Confederate success

Many people seem displeased about the removal of Confederate statues. What great feats did the leaders and soldiers of the Confederate States of America (CSA) accomplish that should be honored and immortalized?

Here are a few: They turned traitor to the United States of America (our country) and joined an army that made war on the United States. They fought to retain slavery. In the POW camp at Andersonville, Ga., the CSA reportedly deliberately starved to death over 12,000 U.S. soldiers. Maybe that’s why so many neo-Nazis are Southerners—the Nazis starved to death many Jews; the CSA starved to death many U.S. soldiers. They killed over 360,000 U.S. soldiers. Soldiers of our country, the United States of America.

Here are a few more men, who, like the CSA, hated the U.S. and killed as many U.S. soldiers as they could. These men, who I believe thought just like the CSA leaders, should have a statue right beside those honoring the CSA: Kaiser Wilhelm II, World War I—killed 116,000 U.S. troops. Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito, World War II—killed 405,000 U.S. troops (the only enemies to kill more U.S. troops than the CSA). Kim Il Sung, Korean War—killed 33,000 U.S. troops. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam War—killed 58,000 U.S. troops.

I think to make the CSA statues truly show “Southern heritage” is easy. Place statues of a slave family on their knees, in chains, in front of each CSA statue of their “master,” the great CSA hero. If you want “heritage,” be willing to hear the truth about hatred and cruelty, not some Gone With the Wind modernized, sterilized and fictionalized version.

MIKE VOWELL

Little Rock