Senator Casey Murdock says monuments and statues are welcome in northwestern Oklahoma for educational and historic purposes.
Murdock welcomes the statues and monuments being taken down by protesters across the country, proposing to bring them to the nine counties in his district.
The counties include: Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Major, Texas, Woods and Woodward.
Four years ago, President George W. Bush spoke at the opening of the National Museum of African History and Culture in Washington D.C., and he said a great nation does not hide its history, it faces its flaws and corrects them. We must face our flaws and move forward as a nation, but erasing our history dooms us to repeat it. I think we should protect those artistic representations and continue to learn from them.
Many protesters have taken down statues depicting Confederate officers, soldiers as well as statues of Union officers, according to an official press release. Officials said, "Some have even called for the removal of religious artwork."
It makes no sense—it’s even gotten to the point where some extremists have called for the removal or destruction of art depicting Jesus with light skin and hair. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves—focusing on skin color diminishes his message and teachings. This is just wrong.
Murdock said no taxpayer funds would be used-- instead private donations would pay for the relocation of the monuments and statues.
We must preserve our history—the good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly. These statues and monuments are interpretations of the personalities and events that shaped our nation, and as the decades have passed, our perspectives and context for these events and people have changed. All of that must be part of the discussion, but censoring that discussion circumvents growth and denies reality.
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