[PistolPaknMama]

I am a CT Yankee who simply calls it the War of 1861. That is the most neutral term I can come up with.

I think any American, any real American who ever read, and understood and held dear to the words "we hold these truths to be self evident" and believed that people truly had the right to govern themselves would even bother with a "neutral term". Why bother? Either you believe in the freedom to self government or you don't.

The thing is, we know who won that war and those same people are winning today. The same people who don't believe in the right of self determination. There's no neutral sides here. I respect the fact you tried to offend nobody, but sometimes the enemy of freedom just needs offending. And I don't mind doing that one bit.

God bless Dixie!

[trumandogz]

“The thing is, we know who won that war and those same people are winning. The same people who don't believe in the right of self determination.”

Sorry, but the side that lost the Civil War only cared about their self-determination to buy, sell, own and enslave human beings.

It was that desire to continue to own slaves that drove the south to abandon the Union.

I know that to be fact as that is exactly what the confederate states documented in their declarations to secede from the Union.

[Dr. Sivana]

I think any American, any real American who ever read, and understood and held dear to the words "we hold these truths to be self evident" and believed that people truly had the right to govern themselves would even bother with a "neutral term".

You won't win many allies with that approach. I firmly believe that the southern states had a right to secede and that the states would have been better off if they were allowed to, especially with no extra bloodshed.

The reason I use a neutral term is because I don't want to get sidetracked when making the case for the southern states. Pickett's Charge is not always the best strategy for battle.