This
past week our local “big town” newspaper, The Gainesville Daily Worker
Sun published an editorial calling for the renaming of the Alachua County Public
Schools Administrative Center. The center is named for Edmund Kirby-Smith,
Confederate General, Educator, and proud son of Florida.
I’ll spare you the spurious and slanderous details, but I was immediately motivated to pen a letter to said editor. I did not really think that it would see the light of day in that neo-Marxist rag, but they did publish it, with some significant edits (see below). I went to their web site and included the portion they edited out in their comments section. I'm sharing the letter now with those who receive our weekly paper and those who read my blog and /or Facebook pages.
Link to Gainesville Sun's edited version of my letter:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20150923/OPINION02/150929951/1077/opinion02?p=1&tc=pg
Link to Gainesville Sun's edited version of my letter:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20150923/OPINION02/150929951/1077/opinion02?p=1&tc=pg
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ORIGINAL LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
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It seems
that the editor of the Gainesville Sun has finally figured out who
Edmund Kirby-Smith was. So, the General must now take his place with the other
non-persons who fail to measure up to the modern “progressive” ideal.
Smith
was born and raised in Florida. He was the son of a Superior Court judge in the
new territory of Florida. When he went off to the US Military academy his
fellow cadets called him, “Seminole”, a name that reflected his pride in being
a native Floridian. It’s hard to imagine stronger Florida ties. True enough he
was away from home during his service in the military, but that does not negate
his roots.
Smith
would serve with distinction in the forces of the Confederate States of America
after his homeland was invaded by the northern hordes.
Genuine
Floridians have long been proud of Edmund Kirby-Smith and they have every
reason to be so. He was a military hero, a well-respected educator and above
all a dedicated Christian.
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THE PORTION BELOW WAS NOT PUBLISHED IN THE SUN, THOUGH IT WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ORIGINAL LETTER
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The Sun
editorial quotes a source that makes the ludicrous assertion: “Other than being
born to a distinguished family in St. Augustine in 1824, Smith had little to do
with Florida during his lifetime.” That’s akin to asking, “Well, other than that
how did you like the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”
And
speaking of the tyrant, a far more appropriate candidate for renaming would be
the Abraham Lincoln Middle School. As we might well ask: “Other than being the
Commander-in-Chief of an army that invaded Florida, destroyed the property of
her citizens and maimed and murdered them, what did Lincoln have to do with
Florida during his lifetime?”
Pastor
Greg Wilson
Chairman,
Free Florida First