I have no brief against R. Lee; many Southerners were good men, and many Northerners were bounders, cads, and hypocrites. And yes, the Civil War was about more than slavery, although slavery was certainly important. At the time, the economics of the situation were paramount. But God works in mysterious ways, and as it turned out, the Civil War ended slavery. What is important is now. What statement can a modern person be making by wearing a Confederate flag? Is he for slavery? For secession? (And yes, history and treason are defined by the winners. So what? We won the Revolutionary War, so Benedict Arnold is a traitor and Geo. Washington is a hero. Do you disagree with these characterizations?) Surely there must be some symbol of "Southern culture" that is not tainted. Isn't it really pretty much like those black Olympic athletes raising their fists at the awards podium, except that you guys are mouthing "white power." Isn't it strange that some conservatives really get excited about the First Amendment on this issue? What if some Japanese exchange student wore the Rising Sun flag, or wanted to celebrate December 7, or some German exchange student wore a swastika, or wanted to celebrate Auschwitz. What if some Arab student wanted to celebrate 9/11 or wear an Osama T-shirt? At what point can we regulate student speech in the name of good order, decorum, and common sense? Can white students wear hoods? If black students are wearing symbols that are similarly disruptive (and frankly, I don't think FUBU is anything like the rebel flag), so be it. It's time for white Southerners to get over the War Between the States.
Yall aint from aroun heah, are ya?
As a transplanted yankee, born and raised in the North,I understand your attitude, and I hope you can come to understand what the South considers the extremely offensive and naked hypocracy of the North.
This country endured a viscious and brutal civil war.The death toll was huge, on both sides.The actual battlefields were primarily located in the Southern states, who did indeed lose that war.Northern women were not brutally raped by invading soldiers.Northern homes were not burned to the ground.Northern landowners were not summarily deprived of family owned property.Northerners did not endure the decades of poverty and subjugation and the attempt of the "victors" to completely erradicate a society.
After all these years, one would think the North would get over their pride of victory and attempt to deal honestly with history and reality.
BTW, speaking historically on behalf of my Sioux ancestors,why dont you all get off my lands, and take your slaves with you?LOL!
Or am I, and my people, not an equally deserving minority who obviously would be mortally offended by the sight of a particular flag?
Stupid PC Barf alert.I get so sick of the inane worship of politics over reality.
What is important is now. What statement can a modern person be making by wearing a Confederate flag? Is he for slavery? For secession? (And yes, history and treason are defined by the winners. So what? We won the Revolutionary War, so Benedict Arnold is a traitor and Geo. Washington is a hero. Do you disagree with these characterizations?) Surely there must be some symbol of "Southern culture" that is not tainted. Isn't it really pretty much like those black Olympic athletes raising their fists at the awards podium, except that you guys are mouthing "white power." What if some Japanese exchange student wore the Rising Sun flag, or wanted to celebrate December 7, or some German exchange student wore a swastika, or wanted to celebrate Auschwitz. What if some Arab student wanted to celebrate 9/11 or wear an Osama T-shirt? It's time for white Southerners to get over the War Between the States. It is obvious to me, maro, that you are an individual that has absolutely no concept of what military heritage is.
The Confederate Battle Flag was a battle flag just as the "Don't Tread on Me" flag was a battle flag during the Revolution. It was not a national flag nor a political flag.
To me, the Confederate Battle Flag means Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, the Valley Campaign, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorville, Gettysburg, the Wildreness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and Appomatox.
It is the battle flag flown by men that performed some of the most impressive feats of arms in American history. Men that, to this very day, the U.S. Army honors with U.S. Army bases named Fort Lee and Fort Bragg and that the U.S. Navy has honored with a ballistic missile submarine named USS Stonewall Jackson.
To you it means "white power", Benedict Arnold, swastikas, Auchwitz, 9/11 and Osama bin Ladin. Did you forget Attila the Hun?
I understand that it is now Politically Correct to demonize anything dealing with Confederates just as it was once Politically Correct to demonize Vietnam veterans as "baby killers". Once you start down that slippery slope, you had better be prepared to take up the demonization of the Founding Fathers who were slave holders and who now offend certain Blacks, the demonization of those who fought for Texan Independence and who now offend certain Chicanos, the demonization of those Black Buffalo Soldiers who helped destroy the way of life of the Plains Indians and who now offend certain Native Americans and the demonization of those who fought to save South Vietnam from Communism and who now offend Politically Correct American Leftists.
My original post merely pointed out to you that the American Civil War was not simply a war of "slavery" vs "emancipation". In this, any serious student of the Civil War will agree and point out to you that the average Union soldier fought to "save the Union" and cared little about abolition.
In response, you reply the "you guys are mouthing white power" and that "it's time for white Southerners to get over the War Between the States".
For your information, maro, I am not a Southerner. In fact, none of my ancestors lived in the United States during the Civil War.
I am a student of military history and a retired U.S. Naval Officer and I know the respect and honor that military men give to each other.
The Civil War is long since over. In 1913, 50 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, Union and Confederate veterans gathered at Gettysburg with their old battle flags to honor their old foes. The old political vitriol spewed out by politicians on both sides that had driven these young men to kill each other in the field of battle had been buried and forgotten.
In the idiom of the day, the "Bloody Shirt" that hate-mongering politicians loved to wave to stir passions had been buried.
Now, maro, 90 years after that Gettysburg re-union, hate-mongering Political Correctniks such as yoursef gleefully dig the "Bloody Shirt" back up and start waving it with all the political hatred that existed between politicians in 1860 but with additional references to Auschwitz thrown in.
I agree that someone needs to realize that the Civil war is over, maro.
That someone is you and the rest of the Politically Correct crowd.
FYI: The U.S. Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force are now aliies. At sea in joint operations and ashore at joint functions, the flag our Japanese naval allies display is........The Rising Sun, the battle flag of the Japanese Navy.
Japan American Navy Friendship Association Award Ceremony