First of two parts

The thinking man’s City Councilman, Jim Clarke, like the rest of America, has been pondering Charlottesville since it blew up.

Unlike the rest of America, he has advanced what will widely be seen as common-sense solutions.

Let’s start with the statues of Confederate heroes, whose destruction or disappearance ignited the rumble 13 days ago.

“It’s important to maintain the history (of the Civil War) so that people understand what happened,” Mr. Clarke said.

Context is a critical consideration.

Therefore, “I would support taking down the statues, but putting them in a park or another place where they can be moved with a full explanation of what happened.”

The Councilman said that “it is important still to maintain the the history so that people understand what happened.”

Mr. Clarke advocates confining the statues to a specific centralized location – perhaps on the order of a museum visit. Artifacts that draw visitors to high-powered museum have fared nicely without having been gaudishly distributed about the community.

That would reflect Councilman Clarke’s convictions.

“I just do not believe that Confederate statues should be maintained in places like town plazas,” he said.

As an aside, Mr. Clarke said he read where USC’s Trojan horse, Traveler, carries the same name as Gen. Robert E. Lee’s horse – and who knows how shaky his future.

“This is getting somewhat ridiculous,” said the Councilman.

(To be continued)