Confederate from Vermont (Another great op/ed from Paul Greenberg!)

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ^ | November 5, 2003 | Paul Greenberg

[quidnunc]

I see where Howard Dean has aroused the ire — and sheer political opportunism — of his Democratic rivals by claiming that he can talk real folks ’ language: "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pick-up trucks."

First a lesson on language in these parts, Mr. Dean: That should be Confederate flags on their pick-up trucks; it’s the shotgun rack that goes in the truck. Sir, if you’re going to have much truck, literally, with the Good Ol’ Boy vote, you need to brush up on your prepositions.

But, don’t you know, if any Yankee could appeal to Good Ol’ Boys, it’d be a Vermonter. That state is known for its character and characters, its contempt for material success and other modern obsessions — in short, for its Southernism.

At least the Vermont of my imagination is known for all that — it’s the Vermont of the Green Mountain Boys and Rugged Individualism. But does that legendary Vermont still exist?

Like much of the South, that storied Vermont has probably been heavily Americanized over the years. Just look at what’s happened to its neighbor New Hampshire, which is rapidly becoming indistinguishable from (shudder) Massachusetts.

They say New Hampshire and Vermont are two Janus-like faces of New England, and they couldn’t be more different. All I know is that the one time I went fly-fishing an ice age or two ago somewhere beyond Kezar Falls, N. H., New Hampshire looked a lot like Vermont to me.

But maybe outsiders shouldn’t be expected to tell one species of New Englander from another. Any more than Vermonters should be expected to distinguish Arkies from Arkansans and Arkansawyers. It’s hard enough for us down here to tell ourselves apart.

No wonder Howard Dean thinks he can talk to "guys" — he means folks — " with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. "The Vermonter of the storybooks — fearless, freedom-loving, plain-dealing, contemptuous of fashion and riches — sounds a lot like the classic Southern yeoman, aka Redneck.

And before all the angry letters begin to arrive, I emphasize that I use the word Redneck without the pejorative connotations. It’s a damned good word — damned by political fashion and by Yankee correspondents who’ve used it as a synonym for ignorant racist.

Howard Dean is to be commended for talking about folks with Confederate flags on their pick-ups as if they were real people worth talking to, even appealing to. His problem is that he himself is so slick and modernesque — a whole collection of glib one-liners — that he doesn’t sound enough like a real Vermonter to have much in common with an old boy in a pick-up.

Naturally enough, for his flight of candor and good will, for his extending the hand of friendship across regional and historical divides, for his colorful if imperfect language, the governor of Vermont immediately drew fire.

His mention of the Confederate flag — yes, yes, I know, the Confederate battle flag, as purists always hasten to let me know — set off a Pavlovian reaction in a couple of his more worried rivals. Both started yelping:

Dick Gephardt, who’s from Missouri — Bootheel and Little Dixie and all — and who knows better, accused his opponent of appealing to the kind of people" who disagree with us on bedrock Democratic values like civil rights. "

John Kerry — from Massachusetts, of course — accused Howard Dean of pandering" to lovers of the Confederate flag. "

Both these pols are sophisticated enough (a) to know what Howard Dean meant and that it was well-intentioned, and (b) to pretend that it wasn’t, so they can accuse their opponent of waving around a racist symbol.

Some student of the semiscience of semiotics (the study of symbols) ought to be able to get a master’s thesis out of this transient little blow-up. Because what we have here is a classic case of one symbol meaning two different things:

To some of us the Confederate flag symbolizes the courage and chivalry of the Lost Cause, the gallantry of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, the most chivalrous force that ever took the field of battle — and all those Early on a Frosty Morn feelings.

Let it be noted that in Europe, the Confederate emblem has no racial connotations; it symbolizes the South itself, especially Southern rock ’n’ roll bands. Which is the way it ought to be in an ideal world.

But to others, because that flag has been hijacked by racist mobs, it has become a hateful thing. The same, degrading trick was played on the perfectly sound principle of States Rights when it was reduced to a cover for racial oppression; it has yet to regain its respectability.

Supporters of states’ rights now have to call their principle Federalism in order to escape the old shibboleth’s unwholesome connotations.

So too was the Confederate flag abused by the trash that used it for cover. It, too, acquired unwholesome connotations. And that’s what Howard Dean’s opponents seized upon, seeing a chance to beat their opponent about the head and shoulders — with the Confederate flag.

It was a low thing to do, but it’s not the first time that proud banner has been used for low purposes.

[ken5050]

Dems cannibalize themselves.....OK by me..BTW is you want an interesting excercise...list the House Dems, by order of seniority, side by side with the membership list of the Black Caucus...

on a lighter note....remember the old joke about what's the difference between a rednewck and a good ol' boy?

[Van Jenerette]

Thanks. For class reading....Deo Vindice!

[RippleFire]

bump

[Held_to_Ransom]

So if you come from a White Pine state, what need to you have fake Democrat Party heritage with the rag of treason?

[SouthernFreebird]

rag of treason?......

I can't say what I'd like to or I'll be banned for sure, But I hope someone sh!ts on your grave when your gone.

[Held_to_Ransom]

Your'e already doing that to a whole lot of proud and loyal Americans. If you don't like it, you shouldn't do it.

[talleyman]

Easy now, don't let inflamatory hateful remarks born of ignorance upset you. After all, we're still trying to recover from "the late unpleasantness"....

[Arkinsaw]

There's what you said, and then there's what honorable people say....to wit:

RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT
DISPLAY OF BATTLE FLAGS OF THE CONFEDERACY
119TH NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT OF THE
SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR
LANSING, MICHIGAN AUGUST 19, 2000
A resolution in support of the display of the Confederate Battle Flag.

WHEREAS, we the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, condemn the use of the confederate battle flag, as well as the flag of the United States, by any and all hate groups, and

WHEREAS, we the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War support the flying of the confederate battle flag as a historical piece of this nation's history, and

WHEREAS, we the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War oppose the removal of any Confederate monuments or markers to those gallant soldiers in the former Confederate States, and strongly oppose the removal of ANY reminders of this nation's bloodiest war on the grounds of it being "politically correct," and

WHEREAS, we, as the descendants of Union soldiers and sailors who, as members of the Grand Army of the Republic, met in joint reunions with the confederate veterans under both flags in those bonds of Fraternal Friendship, pledge our support and admiration for those gallant soldiers and of their respective flags;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we the members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in 119th Annual National Encampment hereby adopt this resolution. Dated in Lansing, Michigan, on this nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord Two thousand.

By Order of:
Danny L. Wheeler
Commander-in-Chief


Attest:
Todd A. Shillington
National Secretary

[Held_to_Ransom]

Sorry dude. My great great grandfather was a member of the GAR, but my grandfather was a member of the NAACP, and neither were members of either KKK.

[Held_to_Ransom]

My GGG was also at the 50th anniversary at Gettysburg, and when the Confederate vets walked over to the wall following he path of Picket's charge to shake hands that was cool. But when they tried to cross over the wall, that was another matter. They didn't make it in '63, and they didn't make at the reunion either. They don't make it now into Arlington, and they won't ever except in a United States uniform.

[TigersEye]

bump to bookmark

[Arkinsaw]

They don't make it now into Arlington, and they won't ever except in a United States uniform

There are not many Confederate vets that need to acquire a burial space these days actually. But there are some representatives there and there is a big old Confederate Memorial there thats hard to miss.

Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Warren H. Brand burial at Arlington
Confederates at Arlington

[tet68]

But to others, because that flag has been hijacked by racist mobs, it has become a hateful thing.

Mmmmmm,let's see, the Klan, yes and they were mostly.....democrats!
Anyway the last racist mobs I saw were in Los Angeles, or Detroit, with only a small racist mob in Atlanta and even that was 15 years ago

[Held_to_Ransom]

I was talking about the poser boys in gray. There were a lot of brave southerners conscripted into the slave master's armies that deserted to enlist in the United States army to fight for their honor and liberty.

[Hilltop]

One cannot stand in the Rotunda,enumerating those that perished in the battle of Vicksburg and not be moved. The flag of the Confederacy, in spite of those whose agenda is to bury it, hide it, and erase it from history will never prevail.

One cannot deny an immutable truth. The truth is that the "Civil War" was fought under separate flags for exigencies that will be argued into eternity.

I shall never forget as a child, the Stars and Bars on the wall of my grandmother's friend, both of whom shared a duplex.

We called her Ms.Tomp and she played ROOK extremely well. She had not one guile bone in her body.

I never heard her utter one derogatory word about anyone, irrespective of race .

She simply, as was my grandmother, proud of her heritage.

[Theodore R.]

There was a battle in the Civil War at St. Albans, VT. Maybe someone who knows the details can tell how this came out. As I recall, some Confederates attacked VT, coming out of Canada.

[Theodore R.]

I found the brief info on St. Albans: A group of 22 Confederate soldiers raided banks in St. Albans and fled to Canada with over $20,000. That's all World Book says about it. Some 34,000 Vermonters served in the Union Army, including Chester Alan Arthur. The middle name is pronounced "A LON." He was a VT quartermaster general. Howard Dean was originally from NYC; so he is not a part of VT historical richness.

[quidnunc]

Theodore R. wrote: There was a battle in the Civil War at St. Albans, VT. Maybe someone who knows the details can tell how this came out. As I recall, some Confederates attacked VT, coming out of Canada.

Take a look at this : http://www.vermontcivilwar.org/staraid/index.shtml