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General Nathan Bedford Forrest has achieved a kind of immortality in his ability to get under the skin of the ignorant and those suffering from myopia.

Our friend Wolfstar might ponder the blemishes on the record of Thomas Jefferson, some of which I outlined for him. He might consider whether Winston Churchill deserves opprobrium to the degree that heaps upon General Forrest because Churchill sent the infamous Black and Tan's into Ireland. Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, jailed dissidents, and otherwise ran roughshod over the Constitution. Should his name or likeness be banned from free Republic? Or do his other achievements justify our regard for him?

Wolfstarr might also think about the fact that it was Forrest who took steps to disband the klan and who, by all accounts, died a man broken to his sins, repentant in his attitude toward slavery, and reconciled with his African-American neighbors.

More likely, though, our friend will soldier on, glorying in his ignorance, resolute in his determination not to deal with the substance of any issue.

More likely, though, our friend will soldier on, glorying in his ignorance, resolute in his determination not to deal with the substance of any issue.

So, Nathan, bringing in the reinforcements, I see. I did not see muawiyah's post to which you replied and pinged me. Since you did involve me in his response to you, I'll quote from it:

...and even if you despise the man, he was a He|| of a soldier...

So was Benedit Arnold, but like all human beings, he is judged not by one part of his life, but by the sum of all parts of it.

Nathan Bedford Forrest was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, if not the worst, then certainly one of the worst terrorist-type organizations the North American continent has ever seen. No matter what he did in other parts of his life, that part of his life remains as an indelible stain. No attempt on your part to justify Forrest will ever erase that stain.

The fact he is your hero, NB, tells the world something about you. It was YOUR choice of screen name, NB, yours alone. If people judge you by it, it's because you invited them to do so.

You can whine all you want about my supposedly not addressing the substance of "any" issue. However, what you miss, even though I told you otherwise, is that by remarking on your choice of screen names on a thread about illegal immigration, I AM addressing the issue squarely.

You called me ignorant. Hmmmm...if your intellect is so superior, I must assume you know exactly what my point is, and you're deliberately trying to obscure it by changing the subject.

Nathan Bedford Forrest was once one of my heroes also. However, that was before I realized that he was one of the founders of the KKK. He was the founder of modern cavalry tactics, and I was much impressed. However being a founder of the KKK pretty much negated that, in my opinion. Even knowing that he later tried to distance himself from the KKK, only helped a little.

Nathan, I think that anyone with your name should stay out of immigration threads, and threads that the KKK might have a position on. This is especially true when you insist on an icon/avatar of your namesake. Even when you have good points, your name alone will inflame opinions against you.