LEST WE FORGET OUR NATIONAL SHAMES
I am fully in favor
of something on the Mall in Washington dedicated to preserving in the national
memory the horror of slavery. But please, we do not need any more
obstructions on our marvelous front yard from the Lincoln to the Capitol.
A suitable
space can be obtained without taking any more green space. Use space
already occupied. Evict the one and only Federal department on the Mall - the
portion of the Agriculture Department between Independence and Jefferson, 14th
& 12th. Re-use that building, and/or create something new.
But as this is the
last space available, I suggest that the subject be broader. There is much more
horror in our history than just slavery. Ethnic cleansing (the Native Americans), the
Chinese Exclusion Act, Jim Crow, lynchings, segregation in the Federal Government
(statue of Woodrow Wilson signing?), exclusion of women, "No Jews
Allowed" signs on Miami Beach, Japanese-American internment, denial of refugee
status to refugees from Hitler, Ben Franklin suggesting limits on German
immigration to PA - up to today with the FBI searching for every Iraqi. The
list is unfortunately very long.
Establish a
Museum of American Shame. Rename the museum across the Mall the Museum of
American Achievement.
last update 8 July 2003