Alex<\/del> A.H. would be elected Sheriff of the county by now or something.<\/p>\nNonetheless, one of their articles of note was about a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest being moved from the TN State House to a different location. Why this is huge news is beyond me, but that SPLC feels it is kind of cracks me up. However, GEN Forrest history is a bit of a hobby with me. In fact, my friend Brown Neck Gaitor got me the Nathan Bedford Forrest Biography for Christmas. (BNG gives me damn awesome gifts, I gotta tell you.)<\/p>\n
Anyway, I’ve always liked stories of Forrest. During the Civil War he killed 31 Yankees, and had 30 horses shot out from underneath him. Sayeth he: “I was a horse ahead at the end.” Forrest hated West Pointers and advocated maneuver warfare, also things I love. One time he got shot in the hip, and the shooter rode off. Although grievously wounded (in fact, he thought the wound was mortal), Forrest demanded a horse be brought so he could go after the guy. Sayeth he: “No damned man kills me and lives.” Point here is that he was a badass.<\/p>\n
But, he will always be remembered as “the founder of the KKK.” Mind you there is significant evidence to the contrary, nonetheless, that’s what history will record. But at the time, the KKK wasn’t what it would become later. Not going to go into all that now, because it would take too long. Two years after the founding, whether he was involved or not, he urged and accomplished the complete dismantling of the Klan. The current band of misfits and inbred idiots is from a 1920 revival of the Klan, started in Indiana, you know, NOT A SOUTHERN STATE. <\/p>\n
My question here though is about redemption. Everyone knows that Senator Byrd was in the Klan. He has subsequently renounced them, and largely seems to have been successful in doing so. And yet Forrest repudiated them a long time ago, and closer in time to the events, and no one forgives him. Strikes me as completely unjust. And just how much did he repudiate them? Well, on July 5, 1875 Forrest was invited by the “Jubilee of Pole-Bearers” to give a speech. They were an all black Southern organization. Here is his speech:<\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen, I accept the flowers as a memento of reconciliation between the white and colored races of the Southern states. I accept it more particularly as it comes from a colored lady, for if there is any one on God’s earth who loves the ladies I believe it is myself. (Immense applause and laughter.) I came here with the jeers of some white people, who think that I am doing wrong. I believe I can exert some influence, and do much to assist the people in strengthening fraternal relations, and shall do all in my power to elevate every man, to depress none. <\/p>\n
I want to elevate you to take positions in law offices, in stores, on farms, and wherever you are capable of going. I have not said anything about politics today. I don’t propose to say anything about politics. You have a right to elect whom you please; vote for the man you think best, and I think, when that is done, you and I are freemen. Do as you consider right and honest in electing men for office. I did not come here to make you a long speech, although invited to do so by you. I am not much of a speaker, and my business prevented me from preparing myself. I came to meet you as friends, and welcome you to the white people. I want you to come nearer to us. When I can serve you I will do so. We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict. Go to work, be industrious, live honestly and act truly, and when you are oppressed I’ll come to your relief. I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this opportunity you have afforded me to be with you, and to assure you that I am with you in heart and in hand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After the speech, he did the unheard of for his time, he publically kissed a woman there. In the 1940’s we still had segregated water fountains, and here was NBF 60 years earlier kissing a black woman. Why is it that we seem to have forgiven Byrd, and yet not NBF?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your semi-annual SPLC update… SPLC sent their ridiculous update around yesterday, and failed to let us … Defending N.B. Forrest<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}