Confederate Monuments

I think I have a interesting perspective about Confederate monuments. I suggest all of them that are in existence above the Mason-Dixon line be destroyed. Once in southern territories I think I view it differently and here is why:
In 1995 I started a new job and they sent me to Raleigh North Carolina for some training. I stayed in the downtown Holiday Inn and did not have a rental car. The first aspect of my attitude was developed when I took a shuttle ride from the airport located near the midpoint between Duke and North Carolina State University's. The driver was a very friendly black man we talked the whole way. He was a North Carolina state fan and I told him I hated Duke but thought the world of North Carolina. He said when either of those 3 teams played each other the whole state got involved and there was a unending line of cars adding to the University where the game was. As we drove to the hotel our conversation ran out and I just look out the windows. It was pine forest as far as I could see. I felt like I could see the ghosts the runaway slaves were tracked down by men in white robes and torches. Was quite sobering. It would've been very difficult to get away from your slave owner in that setting.
We had very long lunch periods at this training and we were only a few blocks from downtown Raleigh. I took a walk one day and it was quite interesting passing buildings that were over 200 years. When I got to downtown there was a courthouse in square. Walk around the square and was amazed at the number of Confederate "war heroes" that abounded. I imagine if I were black I would find these very intimidating and make me feel as if I was not welcome there.
So my suggestion for statues below the Mason-Dixon line would be for one to be a mounted, fairly large, next to it a reminder to everyone that the South lost the war! I traveled for work quite often was in Virginia. One weekend I stayed over and traveled to Virginia. I went to the Museum of the Confederacy. It was quite interesting. It is very clear from the displays that South Carolina led the south end of the war, Virginia was the main battlefield and suffered the most damage North Carolina was the one that sent the most soldiers was the last to surrender. I then toured Jefferson Davis's home while he was president of the Confederacy. There was a very attractive college-aged southern lady and she gave the tour. It was very clear from her presentation that to her the war was not over yet and she hated the Yankees. One of the times I was at a vendor one of the workers I came in brief contact with had a sign in his toolbox that showed a man hunting deer and the caption was "I'd rather be hunting Yankees". I did not really take it personally even though I am a Yankee for the most part, though my mother was from Missouri and very southern. It was clear from my visits that many of them were brought up to think there was still a war on. So I think if we put a large stone pillar or gravestone shape that said "the South lost the war, get over it" it would be very good in my opinion.
Raising my children, we lived in a very small town in eastern Iowa. It was less than 500 people but had a school that went from kindergarten to high school. Every day the school parking was full of cars of students. There was one in particular that was a pickup truck and on the side of the bed it put a very very large Confederate flag. It drove around a lot after school. One day I was going for a walk and that truck came roaring by. I imagine if I had been a black man I might have bordered on terror and worry that the truck full of white "rednecks" might stop and hassle or even assault me. I'm sure that these young fellows did not really feel that way but just wanted to let everyone know that they were "rebels" and lean toward being bad boys. They often wore shirts with the sleeve toward off and they were truly redneck hicks. I doubt that any of them really grasp the significance of the rebel flag but the meeting would not be lost on people of color. I would be happy if that flag and the Nazi flag were banned. We live in a free country but remember "stupid is as stupid does".
I also have an opinion on the group "black lives matter" that will be for another day.