Civil war erupts over Confederate handbags

DFW ^ | January 6, 2006 | JIM DOUGLAS

[stainlessbanner]

BURLESON — Two North Texas high school students who were kicked out of class for displaying rebel flags vow to take their fight to court. They said they are proud of their heritage, but Burleson High School education officials maintain the Confederate symbol is offensive.

Ashley Thomas remembered how it all started. "Principal comes up and says, 'You've got to get rid of your purse... it's racist."

Ashley and Aubrie McAllum both received purses patterened after the Confederate battle flag from their parents for Christmas. Both girls decided to take their presents to school.

"I don't have 'KKK' written on me or anything; it's just a purse," Aubrie said. "Doesn't have anything to do with what color you are."

The students were asked to leave their purses with the principal; they elected to leave school after calling their parents.

Ashley was sent home three times this week. "I'm at the point where I really don't know what to do," she said. "I want to keep going to school and get my education, but this is my life. I was born and raised in the South. Why is the flag so bad?"

Here's the answer, from Burleson ISD spokesman Richard Crummel: "It's a violation of the dress code," he said. "We don't want students to wear anything that might cause a disruption, and that symbol has done that in the past."

"Then that's a heritage violation on her, on me... on all of us," said Aubrie's father, Rick McAllum. "So we can push it."

McAllum belongs to the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Ashley's mom, Joni Thomas, is from New York. But the parents of both girls praised their daughters, and vowed to fight.

"I'm hiring a lawyer," Thomas said. "I'm going all the way with it, because I think it's wrong."

Burleson High School, with a 2,200 student enrollment, is about 90 percent white, 8 or 9 percent Hispanic. There are very few African Americans.

"We want to be sensitive to everyone; make it comfortable in school for all our students," Crummel said.

Both girls said they have never been in trouble and don't want trouble now.

But they don't want to back down, either.

School officials know controversy often follows the Confederate flag, and they will not let it in.

The girls as of Friday, decided to go back to school

[processing please hold]

We grew up calling it the war between the states. Others grew up calling it the civil war. And others still, grew up calling it the War of Northern Aggression. It all depends on how you grew up.

[Froufrou]

"Let us say that his objectivity as a historian leaves much to be desired."

Thanks, that's good enough for me! I'll use the extra spare time reading something worthwhile, like Krauthammer or Sowell! Or Dave Barry!

[Casloy]

That's right, a flag that people's ancestors fought under, which they revere for that reason

Ok, so can you understand the anger of Blacks toward that flag your ancestors fought under? Had your ancestors won that war, the Blacks would have remained slaves. I realize the war wasn't about keeping slaves in bondage, but the fact remains, had your ancestors won the war the slaves would have remained slaves.

[AzaleaCity5691]

This why I'm glad that the all the public schools in this metropolitan area are on a school uniform code, same for the private schools. That way, one never worries about students wearing offensive T-shirts.

But seriously though, the Confederates were not traitors, they were fighting for their country just as the Yankees were fighting for theirs.

[old republic]

Yes. It is true that Lincoln was a proponent of Abolitionism. He wanted the slaves to be free, but that doesn't mean that he approved of integration. For example, in a speech at Springfield, Illinois, on June 26, 1857. Lincoln explained that he opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He said:

There is a natural disgust in the minds of nearly all white people to the idea of indiscriminate amalgamation of the white and black races ... A separation of the races is the only perfect preventive of amalgamation, but as an immediate separation is impossible, the next best thing is to keep them apart where they are not already together. If white and black people never get together in Kansas, they will never mix blood in Kansas ...Let us be brought to believe it is morally right, and, at the same time, favorable to, or, at least, not against, our interest, to transfer the African to his native clime, and we shall find a way to do it, however great the task may be.

This quote of course should not be construed to mean that Abraham Lincoln hated blacks because that is not true. He had a lot of sympathy for them. He just doesn't seem to be a supporter of integration. The quotes are also revealing of what the people of the time thought about the issue.

[AzaleaCity5691]

The slaves probably would not have remained slaves, because in the Southern cities, agitation was growing due to immigrant laborers who resented the fact that they had to compete with slave labor for work. Political pressure from the cities (particularly the seaports) would have forced slavery to end by the 1870s, had the South won.

[Casloy]

Political pressure from the cities (particularly the seaports) would have forced slavery to end by the 1870s, had the South won.

I have no doubt slavery would have ended eventually, but I seriously doubt it would have been a result of pressure from imigrants. Most likely by the 80's or 90's pressure would have come from foreign countries who consumed the South's cotton. The South learned a hard lesson when they discovered that Egypt easily picked up the slack for the world's loss of the South's cotton.

[Main Street]

"There was also the fact that the North didn't have plantations, they had factories. And they wanted workers for those factories. All the better reason to free the slaves."

Below is a typical group photo of northern factory workers (Detroit, Michigan) ca. 1910. Do you see any blacks?? The reality is some black migration to the Northern factories did not occur until Ford offered $5 day, and then again, in a greater mass, when World War II drained the factories of able-bodied white men. None of which the Northern power during the Civil War could have foreseen.

[Getsmart64]

Show me a historical factual quote in which Lincoln states that he wants to outlaw slavery in the states. The most he wanted to do in 1860 was to limit its spread to the territories. He made a very fine legal case for his position in the 1860 speech at Cooper Union. But territories are not states and thus why should say, South Carolina, care whether or not there are slaveholders in the western territories if they were only concerned about state's rights?

Dude...YOU said the Southern States fought a war for slavery....back it up or shut up....sheesh...our Constitution was designed for States rights and the BoR for citizens rights....whatever right the States had was taken away with the Civil War....you can compare slavery then...to gay rights now....only a few select individuals care about it...but it will be imposed on all of us...

[colorado tanker]

Looks like this thread has been hijacked by the Lincolnites vs. the Southrons.

Still, I'd like to express my opinion, as a Northerner and descendant of members of the Grand Army of the Republic, that I'm disgusted by the war to stigmatize the Confederate cause as illegitimate and evil and to strip Southerners of their heritage and history. That's just wrong.

[LexBaird]

If the war was over slavery, why did thousands of Southerners fight barefooted, armed with squirrel rifles, in freezing weather so a few rich folks could keep their slaves?

The same reason that poor soldiers have been dying for rich people forever. Because their political leaders told them it was the right, Godly and patriotic thing to do. Because their economy depended on it, even if they didn't personally own slaves. Because they had already joined the army and invested too much blood and sacrifice to quit when it got terrible. Because they saw Northerners as invaders.

But, from Bloody Kansas to the Missouri Compromise to the 3/5ths provision of the Constitution itself, it is no use denying that slavery was the root cause of the North/South division. It was the underlying schism of the two cultures.

[El Gato]

The inaccurate terms civil war and war between the states mean the same thing, a war between two factions in the same country. The south seceded and became a separate nation.

And that's why it's known down here as the "War of Yankee Agreession".

Yea I know about Fort Sumter. Where Lincoln to incite a hot headed idiot to shoot at the Union troops in the fort, rather than evacuating them from the new nation.

[San Jacinto]

Are you referring to the same Richland Rebels who are now banned from displaying the Confederate flag and had 'Dixie' removed as their school song?

[El Gato]

War of Yankee Agreession Aggression.

Sorry about that.

[wallcrawlr]

My ancestors didnt get here till late 1800s early 1900s. As a thrid party observer to some of these threads it does seem to get a bit silly with all the ingrained bias and anger.

I agree with you...trying to remove someones heritage/history/culture is wrong. Its no wonder people are passionate about defending themselves.

[JamesP81]

That's why they are burning in Hell now. Try as you might you'll never make me, a true American patriot, believe that slavery is a virtuous, respectful, saintly business. So please, continue to wave your Confederate flag and I'll wave mine, the American one.

I, too am a true American patriot. I fly the American flag.

I also fly the Stars and Bars. It represents, to me, the hardiness of the South and, frankly, this country wouldn't be half the nation it is without the contribution the South has made to it.

As has been mentioned before, just because some demagogues misuse the Bible doesn't mean we should throw it out. Same with the Stars and Bars. I will not surrender a symbol of southern heritage to a bunch of retards who run around in white sheets burning crosses thinking that that somehow honors God.

[TC Rider]

"War of Northern Agression"?

Whenever I hear that it always makes me laugh!

I hate to admit it, but the first place I can recall hearing it is on "The Beverly Hillbillies".

[Diplomat]

Are you saying then that this school is within its right and is doing the right thing by preventing these girls from bringing these pureses to school?

[JamesP81]

Let's not allow the race pimps, today's racists, turn our good natured ribbing into open warfare again!

Well said, sir! Well said.

[AzaleaCity5691]

Rich people died in that war too, among them, a great man, one of the greatest who has ever walked this planet, of course, I'm referring to Stonewall, tragically struck down in battle by the misguided bullet of one of his own men.