Bob McDonnell does the right thing

Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell has apologized for not including any reference to slavery in a proclamation he issued honoring Confederate History Month. McDonnell said, “the failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed.”
McDonnell did not rescind his original proclamation, nor in my view should he have. But he added the following statement to the proclamation:

. . .it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history.

As I argued earlier today, the omission of slavery from the proclamation was an outrage. I’m happy that McDonnell has realized his error, apologized for it, and fixed the proclamation.

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