Virginia is an odd state: It sits on the line between North and South and exhibits social patterns of both. For the left, Virginia recently placed its electoral votes in the Obama tally. Contrarily, for the right Virginia recently elected thoroughly conservative Governor Bob McDonnell, who ten days ago declared April to be Confederate History Month.

As a politically disparate bunch, Virginians did not allow the decision for a Confederate History Month to be proclaimed without controversy. The move arouses two disputable questions about Virginia: One, is Virginia moving to the right; and two, is a Confederate History Month ethically right?

The former question is easier to address than the latter: It would appear Virginians are losing faith in liberal government. Virginia seemed to sway left during the 2008 Presidential Elections after severe disappointment in the Bush White House.  Many Virginians, even Conservatives, had begun to lose faith in the capabilities of Republican leadership and helped vote Obama into the Oval Office.

But since 2008 the allure and charm of Obama has faded in the Old Dominion. Among other events, the financial crisis has done the most to tarnish Virginia’s congeniality with the left. With expensive financial planning and enormous bailouts from Washington, Virginians have simply not been comfortable with the level of Federal spending. So it is no surprise that McDonnell was able to walk into office using electoral talking points lauding minimal spending and fiscal conservatism.

But the second question is slightly more subjective: Is a Confederate History Month ethically appropriate? Many would say no. Outrage has arisen across the country. The NAACP has done everything short of a second March on Washington to voice its outrage. And this outrage is fully understandable. The Confederacy has become a symbol of slavery, oppression of African Americans and horrendous human rights abuses that still hold notable pungency today.

And yet, it could be argued that the Confederacy in truth represented far more than just a racially oppressive band of socially archaic traitors. Indeed, at the time of the American Civil War, the overwhelming majority of southern citizens (roughly 98.5 percent) did not own slaves. Further, the origins of the Civil War can be traced to a variety of tensions between the North and South including a disparity in economic systems, disagreements on ideal political structure, arguments over the rights of state governments and a general fear of Federal oppression by southern citizens. The Confederacy, it could be argued, represented a lifestyle that had much to do with culture and very little to do with slavery.

Considering that the common perception of the Confederacy is of a simplistic and oppressive entity, a month promoting a deeper understanding of the Confederacy’s history would appear to be warranted. April was designated as a “history” month of the Confederacy, not a month of celebration or honor for it. History is as much about understanding mistakes made in the past as it is about celebrating past successes.

Yet, whatever the importance of understanding American history in all its complexity, a month dedicated to Confederate history is a poor idea. The Confederacy elicits well-warranted and powerful negative emotions from African Americans. It serves as a historic symbol for oppression and racial intolerance in America and is overtly inflammatory. Naming April a Confederate History Month is far too easily interpreted as a dramatic racial slight. Whatever McDonnell’s intentions were, the decision smacks of intolerance.

Further, it appears that the move was made primarily as a political maneuver by McDonnell to latch electoral support among proponents of southern pride. Such a move suggests a superficial willingness to ignore cultural sensitivities in favor of political support.

Politically, the Governor’s proclamation appears to be a tactless move to garner support at the polls. Ethically, the decision seems to be a step in the wrong direction as well. And whatever social and political intricacy was present in the Confederacy of 1860, a Confederate History Month today articulates a stark offensive tone.

For a state whose motto cries “Thus Always to Tyrants,” establishing a Confederate History Month simply seems ironic.