Posted on 06/27/2015 3:19:03 PM PDT by Lazamataz
As a 'damn Yankee' -- that is, a Northerner who came to the South and didn't leave -- the Confederate Flag has never really held meaning for me. I understood that for most who displayed it, it meant a reverence for the heritage of the South and expressed the rebellious spirit I so often find, and admire, here.
Then the events of the shooting in South Carolina played out. Dylann Root was found to have embraced that flag, but for different and objectionable reasons of true racism.
The hysteria that followed was terrifying to watch. Both Democrats and Republicans, media and corporations, all jumped aboard a fevered bandwagon that cast aside rationality for a false emotional response. Apple corporation, for example, banned all Civil War games in their app store. Utterly absurd.
The media breathlessly reported every banning, discontinuation, removal from state grounds, and whipped the masses up as well as they could.
The masses were unresponsive. I saw no turning of opinion, and there was no grassroots groundswell for this Southern cultural cleansing, this was a manufactured hysteria and the classic definition of overreaction, but it was at the organizational level. That, my friends, is censorship.
So the Confederate Flag now has a new meaning for this New York-born Southerner:
BTTT
With the rabidness of a pack of wild dogs, the leftists have descended on Southerners...using an image to define and malign a whole cross-section of America...in doing so, they are attempting to erase a period of great historical significance in this Nation, all in the name of political correctness.
Right, wrong or indifferent, the flag represents many things to many people. However, censorship of any kind, especially when whipped up by the leftists and their cohorts in the media, is an abomination and needs to be stopped.
This is the kind of crap that makes me come down on the side being attacked...even when it’s from other FReepers and purported “conservatives” on this forum.
My convoluted heritage (NC, WI, Swedish, etc.) being what it is, I am now declaring myself a Southerner vs. American if this is the kind of garbage that defines being American in today’s world.
I'm a Georgia boy, might as well add the Confederate and the old Georgia flags.
Je suis Johnny Reb.
Rock on, Laz! Agree 100%, and I was born Southern by the grace of God!
It may not pay as well as your present gig. But just think...you’ll go down in history like Mark Twain or Shakespear. If you have musical talent and could set your writing to music (preferably rap) there could be instant monetary gratification.
All kidding aside..you write extremely well.
(And I want the foreign flags banished from flying, as well!)
That's a special number.
You now are in the interesting position of experiencing today precisely what Southern people were going through in the antebellum South when the rabid activists, media, and politicians tried to incite race wars in the South.
But you put forth an eloquent justification for getting a few. Pissing off liberals is great fun, as long as you can keep them from keying your car.
Laz, you put it so well. I’d like to send you a cyber handshake........
Glad to have you as my ‘Southern bro’, Laz. You get it.
Quick Take on Civil War:
Suppose for a moment that the Federal government wanted to pass laws and enact policies that effectively removed the individual right to bear arms.
The Feds and particularly a new presidential candidate let slip their plans to turn Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa into full states with voting Senators and congressmen.
In exchange for Statehood and other cash payments (to the right causes and people) these new States would tip the balance of power enough to meet the gun control objectives.
Getting wind of the plan, first, the constitution respecting States object, but then after losing the election they see the wheels go in motion, call their respective legislatures, and vote to secede.
Did they vote to secede over gun control? Yes, to some degree, but at least as importantly, they seceded because the Federal government was acting outside its authority, and taking action to unfairly change the balance of power to pass new law.
Do the people in the seceding States have a right to pride in their stand? Whether one agrees or disagrees with gun control, it is perfectly fine to have pride in those that stood up to the Federal government power grab.
I too was born in NYC. Am now and have been a Texan for 25 years! I agree with all you posted. Went and down loaded the game apple banned from Steam!
Born in the north. Read about the civil war. Lincoln and Davis. American flag, Confederate flag. Always flew and continue to fly the American flag. Never had or thought about having a Confederate flag. Now I have one. It is part of our history. If it offends anyone, they should grow up, act like an informed and mature adult rather than a little child.
Because they told me I couldn't, that's why.
Nice writing, Laz. Good organization, clear focus on the key points, solid grammar and syntax.
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