Mayor Greg Fischer, President James Ramsey, University Board of Directors, University Board of Trustees, AND THE MEDIA OUTLETS.
Across the USA, Veterans and citizens are outraged by the unlawful removal of venerated objects, and pursuant to KRS 525.105, “Desecration of venerated objects, first degree,”
YOU ARE ORDERED TO CEASE AND DESIST ALL EFFORTS TO REMOVE THE CONFEDERATE STATUE near/adjacent/within the boundaries, but in between the public streets of the city of Louisville, WHICH IS OWNED BY THE CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE, not by the University of Louisville, nor by the Metro Louisville. MEANING, neither has the authority to remove said Confederate Statue.
ALL POLICE AGENCIES IN KENTUCKY MUST ENFORCE Kentucky Revised Statues (KRS) regarding the unlawful, unwanted, and direct desecration of the Confederate Statute! Anyone attempting to violate the CONFEDERATE statue or their superiors must be legally be held accountable for commisions, ommission, actions, inactions, and unlawful harm to the Confederate Statue!
As I am a distant cousin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who was distantly related to Confederate States of America (CSA) President Jefferson Davis; U.S. Vice President John C. Breckinridge, U.S. President Zachary Taylor (Davis’ father-in-law), and I am related to CSA Major General William Preston (who Louisville’s “Preston Street” was named for)(He was also a USA Ambassador; and then Preston’s brother-in-law was (5 star General Albert Sydney Johnston (another Louisvillian) who led the Confederacy. The general officers of both the Union and the Confederacy ARE ALL IN MY FAMILY, therefore, YOU MUST KNOW THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF MY COUSINS IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. We are graduates of the University of Louisville and we are UPSET THAT YOU WOULD MOVE A VETERANS MEMORIAL, whether it be representing the Union or the Confederacy. My family also had 11-Kentucky Governors, 9-Kentucky Secretaries of State, and so on.
Dr. Ramsey, on 17 March 2016, you released a note, “As you may have read or heard, the March 1 meeting of the University’s Board of Trustees was marred by discord, anger and tension.”
Do you sincerely believe that on top of everyone else upset by your actions over the last couple of years, that GREATLY UPSETTING VETERANS IS THE NEXT GROUP YOU WANT TO ENRAGE?
Seriously, that is not a statue that should be moved. It is something that creates “learning opportunities.” Dr. Ramsey, you cannot sweep away the incidents, scandals, and mistakes over your administration, but this latest move is going to anger ALL VETERANS, Re-enactment groups, heritage societies, historical societies, preservation groups. Who is going to make ANY DONATIONS TO UL when you have upset ALL OF KENTUCKY?
Dr. Ramsey, never served in the military, and honestly, Mayor Fischer, neither did you serve in the military, therefore, neither of you should be moving a military statute that MANY OF US VIEW AS A CENOTAPH GRAVE MARKER and it places you in violation of the KENTUCKY REVISED STATUTES. This is a VENERATED OBJECT and you cannot abuse it!
There are far better uses of your time than destroying our LOCAL HISTORY, REGIONAL HISTORY, STATE HISTORY, and NATIONAL HISTORY.
Each of you can discuss the “learning opportunities” that the statute presents, but it MUST NOT BE MOVED!
I am the PRESIDENT of the “HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF KENTUCKY, LLC” and I promise herein to join any legal INJUNCTIVE ACTION to KEEP THAT STATUE RIGHT WHERE IT HAS BEEN FOR OVER 100+ years. Every single President of the University (since the 1860s) and every single Mayor of Louisville has had the chance to discuss, but none of them moved that statute (over the last 121 years). WHAT IS THE URGENCY NOW?
THIS YEAR IS THE 142 RUNNING OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY and for 121 years, that Confederate monument was there. It is strange that you are trying to move it a few days before the KENTUCKY Derby. Anyone visiting Louisville already knows it is there. The best way to preserve our history is to LEAVE IT WHERE THE FOLKS THAT PAID FOR IT WANTED IT. It belongs to the families that all lost someone in that war, not to either of you.
Dr. Ramsey, removing the statue DOES NOT ABSOLVE YOU OF YOUR OTHER PREVIOUS SCANDALS AND EMBARRASSMENT TO THE UNIVERSITY, IT IS JUST ONE MORE REASON THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS TO REMOVE YOU FROM OFFICE! Governor Matt Bevin is reducing money to the colleges and universities and yet, YOU ARE WASTING MONEY on moving a historical statue and that is a PIECE OF HISTORY. The purpose of a college or university is to ENSURE THAT HISTORY IS NOT REPEATED, YET, your history continues to be scandals that embarrass the Alumni, Staff, Faculty, and current students of the University of Louisville.
Each of you have positions of trust and leadership, but are you stronger by whitewashing history? No where in your mission statements is the goal to cover up and whisk away American’s military monuments.
Mayor Fischer, as your term of office looms ahead and Dr. Ramsey, do each of you believe that you are more likely to be favored in gaining a new elected offices or job by violating a VETERANS MEMORIAL? Mayor Fischer, Dr. Ramsey is surrounded by negative press. He is someone best avoided instead being around his perpetual scandals.
Both the national and world economies are nearing collapse and you guys are intentionally wasting money on moving a statue. This is WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE OF YOUR POSITIONS OF AUTHORITY!
REMOVING THE STATUE WHEN UL KEEPS INCREASING TUITION IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE USE OF MONEY! It does not “help diversity on campus in the least.” I am a 100% gay man and I attended UL 16 years from 1986-2001, but not once did I feel my diversity was harmed by that statue. My mom worked there for 30-years and nine months. It never hurt her career on campus. My dad attended UL in the 1960s and 1970s, but he was never hurt either. I started lots of Recognized Student Organizations on that campus when I earned 321 credit hours over those decades in school. I started COMMONGROUND with other friends and not once did anyone feel that statue inhibited the GAY COMMUNITY AT ALL.
YOUR PROMISED, as did previous leaders of UL to “store portions of the Shipp Street (historic) Wall when the Speed Museum was expanded, yet, WE HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT WALL RETURN TO HIS PLACE OF ORIGIN.
Now we read that the statue will be refurbished, but how can you do this while tuition keeps increasing and state funding for schools decreases? It is irresponsible to be doing all of this now.
Your unlawful actions and commissions are violating the efforts of American citizens to improve their nation the way they attempted in the 1860s, on both the Union and the Confederate sides.
Another of my famous cousins was Congressman Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser,” and he did his best to keep America together in the 1850s. He tried to educate on the problems during his career to avoid slavery and disunion. There are so many positive ways that statue can be a POSITIVE LANDMARK, but Louisville has the BAD POLICY of just hiding away building fronts allegedly to “find a better place for them later,” when it is unlikely the historic landmarks will return to such significant places as they were originally.
DR. RAMSEY, you already have the community so upset with your previous and mounting scandals that there is a LACK OF CONFIDENCE movement. NOW YOU ARE UPSETTING ALL VETERANS IN KENTUCKY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? You are necessarily upsetting hundreds of thousands of Kentucky Veterans!
Both Dr. Ramsey and Mayor Fischer, the community views moving the statue as WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE in addition to a direct violation of KENTUCKY REVISED STATUTES regarding CENOTAPH GRAVE MARKERS. These could be considered as additional charges. PLEASE STOP WASTING TAX PAYER AND STUDENT MONEY!
LEAVE THE STATUE ALONE!
Ipse Dixit
Hon. Brennan James Callan, Col.
