American/UnAmerican?

While many pro Bush people claim we are unAmerican because we disagree with Bush's policies, no one has ever asked that same question about the confederate flag. The other day I ended up at a stop sign behind a pickup truck with a confederate veterans license plate on it. It also had a confederate flag on it. My question is this: Can we make the argu ment that the confederate flag is unAmerican because we have an official flag and it represents all 50 states while the confederate flag only represents some states in the US?

And, is therefore in its very nature unAmerican.

That would give the right wingers something to chew on.

The Skin

for years. I have always wondered why no one has pointed it out before.

It's all American. Good, Bad and Ugly.

That's a VERY slippery slope.

the Civil War. The most apt bumper sticker addressing this is one of the stars and bars in the background and "The Civil War: You lost! Get over it." LOL

Of course my Civil War ancestor fought as a mule skinner (brought Ammo to the front lines) for The North. <eg> My mother-in-law (from New Orleans, LA) commented upon visiting one of the battlefields in this area (NoVA), "If we (The South!?!) had done this or that in maneuvers and strategy, perhaps then, they might have won?!?"

She's a beautiful soul but "still fighting" like many folks who live in The South. Just goes to show us how horrible war is, and "is it any wonder" civil strife is seemingly endless unless WE CHOOSE to forgive one another's transgressions. :shrug:

In fact, though I have spent most of my life in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, the only place where I regularly encounter people eager to refight that war is at DU.

Then, define what it means to be "unAmerican."

stopped at Antietam and Gettysburg on the way back. As a great lover of history, I try hard to pass on what knowledge I have, as frequently as I can. I am fortunate in the fact my son has the same passion. We began at Antietam, and as we walked the Cornfield, the Dunker Church, the Sunken Road, and Burnsides Bridge, I described the carnage as best I could, and added quite a bit about WHY the war was fought. My son was somewhat startled at the statement that "basically, this was a war based on States Rights and Preservation of the Union. Most of what you hear in school, are tangents of those two basic reasons. Slavery was certainly an issue, as were the commercial/trade issues of the time; but it all came down to certain states feeling they were being segregated and slighted".

Later, in Gettysburg, we took this a step further. After Little Round Top, we went over to the staging area for the Pickett/Pettigrew Charge
and one could almost feel the fear the Confederate troops felt as the prepared to assault the Federal lines. What must have gone through their minds; I'm sure at one point, many thought, "Why am I here"?

Across the field, at he Stone Wall, I'm sure many Federals asked the same question...my son asked me, "Who were the 'bad guys' dad"? This question created a 'problem' for me. Believing that the Preservation of the Union was paramount to the survival of the Nation, I was prone to answer in the positive fore the Federal cause, but I had to think from both points of view. The power of being on that field was overwhelming for me, and I had to think for a second; I came up with:

"There were no 'Bad Guys' in this war, they were all Americans, fighting for what they truly believed in. Some of those things might have been poorly chosen or worked out in the minds of both sides, but the bottom line is, this war had no 'bad' side".

See, there were many Confederates that believed slavery should be abolished, and many Federals that thought it should remain, or just didn't care about the issue. Like it or not, the Confederates were Americans, and they were fighting for the rights of their respective states, something the Confederacy never really learned. If the Confederates would have won their desire to secede, this continent would look a lot like Europ...divided 'nation-states' all bent on forcing their views on each other. The Confederacy would have eroded, and each state would have become a sovereign 'nation'. People from Louisiana actually had little in common with people from Virginia, eventually there would have been a rift, and the separation might still be going on today.

Standing at "The Angle" of the Stone Wall, I could envision what was happening during that battle, and I could envision what would have happened to this nation if the War would have taken a different turn. I feel fortunate that the Federals prevailed, and later, Appomattox would end the carnage.

So....do I have a problem with those that followed the Confederate ideology, not necessarily; they were doing precisely what I would have done if my nation was invaded, they were fighting for their rights. Do I have a problem with some of the tangents, you bet! Slavery is abhorrent and should be abolished wherever it exists. Do states have 'more rights' than the Federal gov't? In some cases yes, and they should. But if those rights go against the grain of the Federal Laws, they no longer possess the right to go against the Fed. They must use the power they have to change the Federal Law, not skirt it.

The issue w/the Confederate Flag is not as much the ideology from a century-plus years ago point of view, many of those who portray such emblems don't even have a realistic view of why that war was fought...they do it because of identity, not ideology.I am sure, that the vast majority of those that portray that flag would never consider going back to the days of 1861-1865. I cannot picture many of them wanting to return to the horror of slavery. I cannot fathom many of them considering secession at this point.

I think that we should look at each individual by the content, (or lack thereof), of their character. This goes for everyone, regardless of where they call home. Many of these people could well be the most wonderful people you've ever come across. In my travels across the country over the years, I have met very few "bad" people...the massive majority are good, decent people, that want to live life as free Americans, basically unfettered by 'labels'.

I know, I got a little "windy" on this. But being a native New Yorker, this is one of those things that has intrigued me over the years. While in the Army, I was stationed quite often in the South; I saw the decency of the Southern people. It is taught from a young age, and seems to take hold rather well. Yes, there are bigots in the South...but the North, the Midwest and the West have pockets of bigotry as well. We should not blame the South for the nation's bigotry, it is a National problem we should be working on. It seems to me, the South is merely a convenient target.

To be honest, I'm not into Civil War History but my Mother-In-Law is a brilliant woman who's always reading. She took the time to educate me on the battles at every stop. I was also amazed at her knowledge and admire those who preserve it's history.

Yes, I often feel more welcome at my In-Laws homes in the South than with family in the Midwest. No dig, but we're all ruffians and often don't observe the social graces. That's certainly not true of the good people I've had the opportunity to visit in Louisiana and Alabama.

You make an excellent point, in that, there's pockets of extremists in every part of our nation. It's difficult to fathom because most of us choose the "make the system work" social justice paths. But we'd be shocked to uncover the dark underbelly of slithering groups who work to promote hate and prejudice within our own cities, much less the South.

Are you just in the mood to post as much rehashed flamebait as possible or what?

You know, like South Bashing...in...every...post....they....type.

It has been awhile. I suspect it's because of all the horrible stories happening in blue states over in LBN. They need to remind everyone that the fucking South is still worse.

that the country is falling apart five ways from Sunday and yet many here are only interested in posting the same pointless, endlessly rehashed, divisive stuff all the time?

Anything to keep us from blogging up Gannongate it seems.

:hi:

As soon as a finish up with #113, I will get right on it.

when i was behind a truck with the southern cross on it.
but alas, symbols are just symbols and they mean different things to different people. one may see a symbol and think "rasicm" and "anti-american" another may see the same symbol and think of "struggle" and "conviction".