d-i-x-i-e-p-i-n-g
Yes.
Well stated article. The Confederate Bashers will be here soon!
The continual redefinition of all things Dixie only as racist is intellectually dishonest.
I am not a southerner by birth but I want to fly this flag just to be in their face.
And to people who hate us, what does the American flag stand for?
One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it.The pride surrounding symbols of the Confederacy disappoints me. But as a greater fan of our First Amendment, I accept that others express it.
What many people don't remember, or would rather not know is that many black slave owners believed in their rights to own slaves and fought under the Confederate flag.
We'll never be able to appease the black people who won't let the issue of slavery die, no matter what solution we come up with.
My ancestors fought this revolution. I am very intrigued and proud of my family history - it was the typical southern history. My ancestors were slave owners; they sired children by their black mistresses, and subsequently willed land to these women and their children, and adopted the children.
I've mulled this issue over and over for a few years now, and have done alot of research into my family's involvement in slavery. I have decided I it's not worth battling over this issue of keeping the Confederate flag.
IMHO>
Anyone who thinks the Confederate Flag is a racist symbol is in some serious need of history lessons. The "War Between the States" was about the rights of individual states, it was NOT a civil war about slavery. Abraham Lincoln made it one.
By the way, I like Neal Boortz' definition about civil wars being about two factions, both fighting to control one country. The War Between the States was about a group of individual states fighting to NOT be federally controlled. There is a big difference here.
It's a flag. People making too much of this. There are more important things to worry about that are very real and in our faces.
Photos of the Klan-Nazi meetings show robed Klansmen and Nazis in storm-trooper uniforms giving the well know stiff-arm salute. The Klan had done that salute for years, and some think the American Nazi’s may have borrowed it and exported it to Germany.
Copied from the Romans?
I would have to say it symbolizes both. The right accepts the history of our nation and we are proud of it. There are some things that the nation participated in that were not right. We grew as a people because of our mistakes and we are better for them. We are also more civilized now and the nations of Europe were the catalyst for the Indian wars and slavery. The left and the Europeans seem to forget these facts. No nation has a clean record in the human rights department. To pretend they do is sophistry. Whether or not the world wants to acknowledge it, we lead the world in civil rights because of the spirit of freedom. Both the Union and the Confederacy are important parts of our history and there should be no shame in that.
By the way, I am not only a Yankee, but I qualify in the South as a DAMN YANKEE! I have a hobby collecting artifacts and pictures of The War Between the States, and have made it a point to read history that was conveniently omitted from the school systems in the North.
You make some good points, yet for many people the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism.
Today we have to be careful of a variety of seemingly innocent symbols, including Looney Toon characters and college mascots due to the gang rivalries in many cities.
Many public schools are returning to strict dress codes because of the underlying symbolism that these characters represent.
You also mention that the Nazi party requested parade permits in Skokie, but were denied. With good reason, the majority of citizens in that suburb were Jewish. This parade was only to incite a riot.
The "founder" of the KKK was General Bedford Forrest.
"After the civil war, the area of the south where Forrest lived was absolutely devastated with no law and no order. Forrest founded the KKK as a law and order organization and not a pro-white, anti-Catholic organization. It worked for about five years until the KKK became violent and political. Forrest ordered the KKK disbanded and resigned from the organization. The KKK we know today was founded about 20 years after Forrest’s death."
More info here: http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38beb39216af.htm
Geez. THere are those of us who's ancestors were treated as subhuman, worthy of only death, by those flying the flag of the United States of America, and yet, many of us served, and still do serve, under that flag anyway.
It must be nice to be alive and well, and able to complain so bitterly about a piece of cloth...
Matter of interpretation. Speaking of which just rec'd the below via email this a.m.
The following shows you that it's all a matter of Interpretation.
Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal. He would have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy, if the Pope won, they would have to leave.
The Jewish people met and picked an aged but wise Rabbi, Moishe, to represent them in the debate. However, as Moishe spoke no Italian and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, they all agreed that it would be a "silent" debate.
On the chosen day, the Pope and Rabbi Moishe sat opposite each other for a full minute then... the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Rabbi Moishe looked back and raised one finger.
Next the Pope waved his finger around his head. Rabbi Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat. The Pope then brough! t out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine. Rabbi Moishe pulled out an apple.
With that, the Pope stood up and declared that he was beaten, that Rabbi Moishe was too clever and that the Jews could stay. Later, the Cardinals met with the Pope, asking what had happened. The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there is still only one God common to both our beliefs. Then, I waved my finger to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. He had me beaten and I could not continue."
Meanwhile the Jewish community was gathered around Rabbi Moishe. "What happened?" they asked. "Well," said Moishe, "First he said to me that we had three days to get out of Italy, so I flipped him off and said to him, 'Up yours'. Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I said to him, we're staying right here."
"And then what," asked a woman.
"Who knows?" said Moishe, "He took out his lunch, so I took out mine."
Plenty of brave men fought and died under this flag. It's a part of some people's history. But if you want to fly it now you'd have to write something close to a dissertation about why it's not a symbol of oppression, and you'd have a hard time doing so. The associations are that strong. Everyone knows that, consequently the Germans have come up with another flag.
I'm not sure that we really need regional flags when we have national, state, and sometimes even city flags. But if you need one it shouldn't be hard to come up with one that reflects the desires of both Southern Whites and Blacks, Confederates and Unionists.