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By now I should know better then to read Joe Bowyer’s columns, but like a moth to a flame, I’m drawn, if only to see what it is this week he’s wrong about. One pattern I’ve picked up on is his ongoing lack of understanding about the Civil War.
It isn’t liberals who say the South fought to defend slavery, it was the leaders of the Confederacy. The South Carolina Declaration of Secession alone makes 18 references to slavery. It is impossible to read the Georgia declaration without understanding that their overriding concern was the continuation of slavery. In the words of the Mississippi Declaration of Succession, “Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world.”
While many soldiers of the South weren’t slave owners, it’s also true that many soldiers in the German Army during World War II weren’t Nazis. Would Joe argue that Hitler’s goals weren’t domination of Europe and the exterminations of Jews? Of course, he wouldn’t. Hitler was unambiguous about his intention, and so were the leaders of the Confederacy.
Why does any of this matter? Because school is about getting an education, not programming, Joe’s chief concern isn’t about the quality of education our children are receiving, only that they aren’t being molded into conservatives. He is willing to sacrifice knowledge for nostalgia.
He admits as much when he says he doesn’t fear foreign invasion but decay from within. Joe fundamentally fails to understand that American values are not set in time. No more than we continue to farm using wooden plows pulled by horses do we define equality as being exclusive to white men. America is constantly evolving, but not everyone equates that with moral decay. The proof of that is the recent election, which was, among other things, a referendum between change and a return to what Joe would call “real” American values. The people chose to continue forward.
Joe cannot change the reason for the Civil War nor can he change the march of modernity. I’m sure if I live as long as Joe I’ll look back on the America of my youth and reminisce, but I would hope that I would be wise enough to understand it wasn’t necessarily better, only different. America’s best days are always ahead of it, even if people like Joe can’t recognize that.
Matt Meagher, Logansport
Letters
November 25, 2012
PUBLIC FORUM: Our best days still lie ahead
- Letters
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- PUBLIC FORUM: United Way finds hope in partnerships Hope can inspire people to change the world. The United Way of Cass County works consistently with partners who believe in the power of hope and positive outcomes in the areas of education, income, and health. Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman author
- PUBLIC FORUM: What's up with gas prices being so high? I recently returned from a driving trip throughout Kentucky, Tennessee and barely into Alabama. When I filled up in preparation for the trip, the price of regular here was $3.89. The minute I crossed into Kentucky, the price was $3.25. Throughout the
- PUBLIC FORUM: Let's make this a summer of learning School is out for the summer! Now what do you do to help keep your young child on track for school next year? Summer has always been a time of family fun and rest for the mind of a young child, with swimming, playing, camping and visiting friends.
- PUBLIC FORUM: Join to make community fit A letter-writer urges readers to get involved in a community fit day this month.
- Letters
- PUBLIC FORUM: Thanks for the effort, Sen. Head As president and CEO of the Indiana Manufacturers Association, I want to express our appreciation for the pro-manufacturing legislation supported by your state senator, Randy Head, R-Logansport, during this most recent session of the Indiana General
- PUBLIC FORUM: Where are those jobs? Where are those jobs? In his first legislative session, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence passed up an opportunity to create 30,000 new jobs and boost our economy by more than $3 billion. That's something I don't think Gov. Mitch Daniels would ever have done.
- Can't we just get along? My friend and I have been close for about 30 years. We've worked together and socialized together. I was the first person she called when her father died. She knows as well as anyone what kind of person I am. We avoid discussing politics. But we do d
- PUBLIC FORUM: Areas are more than unkept grasses Wildflower plantings require patience as they become established
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PUBLIC FORUM: Government is too big, out of control
A recent article written by Gordon Southern appearing in this newspaper on May 6 was very satirical about the Republican Party and our governor, Mike Pence.
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