The woke mob’s list of statue teardowns is historically unprecedented in American society: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Columbus, and Theodore Roosevelt among others.  Destruction of religious statues, especially outside Catholic churches both here and in Canada, have also been on the rise.

Not a transgender, lesbian, or person of color among them -- so much for diversity, equity, and inclusion. These longstanding monuments only underscore just how inferior and pathetic these adherents to the woke revolution truly are.

Why must the woke destroy to validate themselves?

Not enough lollipops and brownies as a child?

Compared to any of them, these statue topplers are intellectual and moral midgets. As if identity, as opposed to achievement, is worthy of commemoration. If the goal is to feel righteous and superior, it is much easier to tear something down than to build something up and make it better.

Should we destroy the Colosseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens, or Chichén Itzá in Mexico because those civilizations permitted slavery?

This statuary talibanning of the culture continues where the systematic destruction of whatever runs counter to the leftist ethos must be eradicated. This time the statue terrorists are members of our own federal government.  The National Park Service and its bureaucratic army dressed in their antebellum straw hats and funky gray and green uniforms were finally going to set the historical record straight. 

Their next bronzed victim was to be the American Quaker himself, William Penn. The namesake of the nation’s fifth most populous state -- Pennsylvania.

The National Park Service announced a proposal to rehabilitate Welcome Park, established on the site of Penn’s home and part of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia “to provide a more welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors.” This “welcome” included removing William Penn’s longstanding statue, according to the Park Service’s website.  

Why stop with Penn’s statue? How about banishing Penn’s name altogether? Pennsylvania becomes Wokesylvania, while Penn State becomes Woke State, which isn’t far off.  On the state’s flag, change the embroidered motto from Virtue, Liberty and Independence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The wisdom of Harry Truman, whom Democrats would exile to the Republican Party today applies, “the only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.”

When it comes to William Penn, the Park Service failed. Penn not only established a charter of liberties, a forerunner to our Bill of Rights, with the soul of it being the freedom of religion, as the colony welcomed millions of numerous religious affiliations within its borders. Penn wanted his governance to be a model of religious and political tolerance.  Moreover, Penn’s uniquely affable relationship with the Native American tribes in his “woods” made for a longstanding peaceful coexistence that was the exception rather than the rule.

The statue wokesters need to melt down is that tawdry movie prop Rocky Balboa.  Talk about hate and discrimination, Rocky beat up two Black guys and a communist. Pathetically, more can quote lines from this fictional movie character than they know about William Penn thanks to the poisonous fruit of public education. 

The wokesters and their media allies drive a narrative that is less about understanding our past and more about enlarging the chasm that divides rather than unites. This comes at the expense of courageous Americans and is not only insidious, but subversive.

The American standard has always embraced building upon the virtues of our forefathers while leaving their faults to God.  Seemingly, this occurred and may this trend that started in the Keystone state continue as the will of the few stepped up and caused the National Park Service to forsake removing Penn’s monument.

“Independence National Historical Park has withdrawn the review of a draft proposal to rehabilitate Welcome Park and closed the public comment period. The preliminary draft proposal, which was released prematurely and had not been subject to a complete internal agency review, is being retracted. No changes to the William Penn statue are planned. The National Park Service remains committed to rehabilitating Welcome Park as the nation prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.”  

This time there was a retreat or perhaps it was a regrouping. 

Time will tell.

Image: National Parks Gallery