"Alt Right" activist asks for Lenin Statue to be removed

[Ghostpanther]

You mean like you did last time?

I'm sure they're real scared of the Civil War Silver Medallists.

I think he means at the voting booth. Worked out well the last elections during the last year.

[MoanaLisa]

It actually appears that you are clueless. A very large portion of the group called antifa are anarcho-communists, which is why antifa fly the hammer and sickle flag constantly. So yes they are communist lovers.

With the President trying to cozy up to Putin and China as much as he can, and Republicans tacitly going along with it, the argument that can be shortened to "COMMUNIST!" loses a lot of its bite. If the Lenin statue is on private land then it's up to the parties who own the statue and land to decide what to do about it. I'm fairly certain no one cares much one way or the other.

The only hilarious thing about the statue craze that's ongoing is that with respect to Confederate Hero Statues this should probably have happened 50 years ago. Everyone who is suddenly so passionate about public Confederate memorabilia likely never gave it a moment's thought up until a couple of weeks ago. The reasons to pull them down have been on public display for as long as most of them have been up. In many cases that's decades.

[Jutath]

The Left will keep pushing for things to get removed until the Right also starts doing it. I give it a month or so tops before people start calling for roads such as MLK Jr to be renamed because he was an adulterer or Rosa Parks because she attended communist meetings in the 30s. I really see this progressing into a literal tit for tat until the whole damned keg blows and we descend into a second civil war.

[Edge-]

The Left will keep pushing for things to get removed until the Right also starts doing it. I give it a month or so tops before people start calling for roads such as MLK Jr to be renamed because he was an adulterer or Rosa Parks because she attended communist meetings in the 30s. I really see this progressing into a literal tit for tat until the whole damned keg blows and we descend into a second civil war.

What kind of strawman nonsense is this? People are asking to remove statues celebrating the racist losers of a Civil War. Remember those are traitors who rebelled and lost.

Your comments about MLK and Rosa Parks personal moral failings are irrelevant, and nowhere near the same universe as celebrating Confederate generals and others.

[Lothar from accounting]

I give it a month or so tops before people start calling for roads such as MLK Jr to be renamed because he was an adulterer or Rosa Parks because she attended communist meetings in the 30s.

Which only works under the belief that adultery and attending communist meetings are as bad as fighting a war so that you can keep owning other human beings as property.

[Jutath]

I wasn't arguing for one side or the other just stating what I perceive to be the future outcome of this current situation.

[Felya]

This is silly. The statue is there to be mocked, not celebrate it. By asking to remove it, you are defending communism from being made fun off. If you take it out, a bunch of naked dudes will not be able ride their bickes around it, during the annual Fremont naked bike drive.

In case folks think I'm kidding:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/slide...tice-88179.php

[Edge-]

I wasn't arguing for one side or the other just stating what I perceive to be the future outcome of this current situation.

But that's based on a flawed premise that "the left" just wants to remove stuff. They don't, they want to remove specific things like monuments to the traitorous losers of a civil war that was in large part fought over states rights to...own slaves. You then made a false equivalence comparison to conservatives advocating for the removal of things bearing the name of civil rights heroes.

I mean, it can be your opinion an all. But it's deeply flawed and skewed.

[Kujako]

This is silly. The statue is there to be mocked, not celebrate it. By asking to remove it, you are defending communism from being made fun off. If you take it out, a bunch of naked dudes will not be able ride their bickes around it, during the annual Fremont naked bike drive.

Perhaps add a clown nose? That may be the solution to all confederate monuments....

[Felya]

Perhaps add a clown nose? That may be the solution to all confederate monuments....

It's Seattle... all putting a red nose on that statue will do, is create a spontaneous drum circle and hacks sack game.

[Kujako]

It's Seattle... all putting a red nose on that statue will do, is create a spontaneous drum circle and hacks sack game.

You're right, that would just be cruel. Not even the confederates deserve that.

[Jutath]

But that's based on a flawed premise that "the left" just wants to remove stuff. They don't, they want to remove specific things like monuments to the traitorous losers of a civil war that was in large part fought over states rights to...own slaves. You then made a false equivalence comparison to conservatives advocating for the removal of things bearing the name of civil rights heroes.

I mean, it can be your opinion an all. But it's deeply flawed and skewed.

I see your point. For a little background I grew up in the South and did have family that fought for the Confederacy, does that mean I support owning slaves... that would be a resounding hell no. I think it is just part of the background of our country and those things should stay as a reminder to not let that type of thing happen again. There are so many more statues up that could be construed as worse for any various reason but I'm not out there saying to tear them down.

[Edge-]

I see your point. For a little background I grew up in the South and did have family that fought for the Confederacy, does that mean I support owning slaves... that would be a resounding hell no. I think it is just part of the background of our country and those things should stay as a reminder to not let that type of thing happen again. There are so many more statues up that could be construed as worse for any various reason but I'm not out there saying to tear them down.

Having family that fought doesn't, hence why nobody is angry with or condemning the descendants of Confederate generals nowadays, especially as they're speaking out publicly. Being blamed for your ancestors sins is stupid.

But wanting to celebrate those Confederates for their behavior as Confederates, definitely raises issues. And that's what's going on now. I still can't think of another developed nation in which the losing side of a civil war is still glorified as heroes well over a century after they lost.

[Livnthedream]

Lenin statue in eclectic Seattle neighborhood has to go, says mayor

With the movement to take down Confederate statues on the East Coast, some are demanding the removal of controversial monuments in Seattle, including Mayor Ed Murray.

In a statement Thursday, Murray called for a confederate memorial at Lake View Cemetery and a Lenin statue in Fremont to be taken down.

“In the last few days, Seattleites have expressed concerns and frustration over symbols of hate, racism and violence that exist in our city. Not only do these kinds of symbols represent historic injustices, their existence causes pain among those who themselves or whose family members have been impacted by these atrocities," Murray said. "We should remove all these symbols, no matter what political affiliation may have been assigned to them in the decades since they were erected. This includes both confederate memorials and statues idolizing the founder of the authoritarian soviet regime. Both are on private property, but I believe the confederate memorial at Lake View Cemetery and the Lenin statue in Fremont should be removed. We should never forget our history, but we also should not idolize figures who have committed violent atrocities and sought to divide us based on who we are or where we came from.”

In the Fremont neighborhood, a statue of Vladimir Lenin has sat at North 36th Street and Fremont Place North since the mid-1990s. These days, it's mostly a tourist attraction.

Purchased in Poland by an Issaquah man after the Cold War, the seven-ton bronze statue ended up in Fremont when he died. His family is still looking for a buyer.

About a half-dozen protesters showed up Wednesday wearing MAGA clothing, chanting, "Remove the hate."

"This is offensive," said Tony Barger. "This should be taken down. This is an actual Russian relic and should not be here on American soil."

Some locals tried to intercede and explain to them the statue inspires discussion about art and history.

"We're at a dangerous place in our country's history. No one should support Lenin; no one should support Hitler. But there are bigger fish to fry than a statue of Lenin in Fremont," said Barbara Mitchell.

At one point, demonstrators showed up holding pro-Lenin signs. Seattle police parked a patrol car across the street to monitor the area.

In a much quieter setting on Capitol Hill, a memorial for Confederate soldiers has stood for almost a century in Seattle's Lake View Cemetery.

On Wednesday, a landscaping truck parked closely in front of it. Management said groundskeepers left it there due to concerns of property damage.

Lake View Cemetery eventually shut its gates early Wednesday and said the grounds would be closed until at least Sunday.

Assistant Cemetery Manager Craig Lohr said Thursday that the cemetery is receiving threats "every hour" over the phone and through email of people wanting to damage or remove the memorial.

He said the cemetery plans to seeking legal advice next week on options to remove the monument, since they do not own the property it sits on. When a customer buys a plot at the cemetery, they own the land and the price includes care and endowment, which Lake View provides.

Lohr said Lake View has Muslims, Jews and people of all different races laid to rest there. The cemetery has always been a symbol of diversity.

Ashley Rombro and her family were visiting the cemetery's big attraction, the Bruce Lee memorial. She's from Baltimore, a city that removed four Confederate statues overnight.

"Those terrible, terrible moments in our history happened, and the answer is not removing evidence of those; the answer is discussing them," she said.

[Rukh]

The only reason I'm against them "removing it" is because in this case its owned by a private owner who's trying to sell it off. It's not at some government building. I'd definitely oppose installing Lenin statues at US government buildings. That'd be silly.

We don't install communist statues at government buildings though. That's not a thing. For some reason southern states DID install confederate statues at government and public buildings during times of social equality movements though. That was a thing.

[Venziir]

Lenin was a loser thus his statue should be destroyed.

Where as Robert E. Lee was quite the winner.... O wait.

[Felya]

Where as Robert E. Lee was quite the winner.... O wait.

I wonder if someone put up a Lee statue for people to pelt with rotten tomatoes, if the alt-right defend it from being removed. Because that's kind of what's happening here... they are asking to remove a statue there for mocking, not celebrating or historical references. There is a giant troll under the bridge near there as well... who will stand for the troll?!?

[Lynarii]

The Left will keep pushing for things to get removed until the Right also starts doing it. I give it a month or so tops before people start calling for roads such as MLK Jr to be renamed because he was an adulterer or Rosa Parks because she attended communist meetings in the 30s. I really see this progressing into a literal tit for tat until the whole damned keg blows and we descend into a second civil war.

There is a critical difference that is being ignored here. Statues aren't there to celebrate the personal morals of the individuals they depict. They're there to celebrate the legacy of those individuals. Robert E Lee may have been a personally moral and upstanding person, and MLK Jr certainly had some skeletons in his closet. But Lee's legacy is his leadership of the Confederate Army. MLK Jr's legacy is the civil rights movement.

If you want to honor Robert E Lee's personal morals, a statue in a city square isn't a good way to do it. There's no context to a statue, it relies on the viewer already having some idea of who the person is and why they are important. The best way to do it is a museum exhibit that can go into detail talking about what he believed and why he made the decisions he made. So that people who don't know who he was or what he believed can find out.

[Wyrt]

Hey mang, you saw that video of the white supremacist in Charlottesville right, how Vice news followed him around for a bit and he acted all tough and manly and "alpha". How he bragged about how the left would come at them first, but then his side would win cause they'd kill more?

Yeah, you see the follow up video where he's bawling his eyes out like a little bitch when he finds out police put out an warrant for his arrest.

That's what'll happen if there's ever a true war. 80% of the people who talked tough will be hiding like little bitches in their house, cradling their precious gun and crying to not die.

Also, the conservatives did start this fight because their fee fees got hurt by equal rights.

This fight started when all the bigots and racists couldn't stand the idea of a black person being president. Thanks Tea Party.

[Mormolyce]

I think he means at the voting booth. Worked out well the last elections during the last year.

You sure about that?

Last election you had fewer voters than Hillary, and the results so far have been an unmitigated disaster for the Republican party.

- - - Updated - - -

Lenin statue in eclectic Seattle neighborhood has to go, says mayor

Ah, false equivalence, the one and only tool in your toolbox.

But yeah, pull down a Lenin statue on someone's private property. I'm sure the left will be inconsolable lol.