Category: Great Falls

ARE ALL THINGS SIMPLY BLACK OR WHITE?

As we look across the landscape of our American society, and we hear “the deposition” of the many media outlets, it is almost impossible not to take the vantage point that everything is a black or white issue.

Hard to say, but maybe there is a possibility that the racial divide in our nation is more than simply all things black or white.

I understand that we expect our laws to be black and white, our corporate policies and procedures are drafted to be black and white, and Lord knows that seemingly every adverse situation that occurs in society is promulgated as a black and white issue.

Just maybe there is not a black or white answer to the racial issues that our nation, our state, and even our city faces.

Especially, in light of the conflict that rages between the legal and illegal removal of historical statues and monuments across our great nation.

There was a poll taken recently, in connection with a previous article regarding the removal of historical statues and monuments, and upon reading the article my first instinctual thought was, it’s not that black or white, it’s not simply a yes or no discussion.

Here is why, history is vitally important to any culture, and specifically to our American culture. Without history there can be no firm foundation upon which to build, fortify, and advance our future as a nation.

In lieu of that, we must also be willing to open our hearts to a possible perspective that all history must be remembered, but not all history should be memorialized. Case in point, one of the great movements in our 21st century society many would say has been the #MeToo movement, whereby many women and men declare victory over sexual assault in the history of their lives.

Now although many of these courageous women and men remember the events that took place in their lives, many do not want these events memorialized by a statue or a building named after the person who offended them. So, for many African-Americans slavery is our cultural #MeToo moment.

This is due to the fact, that the black culture was raped physically, socially, and psychologically throughout the annals of U.S. History.

Speaking of U.S. History, one of the greatest Americans in our country’s illustrious existence is Alexander Hamilton, the creator of our U.S. banking system. Mr. Hamilton’s face graces the ten dollar bill, one of two non-presidents featured on U.S bills.

Yet, Mr. Hamilton is historically known for being in an adulterous affair with a Mrs. Maria Reynolds, and although this is a part of U.S. history, I would never fathom in a million years that she should be memorialized on the ten dollar bill with him. This is even after many historians believe that this pivotal segment in U.S. History, may have eliminated the possibility of Alexander Hamilton becoming president of the United States.

I guess what I am trying to say is that before we as the citizens of Great Falls allow ourselves to be thrust into the proverbial box of checking yes or no, black or white, maybe there is a third option that the rest of our nation never pondered.

Maybe there is a place in history, meaning right now, where we memorialize the great accomplishments of our nation, while yet remembering the dark era of slavery.

Maybe there is a time in history, meaning now, when we can all drive over the Warden Bridge, look up toward Freedom Hill and memorialize the great expedition of Lewis & Clark, while remembering York who was once there, but because now he is no longer a slave, he has been set free and removed.

Once again we are seeing throngs of angry ‘protesters’ tear down, deface, and destroy publicly owned statues and monuments which memorialize national historical figures.

Personally, I think a reasonable argument can be made that it’s inappropriate and offensive to honor Confederate generals who were slave owners by placing their images in the public square.

However there is absolutely no justification for allowing mobs of angry rioters to destroy public property. Period.

The removal of symbols and statues from public property, regardless of the reason for doing so, should be carried out in a legal and orderly manner. Not by mob rule.

Furthermore, once the ‘social justice warriors’ start down the road of The Purge it’s almost impossible to stop it from getting out of hand.

One need look no further than the recent attempted vandalism and ruin of statues honoring American icons George Washington and U.S. Grant to see that common sense has fled and fools have rushed in.

But let’s bring it on home to Great Falls. Why limit the madness to big cities and political controversies in places far removed from right here in River City?

Did you know that Merriweather Lewis and William Clark were both slave owners and that Clark was “…a slave owner known to deal harshly with his slaves” and that “he brought York, one of his slaves, with him” on the expedition?

So let me ask the local gang of ‘social justice warriors’, should we abandon all references to Lewis and Clark here in Great Falls because they were slave owners?

How many statues depicting the Corps of Discovery are you willing to deface and tear down in your mission to erase history and cleanse it of it’s uncomfortable and even brutal realities.

How many plaques and monuments and buildings bearing the names of Lewis and Clark are you going to deface and destroy so you can feel all righteous in carrying out your self-appointed mission?

I don’t really expect any of the Great Falls anti-history crew to actually raise their hands and lead the charge against our L&C heritage here. They seldom, if ever, use their real names, choosing instead to make their demands and issue their manifestos from behind the curtain of anonymity.

After all, a few of them are running for the legislature or have appearances to keep up in Great Falls, so they can’t really let us know who they actually are or what they actually believe.

But they are here and they will carry out their mission if given an opportunity.

Editors note: we’re adding this poll question to Tryon’s piece.

[poll id=”24″]

Friday, folks gathered in front of the Great Falls Civic Center to show their solidarity in a Black Lives Matter rally. Good for them.

In the midst of the roiling national turmoil we are all currently experiencing, and in spite of widely divergent views held on a variety of racial and social issues, there is one thing on which we should all find common ground – the right to freely express our opinions and exercise our First Amendment Rights.

And here it is in all of it’s magnificent beauty and simplicity:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Of course the word “peaceably” is paramount. The danger of descending into chaos and violence during an assembly for protest is ever present and all too real, as we have all witnessed on our TV screens over the last nine days.

And too often too many folks overlook the meaning and import of the first phrase of the First Amendment, and therefore misinterpret the heart of our Constitution.

“Congress shall make no law…”, which points to the unmistakable intention of the Framers – our Constitution was not written to tell citizens what they are allowed to do, but rather it was written to spell out precisely what our government is NOT ALLOWED TO DO.

So though we may disagree, even about fundamentals, let’s ALL celebrate our precious God given rights to say so freely. Peaceably.