The whole
sudden madness of removing Confederate statutes is a case triggered by
the murderous actions of an evil loser, followed by shameless exploitation by craven Democrat and leftist opportunists. Funny how this only becomes an issue while Donald Trump is president (why didn't Barack Obama and
Nancy Pelosi tear down these statutes). The only reason this is even possible though is the lemming-esque mass of GOPe Republicans spooked and falling over themselves trying not to be labeled racists.
I get the rationale (even if I disagree with much of it) of removing Confederate memorials and statutes. Personally,
I can think of at least one other statute that needs to be torn down first.
Like
Charles Barkley said, it seems like a distraction from real issues going on. I get why some people would question such statutes and memorials, but aren't most public memorials (unless it is a national memorial) best handled on the state and local level? The problem is,
where do you stop? And as the Other McCain notes,
why the sudden focus on statutes?
But why would the University of Texas remove a statute of James Stephen Hogg? He is the first native born governor of Texas.
Big Jim Hogg was a Democrat who courted the black vote (which solidified Democrat power in Texas at the time). Was
Jim Hogg the LBJ of his day? Not exactly, although that might (at least from my perspective) justify removing his statute. Still, even by the standards of today, James Stephen Hogg seems like a politician who looked out for his constituents.
Jim Hogg put Texas first in politics. Jim Hogg was popular in Texas for fighting legal battles with corrupt federal officials in Washington and eastern rail road tycoons.
Unlike our current 'public servants' in politics (*spit*), Hogg
did not get rich while in office (he fought against the rampant corruption of the Grant cronies in Washington at the time). Still Hogg and his family did make a fortune
after he left government, but much of that he and his children donated back to State of Texas under the theory if the wealth came from fortuitousness of finding riches in the earth you owned, they also belonged to everyone in the state. The
Hogg family made numerous and generous donations to the
University of Texas and other charitable institutions.
Perhaps the media have it wrong (imagine that). James Stephen Hogg did not fight in the civil war (he was too young). His father,
Joseph Lewis Hogg, however, owned about 20 slaves and was a brigadier general in the army of the CSA. After a not particularly good start in that position, Joseph Lewis Hogg's military involvement was cut short by a fatal bout of camp dysentery. Not exactly the sort of military career that would prompt a public statute. Still, could the statute in question be that of Joseph Lewis Hogg (it would make sense a wealthy donor would have his deceased father's statute put up on campus)?
Universities and colleges are supposed to be places of learning. There is a lesson to be learned here: don't donate to institutions like the University of Texas. You've been warned.
