Confederate Flag

[Christine]

I know this is wading into turbulent waters, but I am sickened at the violence last week in South Carolina, and amazed at how quickly the response has turned to removing confederate symbols. I know many of you are from the south (as is my husband's family) so I wondered what your thoughts are. Do you think the confederate symbols and identity fed into his racism and rampage?

Mississippi's lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves, asserted in a statement that the violence in Charleston should not be linked to a flag. “What happened in Charleston is simply pure irrational evil. There is no other description for this monster’s actions. He is an individual that has allowed his mind and soul to be horribly twisted and disfigured by irrational hate. No symbol or flag or website or book or movie made him evil — he was evil on his own. Flags and emblems are chosen by a group of people as a symbol of all that unites and ties the group together. The good and bad in our shared history, and all that we have learned from it, is something that ties us together.”

I do see his point and agree somewhat, but is there any other nation on earth where a group has risen up against the government, caused a war that led to unfathomable death and destruction, and still been allowed to hold on to the symbols of that rebellion? Not just hold on to them in museums but on clothes, flags, and license plates?

"This is a feeding frenzy of cultural cleansing,” said Ben Jones, the chief of heritage operations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a Tennessee-based group. “It’s an hysteria — we just want to fly this flag for family, for Grandpappy. This whole thing is basically insulting and demeaning our respect for our ancestors."

Are there Sons of Confederate Veterans officials who have said that because this symbol has been hijacked by evil people we agree with removing it from public places?

So, is it really to honor 'Grandpappy?' Or is it a way to subtly claim superiority over an entire race? If it is to honor our ancestors, then why aren't the British flags flying in states with huge British ancestry. The German flag in the upper Midwest? The Japanese flag in Hawaii and California?

At what point are you comfortable with this? Removing the battle flag from all state flags and from all capital grounds? Removing the statues from all capital rotundas and public lands? Removing them entirely from everywhere? Where do we draw the line? How do we balance history with reality that evil people will be inspired by these symbols of rebellion?