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Rounds Supports Stripping Confederate Traitor Names from U.S. Military Assets

By Cory Allen Heidelberger on 2020-06-16

Speaking of Republicans talking sense, a little bit of non-Trumpist decency is leaking out of Senator M. Michael Rounds, who says maybe we shouldn’t have named military bases for Confederate traitors:

“If we’re going to have bases throughout the United States, I think it should be with the names of individuals who fought for our country,” Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a senior member of the committee, told reporters Thursday. “This is the right time for it. And I think it sends the right message” [Jason Lemon, “Ben Carson Says It Wouldn’t Be ‘Smart’ to Rename Military Bases Named After Confederates, Suggesting It Would ‘Bury’ History,” Newsweek, 2020.06.14].

Senator Rounds was speaking of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to direct the Pentagon to rename Forts Bragg, Benning, Gordon, Picket, Hill, Lee, Rucker, Polk, Beauregard, and Hood, as well as any other military assets—ships, aircraft, streets—named for Confederate traitors. (Do we have a Fort Benedict Arnold? No.) Rounds and other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week added Warren’s proposal as an amendment to the annual defense bill.

I am glad Senator Rounds agrees that honoring traitors is a bad idea. So, Senator Rounds, how do you feel about the traitor flag on police uniforms back home?

Published in South Dakota

21 Comments

  1. mike from iowa 2020-06-16 08:50

    Cardboard Mike finally figured out which way the political wind trended on this topic. Almost too late to get on board.

  2. Boltrocker 2020-06-16 10:53

    Holey Moley, I think the world just came to an end, I actually agree with something Mike Rounds has said.

  3. David Newquist 2020-06-16 11:17

    I was a draftee who served with a number of Native Americans who sometimes commented on the irony of being on bases named for “Indian fighters.” Basic training was at Fort Carson, Co., named for Kit Carson notably cited for his devastation of the Navajos. Then I was assigned to the guided missile school at Fort Bliss, Tx., named for William Bliss known for his involvement in the removal of the Cherokees and the war against the Seminoles. Our place names document our racist history.

  4. Nix 2020-06-16 12:16

    Well, When the name of Black Elk Peak was changed from Harney Peak, it was a start.
    Ever read about Harney? In 1835 He and his troops Attacked Little Thunders village and fired cannons into a cave where women and children were hiding.
    Now would be a great time to change
    Custer , SD and Custer State Parks names as well.
    Custer thought that he was going to rout out women and children at Little Big Horn as well , but as you know, got the surprise of his life.
    Harney was also involved with the Ft. Laramie treaty and you know how that turned out.
    It must be infuriating to be Lakota and
    watch that everyday.
    There are many great Lakota and Sioux leaders like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud,Touch The Clouds,(Minneconjou) Spotted Tail,Lone Horn
    Spotted Elk……
    ALL are more deserving of honor than
    the U. S. 7th Calvary ever was.

  6. bearcreekbat 2020-06-16 12:51

    Another one – change the name of Sully County, which was named after General Alfred Sully who lead the military against peaceful Native encampments at Whitestone Hill and Killdeer Mountain in North Dakota.

    “I hope you will not believe all that is said of ‘Sully’s Successful Expedition’ against the Sioux. I don’t think he ought to brag of it at all, because it was, what no decent man would have done, he pitched into their camp and just slaughtered them, worse a great deal than what the Indians did in 1862, he killed very few men and took no hostile ones prisoners. . .and now he returns saying that we need fear no more, for he has ‘wiped out all hostile Indians from Dakota.’ If he had killed men instead of women & children, then it would have been a success, and the worse of it, they had no hostile intention whatever, the Nebraska 2nd pitched into them without orders, while the Iowa 6th were shaking hands with them on one side, they even shot their own men.”

    . . . The attack resulted in more Native casualties than any other conflict in North Dakota, with losses on a larger scale that those at Wounded Knee in 1890. The oral history of Whitestone Hill tells us that many women and children were killed while the men were out hunting.

    [And at Killdeer Mountain] . . . The Indians in the encampment were armed mostly with bows and arrows and a few short-range muskets and shotgun. Most of them, especially the Tetons, had never been engaged in hostilities with U.S. forces before this encounter.

    The day after the battle Sully detailed 700 men to destroy the abandoned encampment. This included tipis, large supplies of food, and thousands of dogs. A few people who were left behind in the camp, including children, were killed by Sully’s men.

    https://www.usdakotawar.org/history/aftermath/punitive-expeditions

  7. jerry 2020-06-16 13:10

    Very good bcb, thanks for publishing that. There are so many sins that only crimes against humanity like this one are even bothered to be mentioned.

  8. leslie 2020-06-16 14:08

    Remember Rounds extremely high profile role defending each of trump’s idiotic behaviors as something they clearly were not.

  9. leslie 2020-06-16 14:13

    I often hear Lakota friends say leave self identified Custer residents in their own pot to stew. They and many many well known residents spoke out horribly against the name change. Immortalized in the USBGN written comment archives. Black Elk Peak is a sacred place and stands for peace, reconciliation and testament to the powerful spirituality of our Indian brothers, sisters, neighbors and loved friends.

  11. jerry 2020-06-16 16:41

    Anyone know what “time to discuss” actually means? I’m thinking that is as far as these clowns will go with it. When the Democrats win the Senate, my money is on that Thune and EB5 Short Rounds will have suddenly developed amnesia over what these comments were. Don’t believe either one of these frauds. Remember, they stood with trump and we all know what kind of horses arse he is. These two dingalings are not mavericks, they are corporate stooges that do the bidding of the American oligarchs.

  12. Nix 2020-06-16 18:14

    If you are ever passing through Manderson at lunch time you should stop at Bettys Kitchen. Owned by Betty O’Rourke, the great grand daughter of Black Elk. Ask questions and Betty will talk to you about him.
    He was at Mt. Rushmore as an ambassador for years. You used to be able to walk down the trail to Black Elks cabin but no more as it has been defaced over the years.
    But , you will leave with a fine meal
    and conversation.

  13. grudznick 2020-06-16 18:18

    So a granddaughter of Benjamin, then, not Nicholas. It sounds like a fine place to get a meal and conversation. Is it Betty, or Bette? Regardless, I would like to visit.

  14. Dave Baumeister 2020-06-16 18:48

    Hey, I wrote my column for the Minnehaha Messenger this week about the Benedict Arnold connection. I made the point that Arnold did more for the United States than any CSA general ever did.

  15. Nix 2020-06-16 19:19

    Grudz,
    I’ll bet that if we met for lunch inManderson we would have that good conversation.
    Nothing like a full belly and then on to verbal volleyball.
    We couldn’t share a beer as you know
    but We surely could fire up a left hander for desert.

  16. grudznick 2020-06-16 19:39

    Well, I’m sure there’s plenty of beer on the Piney Ridge, the President after all was recently arrested whilst being intoxicated. grudznick is more of an iced tea man at lunch. As to your left handed blunters, I’d just remain socially distanced a bit farther than usual so the demon weed smoke didn’t rot on my brain while you toked and we conversed.

    I hear Bette fixes a mean pile of mashed potatos with turkey gravy.

  17. Nix 2020-06-16 19:51

    Nothing wrong with iced tea.
    I had the meatloaf.
    Her kitchen is like a picture museum.
    After lunch, you can drive to Wounded Knee, on to Pine Ridge and
    stop at Red Clouds Grave at the Indian School.
    Every South Dakotan should make that trip.

  18. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2020-06-16 20:13

    Anti-Confederatism (also known as Americanism, Constitutionalism, truth…) is working its way up the Republican ladder. John Thune says he might kinda sorta think about maybe having a debate about changing some base names:

    “I think you reevaluate, given the timing and circumstances and where we are in the country, who we want to revere … by naming military installations and other national monuments. And so I think you have to periodically take a look at that and, in this case, it’s perhaps time to do it,” he told reporters.

    …He said on Monday that he has been “working through” the issue and that he is not “wedded to the idea that those names of those military installations are eternal.”

    “My guess is that this is a debate whose time has probably come and I think that we need to listen to where people in the country are right now. … Obviously, at the time, maybe it made some sense based on where the country [was], but the country’s in a different place today,” Thune added [Jordain Carney, “No. 2 GOP Senator: Time to Look at Changing Confederate-Named Bases,” The Hill, 2020.06.16].

    Dusty? Where’s Dusty?

    And if we’re building momentum for retracting honor to traitors and fiends, can we ask Rounds and Thune to review position on the Medals of Honor given to the butchers of Wounded Knee

  19. Nix 2020-06-16 20:20

    Excellent reminder Cory.

  20. Debbo 2020-06-16 21:00

    Wow. Can any statement be more wishy washy than Thune’s? Kinda, sorta, maybe, I think. Charlie Brown is much more direct and forthright. Thune, the mealy mouthed weenie.

  21. John 2020-06-16 21:15

    Custer “advocates” are on the wrong side of history. Their progeny will disown that memory of them. Custer was a serial rapist. He allowed his troopers to also rape. They likely committed worse crimes. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Custer-Sitting-Bighorn/dp/0143119605/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=last+stand&qid=1592358968&sr=8-2

    If South Dakota were serious about reconciliation then South Dakota would rename the town, county, peak, and state park. Apparently seriousness about reconciliation passed with Governor Mickelson.

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