Tell me, what do Leftists not hate?
Posted on 06/26/2015 5:18:17 AM PDT by HomerBohn
I am by no means a Southerner, and I don’t feel any particular affinity for the Confederate flag. However, recent events have led me to feel compelled to offer a rather simple defense for this flag, though it doesn’t hold any special meaning for me.
Ever since the Charleston shooting, the PC police have crawled out of the woodwork, and have derided the Southern battle standard as a purely racist symbol, and have demanded that it be removed from every public building in the South. There’s even a Facebook petition now that is calling for a national “burn the Confederate flag day.”
But what exactly are these people railing against? What makes this symbol so repulsive that it needs to be burned? Is it because it was flown by armies that defended a slave holding regime? Or because it was carried by supposed traitors? Or perhaps because it has been proudly displayed by white supremest organizations ever since?
Here’s the problem I have with people who froth at the mouth every time they see someone with this flag. If you’re going to burn the Confederate flag because you think it stands for racism and slavery, I suggest you get started on the American flag shortly thereafter.
If I recall correctly, and maybe my history is a little rusty so feel free to call me out on this, but didn’t the Union government accept slavery right up until the Civil War? Heck, there were plenty of Northern states that allowed slavery, which they abandoned in the early 19th century, largely for economic reasons rather than ethical concerns (and also because the British Army had liberated most of them during the Revolutionary War).
Even after the Civil War occurred, there were a few slave holding states that stayed in the Union such as Delaware, Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland. There were even slave-owning officers in the Union army. There’s a reason why the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in states that seceded. Lincoln didn’t want to anger many of his own officers, or cause any more states to leave.
And while we’re on the subject of Lincoln, let it be known that he could have cared less about the institution of Slavery. His main goal was to preserve the Union. Freeing the slaves was incidental in that process. He said so himself”
“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery.”
“If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.”
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”
And long after Lincoln was dead, the Federal government proved itself to be one of the most racist, genocidal, and imperialistic regimes in the history of the world, as they marched westward, brutally subjugating every native tribe they came across, before entering the 20th century as the world’s preeminent superpower. In this regard, the American flag is stained with more innocent blood than the Confederate flag ever was.
As for the notion that this flag is a treasonous banner, so is the American flag, a symbol that was born during the Revolutionary War.
And what of the fact that it was a symbol admired by white supremacists for decades? Well, there’s another flag that racists have often called their own.
kkk american flag
Make no mistake though, I’m not suggesting you go out and burn the American flag. If you think that, then you’ve missed the point. All I’m saying, is that’s hypocritical to hate the Confederate flag if you love the American flag.
When it comes to symbols, and these flags are symbolic figures, is that they mean different things to different people. Everyone who waves the American flag sees something unique in it. They all see the America that they want to live in, and they disregard the awful actions that have been carried out in its name.
The Confederate flag is no different. While it has been and still is a symbol that is admired by racists, I would wager that there are more non-racist Southerners who carry it. For them, it’s simply an undeniable part of their heritage; a symbol that marks a bloody milestone in their history, which has set them apart from the rest of America.
So please, if you think that the Confederate flag is solely the domain of people like Dylann Roof, I implore you to think again. It’s just a symbol, and like all symbols, it means many different things, to many different people, and those meanings will continue to change in ways we can’t imagine, long after we’re all in the ground. Quit getting hung up on what this symbol originally stood for, and recognize what it means to people today. -
That's the plan.
The leftists in charge of the country will soon demand that the Stars and Stripes be redesigned to be more "inclusive".
Indeed. The subject of separation, the topic is changed from that time, but the basic substance and desire remains unchanged. Thus ever to tyrants.
Northern states that allowed slavery
The Emancipation Proclamation freed ONLY the slaves in the Confederate states. Lincoln never believed that blacks were equal to whites. Slavery continued in the North until the 13th Amendment was ratified.
Farrakhan the mischievous muzzie has called for putting down the stars and stripes. Didn't take long. The not so Rev. Wright (Obozo’s pastor) called not for God's blessing on America, but God to damn America.
Absolutely stunning revelations of late.
Some would have us turn our entire history upside down. Sort of like what ISIS is doing half the world away.
Tell me, what do Leftists not hate?
There is one thing that the “progressives” position on the Confederate Flag issue haven’t fully considered. Granted it will take years to get to this point; but.
Once the Confederate battle Flag disappears from our collective memory how can it be used as a “progressive” rally point when it no longer has meaning?
Surrendering to bullies makes tyrants of vulgar men.
It is amazing how vindictive people can become years after an event. Folks who had nothing to do with the original struggle now become ardent prosecutors of the dead.
While most who actually lived through the events and were participants, found the courage and strength to forgive and come together, many of their descendants now choose to inflict punishments that were never intended to be meted out.
Lincoln himself believed in forgiveness and at the City Point Conference in March 1865 instructed his military commanders to be lenient...
“Regarding surrender, Lincoln said, “Let them (the Confederates) once surrender and reach their homes, they won’t take up arms again. Let them go, officers and all. I want submission and no more bloodshed… I want no one punished, treat them liberally all around. We want those people to return to their allegiance to the Union and submit to the laws.” As soon as the fighting ended, southerners “would at once be guaranteed all their rights” as citizens of the U.S.[Korn, Pursuit to Appomattox: The Last Battles, p. 76-77]”
Yes, let’s cut to chase and redesign the flag. All colors and muted; ie, entirely gray. I have an old dropcloth that would be a suitable flag. Well no, it needs a lot more fraying at the edges to symbolize this country now.
ping for later digestion
People still think the federal government is going to try and limit the expansion of slavery?
Because some use the flag for racist efforts, all flag owners are racist according to the left.
Because many Muslims are terrorists, all Muslims are terrorists. Oh wait, something wrong...
The American spirit is to tolerate various symbols around us that are reminders a mixture of things. The American spirit is not to act as a mob to destroy these symbols.
Those guys aren’t in charge.
I think this might be more what they have in mind:
No, but people still think the federal government is going to try to expand its power and limit the rights of the individual.
Try this hypothetical:
In general, who is more likely to be a patriotic American: an ex-Confederate soldier in 1880 or a black activist today? (the latter includes community organizers)
[I am by no means a Southerner...]
Did you REALLY need that disclaimer to make your post more believable?
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