In light of the move to cleanse our public spaces (federal and state buildings, museums, schools, retail businesses, parks, etc.) of any mention of or symbol associated with those who are guilty of incorrect thinking/association/actions, we need to get busy about it and be certain to do it fairly and thoroughly.

To begin, I want to know when the countless bridges, schools, highways and buildings named for Robert Byrd will be changed to that of someone who was NOT an Exalted Cyclops of the KKK?  When will portraits of him be removed from all Federal and State buildings?  When will his statue in West Virginia’s Capitol Rotunda be pulled down?  When will his 1945 letter to Senator Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), in which he wrote 

“I shall never fight in the armed forces with a negro by my side ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.” 

be removed from the Archives and burned in the public square?

While we’re at it, let’s make certain Harry Reid’s legacy faces a similar fate for his comments that candidate Obama could be successful thanks, in part, to his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns “…with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

Likewise, we must hold VP Biden responsible for his insensitive remark about Indian Americans in Delaware, “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

Let’s get serious about this national cleansing to make certain it is fair and thorough!

Dale Hill, Colonel, USAF, Retired is a former fighter pilot and Vietnam veteran whose callsign was ‘Boots’ and his motto is Audaces Fortuna Juvat! – Fortune favors the bold!