No monuments. Trees.
There are no perfect Human Beings. We are all imperfect, flawed, incomplete, contradictory, capable of great and horrible things.
Human Beings should not be putting up monuments of other Human Beings. That is just pure vanity. Unearned. So, you know, I have no problem with Human Beings taking down monuments to other Human Beings.
On the other hand, I'm not big into angry mobs. My thing is peaceful, non-violent protest. But I do support the movement to remove monuments across the land.
I would suggest all these monuments should go to museums. They are part of our history. So if you have a monument of a White Supremacist who owned slaves, you should put it in a museum with a placard explaining who that Human Being was, and what horrors he inflicted on other Human Beings. How many slaves did he own? How much money did those slaves generate for the White Supremacist and the economy of the USA?
Maybe that would be a way forward to begin to calculate the reparations we should be giving to the sons and daughters of the slaves who now live across the land? Yes, I am also for reparations. Let's get economists to work on the equation. How much revenue was generated by slave labor in USA? What was that worth to the country in terms of GDP? What is that number of $ in today's economy? Divide it up the total by the number of descendants of slaves, and parcel out their share. Maybe there should be a monthly or yearly stipend?
I understand. That doesn't adequately account for all the pain, heartache, unimaginable suffering, of the slave economy, but maybe we can finally try to pay some of it back. There is a debt that must be re-paid by white America to the Black families that were ripped apart, destroyed and exploited.
So, anyway, back to my "no monument, trees" idea. Every spot where a monument is removed, plant a tree. Plant a tree that is native to that locality. We need more tress. It's good for the planet, our ecosystem. Trees are life, and support life. No monuments. Trees.
The a.m soundtrack - Otis Redding - "The Best: See & Hear, Otis Redding" (2009). This is an excellent compilation. "Deep Memphis Soul." Indeed. Great voice. Incredible band. This disc spans a career. 15 amazing, soulful, life-giving tracks. Includes: Shake, Change is Gonna Come, Try a Little Tenderness and the song I remember hearing on my little transistor radio, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Those horns, that bass player, a big-time band, and Otis singing his heart out. Unlike anything else. Fabulous. The real-deal. Astonishing.
