Apparently, America is bent on tearing down all of its statues of historical figures.

Seems surreal, doesn’t it?

Except it is, unfortunately, all too real, and it looks like next to go will be statues of the man lionized in popular culture as the discoverer of America, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

As you surely could have guessed, Bill de Blasio, the ultra-liberal mayor of New York City, is now caught up in the wave of enthusiasm toward removing so many memorials to the various “architects” of the country known now as the United States of America.

According to the Observer, de Blasio has ordered a 90-day review of the city’s statues and other monuments. The specific purpose of the review is to vet each display to see if they pass some sort of purity test on the basis of whatever historical links they have.

In a statement emailed to the Observer, de Blasio spokesman Ben Sarle said, “The Columbus statue is obviously one that will get very immediate attention because there’s been tremendous concern raised about it. When the guidelines/criteria for review are set by the commission, we will make sure they are available to the public.”

Needless to say, news of this “review” is not sitting well with everyone in ethnically-diverse New York. Staten Island Councilman Joe Borelli (R) fired off a letter to the mayor, insisting that his office needs to create a “clear and concise document” outlining the criteria that will be used to determine if a statue or other monument is to be removed from public.

“Although your intentions may be well placed, I fear that an examination into these particular statues, as well as the many others the city hopes to ‘review,’ will present complex and cloudy historical interpretations that will only serve to deepen gaps between people of New York with different backgrounds and historical worldviews,” Borelli. “I will also bluntly remind you that it will not change the history of those they commemorate, controversial or otherwise.”

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large