It seems that talk of forgiveness is only limited to the pews on Sunday. In a major political and PR faux pas so soon after his sweeping victory, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, at the behest of the Sons of the Confederacy, declared the month of April Confederate History Month. And what's more is that he failed to acknowledge slavery. Well, you can only imagine the uproar that has created.
Despite his swift apology earlier today, there are many who are not so quick to forgive. One of the unforgiving is Democrat Virginia State Senator Henry Marsh III. During an interview on "John King, USA", Senator Marsh stated that he could not accept the apology because such actions represented a "pattern of this governor". Quite frankly, I'm a little confused. McDonnell has only been governor for a few months. What kind of pattern has he been establishing really? Also, I would love to know what Senator Marsh has to say about President Obama's string of broken promises and inconsistencies.
Like it or not, the Confederacy is a part of American History, and as egregious as some feel that era was, it should not be suppressed or forgotten. It should be something that should be learned from. We have days and months dedicated to commemorate everything under the sun, from breast cancer to left handed people to administrative assistants. We have Black History Month, Native American Heritage Month and Hispanic Heritage Month yet not so much as an eyebrow is raised.
While I will be the first one to admit that I winced when I heard the news this morning, I also thought about how this action was in no way indicative of Governor McDonnell's true sentiments. We really need to practice what we preach, give the stern admonishment, and forgive him (this time anyway). If we cannot move on from this, we will be blinded to all the good things he may do for Virginia during his term. And that, I think, would truly be unforgivable.
