Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell apologized today for neglecting to mention slavery as part of the state history in his proclamation celebrating Confederate History month. "The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell wrote in a statement.. After sustained criticism of his initial defense that slavery was not an important factor in the Civil War, he added a clause to the proclamation that declares slavery "led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice." However, he noted, we should not forget that without slavery we might never have had the Blues, jazz, the Rolling Stones, or hushpuppies.
The Governor also took time to clarify another proclamation. He noted that his declaration of February as "Japanese Air Force History Month " should have also probably mentioned events of December 1941 along with the "proud dedication of so many pilots who gave their lives in pursuit of their profession." In a related item, German Chancellor Angela Merckel encouraged tourists to visit Germany for a celebration of "Aryan Heritage Month" to recall the many interesting historical sites connected to that country's identification with their proud Aryan Heritage. "This is especially true of the exciting period of the 1940's when Germany struggled for independence, local control and freedom from big government."
