Let’s say it was reasonable to question whether Americans who took up the Confederate cause should be memorialized in and by our military institutions. Accept that a commission formed to investigate the question can do no harm. An objective view of the pros and cons might be interesting and even healthy for the citizens of the republic to ponder. The problem is that we got a dystopian commission hell bent on disparaging anyone and anything associated with the Confederate States of America. Here are the dishonest tactics they used.

Claims Without Attribution or Evidence – This is from the report: “The defeated Confederates lived in the literal ruins of the slave society they had fought to perpetuate”. There is no citation or evidence provided for this claim. They want you to believe it is common knowledge. It is not. The report claims A.P. Hill was a “slave owner”. They do not provide evidence for this, and many sources say he was not.

Blatant Plagiarism – Much of section on the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery is a copy of the Alington National Cemetery website. There is no indication that anything in this section of the report is directly quoted.

Present Only Evidence that Supports Your Claim – The Confederate Memorial section is the best example of this. They don’t mention Moses Ezekiel or that in 1914 Union veterans attended the dedication.

Don’t Define Evaluation Criteria – The US Congress stipulated that names could be changed where it was shown the person “served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.” This sounds straightforward, but it can get complicated. People resigned United States commissions and joined State militias before secession was official in their State. Then some of the militias transferred to the Confederate Army. The Naming Commission never described their criteria and, in most cases, did not present evidence that the person in question volunteered for service.

These are only a few examples of the tactics used and the associated evidence. The report is a disgrace and as a country we deserved better. The lack of a fair process will damage the country in the coming decades more than a fort in Georgia named for a little-known Georgian.