I did my best to keep my spirits up on Tuesday while guest-hosting America's Number One radio show, but actually I was near overwhelmed by an awful sickening sadness, which is not the best disposition for broadcast entertainment. I woke up to the news that, during the night, in Baltimore, Maryland, the oldest monument to Christopher Columbus in the United States had been destroyed by someone called "Ty" and his chum:
A 225-year-old monument commemorating Christopher Columbus was vandalized early Monday amid the nationwide debate on removing Confederate statues and monuments.
A video posted on Monday shows the monument being smashed. It shows two unidentified people taping a sign reading "The future is racial and economic justice" on the monument. One of them then hits the monument with what appears to be a sledgehammer while the other stands next to the monument holding a sign that reads "Racism: Tear it down."
"Christopher Columbus symbolizes the initial invasion of European capitalism into the Western Hemisphere. Columbus initiated a centuries-old wave of terrorism, murder, genocide, rape, slavery, ecological degradation and capitalist exploitation of labor in the Americas," the video's narrator, who identifies himself as "Ty," says.
As you can see at right, almost every word painstakingly engraved on that obelisk has been obliterated. It stood for 225 years, and it was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Julia Manchester, The Hill's reporter, continues:
This comes amid a heated debate across the country over removing Confederate monuments...
That's one way of putting it, but not an honest one. Mark Steyn Club member David Elstrom left a comment here that deserves to be more widely distributed:
Mark,
I notice that the left media and even Fox News talk about the "discussion" on statues, or opine on the "conversation" concerning public monuments.
This Newspeak is apparently supposed to con the plebes into thinking something civil or democratic is happening. All I've seen is politicians or other apparatchiks rushing to remove statues (fearing the wrath of the mob) or actual mobs tearing things down.
If this is discussion, or conversation, then rape must be a "social event," and sticking up the local convenience store a "financial transaction."
Indeed. It's hard to have a "conversation" with a guy wielding a sledgehammer. I was just sent a link to an Ohio newspaper purporting to report that one municipality was now "exhuming" the bodies of Confederate soldiers. I'm relieved to report that website appears to be fake. But it's getting increasingly hard to tell. We live in a decadent age of totalitarian narcissism.
~I'll try to perk myself up in the hours ahead before I'm back behind the Golden EIB Microphone for Wednesday's show, live across America for three hours at 12 noon Eastern/9am Pacific. If you have the necessary receiving apparatus, I hope you'll dial us up - and, if you're from Baltimore, Maryland, I'd especially like to hear from you.
After Rush, I'll be keeping my midweek date with "Tucker Carlson Tonight", coast to coast on Fox News at 8pm Eastern.
~When I was guest-hosting for Rush recently, I took a call from Natalie from Montana who said she was saving up from her summer job for a Steyn Club membership. I was surprised and humbled by a fifteen-year-old's interest in my work, so I decided to give her a Club membership for her 16th birthday a few week ago. It got me thinking that other listeners might also have friends or family members who'd appreciate a Steyn Club gift membership. So here it is.
You can order it now and have it delivered instantly or on a special day, such as a birthday or anniversary. Or you can print out our personalized welcome message - perfect for tucking inside a greeting card. If you're a current Steyn Club member yourself, don't forget to log-in first to enjoy special Club pricing on our gift memberships.
For more on The Mark Steyn Club, please click here.