A good share of the 15 pages of submissions were serious. However, a large number poked fun at this ridiculous scenario. That the reputation of an honorable man such as General Lee -- though a product of his time, a classic example of a forward-thinking man who was gracious in defeat -- would be swept-up in a nationwide witch hunt against anything related to the Rebel flag or the former Confederacy is a slap in the face to we Southerners. One can honor Lee while still opposing what the South stood for.
Then things got a little more ridiculous. Case in point (via Twitter):
"Disgraceful?" Surely she doesn't mean all of them!
We don't have anything against Erin Cargile, and find her to be an excellent weekend news anchor for KXAN and an even-tempered reporter. She even got to the bottom of the Upper Deck traffic jam today.
But are the following names "disgraceful?" Erin may wish to apologize to the following gracious people and/or their estates:
Abraham Lincoln
Ada Lovelace
[George] Armstrong Custer
Art Acevedo
Ayn Rand
President Obama (hey, he is the president)
Barbara C. Jordan
Bruce Lee
Carole Keeton
Christie McAuliffe
Tom Landry
All Confederate Heroes
Drew Brees
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Fred Cantu (rival news station, we suppose)
G[eorge] Bush
[Simon] Garfunkel
George Santayana
George Washington
Harriet Tubman
Heman Sweatt
Henry Flipper
Jefferson Davis
Jimmy Carter
John Dewey
John F. Kennedy
Jose Antonio Navarro
Kirk Watson
Laura Bush
Leonardo da Vinci
Mack Brown
Gordon Granger
Martin Luther King Jr.
Maya Angelou
Gov. Miriam A. Ferguson
Nat Turner
Nikola Tesla
Quannah Parker
Cactus Pryor
Bob Armstrong
Robert E. Lee
Rosa Parks
Sally Ride
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Theodore Roosevelt
Ulysses S. Grant
W.E.B. DuBois
Walter E. Long
William Tecumseh Sherman
Willie Nelson
Ronald Reagan
By the way, here's the list of finalists announced by AISD today:
"Barbara Smith Conrad — Internationally acclaimed African-American opera star who completed her studies at the University of Texas despite discrimination-based setbacks.
Bettie Mann — Beloved former Lee Elementary School teacher of more than 35 years and the first African-American educator at Lee Elementary School.
Elisabet Ney — Celebrated sculptor and neighborhood resident who emmigrated [sic] from Germany and is the subject of a popular local museum.
Harper Lee — Iconic American novelist best known for “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Kenneth Ragsdale — Former Austin ISD director of music and founder of the band program at Lee Elementary School.
Russell Lee — Neighborhood resident, founding University of Texas photography professor and a critically acclaimed Depression-era photographer.
Waller Creek — Notable local geographic feature shared by neighborhoods served by Lee Elementary School.
Wheeler’s Grove — Original name of Eastwoods Park, a longtime Juneteenth celebration site and gathering space for historic freedman’s community."The Travis Tracker recommends either of the two "Lee" names be selected for the sake of respecting local history as well as to save taxpayer dollars by not having to change anything that simply says "Lee Elementary."
We also believe strongly in school choice and dream of a return to neighborhood-based schools that reflect the ideological diversity of our greater communities. Any of the names we cited here would be worthy titles for these smaller, localized schools.
The list of all original submissions can be found here (in Erin's defense, some are indeed disgraceful -- though we're a little fond of Schoolie McSchoolface and its variants).
UPDATES: (4/25): Local broadcaster Leland Freeman suggests we should add pro wrestler John Cena to the list. Duly noted!
(4/26): Erin McLemore clarified via Twitter: "... I have nothing against @realDonaldTrump, @ArtAcevedo or @drewbrees. It's Hitler and Adam Lanza I have a problem with."
Schoolie McSchoolface!!!
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