Torch-wielding protesters rally at Confederate statue in Virginia

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN/New York Daily News

Torch-wielding white supremacists reportedly rallied around a Robert E. Lee statue slated for removal Saturday night in Virginia and chanted “Russia is our friend."

The group surrounding the Confederate statue in Charlottesville’s Lee Park extinguished their torches just before 9:30 p.m. and left as cops swarmed the street, according to the Daily Progress newspaper.

It was not immediately clear which group was behind the unsettling stunt but right-wing extremist Richard Spencer claimed to be among the torchbearers after protesting at a similar rally in Jackson Park hours earlier.

The 39-year-old right-wing radical tweeted a photo of himself brandishing a torch during the rally. Charlottesville is home to Spencer’s alma mater, the University of Virginia.

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/torch-wielding-protesters-rally-at-confederate-statue-in-virginia/ar-BBB72hG?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

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Of course, Trump supporter and outspoken racist, Richard Spencer was there.

[left-of-center2012]

1. What !!!

No pitchforks?

[cstanleytech]

4. Well they arent savages!!!!

Assholes? Sure. Savages? Nah!!

Edit: That or their budget couldnt stretch to buy them.

[Maraya1969]

2. I'm looking forward to the time when white people are in the minority. And I'm a white people!

Plus I don't think it will happen in my lifetime but I would just love to see what the pansies do.

[Efilroft Sul]

3. May all the shades of the Wide Awakes rip off their heads and crap down their throats.

[bearssoapbox]

5. Russia is our friend"

Good.

Then the SOB's can pack up their statue and shag their traitor, racist, commie asses off to Russia.

I'm sure Pooty will welcome them with open arms.

[packman]

6. Traitors -

Nuff said

[DeminPennswoods]

7. This will be unpopular, but

I think this is akin to Russia erasing every reference to Stalin from its history. The Civil War is part of our history. Robt E. Lee is a member of one of the founding families, the Lee's, of America. He was an outstanding American general even if for the Confederacy. He could have encouraged continued southern resistance after the surrender at Appomattox, but he did not.

[RVN VET71]

9. No one wants to erase Lee from history.

The removal of a statue won't do that. The statue, alas, presents a heroic picture of a man of courage and honor -- but by its very nature, it ignores the fact that this very honorable man chose -- wrongly -- to betray his Country and lead a war against it that cost 100s of 1,000s of lives and could well have resulted in the Union's destruction -- and a victory for continued slavery. Lee was in many ways admirable, but all of his fine and admirable qualities are overshadowed by his treason.

I agree with the removal of the statue, but maybe it could be replaced by a plaque relating the man's tortured conscience and sense of honor that led him down the road to treason, capped with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th sentences of your post, with minor editing:

"He was an outstanding American general but, tragically, chose the path of rebellion and treason by joining the Confederacy in the American Civil War. To his credit, after brilliant campaigns and final defeat, he could have encouraged continued Southern resistance after the surrender at Appomattox , but he did not."

Fortunately for Lee, the veterans of his army, and for American history, the more severe of the Republicans of the time were not able to celebrate the victory of the Union by the mass treason trials and hangings many were clamoring for.

[renegade000]

10. I'm pretty happy with what they did to Arlington House... n/t

[keithbvadu2]

8. "Russia is our friend," say the so-called 'heritage' supporters.

"Russia is our friend," say the so-called 'heritage' supporters.
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"... retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis said in May 2015 that among world threats “in the near term, I think the most dangerous might be Russia.”

www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/6/donald-trump-james-mattis-differ-on-vladimir-putin/
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Russia still has the same leader.

America does not.