Paterno's halo removed from mural [my not very politically correct rant]

Well, for starters, I can't imagine why any human would want a halo.  They're for saints and that's that.

This does, of course, indicate galloping revisionism underway at Penn State.  I don't find that especially impressive. 

The next step will be to remove Paterno's statue.  And, frankly, should that happen, I think that's too bad.  Cowardly on the part of the university.  I wasn't impressed when Mississippi removed Theodore Bilbo's statue from the Old Capitol rotunda and placed it in the basement.  

What comes next in these affairs is the sorry business of rewriting published history and other existent books.  If you don't like what a book says, get a new one written.

When Stalin fell into disfavor, his many, statues were toppled or otherwise removed.  When the USSR ostensibly hit its twilight, there was some removal of Lenin statues -- but that slowed and stopped.  And I understand that Lenin is now viewed favorably by most Russians and related folks.

About ten years ago, I did see on E-Bay an available Lenin statue in one of the Baltic countries.  It was listed as about 18 feet high and the price was around 30,000 bucks.  Shipping was about $20,000.  Lucky we couldn't afford it or I might have been  tempted to grab it for our back yard.  I suppose, though, the neighbors might have raised their eyebrows a little, not so much because Lenin was/is Lenin, but it would be a little out-of-scenery here in rustic Idaho.

Twenty years or so ago, there was a move to rename a small street in the Black section of Jackson, Mississippi -- from Rose Street to Salter Street.  That was based on a pretty thorough beating I received from several police on that street -- in broad daylight and in front of many newsmen, neighborhood people, and about 100 Tougaloo students of mine who were being arrested for marching non-violently.  (I was arrested, too.)  But the re-name effort never got anywhere, I lost no sleep over it, and, in time I changed my name to Gray. "A rose is a rose is a rose."

And History is History.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/14/12743438-artist-removes-joe-paternos-halo-from-penn-state-mural?lite

HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis 
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk 
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ 
and Ohkwari' 
Member, National Writers Union AFL-CIO
www.hunterbear.org 
(much social justice material)
 
See the Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father]:
http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm
(Expanded and with more photos in June, 2012.)
 
For the new, just out (11/2011) and expanded/updated
edition of my "Organizer's Book," JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- 
with a new and substantial introduction by me.  We are now at 
the 50th Anniversary of the massive Jackson Movement of
1962-63.
http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm
 
And see My Community Organizing Mini-Course -- with much 
down to earth how-to material and updated into 2012:
http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm