Really? Mississippi license plate plan exercise in 'Are you kidding?'

It might seem like it is not really even worth discussing, the plan by some people in Mississippi to honor Nathan Bedford Forrest -- the early founder of the Ku Klux Klan.

He redeemed himself later, some people say.

And it really is about raising money to promote the preservation of a piece of American history, they add.

But why in the world would anyone pick someone with so checkered a past to be the spokesmodel for their new fundraising license plate?

Someone must have a screw loose when they came up with this one.

There are plenty of ways to mark the preservation of the history of the Confederacy -- and other ways to raise money.

Picking a general with questionable ties and slapping him on a license plate is just simply a bad idea.

There will always be a conflict over recognizing the role of the Confederacy in the Civil War. Some say those who fought did so for the right of their states to determine their own destinies, while others simply see the fight as a dark period in American history and the precursor to the abuse and prejudice against blacks. So, the topic is incendiary in the first place.

Allowing this plate would not be the right decision, and someone in authority in Mississippi needs to stand up and say so -- soon.

Published in Editorials on February 10, 2011 10:56 AM