Richmond Removes Statue of Robert E Lee and with it any Reason to Visit

Richmond, Virginia removed the statue of General Robert E. Lee from its pedestal along what has been known as Monument Avenue this morning. With its removal, Richmond effectively completes its economic and cultural suicide.

Over the past few years, Richmond has removed the statues of Confederates Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, Gen. Stonewall Jackson, President Jefferson Davis, and Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury.

During the Civil War, Richmond served as the primary capital of the Confederate States of America. Other than that, it has little historical value. The primary battlefields of the Civil War are in communities around Virginia, between Richmond and Washington, DC, along the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia coastal region, and down the Shenandoah Valley.

Yes, Richmond remains the Capital City of Virginia and political center, but it no longer holds any value beyond that. In fact, its primary "claim to fame" now is a rising crime rate and status as a "woke" community alongside Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

I have no desire to visit Richmond again. I've been there several times. Of course, I'll drive by on my way to the Outer Banks and probably stop for gas in Short Pump. I may get to the northern outskirts of the city to attend a NASCAR race at the Richmond track, but there is no reason to go downtown -- no reason to actually visit the city.

History is just that -- history. It happened. Removing statues commemorating that history is simply ridiculous. Even if you accept the argument of the left that the statues were erected as some kind of claim of racial power, that act, in itself, has historic value. They also had intrinsic value as works of art. Consider the Medicis of Italy. There are numerous paintings and statues of the Medicis, yet they were among history's greatest tyrants. Still, the paintings and statues are celebrated because they were completed by great Renaissance artists and are some of their greatest works. The statues of Richmond, particularly the Lee statue, are undeniably great works of art. What will become of these pieces of art?

So, I hope Richmond's "woke leaders" are happy as their city slips further into obscurity.