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The New Battle Of Gettysburg On July 1st through the 3rd back in 1863, a monumental battle took place in a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg. During those three days, the Federal army and the Confederate army suffered 53,000 casualties. Today, there is another battle and it involves monuments. This time it is the desecration of precious monuments and it must be stopped. Gettysburg appeals to two different groups of people. Those who are students of history go there to see the scene of the bloodiest battle ever on American soil. The battlefield is also a Mecca to ghost hunters. The beautiful small town may find the latter group annoying but it is tourism that feeds the economy. I personally fit into both categories. Those who have seen my website know that my first visit there was for the purpose of paranormal research. They also know that I instantly became addicted to the historical aspects of Gettysburg. Therefore, it pains me to read about the desecration of the monuments in that special park. It should hurt those who live there even more. I would hope that is true. The monuments at the National Park are not meaningless statues. They represent those who fought so hard there and the thousands who lost their lives there. Thus, it should be considered sacred ground and desecrating the monuments there is no different than desecrating a cemetery. It is also no different from burning the American flag. We see that on TV all the time and it disgusts us, as it should. The same should be true for what is taking place on the battlefield. People come from all over the world to see Gettysburg and most go there with great respect, the respect the place deserves. The overwhelming majority of ghost hunters also treat the area with respect. Yet both groups will suffer from these events. The desecration is not being done by the history buffs or the ghost hunters. It is the local youth who do this. They have no respect for the history of the battle. Perhaps growing up there has desensitized them. In truth, they have no respect for anything, including themselves. One wonders how they would feel if someone desecrated the tombstones of their departed loved ones. They are a disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves for the evil they do. And believe me, evil it is. I hope and pray that these people are arrested for the crimes they have committed. There are thousands of earthbound spirits there and they must suffer again, as if they have not already suffered enough. There has been talk about closing the park at dusk. For the paranormal researchers, that is a serious blow. They are not the ones doing the desecration and it is not happening during the hours the Park is open. The desecrations are taking place when the Park is empty. I would like to see the park kept open all night. Ghost hunters and other visitors who wish to stay late should be asked to register with the Park Rangers and I would not even mind seeing a small fee for the permits. That money could go towards repairing the monuments and adding more Park Rangers. It can also go towards providing them with firearms. The people can also serve as the eyes and the ears of the Park Rangers. It would be a win-win situation for everyone. I would like to appeal to the public to donate what they can to restore the monuments that have been destroyed. There are so many ghost hunting groups interested in the fate of Gettysburg that a lot of money will come in. I will gladly send in a check myself. I ask everyone, especially the paranormal groups to take this seriously and unite in an effort to preserve what is surely a national treasure. I challenge those who live there to take more of an interest and do what they can to help. This is a situation that cannot be over-looked. Everyone can and should play a role in protecting the area. It is heinous acts like this that can destroy something so special as Gettysburg. The time to take action is now. 2006 T. Cooney |
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