tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post1172921747101222044..comments2024-03-26T12:05:58.591-04:00Comments on Freemasons For Dummies: Washington Battle Over Pike Statue Part XXXIII...Christopher Hodapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-21116657541711037912019-08-31T16:47:59.757-04:002019-08-31T16:47:59.757-04:00Aaron,
There is no provision in the Constitution ...Aaron, <br />There is no provision in the Constitution for secession. Firing on federal troops in Fort Sumter is not peaceful, it is treason.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05234876129779991312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-69712295822882607442019-08-29T23:42:52.017-04:002019-08-29T23:42:52.017-04:00As a Scottish Rite Freemason, I do NOT support any...As a Scottish Rite Freemason, I do NOT support any relocation of Pikeās statue. All this nonsense needs to stop!Frank Beckendorfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03464090551957261521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-71336722834910732092019-08-27T21:54:44.290-04:002019-08-27T21:54:44.290-04:00Brother Rich makes a good point, but we can probab...Brother Rich makes a good point, but we can probably find several instances where men of great influence said harmful things in public or private which did not always align with their actions. <br /><br />This is not an excuse or justification for what was said or for the harm it may have caused and once realized, amends should be made. But if the person who may have caused any pain or misunderstanding is gone,then it is up to future generations of today to rectify,clarify, and make the proper amends. <br /><br />I feel the Scottish Rite SJ has been trying to accomplish the above for the present and future generations. Pike was a great Mason and that is what Mason's should probably focus on and inform the non-Masonic public about him. Pike is no longer here. So his legacy now belongs to us to shape for today as we deem necessary and proper. And one day future generations will treat OUR legacy the same way. <br /><br />Warts and all, the life of any man is complex, affected by time and circumstance. In the end, WE choose how a man is to be remembered and decide if he lefted anything behind which can be useful to future generations. <br /><br />In the case of Albert Pike, the answer is probably yes.Thomas Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16496528868148315705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-42965055015900364992019-08-26T22:32:54.126-04:002019-08-26T22:32:54.126-04:00There is an ambiguity. Part of the discussion hin...There is an ambiguity. Part of the discussion hinges on the ambiguity of Pike's views of African-Americans. is it just a footnote on his life. He acknowledged the legitimacy of Prince Hall, but at the same time said he would leave the Craft if it initiated blacks and that Negro freemasonry was a "leprosy". For an interesting article with footnotes that illustrate this ambiguity see https://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/the-mystery-of-albert-pike-satanist-racist-or-great-man<br /><br />Is it relevant that some white sharecroppers were conscripted into Confederate battalions -- isn't the question about weighing the importance of Pike being a Confederate general alongside his other distinctions. The statue is not to a simple private but to someone who accepted a general's epaulets. Pike was a Confederate general.Bro. Paul Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435030965629467739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-37698602560987405102019-08-26T17:52:06.053-04:002019-08-26T17:52:06.053-04:00That is a horribly skewed and simplistic view of h...That is a horribly skewed and simplistic view of history. It is that manner of historical analysis that causes errors. There were very many people who fought in the Civil War on both sides who had zero stake or interest in slavery.<br />It is clear the secession was about slavery, but the southern states seceded legally and peacefully. <br />The war was about Lincoln wishing to preserve the union at all costs. <br />Most people who fought in the war weren't personally involved in slavery and in many cases, the poor dirt farmer who was conscripted into service would have viewed slavery as against his own interests.<br />I hope that some day, people read history with the complexity and depth and consideration for the experiences of the individuals who lived it rather than making wild generalizations and simplifications cause by failure to view things from the perspective of the times and individuals.<br />It helps a lot, for instance, to read the journals and writings of participants in history to see what motivated them. It might surprise.Aaron Creightonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-67749796025306275112019-08-26T17:47:39.541-04:002019-08-26T17:47:39.541-04:00Paul, there is no ambiguity going on here. Pike...Paul, there is no ambiguity going on here. Pike's statue is in no way "memorabilia" of slavery, the South, or anything remotely related. His brief association with the CSA is a footnote to his life and career. Treating it as such, with appropriate documentation and placing him in historical context, is not an apologia. And for a reporter to shoehorn a mention of "CharlottesvilleĀ®" into her first paragraph just to be sure everybody catches her coquettish knowing wink is frankly appalling.Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-1504442377733585612019-08-26T17:27:59.217-04:002019-08-26T17:27:59.217-04:00Some of my thoughts on the role of sculpture in Wa...Some of my thoughts on the role of sculpture in Washington are in the journal Sculpture Review at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0747528419851733<br /><br />When all is said and done, the Civil War was about slavery -- not states' rights or the industrial North and agricultural South. Someone who was a Confederate general, not withstanding briefly or along with many other aspects to his life, supported an indefensible cause. There should be no ambiguity about the gross immorality of slavery. It is important that our fellow Americans who happen to be of color know that we reject the flags, statues and other memorabilia of that shame.Bro. Paul Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435030965629467739noreply@blogger.com