A modest proposal by dr jonathan swift6/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Others have gone further, suggesting removal of Jefferson’s image from our nickel and Jackson’s from the twenty-dollar bill. We have known for years that Jefferson had slaves, and that President Andrew Jackson ordered the deportation of the Cherokees from their home in the southeast to the dusty prairies of today’s Oklahoma, the infamous “Trail of Tears”. I was recently delighted to learn that the Democrat Party of Connecticut, with urging from the NAACP, changed the name of its traditional Jefferson- Jackson – Bailey Dinner celebration to distance itself from those racist names. But for those of us who really care our patience is running thin. I’m certain it was thought an honor back then, and to many even now. Although we’ve made progress in wiping some of those racist place names from the map of Maine, still on the waiting list is the apparently durable Indian mascot of Skowhegan High School. Likewise later on I spent many happy hours skiing at Squaw Mountain oblivious as to how hurtful that name was to some. When I was a child I used to enjoy trips to Squapan Lake without realizing how offensive the name was to our Native American neighbors. But a lot of work is still necessary to complete the reversal of centuries of oppression by our (mainly white) ancestors. Our Western civilization is approaching a great day. ![]()
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