Fox News pundit Todd Starnes has spent the past few days attacking pastors and elected officials, Republican and Democratic alike, who have called for the removal of the Confederate flag and other Confederate memorials from South Carolina state property following the Charleston church shooting.
Starnes, the network’s resident culture-warrior, who has lamented the South’s loss in the “War of Northern Aggression,” accused advocates of removing Confederate symbols of “cultural cleansing,” a common refrain of Confederate apologists.
“Maybe they could just paint a rainbow flag on top and call it the General Sherman,” Starnes wrote on Fox Nation yesterday. “He culturally cleansed the South, too.”
Starnes followed this article with a complete meltdown on Twitter, defending not only the Confederate flag but also statues honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He likened the removal of the Confederate flag to the violence and destruction of shrines perpetrated by ISIS, along with actions taken by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
Sherman culturally cleansed the South, too. Just ask Atlanta. http://t.co/BiIRYZ5HKj
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
Stalin and Lenin would’ve so proud…http://t.co/dpc5QL5pjn
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
The Islamic State has been doing some cultural cleansing, too. http://t.co/dpc5QL5pjn
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
Will the ERLC call for a ban on bed linens? http://t.co/FGX8nu4J0u
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 21, 2015
In my quest to be politically correct – I have burned my white bed sheets.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
Tennessee’s Republican governor wants to remove bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from statehouse #culturalcleansing
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
RINOs are leading the charge to culturally cleanse the Southern States.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
Alabama’s governor orders Confederate flag removed from capitol. #culturalcleansing
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
Mitch McConnell (D-KY) wants Jefferson Davis statue removed from KY statehouse http://t.co/WNq2ZomMZc #culturalcleansing
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 24, 2015
WAPOST: “The Confederate battle flag is an American swastika” What ignorance. http://t.co/T7zeElmvPD
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 21, 2015
