasts and revisionists have toppled hundreds of statues, renamed species, melted down busts, removed church windows, dug up graves, changed place names, and gone so far — as the Biden administration did last year — as to remove the Jewish American-designed Reconciliation Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.

A school board in Virginia bucked the trend early Friday morning.

Two schools in the Shenandoah County Public Schools district were renamed in 2021 following a school board vote the previous year. Stonewall Jackson High School, named after Confederate infantry Gen. Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, became Mountain View High School. Ashby-Lee Elementary School, named after Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and rebel cavalry commander Turner Ashby, became Honey Run Elementary School. The Confederates' associations with slavery were reportedly a key factor in the decision to make the changes.

Axios reported that the Coalition for Better Schools, a local conservative group, continued pushing to change the names back after an unsuccessful attempt in 2022. The group claimed in a April 3 letter to the members of the SCPS board that the group understood "that the decision to rename these schools was made in response to discussions surrounding Confederate symbols" but that "revisiting this decision is essential to honor our community's heritage and respect the wishes of the majority."

After an SCPS School Board meeting Thursday night, which ran for roughly six hours and involved extensive commentary from the public, the board voted 5-1 to overturn the 2020 decision.

Opponents to the restorations suggested the changes would put a gloss on historical racism.

"If you vote to restore the name Stonewall Jackson in 2024, you will be resurrecting an act in 1959 that is forever rooted in mass resistance and Jim Crow segregation," said one resident.

Kyle Gutshall, the lone member who voted against the motion, suggested there was no clear justification for the restoration, reported WLOX-TV.

"We've talked about the right way, the wrong way to do it," said Guthall. "Things like this really come down to perspective and how you view things."

Some supporters suggested that even an imperfect history is worth remembering.

"People in the Shenandoah Valley say that only the Confederates are the ones who did nasty things or did nasty things to black people," said Dennis Barlow, the school board chair. "You just stopped reading your history and you're not being realistic. War's hell."

The motion that ultimately passed early Friday morning requires that the restoration be implemented using funds privately donated exclusively "and not be borne by the school system or government tax funds.

Robert Watson, an assistant professor of history at Hampton University, suggested to USA Today ahead of the vote that the district may be the first in the nation to reverse course on Confederate school name changes.

"If it does get traction in the Shenandoah Valley, it probably will get some traction [in] other places," said Watson.

A US school board in Shenandoah County, Virginia, voted in favor of restoring previously removed Confederate names to two schools, becoming the first community in the nation to reinstate such names
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Christian Navy veteran charged with hate crime for beheading demon statue at Iowa Capitol



Hundreds of statues of historical and religious significance have been toppled throughout the United States in recent years. Rather than stop the iconoclasts responsible, government officials have in many cases rewarded them — at least when they were not themselves directly responsible.

However, it became clear this week that the powers that be still hold some things sacred: abortion clinics and satanic idols.

Within hours of a federal court finding six more pro-life activists guilty of peacefully demonstrating inside an infamous late-term abortion clinic, Christian Navy veteran Michael Cassidy was charged with a hate crime Tuesday for toppling a satanic statute last year at the Iowa Capitol.

The Polk County Attorney's Office indicated that Cassidy's admission that he "destroyed the property because of the victim's religion" prompted the decision to increase Cassidy's previous misdemeanor charge to a class D felony.

What's the background?

The Satanic Temple is an anti-Christian leftist group that has distributed satanic literature to kids; championed the LGBT agenda; worked ardently to ensure that mothers can have their unborn babies legally killed by way of their "religious abortion ritual"; performed public "unbaptisms"; erected multiple statues of demons on public property; and held a demonization ceremony in protest of the canonization of the Catholic Spanish priest Junípero Serra.

Blaze News previously reported that weeks ahead of Christmas, the Satanic Temple installed a demonic altar on the first floor of the Iowa Capitol along with caped figure of what appeared to be a ram-headed Baphomet holding a red pentacle.

Baphomet has long been associated with devil worship and the occult; however, it appears to have originated as a slight against the Muslim faith.

UCLA professor Zrinka Stahuljak indicated "Baphomet" was originally a French corruption of the name Mohamed. British historian Peter Partner suggested further that the Knights Templar, who successfully reclaimed territory previously occupied by Islamic forces, were accused by inquisitors of worshiping Baphomet as part of what appears to have been a 14th-century smear.

Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the Satanic Temple, claimed the demon statue was not intended to be insulting despite its anti-Islamic significance and the installation's exhibition of the anti-Christian group's "seven fundamental tenets," including "the freedom to offend."

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Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) faced significant pressure to have the statue taken down. While Reynolds acknowledged the demonic altar was "objectionable," she invited critics to join her in prayer at the state Capitol rather than in destruction.

State Rep. Jon Dunwell (R), a Christian pastor, outlined why this was the optimal response, noting that the Satanic Temple successfully "petitioned for their display in August and were approved with some modification."

Dunwell said the display "glorifies the evil influence we oppose" but was nevertheless lawful.

Satanic Temple co-founder Greaves stated, "I would hope that even people who disagree with the symbolism behind our values, whether they know what those values [are] or not, would at least appreciate that it's certainly a greater evil to allow the government to pick and choose between forms of religious expression."

Beheading Baphomet

Although a prayerful man, Michael Cassidy of Lauderdale, Mississippi, apparently figured it wouldn't hurt to also smash the demonic display.

After liking a post by Blaze News columnist Auron MacIntyre, which stated, "Periodic reminder that the religious right were correct about everything," Cassidy marched into the Iowa Capitol on Dec. 14, 2023, and decapitated the Baphomet statue.

Adding insult to symbolic injury, he tossed the ram head into a garbage can.

"I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged. My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted," Cassidy said in an interview with the Sentinel.

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Cassidy, a former F/A-18 Hornet pilot who served on the USS George Washington, turned himself in to police following the beheading without incident. He was subsequently charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.

"The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment," Cassidy told the Sentinel. "Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water."

The Satanic Temple Iowa said in a statement, "This morning, we were informed by authorities that the Baphomet statue in our holiday display was destroyed beyond repair. ... [J]ustice is being pursued the correct way, through legal means. Solve et Coagula! Happy Holidays! Hail Satan!"

No good deed goes unpunished

The Polk County Attorney's Office announced Tuesday that on the basis of Cassidy's statements both to law enforcement and the public indicating he destroyed the property due to its anti-Christian nature — or what prosecutors referred to as "the victim's religion" — they had enhanced his original charge to "third-degree criminal mischief in violation of individual rights, a class D felony, according to Iowa Code Section 729A.2."

The attorney's office indicated that the cost to replace or repair the demonic installation was between $750 and $1,500.

The Des Moines Register indicated the radical group alternatively estimated the cost of replacing the statue was $3,000.

The attorney's office also underscored that prosecutors seek "fair and just resolutions of all cases, as we continue to apply the law equally to all, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, or economic status."

Casidy faces arraignment on Feb. 15. He has raised over $85,700 for his legal defense so far.

The Register noted that the Navy veteran's attorney, Sara Pasquale, declined Tuesday to comment on the new charge.

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Judge halts toppling of Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery



A Trump-nominated federal judge has halted the removal of the Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery, which the cemetery indicated Saturday would otherwise take place by week's end. While the iconoclasts have been momentarily restrained, the fate of the historic monument, also called the Confederate Memorial, remains uncertain.

The group Defend Arlington, affiliated with Save Southern Heritage Florida, filed a federal lawsuit last month in the District of Columbia accusing the Army, which oversees the cemetery, of violating regulations in an apparent effort to rush the process and get the monument down by January.

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 requires that the Pentagon remove "all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate Sates of America (commonly referred to as the 'Confederacy') or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from all assets of the Department of Defense."'

The deadline for such removals is Jan. 1, 2024.

The D.C. federal court dismissed the lawsuit last week; however, Defend Arlington attempted once more to preserve the monument, this time in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, reported the Associated Press.

Their lawsuit reportedly stated, "The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial's eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places."

With ostensibly no movement on the legal front, the cemetery announced over the weekend that the removal of the Reconciliation Monument, also called the Confederate Memorial, was in compliance with both the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act and would be completed by no later than Dec. 22.

Additionally, the cemetery claimed that "[d]uring the deconstruction, the area around the Memorial will be protected to ensure no impact to the surrounding landscape and grave markers and to ensure the safety of visitors in and around the vicinity of the deconstruction."

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston, Jr., threw a wrench in the removal plans, granting Defend Arlington a temporary restraining order on Monday, barring the Pentagon from tearing down the 109-year-old monument.

Alston was reportedly concerned by the possibility that grave sites might be disturbed — a prospect raised by the lawyer for the plaintiffs. Alston also made clear that just as he takes the possibility of such disturbances seriously, he "takes very seriously the representations of officers of the Court."

"Should the representations in this case be untrue or exaggerated the Court may take appropriate sanctions," added Alston.

David McCallister, a spokesman for Save Southern Heritage Florida, indicated the Virginia case is stronger than the case dismissed in D.C. because there is now evidence that the removal underway disturbs grave sites.

Although it won't bring closure, this turn of events may nevertheless bring some hope to those in both parties who have denounced the effort to remove the monument.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and 40 Republicans called on Defense Secretary Austin in a letter last week to suspend all removal activities related to the Reconciliation Monument until Congress finalized the appropriations process for fiscal year 2024.

Clyde stressed that the memorial is exempt from the removal requirement because it "does not honor nor commemorate the Confederacy and that it commemorates reconciliation and nation unity." Additionally, "the Naming Commission's authority explicitly prohibits the desecration of grave sites."

Former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) indicated in an August Wall Street journal op-ed that the statue's toppling would signify the desire of a "deteriorating society ... to erase the generosity of its past, in favor of bitterness and misunderstanding conjured by those who do not understand the history they seem bent on destroying."

The Reconciliation Monument was approved in 1906 by Secretary of War William Taft; commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910; designed by Jewish former Confederate soldier Moses Jacob Ezekiel; and unveiled in Section 16 of the cemetery by President Woodrow Wilson on June 4, 1914.

A hearing concerning the removal has been scheduled in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for Wednesday.

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Pentagon to tear down Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery by week's end despite protest



The Department of Defense has dutifully taken part in an iconoclastic sweep of American history that has left graves dug up, statues toppled, animals renamed, busts melted down, and church windows removed.

Despite significant backlash, it appears no exception will ultimately be made for the Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery. Workers will remove the 109-year-old monument this week, providing revisionists in the nation's capital with a gift of absence just in time for Christmas.

What's the background?

The Reconciliation Monument, also called the Confederate Memorial, was approved in 1906 by Secretary of War William Taft; commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910; designed by Jewish former Confederate soldier Moses Jacob Ezekiel; and unveiled in Section 16 of the cemetery by President Woodrow Wilson on June 4, 1914.

The monument consists of a bronze female figure crowned with olive leaves atop a 32-foot pedestal. The female figure holds a laurel wreath, a pruning hook, and a plow. At her feet is a biblical inscription that reads, "They have beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning hooks."

Another inscription on the memorial states in Latin, "The victorious cause was pleasing to the gods, but the lost cause to Cato."

Thirty-two figures of mythical gods, Southern soldiers, and civilians are depicted around the base, including two black characters — one holding a baby and the other a slave following his owner to war. The memorial also displays 14 shields representing the 11 Confederate states and the border states of Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.

The memorial was intended as a monument to reconciliation in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Union army veteran President William McKinley, who supported legislation in 1900 to establish a Confederate section in Arlington Cemetery, proclaimed four days after men from former Confederate states ensured America's victory against Spanish forces, "In the spirit of fraternity we should share with you in the care of the graves of Confederate soldiers. … Sectional feeling no longer holds back the love we feel for each other. The old flag again waves over us in peace with new glories."

The American Conservative underscored that it was long understood to be a reconciliation monument, such that "some Confederate groups at the time opposed the statue and memorial precisely because they opposed the reconciliation that it symbolized. At the memorial’s dedication in 1914, President Wilson praised it as an 'emblem of a reunited people.'"

Arlington National Cemetery highlighted the monument's historic value, noting that it "offers an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the history and meanings of the Civil War, slavery, and the relationship between military service, citizenship and race in America. This memorial ... invites us to understand how politics and culture have historically shaped how Americans have buried and commemorated the dead."

Removal

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021, passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress, required the removal of "all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate Sates of America (commonly referred to as the 'Confederacy') or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from all assets of the Department of Defense."'

Congress established an eight-member commission in 2021 and tasked it with renaming military assets in accordance with this requirement. The deadline for such changes and removals is Jan. 1, 2024.

The commission addressed the Reconciliation Monument in its final report on Sept. 19, 2022, recommending that Arlington National Cemetery "remove the 32 life-sized bronze statues from the top of the monument but not remove the entire monument because doing so might damage graves under the structure."

Arlington National Cemetery indicated in March that it had begun preparations for the "careful removal and relocation" of the monument as required by Congress and demanded by Biden's Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Backlash

There has been significant bipartisan outcry in the face of this particular iconoclastic initiative.

Former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), cognizant that the memorial was built "with the sole purpose of healing the wounds of the Civil War," stressed in an August opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that the statue's toppling would signify the desire of a "deteriorating society ... to erase the generosity of its past, in favor of bitterness and misunderstanding conjured by those who do not understand the history they seem bent on destroying."

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) was among over 40 Republicans who criticized the iconoclastic initiative, calling on Defense Secretary Austin in a Dec. 11 letter to suspend all removal activities related to the Reconciliation Monument until Congress finalized the appropriations process for fiscal year 2024.

Clyde noted that the memorial ought to be exempt from the removal requirement because it "does not honor nor commemorate the Confederacy; the memorial commemorates reconciliation and nation unity." Additionally, "the Naming Commission's authority explicitly prohibits the desecration of grave sites."

Christmastime iconoclasm

Arlington National Cemetery announced Saturday that the monument had been fenced off and would be removed by no later than Dec. 22. All but the granite pedestal will be taken away.

The cemetery further alleged that the removal is in compliance with both the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, and that no nearby graves or headstones would be damaged during the "deconstruction" process.

"During the deconstruction, the area around the Memorial will be protected to ensure no impact to the surrounding landscape and grave markers and to ensure the safety of visitors in and around the vicinity of the deconstruction," the cemetery indicated in a statement.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) plans to move the memorial to the New Market battlefield state historic park in Shenandoah Valley, reported the Military Times.

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Devout Christian destroys satanic idol at Iowa Capitol. Appreciative donors fund his legal defense inside 3 hours.



A Christian Navy veteran toppled a satanic statue at the Iowa Capitol after finding others were keen only to virtually signal their displeasure.

Unlike many of the leftists who toppled hundreds of historic statues across the nation amidst the BLM riots, former Mississippi congressional candidate Michael Cassidy immediately assumed responsibility for his actions and turned himself into the authorities. He now faces likely legal action from the Satanic Temple.

Conservatives appreciative of the effort have, however, made sure that Cassidy has what he needs for the legal battles ahead, topping off his legal defense fund inside three hours.

What's the background?

The Satanic Temple is an atheistic leftist organization that has sought to ensure that women can legally have their unborn children killed by way of their "religious abortion ritual"; held a demonization ceremony in protest of the canonization of the Catholic Spanish priest Junípero Serra; distributed satanic literature to children; publicly performed "unbaptisms"; and erected statues of Baphomet on public property in multiple states.

Blaze News previously indicated that the temple, formerly included on Fox News' internal list of charities eligible for donation matches, also runs an online clinic out of New Mexico that distributes abortion drugs, which the group has dubbed "Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic."

Last week, the Satanic Temple of Iowa installed an altar on the first floor of the Iowa Capitol along with a caped figure of what appears to be ram-headed Baphomet holding a red pentacle. USA Today indicated that the installation included a display of the anti-Christian organization's "seven fundamental tenets," including "the freedom to offend."

While ostensibly intended to antagonize Christians ahead of Christmas, Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, claimed that the statue was not intended to be insulting.

— (@)

The initial response

Various lawmakers called on Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) to remove the installation.

State Rep. Brad Sherman (R), a pastor, noted in a newsletter that the preamble of the state constitution expressly states there is "One Supreme God"; that blessings over the state come from that "Supreme Being"; that "we must depend upon the One Supreme God if we want to enjoy continued blessings."

"It is a tortured and twisted interpretation of law that affords Satan, who is universally understood to be the enemy of God, religious expression equal to God in an institution of government that depends upon God for continued blessings," wrote Sherman.

"If we claim to believe in the One Supreme Being, the God of all creation, we cannot claim an exemption from obedience to Him in things relating to civil government."

State Rep. Jon Dunwell (R), also a pastor, alternatively explained why the statue was permissible in a post on X: "Currently, access for displays at the Capitol are open to anyone through an application process. Though there are some guidelines, they do not discriminate on the basis of religion or ideology. Displays are permitted to be displayed for two weeks."

Dunwell added, "The Satanic Temple petitioned for their display in August and were approved with some modification. They wanted to use an actual goat head (I'm assuming a skull) and we're [sic] prohibited from doing so."

Dunwell acknowledged that the display "glorifies the evil influence we oppose" but defended it on legal grounds, suggesting the "primary response required is prayer."

Gov. Reynolds called the display "objectionable" and encouraged "all those of faith to join [her] today in praying over the Capitol."

Satanic Temple co-founder Greaves stated, "I would hope that even people who disagree with the symbolism behind our values, whether they know what those values [are] or not, would at least appreciate that it's certainly a greater evil to allow the government to pick and choose between forms of religious expression."

Baphomet beheaded

Within hours of liking a post by Blaze News columnist Auron MacIntyre, which stated, "Periodic reminder that the religious right were correct about everything," Cassidy headed to the state Capitol and decapitated the Baphomet statue. The former Navy officer then took the ram head and chucked it into a garbage can.

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Cassidy, a former F/A-18 Hornet pilot who did a tour on the USS George Washington, told the Sentinel his intention was to "awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government."

"The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment," said Cassidy. "Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water."

— (@)

After dismantling the controversial statue, the veteran turned himself in to police without incident. He was ultimately charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief.

The Satanic Temple Iowa said in a Thursday statement, "This morning, we were informed by authorities that the Baphomet statue in our holiday display was destroyed beyond repair. ... [J]ustice is being pursued the correct way, through legal means. Solve et Coagula! Happy Holidays! Hail Satan!"

Greaves called Cassidy a "coward" and claimed the statue toppling was a "Hate Crime."

As Cassidy was charged and faces likely legal action from the leftist group, the Sentinel started a GiveSendGo campaign to raise $20,000 for the veteran's legal defense. The money was raised in less than three hours.

Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk indicated that his organization had pledged $10,000 to the fund, stating, "We stand with Satan Slayer, @VoteCassidy." Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh was among the others who also chipped in, donating $1,000.

Cassidy later quoted scripture online, tweeting, "1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Satanic Temple Sets Up Display in Iowa State Houseyoutu.be

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Six teens found guilty in connection to Islamist beheading of French teacher



A high school history teacher was beheaded by an Islamic refugee in a Paris suburb on Oct. 16, 2020. Six teenagers who had a hand in Samuel Paty's savage execution were convicted Friday by a French court.

Among the convicts was a Muslim student who spread lies about the nature of the teacher's Oct. 6 lesson on freedom of expression as well as other teens who helped set up the bloody ambush. Adults suspected of complicity in the terrorist murder, including the Moroccan father of the untruthful teen, are set for trial in 2024.

Although some justice has ostensibly been meted out, it appears to be of little consolation to a country struggling with radicalism and the apparent fallout of multiculturalism.

The Islamist murder plot

Paty, 47, was a teacher at Collège Bois-d'Aulne, in a suburb northwest of Paris. On Oct. 6, 2020, he showed Charlie Hebdo caricatures of Mohamed to his class during a lesson on freedom of expression, posing the question, "To be or not to be Charlie?"

The lesson was timely since Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine, had been targeted by Islamic terrorists multiple times in recent memory, including the previous month when two employees were stabbed outside its headquarters. In 2015, two Islamic terrorists gunned down 12 people at the magazine's headquarters. In 2011, the magazine's office was firebombed.

One of Paty's students, a then-13-year-old Muslim girl, was suspended that month for skipping school. Rather than own up to her truancy, the Guardian reported that the teen told her father, Brahim Chnina, that she had been ousted for confronting Paty over the freedom of expression class.

According to the yarn she spun, Paty dismissed Muslim students from the class so that he could show non-Muslims "a photograph of the Prophet naked." She further claimed the upon confronting Paty, the teacher had her suspended.

Chnina, an Islamist preacher who migrated from the 99% Sunni Muslim nation of Morocco, subsequently took to social media to condemn Paty and demand that he be fired.

Abdullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Islamist migrant from Chechnya, picked up on the enraged father's cues and began plotting the murder. Prosecutors indicated that Anzorov traveled 50 miles from Normandy to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine to assassinate Paty, reported the BBC.

Five other teens, between the ages of 13 and 15 at the time, then helped Anzorov identify and ambush Paty. The terrorist paid them roughly $327 for their services.

With the help of the teens, Anzorov tracked down Paty as he walked home from work and used a cleaver to hack off his head. Witnesses reportedly heard the attacker shout, "Allahu Akbar," during the commission of the assassination.

Police responded to the scene and successfully gunned down the terrorist, but not before he could boast of the slaying on Twitter.

BBC indicated 15 people were taken into custody following the murder, including Anzorov's parents, brother, and grandfather. Additionally, various Muslim organizations that allegedly trafficked in outrage over the false claims concerning Pety's lesson were scrutinized. The Collective Against Islamophobia in France was, for instance, deemed an "enemy of the state" by the country's interior minister.

First set of convictions

The teenage girl who spread the initial lie about Paty was revealed in court not to have been in class during the lesson. She was found guilty Friday of making false accusation charges and slanderous comments, reported the Guardian.

For her hand in Paty's demise, the untruthful teen was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The five teens who helped Anzorov with his murder plot were found guilty criminal conspiracy with intent to cause violence. Four of the facilitators were given suspended sentences. The fifth was sentenced to six months in prison but may ultimately serve time on the outside under electronic surveillance.

Virginie Le Roy, a lawyer representing the victim's family, told the French press, "The role of the minors was fundamental in the sequence of events that led to his assassination."

Eight adults will be tried next year for their alleged hand in the assassination.

In addition to Chnina and members of the terrorist's family, Anzorov's friends, identified as Azim E. and Naim B., will be tried for alleged "complicity in a terrorist murder," according to France 24. The duo are said to have helped the killer pick out and buy the murder weapon.

Growing concern

The convictions are unlikely to ease tensions in France, where the struggle with what the New York Times characterized in 2021 as a failure of integration appears to have come to a head.

Recently, Muslim students at a school west of Paris raged over their art teacher's exhibition of a Renaissance painting portraying a Greek mythology story and featuring scantily clad women, reported the Daily Mail. Facing threats from Islamists, various teachers went on strike.

This summer, the country faced race riots over the police-involved shooting of an Algerian teen that were almost as destructive to the European nation as the 2020 BLM riots were to the United States.

Last month, a gang of youths who made clear they were out to "stab white people" did just that at a French village's annual winter ball, butchering a 16-year-old boy. The attacks prompted major protests critical of the nation's immigration policy.

The French regime has in recent days unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation that would clamp down on illegal immigration, toughen French language requirements, speed up the deportation process, and make it more challenging for foreign nationals to obtain residency papers, reported the New York Times.

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