People are entitled to their history, even if you don't like it.The destruction of old monuments, old churches, and old shrines, is, in my opinion, a more despicable crime than killing people.
It means history itself is being erased.
It depends on the context. The celebration of civil war against our nation has always seemed odd to me. Like a monument in the town square to an attempt to assassinate a president.
People aren't entitled to monuments to war against our nation. You can tell due to all the lack of domenstic monuments to the Japanese who killed our soldiers in WW2 for example.
Rememberance and celebration aren't the same thing.
Robert E. Lee is almost a god to Southern people. If it wasn't for his brilliance on the field, the Civil War would have ended much sooner.
And saved tens of thousands of northers and southern lives if it had ended sooner. Again, Lee waged war against the United States. He led armies that killed our soldiers. I would no more expect to see a monument to Lee in our territory than I would a monument to Romell or Yamamoto.
Part of the healing process was the recognition of the bravery of the SOuthern soldiers and the acceptance of Southern Pride in their martial showing and pre civil war culture.
Are you aware there is a Confederate Memorial in Arlington? And that Obama has sent a wreath to it at least one Memorial Day?