Long time readers here may remember this post . It was one of the first things I wrote as Sir Rantalot. If you don't have the time to read it now the basic point is that any state or local government that displays the Confederate Stars and Bars should be considered in an open state of rebellion and charged with treason against the United States. Well I doubt anyone at the University of Mississippi reads this blog but they've decided to do the right thing any way.
Recently Ole Miss has changed it's fight song in an attempt to eliminate the chant "The South shall rise again." Follow the link to the ESPN article for the full details. What I thin should be pointed out is that a symbol of the south is taking steps to divorce itself from its sesesh past. Ole Miss has previously dropped its Colonel Rebel mascot.
The University of Mississippi should be applauded for their efforts towards uniting their student body and their fan base. Let me be the first to provisionally welcome Mississippi back into the Union.
Family, Sports, Politics, Random Rants: @bertoinpublic, facebook.com/interdisciplinarylife/
Showing posts with label confederacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confederacy. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Terror and Treason
Believe it or not there are people out there who do not support the United States. I know, its shocking. There are people who dislike our government, and our way of life. But I'm not talking about foreign powers, or hidden enemy agents, I'm talking about other Americans. There is a symbol of open rebellion that is flown in many parts of our country. I speak of none other than the Confederate Stars and Bars.
That's right, there are states that still fly the Stars and Bars over their government offices, be they local or state. My question is, how do we, as a nation, allow a symbol of open rebellion to fly over any number of state capitals in this alleged union?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for rebellion. Even Ben Franklin said something about needing to overthrow the government every so often. But I also believe that the Confederate flag represents a few things, and ain’t none of them good. Take slavery for example. Now I imagine you’d be hard pressed to find someone today who would support slavery in a public forum, unless you allowed them to wear a white hood while they said it. But by flying the Stars and Bars governments are promoting and showing allegiance to a pro-slavery symbol. Or, if you think slavery is too harsh an example, how about just plain hatred? Is it a coincidence that the KKK carries the Stars and Bars in their rallies?
Some people claim that the Confederate flag is simply a historical item that represents Southern heritage. Of course, Southern heritage is closely tied to slavery, anti-civil rights legislation/ demonstration, and the KKK. Or how about this quote from Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephenson, “Our new government is founded upon the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the White man.”
Here are some more quotes from flag supporters found in an abcnews.com article
abcnews.go.com/sections/us/ DailyNews/flag000406.html
“Jerry Sullivan, who wore a Confederate flag as a cape, said Riley had a new nickname, “LBJ, Little Black Joe, because of what he’s doing today.”
“‘They want a nice, multi-ethnic society and they know they can’t have it,’ said Lake High, former South Carolina League of the South chairman, accusing liberals, the media and Washington politicians of targeting Southern heritage.”
Long live the South! OK, here’s where the Rant gets controversial, ready? Flying the confederate flag in the south, where oppressed people, the progeny of former slaves, the children of the civil rights movement live and work is like flying the Afghani flag at ground zero. Flying the Stars and Bars attempts to legitimize and preserve the ideology behind one of the greatest evils in American history. And to do it to the very people who are still oppressed today, is deplorable.
I believe in freedom of speech. Individuals who wish to preserve and display the Confederate flag should be allowed to do so, but the government, all governments, from the Feds to your local PTA should remove the Stars and Bars from any and all public spaces. Anything else should be considered an act of treason against the United States. There is no middle ground. We cannot, and should not tolerate a symbol of hate to fly over those whom it oppresses.
6:16 pm edt
That's right, there are states that still fly the Stars and Bars over their government offices, be they local or state. My question is, how do we, as a nation, allow a symbol of open rebellion to fly over any number of state capitals in this alleged union?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for rebellion. Even Ben Franklin said something about needing to overthrow the government every so often. But I also believe that the Confederate flag represents a few things, and ain’t none of them good. Take slavery for example. Now I imagine you’d be hard pressed to find someone today who would support slavery in a public forum, unless you allowed them to wear a white hood while they said it. But by flying the Stars and Bars governments are promoting and showing allegiance to a pro-slavery symbol. Or, if you think slavery is too harsh an example, how about just plain hatred? Is it a coincidence that the KKK carries the Stars and Bars in their rallies?
Some people claim that the Confederate flag is simply a historical item that represents Southern heritage. Of course, Southern heritage is closely tied to slavery, anti-civil rights legislation/ demonstration, and the KKK. Or how about this quote from Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephenson, “Our new government is founded upon the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the White man.”
Here are some more quotes from flag supporters found in an abcnews.com article
abcnews.go.com/sections/us/ DailyNews/flag000406.html
“Jerry Sullivan, who wore a Confederate flag as a cape, said Riley had a new nickname, “LBJ, Little Black Joe, because of what he’s doing today.”
“‘They want a nice, multi-ethnic society and they know they can’t have it,’ said Lake High, former South Carolina League of the South chairman, accusing liberals, the media and Washington politicians of targeting Southern heritage.”
Long live the South! OK, here’s where the Rant gets controversial, ready? Flying the confederate flag in the south, where oppressed people, the progeny of former slaves, the children of the civil rights movement live and work is like flying the Afghani flag at ground zero. Flying the Stars and Bars attempts to legitimize and preserve the ideology behind one of the greatest evils in American history. And to do it to the very people who are still oppressed today, is deplorable.
I believe in freedom of speech. Individuals who wish to preserve and display the Confederate flag should be allowed to do so, but the government, all governments, from the Feds to your local PTA should remove the Stars and Bars from any and all public spaces. Anything else should be considered an act of treason against the United States. There is no middle ground. We cannot, and should not tolerate a symbol of hate to fly over those whom it oppresses.
6:16 pm edt
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