George Washington Plaque To Be Removed From His Old Church Pew

A small plaque with George Washington's name etched in it is being removed from a church pew in Arlington, Virginia, because some people “felt unsafe” when they saw the name and refused to return to the church.

A second plaque bearing the name of Robert E. Lee was also removed. Both men used to attend the church on a regular basis and the plaques were historical.

Fearing for one's safety because you see the name of a long dead President or a long dead military leader is an issue that I may discuss on another day. My point today is about the removal of the plaques.

George Washington wasn't a perfect man. He owned slaves, which was a despicable practice. That said - it was the custom at that time in history, 200 plus years ago. To hold to the standard of today's society the actions and customs of people from 200 years ago is completely unfair.

Some Native Americans were violent and attacked other tribes for land, horses, etc. Some captured and held captive both white and Native Americans. Those captives were no different than slaves unless they eventually decided to assimilate into the tribe that held them. I have yet to see anyone scream for any Native American statue or monument to be removed. And as a whole they were treated far worse by the new settlers than were the black people here.

According to the Census Bureau, black/African-American people make up about 12.2% of the U.S. population and Hispanics make up 12.3%. Native Americans, who used to own this land, make up only 2% of the population. That's because so many were killed off and others placed on reservations. Native Americans suffered far more than black Americans as a people.

I question the mental stability of people who feel fear from seeing names of dead people who had absolutely nothing to do with their lives today. Do they feel unsafe seeing the name Adolf Hitler, who killed up to 6 million people? Do they feel unsafe when they hear the name Osama Bin Laden, who killed 3,000 Americans? Of course not. That's because the outrage at seeing the names (and statues) isn't so much about personal pain but about attempting to erase America's past.

And it's dangerous.