Dixie's dilemma

Athens Banner-Herald ^ | January 6, 2003 | Michael A. Fletcher

[Torie]

I would prefer that such debate be done through something other than message clothing, such as through a discussion in the classroom. Even then, I worry that it deflects schools from their primary mission, which is about acquiring reading comprehension, powers of reason, and numeracy. There is time enough later to apply all of that to the public square.

[maro]

Please clarify. Are you a secessionist? As for the Confederate flag--wear it at home, boys and girls. It is the flag of a defeated nation that deserved to be defeated. There is nothing romantic about the lost cause. Slavery was evil; secession was illegal and treasonous. What would Jesus do? Wear a Confederate flag T-shirt? Get a clue; read the New Testament.

[weikel]

Scary to think your in the administration.

[WFTR]

I agree that debate needs to be deeper than the sound-byte posturing of message clothing, but as you said, a great deal of discussion in the classroom distracts from learning other skills and facts that schools must teach. The danger of your position is that we further condition students to be sheeple who spend their lives being told what to believe and how to live by the government. For a free society to work, people must learn to have control at the personal and family level and not primarily from the government.

WFTR
Bill

[Torie]

I don't think what you wear in school has much to do with whether you become a mind numbed robot. I wore uniforms in grammar school. What do you think? In fact, what sets the mind free for kids is a discplined environment combined with teachers who inspire critical thinking. The rest is just jive, and inimical to that purpose. Sure a bunch of intellectual mensa students wearing message clothing might make for some conversation on the play yard. Whatever. Mostly what it will generate is noise.

[catherine of alexandria]

Clarify what? The fact that I'm 100% Southern? That I am anti-Federal involvement in state's affairs? The SIMPLE fact was this: Things that are offensive to PC jerks who believe must be banned though they will NEVER be forgotten.

As for my insight on the War, sure, slavery was wrong, but the North trying to turn the South into their own slaves is just as wrong. Today we see the end result of what happened because "the defeated nation deserved to be defeated." Sure. 12 years of heavy-handed Federal control of 11 states and an irreparable tear on the Constitution.

[Polybius]

Slavery was evil; secession was illegal and treasonous. What would Jesus do? Wear a Confederate flag T-shirt?

Your view of History is rather simplistic.

U.S. Grant's wife, Julia, brought along one of her slaves on all of her visits to Grant's headquarters during the Civil War. When Julia was with Grant, their youngest son, Jesse, was in the charge of "black Julia," the slave that Julia had used since her girlhood.

By contrast, in 1858, Robert E. Lee wrote, "There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil."

The Civil War was not a simply matter of "slavery" vs "emancipation" although it was certainly that simple to some Southern planters and some Northern abolitionists. U.S. Grant, fought to save the Union and tolerated slavery in his own family and had one of the four family slaves in his own Union Headquarters. Robert E. Lee, fought to defend his native State from attack and personally detested slavery.

What would Jesus do? Maybe, as seen in Luke 7:1-10 and Matthew 8:5-13, he would see 19th Century Americans from both North and South as men of their time just as he saw the slave-owning Roman Centurian as a man of his time.

If you demand pure simplicity in your History and demand that a nation fighting a war be judged solely on the basis of it's recognition of slavery and what one of the belligerents considers "illegality" and "treason", then the next flag you would have to ban would be this one:

[doglot]

Amen brother! Terrifying!

[doglot]

Upon further thought, T-shirts with any "PC" slogan would be okay. I've seen that winked at in the workplace and schools many times.

[yoe]

”...it is unreasonable to ask African Americans not to react to someone wearing the rebel flag.”

Is it unreasonable to ask Black Americans how they react to Senator Robert C. Byrd wearing a white sheet and hood?

For some unfathomable reason, only southerners and conservatives have no rights. I agree with Dewey Barber, the situation is very disturbing and even more disturbing that this rabble continues to force decent people to bow down for them. History, the part that is no longer in school history books, tells a very different story about the South and the blacks; many black Americans fought under that flag.

Seems to me that people had better turn their attention to the people who could care less if you are white, black, democrat, republican, liberal or conservative. They are out to kill you especially if you are a Christian, Catholic or a Jew anywhere in the world, but especially America.

These petty people call themselves American and all they can do is argue about trivial matters, not the preservation of their Republic. What a bunch of cowardly Idiots!

[shuckmaster]

Aw, Shucks!

[aomagrat]

Schools in states from Michigan to Alabama have banned the popular Dixie Outfitters shirts just as they might gang colors or miniskirts, saying they are disruptive to the school environment.

The only disruption I see here is being caused by those who are threatening violence against those wearing the shirts. I reckon its just easier (and PC) to ban the shirts than to deal with those who are making the threats. Its sort of like saying that ATM's cause crime because people get robbed while using them.

[Treebeard]

What is absolutely amazing is that this thread has gotten to almost 30 posts without being noticed by 'him-whose-name-must-not-be-mentioned'...you know "Lord Waltthebore"

[Guillermo]

Hehe, well said.

[Treebeard]

Yes, after his ill-fated attack on all things Southern, Lord Waltthebore's powers were greatly diminished, and he has been reduced to an almost parasitic life, existing by cutting and pasting the work of others.

Non-Sequitur, do you happen to wear a towel wrapped tightly around your head? ;)

[Jonah Hex]

The one question I'm asked most isn't "are you a racist," but "are you from Tennessee?" I look at them and say "No, but I couldn't spell Mississippi."

"Here's your sign."

(A Bill Engvall bump!)

[Hatteras]

Although there are a few D.O. shirts in my home, the kids go to school dressed like they care about going to school. No t-shirts and baggie pants. Golf shirts, sweaters and clean jeans or khakis. I told them if they wanted to make a statement in school, join the school paper and the student council.

I spent eight years of my youth being herded by an 80 year old, 5 foot tall nun with a 6 foot ruler, they're lucky I'm allowing blue jeans...

[error99]

"...and the one with the Davis quote: "A question settled by violence, or in disregard of law, must remain unsettled forever"..."

I looked for this one in the on-line catalog, but I can't find it.