Jim Hoeft over at Bearing Drift has an interesting proposal:
If Virginia is ever going to move beyond the days of racial prejudice and towards Jefferson’s more perfect union, where all men are truly created equal, then we must take action to alter this holiday.
Therefore, in an appeal to Governor Timothy M. Kaine and the General Assembly, please join in signing the following petition to end the observance of Lee-Jackson Day, and create a new holiday: Virginia Heritage Day.
If it is truly about “heritage, not hate,” then changing the holiday makes perfect sense. (The same argument is true for the use of another Confederate flag.)
So head on over and sign the petition.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
On a related note, are you aware that the February holiday is officially “Washington’s Birthday” here in VA, even though it falls on the same day everyone else calls “President’s Day”. You see, that “President’s Day” holiday resulted from joing together the Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday holidays when they created MLK Day. In VA we wouldn’t want to be celebrating Lincoln would we?
Your idea needs to be thrown in the trash can. We are proud of our Lee/Jackson holiday and it should stand for ever. MLK has more recognition around the state than either. Next it will be Obama day to precede Black History Month. Give me a break.
There was alot more to the civial war than just the use of slavery but most people who do not study history relate it to that one issue. Gen. Lee & Jackson went to west point with Grant and Sherman they all fought in the Indian wars and Mexico side by side. Most of the Military of that time were drawn to one side or the other not by the use of slavery but because of where they were born and where there homes were located. Get over trying to change history and understand it. It’s not like the people who have proud southern heritage are asking for a white history month or the white college fund to be started.
It is indeed a sorry time when folks like you wish to change history to suit your perspective of it…to rewrite it to please your self-interest. Leave it alone! Don’t you have some more important issues to address? It is sad that you have so little respect and understanding for two men who were above reproach in all that they were during their lives.
Like clockwork.
Yep. This is the best comment I’ve read so far.
“Liberty” indeed.
FRankly, we don’t have enough Holidays. I see no reason to end this one, in fact we should add a few I think. In terms of State holidays I thinkwe can find a few “Virginians” worth celebrating in this fashion.
I wonder will we not have a State holiday say in 2030 or round abouts for Doug Wilder? And if not, why?
The Jason Kenney post over at Bearing Drift may ring true in some regard Viv. but the fact remains we cannot let those people who indeed disgraced the legacies of these great Virginians. What we must “fix” and endeavor to address is calling out those cowards who would use men such as these for there own agenda by throwing up the true history of these men in the context of their era.
A huge research project in college was on Jackson and concentrated on the pre-war Jackson and trust me when I tell you had Jackson lived during our Civil Rights movement he would have been in the front of the march along side those heroes. The fact that so litte is truly known about this man is tied to how people distorted his legacy to benefit themselves and now we are all stuck with it. That simply is not fair and that is what we must “fix” IMHO.
Let them what? Can you clear this up for me?
Sorry Mark, my head got to far ahead of me. We should not let those that would use these men as swords for their own cowardice or ignorance filled agendas to tarnish the true legacy of these great men and we should expose them for exactly what they are by illuminating the true character of these men to dismiss such myths perpetrated upon our history. Case in point, if during segregation in the Deep South the Stars and Baers was used to signify or illustrate a meaning beyond its intent in the 1860’s we should not dismiss those that lined up behind it in the lense of the that agenda but the lense of the 1860’s in which they lived. We must remember our State Flag was carried right next to the Stars and Bars by Virginia regiments….should our State Flag be tarnished in the same manner through the lense of modern thought?
As a proud Virginian, I was raised to admire great men and women in history who were exceptional during their time. Robert E. Lee, my dear woman, was a noble, reverent, and highly decent man who served brilliantly and galliantly in defense of a state’s right to succeed. You need to read a bit more history as you obviously don’t understand that Lee-Jackson Day is not to honor the Civil War but to simply honor a man and his accomplishments. Lee detested the war but Mr. Lincoln forced his hand and Robert E. Lee was a soldier’s soldier and chose to defend his home state of Virginia and her people. How dare you tamper with my Virginia history!
The problem, of course, is that Carla’s parents not only failed her, but that she’s probably failing her own children by perpetuating such nonsense. I used to think that things like this would simply die with time. I’ve come to realized, however, that when you have people who have nothing else but some imaginary past to hold on to, the remain incredible committed to pretending as if there were actually something to it.
Kind MB, Sir, please read your history books that obviously gather dust as there is nothing I have stated that is in least bit imagined about the history of these fine Virginia gentlemen. The honorable job my parents did to this day enables me to stand toe to toe with you in any arena a defend the South’s history. My only hope is that your lack of knowledge does not fail our future Virginians and dilute it’s rich past.
Carla, I see that you’re a victim of an affliction found throughout the Commonwealth – you mistake politeness for intelligence. Here’s let me help you a bit:
There, fixed that for you. I can go on, of course, but that little worldview you’ve got yourself wrapped up in is pretty tight – not a lot of stuff gets in there, it seems. I imagine that that’s why you (and others like you) seem so terrified whenever someone suggests it open up a bit.