A response to MARJDI

October 12th, 2021
By Christopher Shilts

This is my response to MARJDI's August 20th letter to the editor of the Manistee News Advocate. The original would have been 487 words, but the advocate refused to publish it.

Dear MARJDI,

I would like to know, how was my letter threatening to anyone? I've been trying to work that out for months.

It is true that the native tribes lost much of their lands to Europeans. But what did Indians do to each-other? I think a good place to start your education would be the Crow Creek Massacre. Since this was an Indian on Indian massacre, you have probably never heard of it. Around the 14th century in what is present day South Dakota, at least 486 people were killed. Most of the remains showed signs of ritual mutilation, particularly scalping. Other violent acts included the removal of tongues, smashing of teeth, decapitations, and the severing of hands and feet. Scalping was done to men, women, and children. It is not known whether the victims were dead when these things were done to them.

By what criteria do you judge whether or not land belongs to a people, and in what manners can it be stolen? How do you judge pre-contact conflicts, where one tribe annihilates another and then lays claim to that land? How much time must pass before conquered land can legitimately belong to another people? Or are you only concerned when Europeans conquer land from non-Europeans?

We could go into the details of the Indian Wars between Europeans and the native tribes. There were atrocities committed by both sides. I'm sure you're well versed on every story about European aggression, and the breaking of treaties with the Indians. But how often do you hear about the Jamestown Massacre? For centuries Europeans on the frontier lived in constant fear of Indian attacks. It wasn't uncommon for men to be slaughtered, and women taken captive as sex slaves. But you're unlikely to learn about these harrowing stories today, as they have run afoul of the anti-European narrative in which our people are always depicted in a bad light. Perhaps someday it will be possible to tell the story of conflicts honesty, from both sides' perspective. In our current zeitgeist there must always be a villain and a victim- and the role of villian is given almost exclusively to people of European heritage.

You also claim that our cities were largely built by black slaves. I would like to know if you believe that holds true for Manistee? What about the heart of the George Floyd riots, Minneapolis-St Paul? That city was built by Europeans, largely of Scandinavian descent. Up until about 1940 the census had it at 99% white. Diversity brought division, violent crime, and gangs. I recommend checking out American Renaissance's Great Replacement series, which you can find here, along with an assortment of stories on the subject.

Your group further makes a general statement that the removed monuments were to "brutality, genocide, and treasonous actions against this country". Included in the long list of people you malign are Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Statues of all of them were either destroyed by vandals, or removed by governments post George Floyd. Additionally Statues to both the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ were decapitated. As for the confederate soldiers and officers, what would you have wanted them to do? Their states had voted to leave the union. Fighting against their friends, family, and communities on behalf of a foreign government sounds a lot more like treason to me, than standing with their states and people in the tradition of America's founders.

As monuments to western civilization are torn down, new ones to other peoples take their place. These are not the actions of those who wish to live along side us and build a more perfect union; but rather those of conquerors, who are actively humiliating my people in an effort to subjugate us. Why are only Europeans being asked to feel ashamed of their ancestors and history? Countless atrocities were committed against us by other peoples who have never apologized. Rather than condemning us, the world should be thanking us for ending slavery, curing terrible diseases, and building civilizations that have been the world's envy.

Growing up, I thought we had put past grievances behind us, and were working to build a better future for everyone in the country. What good can come of constantly attacking our heritage, and reminding us of every bad thing members of our race ever did on this earth? For this to even begin to be a fair process, we'd have to dredge up every bad thing members of other races did on the planet. Far from bringing people together, this process of racial blame creates more division and hatred.

You end your lecture with a half truth by reciting Lazarus’ 1883 poem The New Colossus. The plaque was placed at the base of the statue of Liberty in 1903. It wasn't until 1965 that non-Europeans could immigrate en mass to this country. Now my people are rapidly becoming a hated minority in a country that was founded for them.

~Christopher Shilts

Editor in Chief of Manistee Speaks.

P.S. I would like to thank Dorothy Batzer for speaking out in defense of me. I read her letter, and appreciate it.

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