Milo-

I think that this a very prevalent issue and becoming more so as more people are moving to Utah for a variety of reasons. I think that your article from SolutionsU presents a valid solution to the issue, although not cost effective. I would also argue that another aspect of this solutions would be to use more energy efficient cars, carpool more, use public transportation, etc. Nice work!!

Hey Milo!
As a Salt Laker, I’m especially interested in this article. I am especially interested in the critiques of this solution. 2-5% does not seem like very much of an increase in housing prices, but our prices are already inflated as it is. Do you know how much of an impact this will have upon access to housing in the Valley?
This reminds me a bit of the zoning issues in Salt Lake — it’s always controversial when the city changes something about how and where structures can be built.
I’d like to learn more about what levels of government and organizations are taking steps towards building more clean houses.
Great article. 🙂

Hello Milo
In my opinion, I think that as more people come to Utah for a number of causes, this is a very common problem and even more so. I assume that, while not cost-effective, your article from SolutionsU provides a viable approach to the problem. I can also suggest that using more energy-efficient vehicles, carpooling more, using public transit, etc., would be another part of this approach. Lovely work!!
-Rosa Zavala

I 100% agree with you that those statues represent traitorous bastards, but I also disagree that we need to necessarily keep the history. I mean, of course, we need to know about slavery and the confederacy, but we do not need to keep up their monuments to remember them. They can keep their graves, as that to me, is not as big of a deal as a memorial dedicated to a person who empowered white supremacists.

I fairly enjoyed your post here Milo, and it is interesting to see this situation from different perspectives than considering it from one perspective. I fully agree that the people that are represented by these statues were put to fear monger and to entail White Supremacy and they shouldn’t have been put up in the first place because it represents hatred. I agree that the graves of these soldiers should be left alone because it shows a dark past in our country and I feel that these dark events we can reflect on and see how we can prevent ourselves from causing another Civil War and preventing these actions in the future. These graves I feel shouldn’t be praised that much because they have caused significant damage to different populations in the U.S. but should be taken as a method of remembrance to not cause this again, but the statues and monuments I feel should be taken down based on community decision rather than a federal decision.

Milo, I love the perspective addressed in this post! Graves and graveyards in our society are commonly places to pay respect and remember people which contrasts with the heinous actions and impacts of fallen confederate soldiers. This reminds me of an article I read recently that highlighted the fact that many confederate statutes were dedicated quite some time after the Civil War including during the Civil Rights Movement and the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. I have often seen a solution that recommends these statutes be taken down and put in museums where they can be surrounded by ample information and not glorified for their actions. However, I don’t think this can apply to the graves of soldiers. One potential solution could be to identify the graves and provide information to the public about the historical events that the fallen soldiers contributed to. In any case, thank you so much for your contribution in challenging the viewpoints and perspectives of many Americans.

Dear Milo,

I am happy with your post, “Confederate Monuments of America”, because I agree with you that the only we can move forward as a country is by removing the confederate monuments from our cities and leaving it where it belongs.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “These monuments of the Civil War, no matter what their intended purpose may be, have become havens for the far-right, subjugation of minority groups, and false narratives of the truth of the Civil War. ” I think this is correct because these monuments don’t allow people to move from the events of the past, and that is bad for our country as a whole.

Another sentence that I liked was, “Public grounds and parks are inappropriate to hold them due to their connotations and connections to the hatred and disgust our nation has faced, and continues facing through many forms of racism and bigotry.” This stood out for me because those monuments have connections too our past tragedies that we still continue to face today.

I do agree with you because I also think that the monuments should be taken down. One reason I say this is because they are disrespectful to the minority groups of this country because of what they are representing. Another reason I agree with you is because monuments like this don’t allow our country to progress.

Have you seen this article, https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/us/confederate-statues-removed-george-floyd-trnd/index.html. I thought you might be interested in this because it talks about how they are removing the monuments after the death of George Floyd.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because… I like your ideas and what you are talking about in this post. Keep making posts about the problems facing our country and I will keep checking in because I like what you are saying and you have good opinions Also because I liked your take on the confederate monuments in America.

In this era of social change and social healing, I couldn’t agree more; Confederate monuments are antiquated symbols of hatred and oppression that need to go. I’m glad to see someone addressing the “heritage not hate” argument, and sending it to the depths where it belongs.

Dear Milo, I thought this was a well thought and constructed essay on the current state of confederate memorials in America today, which are very prominent in the south. I strongly agree with the point you made about no matter the intention of the creators of these statues, they have taken a new meaning as a symbol of hatred and white supremacy among alt right groups. In order for this country to move forward, I think we need to address these statues and rectify the horrible past they represent. Here is an article I found interesting https://www.npr.org/2020/10/06/919193176/confederate-statues-come-down-around-u-s-but-not-everywhere

I agree with you. Confederate monuments were not made to remember the dishonorable and racist actions of the CSA and it’s leaders but rather to celebrate and honor them. Confederate Monuments do not teach about the past — they glorify a racist cause. Monuments to traitors certainly do not belong on federal or public lands. I recently read a fascinating article in the New York Times about the logistical difficulties faced in the relocation of monuments. It truly is a fascinating issue.
Link to the NYTimes article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/arts/design/jefferson-davis-monument.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Although I’m not completely sure, and it would require a tremendous amount of research, I don’t think the losers of any war throughout history were allowed to build statues of their leaders after the fact. Obviously, things are a little different in America, because we have certain constitutional rights that can’t be violated. This has enabled the hate and racism many still have to deal with today. I have to say Milo, I couldn’t agree more with what you had to say here. No matter what these statues stand for in the eyes of the people who are keeping them up, they stand for slavery and hatred to others, fellow Americans in fact. And this is just my opinion, but I don’t think anyone should want to be reminded of Southern heritage and history, because it’s a racist history and something that still disgraces this country that was formed in such a way that everyone is created equally. Thanks for writing this, I enjoyed it.

I found this post to be extremely intriguing. As a black woman in America, I already feel that my skin color remains a confining factor, the confederate monuments are just a reminder to black Americans that our existence was equivalent to property rather than humanity. I liked your opening statement where you stated “The removal of Confederate monuments from our cities and gathering spots is necessary for our country to move forward into a new era, ditching a history of pain, anger, and hatred….” I also agree that if America intends to progress, the removal of Confederate statues is a positive direction.
How do you believe the rise of BLM, ALM, and Blue Lives Matter has affected Americans’ attitudes toward Confederate statues?