The Confederate monument on Talbot County’s Courthouse lawn celebrates men who fought against the country, not for it.
That’s the message of a virtual rally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 6:00 p.m., by the Move the Monument Coalition. Because of a recent spike of COVID-19 cases, the rally will be held on Zoom.
Speakers will include a Vietnam veteran, a retired Navy Commander and a retired veteran of the Navy, Army and DC National Guard.
The rally is part of an ongoing commitment to gather on the nights the Talbot County Council meets to send the message that their 3-to-2 vote to leave the statue in place does not represent the sentiments of the majority of Talbot County’s citizens who will continue to push for its removal.
Jim Richardson was drafted into the army in 1970 and served in Vietnam with the 23rd Infantry Division as an infantryman and later as a combat artist. Both his father and all three of his uncles served in the armed forces during World War II.
Commander Carl Tankersley (USN Ret.) grew up in an Air Force family primarily in Virginia. He served in the Navy for 24 years and then worked for the Navy as a consultant for 20 more years.
Mia Mason is a retired veteran from the Navy, Army, and DC National Guard. Her experience as a veteran also has led her to be a friend and advocate of LGBTQ+IA communities. She was the Democratic candidate for Congress in Maryland District One.
To register for the rally, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rc-6vrzMtHdYpUbs2pM-lsu85kGpLX8Zv
Bunny Weber says
I find it so wrong that these veterans are willing to speak about removing a statue honoring soldiers who fought for their side. This country was a war within. Each side believed in their own rights. This was a terrible war, brother against brother, but you can not dishonor either side for fighting for their causes. A soldier is a soldier, no matter whose side he was on. I think a solution to this is to add the names of the Union soldiers to this statue. This is not about race, this is about the soldiers who died for Maryland.
The president of the NAACP stayed in an earlier article that anyone who does not want this statue removed is a racist. How dare he state that. I believe this statue should remain to honor those who fought and hopefully more names will be added. This is our history.
Deirdre LaMotte says
“You cannot dishonor either side for fighting for their causes”.
Is that not every war?
If raising arms against one’s nation, in order to protect the enslavement of humans for economic purposes not
reprehensible, what is?
Pamela R Getson says
Add Union soldier names to a confederate statue?! I assume you have seen the very clear, large CSA chiseled on the base, and that the young boy carries only a confederate flag? Perhaps you mean there should be a different statue erected after this one is removed to a more suitable location by and for those who so choose. That the topic lingers for any debate is a travesty for the County.