Working on: eating crackers and cheese
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So the KKK has been in the news here lately. Seems an auctioneer has a robe he is auctioning for a man living in Florida. The town, which has a historical connection with the KKK, is upset that this robe is being auctioned off and decided to do something about it.

My problem? Twofold. I think this town council is reacting a little too defensively. And what's next? Books we don't like because they are racist? Oh yeah, they tried to do that with Huck Finn already.

Second, and more importantly, it's history. Yes, it's history that angers the majority of people. A KKK robe is a symbol of hate, violence, and ignorance that was prevalent in many parts of our country and still is. However, a society that wants to learn from its past must save the good and bad, not destroy it. How else can you teach future generations about the horrors of the past unless you can show that it happened? Already people try to deny the Holocaust during World War Two. Destroying the "bad" parts of your history is denying that it happened.

Most historians & teachers feel that having a primary object or document that kids can see and feel brings history alive to them. Well, that doesn't count just for the "feel good" stuff. That's why we have Holocaust museums and documentaries on the History Channel. Kids need to understand what a KKK robe stands for, and to SEE it.

I almost wish I could buy the darn thing myself and donate it to a museum. Of course, having to explain myself to the media would be a trick.