Haven't listened to the podcast yet, but my feelings on the monument controversies are this: If we tear down these monuments that some deem offensive, we will lose a great teaching opportunity. Seeing a statue of, say, Robert E. Lee, we can have a discussion about why the cause he fought for was unjust. We can also talk about how he very nearly became a general for the Union Army. We could discuss all kinds of things that, without the conversation starter of the monument, we might never have otherwise.