It’s ironic to think that a state that, not even two years ago, delivered for President Barack Obama during the presidential election has now declared April as Confederate History Month.

Bob McDonnell, Republican governor of Virginia, has decided to dig through the darkest cobwebs of the state’s history, probably in order to boost tourism. While this may seem like a bizarre move, given the infamous and immoral values that the Confederacy battled for, it is not Gov. McDonnell’s primary reason for using the month to celebrate.

Rather, the purpose of the celebration is to honor the Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War. What looms over the public’s mind is whether we can recognize a soldier’s service for a cause that was unjust, even though it sought to preserve states’ rights. Can we consider the soldiers of the Confederacy to be just as valiant and worthy of veneration as those who were on the front lines in world wars I and II?

The real unspoken question may be whether or not we can commemorate the service of the Confederate soldiers without invoking slavery. The two seem to be inextricably linked and it is hard to separate the service from the cause. Most people observe the cause for service, not the service in spite of the cause.

When we memorialize those who served in world wars I and II, almost no one fails to mention its cause: that we fought in the name of saving the world for democracy. The service of Confederate soldiers should be no different. So, while the Confederate cause was flawed, are the Confederates worth remembering for the sake of their service?

It’s important to think of McDonnell’s motivation in honoring this month; what has the once highly esteemed Party of Lincoln come to? It was only 150 years ago when one of the central tenets of the Republican Party was to abolish slavery and use the era of Reconstruction to establish civil rights.

Now, the party is attempting to reverse its ideals yet again by promoting the convictions that they once condemned. This was the war that ultimately shaped the political and electoral map for time to come. It is rare to see seismic shifts in the map, though in this past election Virginia and North Carolina went for Obama.

The Radical Republicans that upheld equality for blacks after the Civil War have no resemblance to the GOP that stands today. Though they represent different values and ideals, they share one thing in common: radicalism. Today’s “Radical Republicans” stand for the wrong things.

It is not about supporting what is right in the face of what might be favorable at the moment — most notably at this time, health care reform. It is about trying to gain political power and hold on to the dwindling support that the far right still has. While they may invoke Lincoln’s ideals in an effort to bring the Grand Old Party back to its former glory, what they should heed is the power of equality in reinforcing what was right throughout the times of conflict in history.