That is the spirit of unity.”
Unfortunately, the “malice” surged exponentially after the War of Northen Aggression and “charity” was left in the dust of invading carpetbaggers. That’s why Southerners cherish their heritage and will always do so.
The black lawyer in Union Springs, AL, was clearly emboldened by the BHO administration. He shouldn't have done it. It was against the law and actions of this kind only encourage more disrespect of the law and accelerates the decline of the republic. Yeah, I know, if you don't like the law, change it.
This lawyer reminds me of Oprah Winfrey in the UK on 11/15/2013 where she said, "there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die." It cuts both ways, Oprah.
I am the offspring of a Maine Yankee and an Alabama Rebel. A great-great grandfather served in the CSA Army. One of our family lineages lost all 6 sons in the CSA Army. I was a child during the Centennial of the CW and am entering geezerhood at the end of the Sesquicentennial of the CW. Have seen, read, and learned a lot.
Both sides of my grandparents welcomed their new SIL/DIL with open arms and no reservations when my parents married during the early 1950s.
On 1 of our family road trips during my youth (age 16) to Maine from the deep south, we stopped at Gettysburg. Got to see the Cyclorama there. I remember seeing the photos on the walls of all the carnage and it occurred to me that "they were all dead Americans."
In my college years at the Unv. of Georgia, the "Dixie" Red Coat Marching band jammed for half an hour after every game. The student body ate it up. The band always finished their post-game set with "Tara's Theme" from "GWTW". At that time in my youth, it was fun.
That said, I have grown tired of seeing "the Lost Cause" celebrated. I heard a member of the League of the South deliver a speech on Confederate Memorial Day on the capitol ground of Montgomery a few years back. He said that at the time of the CW, the "South was practicing the purest form of Christianity in the nation." I can't stomach that bile.
The 1860 Census statistics showed that ~35% of southern states households held slaves. As with any statistic, it breaks down further with most of those households owning <20 slaves. Only a very small minority held >100 slaves. My point being, the majority of white households in the south were drug into the CW by the large planters and bankers. Most of the illiterate farmers in the south fought because the "Union was there" in their frontyard.
The CW was an immense tragedy, and with human nature being what it is, unavoidable. With TJ's stirring line in the DoI, "all men are created equal", all of the Founders must have known that a reckoning day was coming. Alexis de Tocqueville sure did in 1840. And ~700,000 white soldiers perished over 4 years during the fight to end slavery - which we know was not the original goal of POTUS #16 AL.
We hear how the German people have worked hard to confront the history of the Nazis and have moved on. Good on them. The Japanese have yet to do so. While I still retain my interest in the CW, I no longer care to identify with the CSA. For those who want to decorate veteran cemeteries, that's fine by me. It will be a good day for the nation when the few southern states that still officially recognize Confederate Memorial Day decide to strike that observance from the books.
While I continue to cherish the "Stars and Stripes", I now identify more closely with ...
