We noted earlier how protesters in Philadelphia were a bit off the mark in their statue hunting of Matthias Baldwin, a noted abolitionist and philanthropist who surely didn't deserve to be vandalized. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) made a note of it in his speech on the Senate floor on Thursday.
As he pointed out, vandals' targeting of Baldwin was only one of several head scratching moves made by the mobs. He preferred the term the "woke children."
History is not the long suit of these woke children defacing monuments like the Lincoln, World War II, and Shaw Memorials.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) June 11, 2020
We're watching the sad consequence of replacing history classes in college with social justice seminars. pic.twitter.com/wzqyft4gtJ
About those Christopher Columbus statues that are being vandalized, beheaded, and thrown in lakes, Cotton reminded rioters that those monuments were erected by Italian American immigrants who were proud of their heritage. Then came the destruction of the Lincoln Memorial, "a temple to the great emancipator," and the vandalism of the World War II Memorial, "a memorial to those who fought to liberate the world," just a week after Memorial Day.
"But you know history is not the strong suit of these woke children," Cotton noted. "They didn't take history classes apparently in high school and college. They were too busy taking social justice seminars."
Also at issue, was how the monuments were taken down.
"This was not done in accordance with law, it was not done after thoughtful debate, or city councils, or state legislatures," Cotton noted. "It was done by mobs."
What inspiring historical figure will the "woke" target next?