You mean like flying the American flag that is the symbol of treasonous rebellion against England and its sovereign monarch, in order to celebrate it? 
Posted on 06/10/2002 5:38:06 AM PDT by TexConfederate1861
Only in America can a coalition of minorities coalesce to abolish the history of the majority. Although history is rife with majorities imposing their will over minorities, there are few cases where the minority can control the majority. One of these cases afflicts citizens of the Southeast, and it concerns the Confederate battle flag.
On one side are the NAACP and the ACLU, whose battle cry is that the flag represents slavery and white oppression and enflames the social struggle of African Americans.
On the other side is a majority of Southern whites whose ancestors fought against the Northern armies in the U.S. Civil War. They've defined their heritage with that flag ever since.
The NAACP and the ACLU have strong influence on the policies of the federal government, but, unfortunately, the state governments in the South are technically still fighting battles many thought were resolved in 1865. But, unlike the Civil War where guns decided debates, today's weapons are the public support each side can muster.
Philosopher Rene Descartes taught us that opinions exist because we see, touch, hear, taste and smell the things around us, but this doesn't mean they're necessarily true. The flag in question is widely considered the flag of the Confederacy. In truth, that popular insignia, known as the Naval Jack, is actually one of 200 battle flags used by Confederate army regiments during the Civil War. The actual flag for the Confederacy, the Stars and Bars, is only well known among historians.
Famed racial justice advocate and self-proclaimed reverend Jesse Jackson has often stated that the Naval Jack is the pure embodiment of white pride and the South's nurturing of the unethical slave practice. Advocates for the flag's removal from public places say the flag is morally unjust.
The flag was used in the South, and, yes, the South had slavery as an institution, but that doesn't mean the flag supports slavery. And this is what the NAACP and ACLU refuse to acknowledge. Jackson, as well as his counterpart Al Sharpton, have made it their crusade to seek the permanent removal of the Naval Jack from all government buildings and monuments, even those built to honor the men who died fighting for the South. It is this simple fact that has the former Confederate states in an uproar. These men put on a face of decency and proclaim they want to improve our lives, but their rewriting of history shows contempt for their own heritage as well as that of the majority.
Ironically, if the states know their heritage is threatened, while the protesters know the flag is one of the many things that still promotes racial injustice, then who's to say which side is right or wrong? The controversy might be resolved if protesters understand the flag is nothing more than a piece of colored cloth made so one regiment could identify itself in the chaos of battle and in the pride of parades. It is not the epithet of slavery. Focus on the flag keeps protesters from addressing the real issues plaguing blacks in America, such as teen mothers, single-parent families, drugs, crime and education.
With power comes great responsibility. Is it responsible to use vast political and social power to boycott tourism and blackmail governments in Southern states to remove the flag?
During the Civil War, an estimated 65,000 African Americans fought in the Confederate army. The general of the Confederate army, Robert E. Lee, was actually against slavery, while the commander of the Northern armies, Ulysses S. Grant, owned slaves. Of course, these facts are omitted from NAACP propaganda.
The NAACP and ACLU are civil rights organizations. But can't they be civil in their pursuit of civil rights? Ironically, should these clubs succeed in their efforts, their success will eliminate the very reason for their existence.
Both sides are looking for two things, sympathy and support. Every cause needs an enemy to succeed, gain membership and solicit adequate funding, but in this case the organizations' real enemies are themselves. These organizations claim their interpretation of history is the only accurate one. They attempt to champion minority history. The real victim is legitimate history.
Teen View columnist Austin Jameson is a 2002 graduate of High Point Central High School. He can be contacted at Blue_Dog_Anchorite@hotmail.com
©High Point Enterprise 2002
As a matter of fact, the swastika has been around a lot longer than socialist nazi Germany, but not as long as federal pharisess who can't stand the thought of a people living under liberty.
They (nazis) perverted and stigmatized an ancient symbol.
You mean like flying the American flag that is the symbol of treasonous rebellion against England and its sovereign monarch, in order to celebrate it?
I'm not saying I'll become a fan of hockey but it was a little exciting. And some of those hits had to hurt
~Senator Wade Hampton, during a speech dedicating the memorial to Confederate dead in Camden, S.C.
Well, you would be the expert on hatred.
"I'm sick of these threads."
Well duh! Of all the moronic statements I've ever seen on FR this takes the cake. If you don't like the topic, stay the hell away. Jeez, how hard is that?
"I justly hope that we can put an end to this. I'm tired of it."
Most of US would like to see an end of it as well -- the it being morons who seek to quell open debate (an Amercian/Constitutional concept that you apparently pay only lipservice to) by participating in threads of discussion that you could easily abstain from and then whining about it to our great facilitator -- Jim Rob. Honestly, do you put ANY thought into what you are saying and doing?
ill: 1. Not healthy; sick:
2. Not normal; unsound:
3. Resulting in suffering;
4. Having evil intentions; hostile or unfriendly:
5. Not favorable; unpropitious: ill predictions.
6. Not measuring up to recognized standards of excellence, as of behavior or conduct.
bay:
1. A deep, prolonged bark, such as the sound made by hounds.
Nice guy.
Judging from your hateful posts on this thread, your account should be locked in a few hours.
I know you know that I knew that. (hehehe) But any "damned Yankee" (knowing full well what the term means) who loves barbecue so much he taught himself how to cook it is alright in my book.
Did you and RiskyPooper and P-Ditty get together at the same bar this weekend? They both made similar posts to yours, and I suggest you all take the first of those 12 steps together.
I'm still laughing about the / WHIMPER ON "I ran straight to JR and asked that all such posts be banned!"
You're nuttier than the pecan log at Stuckeys.
I bet you never get back to me because Grant never said that. Did you pick that tid-bit of mythology up in one of your masters programs? It is a myth.
Grant owned one slave who was given to him by his father-in-law. Grant freed the slave a year later even though he could have sold him for over $1000. That was in 1859. Robert E. Lee talked out of both sides of his mouth on slavery so it's hard to tell exactly what he did think. Lee inherited dozens of slaves from his father-in-law and held them for over five years and only freed them at that point because those were the terms of the estate. There are records of some of those slaves who attempted to run away and Lee overseeing floggings when they were dragged back to the plantation.
BTW. Lee also said that secession was against the constitution. Do you agree with him on that too?
My favorite was the guy who painted a battle flag on his smoker and used a sidewinder missile silo for the smokestack. If that ain't country....
"...nuttier than the pecan log at Stuckeys..."
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - Pecan Log. . . at Stuckeys.
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