The White House just released details about building the National Garden of American Heroes — or as I prefer to think of it, the Social Studies Hall of Fame.

Some notes on what Trump won in his war against symbols:

Last summer, Trump gave a July 3 address at Mount Rushmore. His speech dwelt on vandalism and symbolism. He compared the effort to suppress BLM protests to America's participation in WWII.

That was the roll-out for the National Garden of American Heroes: https://t.co/pSoQPopEop
Trump signed another executive order on June 26 on monuments and memorials. This order spelled out severe consequences for people accused of destroying federal *and even state* memorials, including sentences of up to 10 years. https://t.co/XfrdVAnczW
Trump's order on monuments was hugely consequential. Lawfare obtained a DHS document authorizing "expanded intelligence activities necessary to mitigate the significant threat to homeland security" — domestic surveillance of BLM — rooted in this order. https://t.co/dyqQ1CsUIG
Then-AG Bill Barr also found in the White House executive order on monuments the authority for "Operation Legend," the deployment of federal law enforcement to Portland and other cities. https://t.co/GKXfBjWxvP
The Trump administration used the destruction of Confederate monuments during BLM protests in June as pretext to federalize law enforcement in Portland, Albuquerque, Kansas City, and Chicago in July over the objections of state and local leaders. https://t.co/GKXfBjWxvP
BLM protesters who toppled Confederate monuments in June were met with a staggering federal response in July.

Right-wing extremists who colluded to capture Gretchen Whitmer were arrested in October. But the Michigan plot didn't trigger the same response. https://t.co/BlXYJq5IYr
Incredibly, in light of the attack on the Capitol, the White House *still* points the finger at the left. Today's order on the National Garden of American Heroes unironically says, "America has come under attack in recent months and years by a dangerous anti-American extremism."
This new White House order on statues is a master class in trolling. It cites the razing of the White House in 1812, the assassinations of Lincoln and MLK, and even 9/11. It presents the National Garden as a response to an attack of similar scale: toppled monuments.
Here's the full rundown of the Social Studies Hall of Fame: https://t.co/5P7n8G5zkJ
Hannah Arendt is on the list, which is hilarious, a sublime troll. https://t.co/EKNDJoWVPT
It goes without saying that the White House dictated the design for all 250 statues in the National Garden, a meek vision of authoritarian-realism. Kitsch over modernism: https://t.co/pSoQPopEop
On one hand, the National Garden of American Heroes smooths the edges of American history, offering Christopher Columbus and Andrew Jackson as the same class of beloved characters as Betsy Ross, Emily Dickinson, and Alex Trebek. (With affirmative action for Rehnquist and Scalia).
The more important reading of the National Garden of American Heroes — consistent over White House actions since June 2020 — is the evocation of Black Lives Matter protests as a national tragedy, on par with 9/11 or the assassinations of Lincoln and MLK. https://t.co/2zwBCQ8KRT
Lot of names to hate-read on Trump's 250 Americans list but the standouts to me are Rehnquist and Scalia. Other Supreme Court Justices who don't make the cut: Story, Holmes, Brennan, Hughes, O'Connor. Obviously Warren is out but Scalia beat freaking John Marshall!
FIRST LOOK at National Garden of American Heroes. Collect them all!!

More from Politics

Trump is gonna let the Mueller investigation end all on it's own. It's obvious. All the hysteria of the past 2 weeks about his supposed impending firing of Mueller was a distraction. He was never going to fire Mueller and he's not going to


Mueller's officially end his investigation all on his own and he's gonna say he found no evidence of Trump campaign/Russian collusion during the 2016 election.

Democrats & DNC Media are going to LITERALLY have nothing coherent to say in response to that.

Mueller's team was 100% partisan.

That's why it's brilliant. NOBODY will be able to claim this team of partisan Democrats didn't go the EXTRA 20 MILES looking for ANY evidence they could find of Trump campaign/Russian collusion during the 2016 election

They looked high.

They looked low.

They looked underneath every rock, behind every tree, into every bush.

And they found...NOTHING.

Those saying Mueller will file obstruction charges against Trump: laughable.

What documents did Trump tell the Mueller team it couldn't have? What witnesses were withheld and never interviewed?

THERE WEREN'T ANY.

Mueller got full 100% cooperation as the record will show.
This is partly what makes it impossible to have a constructive conversation nowadays. The stubborn refusal to accept that opposition to Trumpism and GOP nationalism is about more than simply holding different beliefs about things in and of itself. 👇


It's fine for people to hold different beliefs. But that doesn't mean all beliefs deserve equal treatment or tolerance and it doesn't mean intolerance of some beliefs makes a person intolerant of every belief which they don't share.

So if I said I don't think Trumpism deserves to be tolerated because it's just a fresh 21st century coat of cheap paint on a failed, dangerous 20th century ideology (fascism) that doesn't mean I'm intolerant of all beliefs with which I disagree. You'd think this would be obvious.

Another important facet. People who support fascist movements tend to give what they think are valid reasons for supporting them. That doesn't mean anyone is obliged to tolerate fascism or accept their proffered excuse.


Say you joined a neighborhood group that sets up community gardens and does roadside beautification projects. All good, right? Say one day you're having a meeting and you notice the President and exec board of this group are saying some bizarre things about certain neighbors.

You May Also Like