Hegseth Threatens Another Civil War to Defend ‘Proud' Confederate History
'We recognize our history,' Hegseth told Fox News host Will Cain on Thursday. 'We don't erase it. We don't follow the woke lemmings off the cliff that want to tear down statues. ... We're proud of our history.'
Hegseth was defending the decision to restore a Confederate monument in Arlington National Cemetery that critics say whitewashes the history of slavery in America.
Shortly after rebuking those who want to remove Confederate symbols, Hegseth made it clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to defeat his opposition.
'Our job is to ensure our enemies know exactly what we will do to them if they threaten us up to and including total war,' he said.
The monument in question is Moses Ezekiel's The Confederate Memorial. It features an inscription in Latin that describes the Civil War as a 'lost cause' that was honorable for its noble principles and resistance to tyranny.
The sculpture also depicts Black people as supporting the Confederate soldiers, insinuating that they wished to remain enslaved.
The 32-foot-tall monument offers 'a nostalgic, mythologized vision of the Confederacy, including highly sanitized depictions of slavery,' according to an archived version of the National Cemetery website.
It was erected in 1914 and taken down under former President Joe Biden in 2023.
The move to restore the sculpture is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to restore references to the Confederacy across the government.
The National Park Service announced earlier this week that it is bringing back a statue of Confederate Army Gen. Albert Pike, who once wrote that the 'white race, and that race alone, shall govern this country. It is the only one that is fit to govern, and it is the only one that shall.'
The administration has also restored the names of a number of army bases named for Confederate leaders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Intel CEO to meet with Trump at White House, WSJ reports
After President Trump called for his resignation last week, Intel (INTC) CEO Lip-Bu Tan is set to meet with Trump at the White House Monday, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo Finance Tech Editor Dan Howley discusses the latest. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief. But Dan, I do want to follow up and ask you about what's going on with Intel and its CEO Lip-Bu-Tan, who is reportedly going to be meeting with Trump today on a very different issue. Yeah, this is basically Trump trying to oust him. Uh he said that he had to leave the company, uh that he was, you know, quote unquote very conflicted. And this kind of goes back to his days with Cadence. Uh Cadence just settled a uh a suit with the government basically saying that they had provided some materials to a university that the government believes has links to the Chinese military. And so, you know, they settled, uh and then Senator Tom Cotton has come forward and said, look, you know, this is this is a big deal. Uh someone should, you know, look deeper into this. Uh Lip-Bu-Tan has some investments in Chinese companies. He is a US citizen. Uh and so, you know, there's this kind of back and forth as to, you know, does does do his prior uh, you know, uh kind of instances of investing in Chinese companies make him uh good for being Intel CEO or not. Related Videos Russia deal will be 'a canary for the markets' on US–China talks Trump's Nvidia, AMD China deal: National security risks persist Trump Says 'Not Up to Me' to Make a Deal With Putin Trump to Take Control of DC Police Department, Deploy National Guard Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Attorney for Hopewell vice mayor says lawsuit based on 'political disagreement,' not misconduct
Calling it 'political disagreement, not actionable misconduct,' the attorney for Hopewell Vice Mayor Rita Joyner has asked a federal court to throw out former Hopewell City Manager Concetta Manker's almost $7 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Joyner. The paperwork was filed Aug. 8 in U.S. District Court in Richmond at the same time that the city of Hopewell filed its own motions to dismiss the suit. Manker, who was fired May 1 along with City Clerk Brittani Williams, filed the suit July 7 and is asking for a total of $6.85 million in damages, including punitive damages against Joyner, Mayor Johnny Partin Jr., and councilors Ronnie Ellis of Ward 4 and Susan Daye of Ward 5. Manker accuses Joyner of racism, citing several examples where the vice mayor reportedly said that Manker, who is Black, was 'Blacking up the city' by hiring people of color as major department heads. She also claims Joyner defamed her by calling her 'incompetent' in a 2024 email and stating that she hoped to get enough votes from the results of that November's election to have Manker fired. All four councilors who voted to fire Manker are White. Because Joyner was singled out for more than the others, she had to hire her own attorney and file a separate response. Joyner is represented by Virginia Beach-based attorney Anne Lahren. More: Judge continues Hopewell treasurer's case after her attorney asks to withdraw Vice mayor acted within 'authority' In the lawsuit, Manker cited Joyner for racism, defamation and blocking due process. In her response, Joyner's attorney said the vice mayor was acting totally within her authority as a Hopewell elected official and as one of seven people to whom the city manager is directly accountable. 'Joyner exercised her authority as an elected official to criticize Plaintiff's performance and advocate for a change in leadership consistent with the will of the voters,' the response stated. 'Plaintiff repeatedly characterizes Joyner's conduct as 'thwarting' her initiatives, opposing her policies, and expressing negative views about her job performance. These allegations, even if true, reflect political disagreement, not actionable misconduct.' None of Manker's allegations are 'a matter of law,' the response said. "The Complaint fails to allege facts sufficient to establish racial animus, deprivation of a protected property or liberty interest, or actionable defamatory statements,' it read. 'Moreover, Joyner's actions as an elected official – expressing criticism, participating in governance decisions, and communicating with constituents and the press about matters of public concern – are fully protected under both constitutional and state law doctrines, including qualified immunity and the First Amendment.' Because Manker's allegations represent 'disagreement with the political and policy choices of the City's duly elected leadership, rather than any legally cognizable wrongdoing,' the suit should be dismissed, according to the response. More: 'Sad and difficult case': First of 3 suspects in Hopewell child's shooting death sentenced Mirrors Hopewell's response Joyner's response jibes with the official position of Hopewell in the case. That response, filed by City Attorney Anthony Bessette, calls the allegations 'nothing more than legal conclusions, or where the allegations permit a court to infer no more than a possibility of misconduct. It stated that Manker was terminated because she 'was not performing at a level that met the City's legitimate expectations.' As for the claims of racism, the city's response called them 'flimsy. 'The race of the decision makers does not give rise to an inference of discrimination,' it read. 'This is particularly true where the same four councilors who voted to terminate Dr. Manker's employment voted to hire Michael Rogers, an African American male, to be the Interim City Manager. Because Dr. Manker was not replaced by someone outside of her protected class, there is no inference of race discrimination.' While the lawsuit alleges that Ellis blew 'a racist dog whistle' when he circulated campaign flyers saying it was time 'to take back our city,' it also claimed he improperly made the motion to reconsider a February vote to terminate Manker because he walked out of the meeting. Ellis is a battalion chief with the Hopewell Fire Department, and in that position, Manker claimed he directly reported to her; therefore, his motion was a violation of conflict-of-interest. Hopewell claims that Manker's termination was permissible because her contract was not originally in violation of the act. Virginia's Conflict-of-Interest Act [COIA] states that only contracts and purchases that run afoul of COIA can only be voided, and it is silent on any other legal transactions. 'The termination of Dr. Manker's contract is neither a contract nor a purchase made in violation of COIA,' the city's response said. 'Therefore, even if the vote violated COIA, the vote is not void or voidable.' No dates have been set for preliminary hearings on the lawsuit. Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI. This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell officials respond to former city manager's federal lawsuit Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says gold will not face tariffs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said gold would not be subject to tariffs, but gave no other details. "Gold will not be Tariffed!" Trump said in a statement posted on his social media account and attributed to the president.
