Farewell Fourth of July

For John, BLUF:  This is very sad to see.  In the name of racial justice we are going to erase the path that allowed us to get to the point where we could usefully get to the point where we could ask about justice for all.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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San Francisco to paint over historic George Washington mural

If the trends continue, and a Democrat is elected President in 2020, there is unlikely to be much of a Fourth of July celebration in 2021, except in some more rural areas.

From the Associated Press, by Reporter Samantha Maldonado, 4 July 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

San Francisco will spend up to $600,000 to paint over historical artwork at a public school depicting the life of George Washington, a mural once seen as educational and innovative but now criticized as racist and degrading for its depiction of black and Native American people.

The “Life of Washington” was painted by Victor Arnautoff, one of the foremost muralists in the San Francisco area during the Depression.  The San Francisco School Board’s decision to paint over the 83-year-old mural is prompting some to worry that other artwork from the so-called New Deal era could face a similar fate because of changing sensitivities.

In addition to depicting Washington as a soldier, surveyor and statesman, the 13-panel, 1,600-sqaure foot mural at George Washington High School contains images of white pioneers standing over the body of a Native American and slaves working at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.

What a waste of an educational moment, an educational opportunity.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff