Oddly, though, the statement is actually correct, as slavery did help build the south (which is why they fought so hard to keep it), and the streets were undoubtedly safer a night before the civil war than they are today, at least in the cities.
And I can say both of those things without in any way suggesting that slavery was good, or that I dislike blacks in any manner.
So while I doubt Rush said it if he said he didn’t, since he obviously has transcripts online and has a search engine to check these quotes, the statement is not a racist statement, and the suggestion that it IS a racist statement is as much of a problem as falsely accusing Rush of saying it.
I hope we don’t lose the argument over whether it’s OK to speak the truth in this case, simply because they are lying about who said it.
I am somewhat of a Cival War buff and also a long time Rush listener. The concept of the south being safer during slavery is:
1. Absurd unless you ignore the atrocities committed against black slaves. To believe this statement you have to believe that the safety of black folks is not part of the equation. This kind of thinking was prevalent in Democrat circles before, during, and after the war because these people convinced themselves that black folks were less than human. They pardoned the barbarity committed against blacks as they clung to this racist notion (as many Democrats still do today).
2. Not at all a concept that Rush endorses. Rush has always stated that part of his pride in America is rooted in the fact that 600,000 men died in a war to end slavery.
3. A fabricated quote spread by the left and attributed to Rush in an attempt to distract and mislead the folks who would most benefit from a clear understanding of American history and conservatism.