Move statues to a Civil War museum
Of course the removal of statues of Confederate generals, etc., from public places has no effect on history, as President Trump asserts. But here’s a suggestion on what to do with them. They should be in a national museum of the Civil War that puts them on display along with other artifacts of that great struggle. It should include an explanation, in very plain terms, of the causes of the war, including the clear racist doctrine of white supremacy that was an integral part of the motivation for the South to secede from the Union.
That part of history must not be forgotten or glossed over as it was during my upbringing in the South. There is apparently ample documentation of the racist foundation of the Confederacy that will serve as an unequivocal reminder of roots of the racism that is, sadly, still with us today.
Jack Kline, Brentwood
No comparison
The outrage over President Trump’s statement that both sides were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, Va., is certainly justified. But most commentators have missed the main point. There were not two sides but three. As was the case in the Berkeley riot accompanying Milo Yiannopoulos’ planned speech at UC Berkeley.
There were of course the neo-Nazis who supported Yiannopoulos and the nonviolent protesters against him. But there were also the blackmasked antifa anarchists who were as eagerly violent as the neo-Nazis. The comparison with the Berkeley Free Speech Movement made by the neoNazis is nonsense. Mario Savio and Jack Weinberg were following the path of Dr. Martin Luther King and Bayard Rustin, not that of anarchist thugs like antifa or the neo-Nazis and their friend Adolf Hitler.
Ernest Haberkern, Berkeley
Southern culture
As both a Southerner and a former resident of Charlottesville, Va., I was as appalled by the scenes of torch-carrying white nationalists marching down the historic “lawn” of University of Virginia as I was heartened by the students and residents who stood up to this bigotry and hatred. To claim, as President Trump has done, that these despicable people are trying to preserve their “culture” and “heritage” demonstrates a profound ignorance of what these terms have come to represent in the South, namely white supremacy.
They used to signify something far more benign and arguably noble, but as they are used they are code words for something far more insidious, which is regrettable because there are aspects of Southern culture entirely unrelated to the Civil War that should be preserved. As a child, I admit that I associated the equestrian monuments of Civil War generals with an era of gallantry and chivalry, but, like most Southerners, I believe, I gave up childish things and notions as an adult. It is unfortunate that we have a child in the White House who has never had this education in spite of his claim to having gone to the best schools.
Amos Lawrence, San Francisco
Loser statues
Rather than removing statues of Confederate generals and political leaders, let’s add statues. Erect statues of Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo and Benito Mussolini in public squares across the land. After all, they too waged war against the United States of America and lost. Jim Doyle, Fresno
Erased history
What is with all these Democrats calling for the removal of all statues relating to the Civil War? The Civil War did happen. We should learn from the Civil War, not try to erase any memory of this time, acting as if it didn’t happen. What’s next? Are all the books with references to the Civil War going to be burned? Isn’t this what Adolf Hitler did at the beginning of World War II, destroying everything that didn’t agree with his way of thinking? Ward Mengel, Fortuna
Both responsible
“Trump pivots, again blames ‘both sides’ for deadly clash” (Page One, Aug. 16), brought to mind another historic confrontation that President Trump must have been thinking about when he drew equivalency between the white supremacists, neo-Nazis and KKK and the antifacist counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va. — the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The president would have seen both groups as equally responsible.
On one side were the Nazi soldiers, just doing their job by deporting the Jewish residents to labor and death camps, and, on the other, the Jewish resisters trying to stay alive. Both brought weapons to the confrontation, resulting in death and violence on both sides. I’m sure Trump would tell us that among those engaged in violence, there were many good peaceful people in the German Army just following orders. Stephen Gelman, Moraga
Shameful app
Regarding “Hipster diners just may be getting paid” (Aug. 15): You gotta be kidding me! There’s a new app, Surkus, that hires actor types to stand in line in front of a restaurant to look all excited about dining there as a public relations stunt to draw more patrons?! Whatever happened to truth in advertising? Whatever happened to a world where people could be trusted? As the Wicked Witch of the West would’ve said: “What a world! What a world!” Now somebody needs to pour water on these people. Shameful! Ken Malucelli, Daly City