re: Thoughts on Mayor Landrieu's speech before the removal of the monuments?

It was a well written speech and it's been catnip to those who already agreed with Mitch. But if you read it more carefully and aren't already inclined to cheer the toppling of the statues, you see a post hoc explanation that often evades reality. People leaving the city because of statues? Hmmm. A man using these four statues - or any statue, for that matter - as a teaching point with his daughter? These are mere rhetorical devices when the actual statues (other than Liberty Place) were the subject of very little, if any, controversy before. The mayor affects a conciliatory tone, saying that it is now time for us all to come together, but he took no action to help achieve such unity; e.g., taking down Liberty Monument, but leaving some or all of the others as statues of men, with all their strengths, imperfections, and inconsistencies. (See Condi Rice's comments). No, Mitch went scorched earth and prevailed. Bully for him. But to achieve unity you have to give a little something, too, or at least acknowledge the possibility of good faith in the thoughts and, yes, feelings of those with whom you disagree. In failing to do so throughout the process, Mitch ensured that his speech, however well written, would fail to move us any closer to unity.