Hillary Clinton recently took a stand against the Confederate (a.k.a. "Rebel") Flag being flown in South Carolina."I think about how many South Carolinians have served in our military and who are serving today under our flag and I believe that we should have one flag that we all pay honor to, as I know that most people in South Carolina do every single day," the New York senator said. "I personally would like to see it removed from the Statehouse grounds."
Until recently, I had never liked Hillary Clinton. I thought that she was terribly weak and self-serving most of the time, and I despised her for letting Bill walk all over her. I never thought that I'd say I was in agreement with her, but lately there is much to applaud her for!
For instance, yesterday I listened as a radio talkshow host (Glenn Beck) sneered over Hillary's latest stand against the war in Iraq, claiming that she and Bill were merely poll watchers who only took a position once they saw what the people wanted.
Um... isn't that what we really need? Isn't that what "representation" is? I, for one, am sick and tired of having someone at the helm who refuses to listen to the average citizen.
But I give points to Hillary for standing in the middle of the Deep South and declaring that it is wrong to fly the Confederate Flag.
Strangely, this shouldn't even be a controversy. The Confederate Army lost to the Union in 1865. The South has had 142 years to get over it! Yet the same people who fly the Confederate Flag are the people who tell black Americans that slavery was over 142 years ago and they need to stop whining!
The Confederate Flag is a defeated flag. Moreover, it's a flag that symbolizes chaos, civil divide, slavery, and ultimately death. It is not a flag to be proud of: Instead, there is much shame and many wrongs which are attached to that flag. The Confederate Flag has come to be seen as a representation of great evil by the majority of Americans.
I've heard some defenders of The Confederate Flag claim that it merely means that they're proud of their heritage and/or proud to live in the South. Well great, then! If that is all this is about, fly the Bonnie Blue Flag instead, which is another flag that was created to honor and represent the South.Strangely, you don't seen northerners racing about in BMWs with a bumpersticker that reads "Ha! The Yankees Kicked Butt in 1865!" However, there are plenty of pickup trucks in the deep south with bumperstickers that claim "The South Will Rise Again!"
So what is the true meaning behind such sentiments, and the Confederate Flag which represents them? I would venture to guess that just as some people cling in hopeless hero worship to sports teams, these people cling to the memory of a defeated regime because it is all that they can define themselves by. They feel unimportant and uninteresting unless they're attached to something bigger than they are.
It also displays an appalling lack of kindness to their fellow man. This flag is an insult to every black American, and it's an open denial of the Union of the States. Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to claim that everyone flying The Confederate Flag is a redneck that hates blacks. However, I know that I am not alone in suspecting it.
A "man on the street" was once interviewed about The Confederate Flag. Jeff Cordell said "...I don't see how blacks, if they are educated to see that it's a Christian symbol, could still think it's a problem." The Nazi Flag was also once a Christian symbol. But when a symbol's meaning has been perverted, the symbol can be used no longer.It is time to retire The Confederate Flag. For good.
14 comments:
My question to Hilary is, "So when your husband sent troops to Somalia and most of them died, how did you feel about that?" I don't respect her and I believe people will turn out to vote against her just because she's liberal and a woman. No offense intended, just expressing how a lot of people think.
And on the flag. I personally don't like the confederate flag. Our cross town rival in high school STILL flies that flag. I don't understand how people of color stand it. But it also tells a lot about the history of SC. It's part of who they are as the rest of us Southerners.
~Jef
In John Kerry's case, he really was a "flip-flopper" but I hate how republicans are going to try to castigate any democrat now with that label.
That's not going to work this time around. Sure, they'll be lots of dummies using words they're fed on televison but....
Anyway, I like how you mentioned republican-style representation (I'm not referring to the GOP but to our system of government). I wanted to strangle people who decried Congress' efforts to enforce border law during the past year as "pandering" to the polls.
Hmmmm, isn't that what politicians are SUPPOSED to do?! If pandering means REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE then, yes, I fully support pandering. Love the pandering. Let's have MORE pandering.
...and I fully support people who wish to fly that flag but it should be done PRIVATELY rather than on state property. The Confederate states of America is a defunct federal government. If South Carolina wanted to switch their STATE flag to the confederate flag that'd be one thing, but to fly another federal flag on the state capitol is downright anti-patriotic. They may as well go the other way and fly Canada's flag on top of the building--same difference.
good for hillary.
Great post, Saur. I agree completely.
Do you think in 142 years we will still see Kerry Edwards bumper stickers?
Saur,
I have a double-wide sitting on my land in South Carolina. Please feel free to take any flag off my flag pole. Oh Hon, be careful of the dogs though.
It's all good.
I don't really agree with you about either Hillary or the "stars and bars" Confederate battle flag. My problem with your conclusions about the flag go back to a post I made eons ago about expecting others to react the same way we do to stimuli, and condemning them if they do not. But it is not a big deal to me. I had to inform you that one of the google hits to my blog was for saurkraut as medicine. I just snickered a bit because I am sure that the only notes on my blog re: "Saurkraut" have been re: you, I am not sure how google equated that with medicine, but it is something to think about. I sure hope your neck is getting better.
A couple of thoughts on your latest post.
First, It's up to the people of South Carolina to decide what's on their flag. I don't tell my neighbor how to run his (or her) house.
Second, a representative democracy (our form of goverment) is not one in which the actions of elected officials are necessarily dictated by the changing wishes of the people; but one, in which, we the people delegate our authority to elected officials to act on our behalf. Changing their position with the changling polls is not always acting on our behalf.
With that said, the Confederate Flag flying above a state capital is bad form and not one that I would want in "my house".
I don't know. I always liked that flag that said "Don't retread on me," and it showed some snakes doin' somethin'.
if people want to have that flag, fine but it should not be a state thing, especially since people work so hard to get the 10 commandments removed, etc.
hillary is a flipflopper, but i wonder if she caught so much crap from that she will try not to do it again?
Edge - first off most of the troops sent to Somalia did not die. There was one incident when some choppers were shot down when special forces were going after what we would call a "terrorist" today. And the REPUBLICANS cried for a cut and run policy. For political reasons.
As for the Confederate Flag - it is the flag of an enemy state. Southern pride? I am not buying that. And here is why!
After the end of the "war of northern aggression" the battle flag of the south vanished. States went back to the pre civil war state flags. If anyone used the battle flag, it was groups like the KKK.
Eventually even this died down. The former slaves, not wanting to be hung, just accepted Jim Crow and that was the end of the matter.
Then came the civil rights movement. It was 1962 then the confederate flag was flown over the South Carolina capitol. 1962! Not 1862. Not 1890. Not 1900.
The Confederate Flag came back into common use at the same time as the civil rights movement started up.
Southern Pride? PLEASE! Do not insult what little intelligence I have. My mother can remember when she was a girl - living in the South - living in ALABAMA - and never seeing the battle flag. But once civil rights started up she remembers seeing the flag everywhere.
1962 is when South Carolina started to fly that flag again. Shortly after that many Southern States changed their state flags to incorporate the rebel flag.
The rebel flag was brought back for one reason. In a last ditch attempt to keep the status quo in place. To keep segregation in place. It did not work.
Think I am full of crap? Fine. Google "Georgia State Flag". You will see that BEFORE 1956 it did not have any design elements of the confederate flag.
As far as I know, only Mississippi still has a state flag that incorporates the stars and bars.
Florida and Alabama's state flag feature a red X on a white background - but this is the cross of St. Andrew. The same cross used as part of the Union Jack. Also I believe that the Spanish flew a flag very close to the current Alabama State Flag over the fort at St. Augustine. All the new state of FL did was put the new state seal over the cross.
By the way, check out the cool flash animation I put on my blog!
Saur,
I maybe find myself at odds with you here. I am a redneck. I am a cracker. I am a hick. I am a farmboy. I have no stickers and I fly no flags other than the American flag, rooting for the USA and against the far left. I submit that 99% of all bars and stars flyers do not hate blacks. I do not hate blacks. I assure you that if most people had to envision a: rebel, hick, cracker, redneck or whatever they want to call me they would envision me. I do not hate blacks. As a matter of fact if i had to list 5 people to go my bail or drive 5 hours to get me out of a bind one of them would be black, and for the record he goes by "Chocolate Thunder" but thats beside the point. I think that the confederate flag symbolizes more as people being against the leftist thoughts of the freak frindge, the vietnam vet spitters, the america haters and the like. I submit to you that if the country was invaded today and you, Mrs. Saur T-back dressing room wearer (i just couldnt resist) had to choose that you would be better served being protected by a S&b flag waver than anyone else. I further submit that if you could get to my house when such invasion occured that we would have suffciant firepower to hold them off for awhile anywaqy. I really think you missed this one, think about it, should you like to debate it more let me know.
js
Saur♥Kraut. Either you are the dumbest BITCH in the world or you just don't know your history of the southern cross.....The war was not fought over slavery, you need to quit reading jewish propaganda or you need to accually go to a library and read about the war.Between the north and the south. The rebel flag will remain flying in this country forever even if Hillary fucking Clinton did make it to office as president, which I doubt. The flag will remain. That flag represents the dead men and woman that fought for the south and should always fly HIGH and it will always fly over my property and if you think for one minute your concept of how people should represent thier own states matters what the FUCK!!!! are you a fucking stupid bitch living in florida, which is also part of the south and talking shit about good southern people? That believe in true freedom from the communistic liberal jewish ran screwball government that you think is right about everything maybe we the southerners should should seperate from the north you piece of crap GET THE HELL OUT OF THE SOUTH and go live in JEW YORK you fucking screwball.
Incidentally, I am so grateful for "Johnny West Virginia" and his comments which illustrate my point so well. That is why I leave that last comment up. ;-) I think it sums up the true hatred that lies behind this "southern pride."
Post a Comment