Even in 1865, when defeat became certain Confederate leaders like Jefferson Davis were busy working to concoct a Lost-Cause mythology, explaining and justifying their actions -- and the terrible deaths of hundreds of thousands of our nation's best young men.
The resulting Lost-Cause mythology is pretty simple, consistent, beautifully tragic, and has been taught to many young Southerners along with their mother's milk.
The problem is: it's pure historical fantasy, bearing little relationship to what factually happened, and why.
But the old Lost Cause mythology served a serious purpose for generations, especially the 100+ years when most Southerners were also Democrats, and easily they found sympathy among Northern Democrats for their anti-Republican beliefs.
But today, anti-Republican mythology is never going to wash with fellow Republican descendants of those who were actually there, and those who really care about history over propaganda.
We will always object and push-back to the best of our abilities.
But many of those children from long ago who learned the Lost Cause mythology today just can't let go of it, won't let go of it, and often become angry and abusive when challenged by real facts.
So they come on threads like this to vent their beliefs & frustrations.
The rest of us volunteer, at our best, to provide historical facts, reasons and hopefully tough-love comfort to people who grew up believing a Big Lie.
Of course, they seldom see it that way, and we are often more tough than love -- hence the friction, heat and even flames you sometimes see erupt.
So, the short answer to your question is: we're here because Lost Causers are here, and we try to stay as long as they do.
