[CFC__VRWC]

You're right - I did what I accused you of doing by painting with a broad brush. Please accpet my apology for the rant. I still think that stereotyping of Southerners as racists is all too common, but I went too far with that broadside.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

The irony of the situation is that today's true patriots mostly come from the southern states (and western states).

The extreme irony for me is that I have more in common with southerners, today, than I do the "north".

I admire southerners greatly, and they have always been first to step up for the defense of this nation, especially in WWI and WWII.

I would never insult the South. Likewise, if I listed my top ten generals of the Civil War it would be:

1. U.S. Grant
2. Robert E. Lee
2. William Tecumseh Sherman
3. Stonewall Jackson
4. Phil Sheridan
5. Nathan Bedford Forrest
6. Winfield Scott Hancock
7. George Thomas
8. James "Old Pete" Longstreet
9. James B. McPherson
10. John "Fighting Jack" Logan

So I would never deign to demean the southern command. I admire many of the generals greatly as both strategists and tacticians.

I simply feel Grant was the best, and find it insulting when certain southerners of the "Lost Cause" mentality feel the need to boost their esteem by denigrating Grant as a "drunk" or a "butcher".