Senator Tammy Duckworth, Fox News presenter and George Washington statues

Personally I am against pulling down statues in the United States that have any link to either the wrong side of the Civil War or the history of slavery. We are all grown-ups, we can surely understand and put into historical context the reasons for putting up these statues in the first place without today needing to tear them down because they don't fit in with our 21st century way of thinking. Better to have no statues at all than vandalise ones that are deemed to be politically, morally or socially unacceptable. On that basis all statues of George Washington, the first United States president, should be thrown onto the scrapheap because he had black slaves working for him. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois has dared to suggest that it might be a good idea to at least discuss the merits and otherwise of keeping George Washington statues because of his association with slavery. She has every right to make her views clear, and it's not like she has tried to pull a George Washington statue down or throw red paint at it. But she has become the focus of a vicious attack by Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson on her integrity and patriotism and very existence. It's not pleasant watching. For anyone who doesn't know about Senator Duckworth, there are a few necessary pieces of information which are crucial if you want to understand why the Carlson attack is so gross and unacceptable and juvenile. She is a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the US Army and served in the Iraq War. Her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents in November 2004 and as a result she was grievously injured, losing both her legs. She fought and nearly died for her country, and instead of spending the rest of her life angry and depressed and bitter, she became a senator to carry on her fight for the country she loves. She is an extraordinary woman. She is also now, as a result of her courage and tenacity and determination and patriotism, being considered as a possible vice presidential running mate for Joe Biden for the November election. Maybe the fact that she has a Thai mother (and a white American veteran father) has something to do with the Carlson tirade. But for him to dismiss her patriotism is beyond forgiveness. She recovered and received her two prosthetic legs when she was treated at the Walter Reed military hospital in Washington. I have been to this hospital. It's full of the most amazing people. Men and women who have suffered the most appalling injuries in war and yet retain an extraordinary sense of purpose and determination to carry on with their lives, some of them even demanding to get back to the frontline. This is true courage. So for the rest of her life Tammy Duckworth deserves the greatest respect and thanks for her sacrifice, not the sort of abuse she has received at the hands of this TV presenter. Who knows, if she is chosen as Biden's running mate and he wins and serves just one term, she could even end up being president of the United States. Ha!