Kelly Was Right About General Robert E. Lee: A Champion of States Rights And Christian Ethics

Kelly Was Right About General Robert E. Lee: A Champion of States Rights And Christian Ethics

General Kelly spoke Tuesday of Civil War General Robert E. Lee, a great American hero of a legacy American family, a defender of states’ rights, and a man of great moral, Christian ethics. Naturally, the history-devoid leftist MSM lost their minds.

Kelly spoke with Laura Ingraham about the famed and respected general, commenting:

“I would tell you that Robert E. Lee was an honorable man. He was a man that gave up his country to fight for his state, which 150 years ago was more important than country. It was always loyalty to state first back in those days. Now, it’s different today, but the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War, and men and women of good faith on both sides made their stand where their conscience had them make their stand.”

General Kelly hit on a supremely important topic: states’ rights. States’ rights were a primary instigator for the Civil War and were, in fact, far more important to the sparking of conflict during the 1860s than slavery itself, because slavery (and the economic implications) was an embedded issue within the topic of states’ rights. The defense of regional sovereignty was the primary issue of the day, and to that end, when Kelly noted that Lee chose loyalty to his state, as opposed to country, he was touching on the honorable nature of the general.

What Kelly dug into while speaking with Ingraham was also the dignity and the honor and the chivalry of that bygone time. The nature of respect was different then, and though obvious social failings are important to remember, there still was a code of ethics and honor that is no longer and that would have been understood in the day. One has to take an unbiased historical perspective to appreciate the circumstances that led to war.

The liberal MSM went out of their way, naturally, to spin Kelly’s use of the word “compromise” in his interview to insinuate that he was insisting that a compromise should have been made relative to the abolition of slavery during Tuesday’s press briefing. Press Secretary Sanders quickly shut down the hearsay, noting the flaws of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Kennedy, and Roosevelt and how their shortcomings should not mar what they did for this country.

Again, nearly 150 years after the fact, we are in a situation where states’ rights and local government rights are again major talking points, this time regarding the potential removal of Civil War Confederate leader statues. The president has left this matter up to local governments, an important move that is in lockstep with America’s longstanding take on the sovereignty of our states.

As for the unnecessary liberal uproar over Kelly’s statements, it goes to show that the liberal elite and the liberal media establishment are gunning for an opportunity to make the Trump administration look terrible and racist, no matter how ludicrous. Consider this: why was there no uproar about statues during the presidency of the first black individual to hold the office?