Concluding that crimes such as the racial incident in Charleston have "nothing to do with Robert E. Lee" and other important public images, is very short-sighted indeed ("Don't besmirch Lee's name," June 25). Symbols are very powerful tools used by all countries including our own to motivate people to fight against real or perceived enemies. While the intent may have been to honor a controversial figure such as General Lee or the South, it is a double-edged sword and needs to clearly be seen as dangerous, precisely because there are non-thinking or even deranged people who view these images.
Robert E. Lee was a traitor to this country and in another war situation he would have been executed. It was the right decision for a weary and sad nation to move forward. His qualities as a human being and a general were over-powered by the breaking of his oath to defend his country. Honorable people can make bad decisions. His decision cost the United States many lives and much sorrow. Dwight D. Eisenhower's defense of Lee came at the Republican National Convention of 1960 when Mr. Eisenhower was trying to set the stage for the next Republican president during a strongly Democratic south. President Eisenhower was also a general and southerner and as susceptible as most of us are to strong family and regional prejudices. During that same speech he said, "I will do almost anything to avoid turning my chair and my country over to [John F.] Kennedy."
Luaine Carey, Reistertown