My sister and brother-in-law live in Virginia.
They will make the distinction that it's Alexandria they live in - "NORTHERN Virginia, Halley!" - also known as the less-frightening, really-we-used-to-be-part-of-DC* Virginia. And they will also make the distinction that they voted for the other guy and would have nothing to do with the reactionary, racist, misogynist slug currently running the place and trying to bring it back a few centuries.
But still.
Until Northern Virginia becomes a state (not a terrible idea), I still get to hold up examples of its regular "No way, they didn't really just do that, did they?" actions, and sit smugly across the river in DC, with our gay marriages and our ... you know, lack of federal representation.
In what I expect to be an ongoing (if occasional) series, may I present the inaugural episode of "Do You Know What Your State Just Did?!"
By now, you've probably heard of the Governor's plan to bring back the Celebrate Confederate History initiative, and make April Confederate History Month. And you've probably heard how he didn't include slavery in his first proclamation, because he wanted to only include "significant" historical elements. He just wanted to focus more on history, he said.
Right, because slavery had nothing to do with the Civil War.
For details and insightful commentary, see of course Rachel Maddow, in conversation with Melissa Harris Lacewell. Start around the 4:30 mark: Bob McDonnell's "History"
Seriously, do yourself a favor and watch this.
What was shocking to me was that on a friend's Facebook wall (a nice woman I only somewhat know after meeting in an Arts Mgmt class), I got backlash for suggesting that there was any kind of problem with celebrating Confederate history, especially in the way it was being presented. (To be fair, many people just disagreed, perfectly respectfully.) And then, as these things always go, the tone eventually turned.
Everything was going along fine (some agreeing with the original poster's sentiment, "Really, Virginia? Confederate History Month?", but many other ideas, too), until some dude start screaming about how "this girl" (aka - me) thinks all southerners are bigots and racists, and how he thinks you should just celebrate the men and women who died, and the Civil War wasn't about slavery, but that's what the Northerners always say it is. The South just didn't want to be taxed.
Riiiight.
("But it is a significant part": it = slavery)
I was shocked that in this day and age, I was in the minority on this discussion thread (of a dozen people). Most of them thought the initiative was a fine idea.
I'll end with an exchange between my friend and the nasty guy.
GUY: (...) Everyone is so busy trying to be politically correct and have actually forgotten there is more to it than just slavery.
FRIEND: I'm really not trying to pick a fight at all and I'm asking this with legitimate curiosity: What else is there that you are referring to? Honestly, I used to defend Confederate history with this same language...I suppose this was related to growing up in the area we did...but then I could never really figure out what else there was to it all.
The RNC is now doing damage control.
And almost as bad as this whole business of "celebrating" the history (and not just learning it, in whatever mangled form it comes in), is the fact that McDonnell is just doing this to rally support from the Republican base. He is using it more as a tool to manipulate people more than anything else.
Though I wouldn't be surprised to find a Confederate flag in his office. You know, just as a symbol of history.
*While Alexandria and Arlington did indeed used to be part of the District, they went back to VA for the Civil War in order to keep their slaves, which at the very least makes their background a bit... murkier.
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