Of all the stupid things we heard this week the assertion that the Confederate Battle Flag is not a symbol of racism is the stupidest.
Of course it is. The flag may not only be a symbol of racism but let say it was flying over a gathering in a park we would not expect to see any black people there unless they were either servants or sacrifices.
We would avoid such gatherings as we would those who are flying the Swastika. Yes we know that the crooked cross can also be a good luck symbol for Hindus and also a sign of the Basque people.
But in the last 80 years or so the Basques have replaced the right angles with paisleys and while Hindus still use it in India they don’t in the West.
Kind of like our friend from New Orleans who proudly flies the Stars and Bars above his house in Israel.
His neighbors don’t think much of it. Just a quirky thing that the Yankee does every once in a while. But as he gave up correcting them from calling him a Yankee he would not dream of flying the flag in the States.
Here it is racist and rude.
Yes brave men died fighting under it and venal men fought for the Union. But there is a reward for fighting for a just cause as one’s sins are mostly forgiven. And there is a price one pays for fighting for evil. One’s bravery is forever sullied by the despicable cause.
It may not be fair but it is true.
I have the stars and bars in my shed. As a young boy in my birth state of Arkansas my family (and our black neighbors) proudly flew the stars and bars just beneath Old Glory. To those that understand this flag has nothing to do with slavery and racism. It represents southern pride and a way of life. People seem to forget that the civil war was not fought over slavery. Instead it was fought over taxes and property. Abolishing slavery and the re-unification of the United States were the greatest achievements of the civil war, but people must remember the north has slaves at one point also. Many slaves were shipped accross the Atlantic Ocean on a ship flying Old Glory. Why must we be so ignorant of our past and forget that even presidents like George Washington and Andrew Jackson were slave owners. It’s sad that evil people choose to fly the stats and bars to promote their racist and ignorant beliefs. When are people going to stop pointing the racist finger and just get on with life. lets just be people and get on with life. Racists limit themselves in life through ignorance. Leave them alone and quit putting them in the news. Thanks for letting me rant. I hope I’ve given you some food for thought.