How do you feel about the Rebel Flag

I have always heard that it is race related,I am white but it still makes me feel uneasy when I see it on someones vehicle.

It offends me.

I've always been told that it was a symbol of the south. A family member is into Civil War re-enactments and they use it. I believe it is viewed as a racist symbol because the KKK uses it as such.

Yes, that makes sense. dam KKK!

I think some people look for reasons to be outraged.

I don't presume to know what's in the hearts of other people. Are people being accused of lying when they say they think of it as heritage?

I don't really have strong feelings about it one way or another.

I'm not familiar with the rebel flag.

Get over it.

Flags aren't racist, people are.

It's called the Confederate Flag. It's a symbol of southern heritage. Nothing more. Nothing less.

> It's called the Confederate Flag. It's a symbol
> of southern heritage. Nothing more. Nothing less.
>

exactly.

I'll fly my Confederate flag with pride for my southern heritage.

This sounded like it was kind of a biased statement not a survey. This confused me.

I think it is heritage. African American's have flags, should I consider that flag to be considered racist? No. It is part of their heritage. Just because caucasions have a flag that I thought was the confederate flag, doesn't make it hatred. It makes them proud of their heritage. Homosexuals have a flag...should I consider that flag to mean they hate heterosexuals? Nope!

I'm from the great state of MS yaw, i like cornbread, magnolias, farm boys & my flag.

Good point!! I'v never stopped to think about it like that

I have no strong opinion one way or the other. I think if its on private property, thats a lot different than if its on a state flag or something, which is why it makes sense to edit state flags a bit to the point where you take everyones opinion into consideration.

I feel it can be viewed as both.

You were a slave??

Same way I feel about the lack of question marks and commas, only that I don't care about the Rebel Flag.

A symbol of hatred and of keeping other people "down."

I don't know what the Rebel Flag is.

I am glad that I made sense. LOL. Frequently, people say they don't understand anything I try to say, LOL

It is actually quite frustrating.

I LIKE ALL OF THOSE TOO! Except farm boys. Maybe I can say I am from MS.

Wait.

I talk like a "yankee"

Nevermind

Welcome to Survey Central from all us down south.

It was my high school symbol. We were "the Rebels"

To me currently it means a symbol of someone who is a hillbilly, red-neck, never graduated high school, and has maybe 4 or 5 teeth.

I have mixed feelings about it. Yes, I can see it simply meaning 'I'm from the south and proud' but so much is associated with it like racism that it can make people uncomfortable. Same with the swastika. The symbol didn't do the horrible things that were done but they are associated with them.

I don't have a problem with it unless the people who have it up or whatever run around saying, "The south will rise again!" No it won't.
Now..to wait for the bashing.

I feel like "the South" should collectively get the fudge over it. They lost, over a hundred years ago. Deal.

To me it is just a part of US history.But I can understand why blacks hate it, they hate it more because the KKK uses it for their flag.

Which Rebel Flag? Do you mean the first official flag of the Confederacy, called the "Stars and Bars," or the second national flag of the Confederacy, called the "Stainless Banner" (often confused on windless days) or the third National Flag sometimes called the blood-stained or blood-dipped banner, or the over-used The Confederate Navy Jack, also called "The Southern Cross," the one most commonly attributed as the flag of the Confederate States of America today (even though it never was)?

To me, I see that many (albeit white) people from US South see it as a symbol of their heritage and pride in their ancestors who held out during years of war under terrible odds and sacrifice and as a current symbol of rebellion against the United States government.

I see that others (mostly African-American) view it as a symbol of the institution of slavery, or the oppression in the Southern states after the Civil war, enforcing racial segregation within their borders for almost a century later. Seen as a current symbol of racial hatred, bigotry and the banner for white inbreeders throughout America.

Its a flag, not a very good looking flag, that represents an organization that LOST and no longer exists. It is ironic that so many heap such meaning on an obscure decorated Naval cloth that only a small land population sported at the end of the war, to carry into battle, only to have thier asses handed to them.

For good or ill, I have no dog in this fight. Dismayed over the overuse, over generalization, revisionist history and ignorance (on both sides), over something that happened way too long ago, I just assume avoid the issue and leave it to those who give an excrement.

i view it as a symbol of hatred. i am from the north but live in northern florida which is very close to georgia. there are people everywhere here who have them on their cars, houses etc.... many claim heritage but can't tell you what that is.

> It's called the Confederate Flag. It's a symbol of southern heritage.
> Nothing more. Nothing less.

i imagine that the comics on your homepage aren't racist as well??

If it went away, I wouldn't miss it.

> It's called the Confederate Flag. It's a symbol
> of southern heritage. Nothing more. Nothing less.
>

Keep telling yourself that David Duke.

You do see that she didn't put those on HER page right? That someone posted them to her.

I assume you're talking about my Myspace page? Those are comments posted by other people, not by me. And, they're jokes. One of them is actually making fun of the Klan. The Mexican ones were posted by a friend whose husband is Mexican. We all pick on each other about race. It's a joke between friends. There's only one that I see as being totally racist, but it's a joke. I don't consider myself a racist, but I'll admit I laugh at racist jokes. This includes jokes about white people. I think finding humor in situations makes life a little more fun.

she could remove them though couldn't she?

If I were anything like David Duke, I seriously doubt that I'd have black and Hispanic friends. I don't hate other races. I don't think white people are superior to other races. I simply embrace my heritage, the same way other races embrace theirs. Is there something wrong with me being proud of where I come from? I think not. I don't think anyone should be ashamed of where they come from. I'm certainly not. And, I'm not going to hide my pride simply to keep from offending someone. The Confederate Flag is what people make it. I agree that it can (and has) been used in a racist way. There are many people that fly it as a way of expressing their racism. But, you can't place everyone who flies a Confederate flag as being racist. Until you know what's in their hearts, you don't know why they fly it.

> she could remove them though couldn't she?

But thats HER page, why should she modify her home page because other people dislike it? I'm simply looking at it this way, as we've been told so far about the south, ya'll dont like it? Get over it.. (& I'm not trying to get nobody riled, I'm just expressing how I feel.)

Possibly, but why should she? It isn't as though she is saying "Hey, I am a racist!"

Should SC remove any form of racism by someone? It's freedom of speech. It isn't like shes aiming anything at a certain person.

Could I? Sure, I could. I choose not to. I'm not going to censor what my friends post on my page to simply keep from offending someone.

i didn't say remove anything because i or anyone else said so. the person replied to my saying that their were racist comics on the page with telling me that someone else posted them and i said that she could remove them if she wanted to............ if someone sent them to my page i would remove them because i think they are horrible. she can do what she wants with them. i'm not riled. it was just my response to the reason i was given for why they were there. if she likes them, then she will leave them.

Yea true.

i didn't say she should remove them. you told me that someone else sent them to her and that is why they are there. and all i said was, she could remove them couldn't she? as i said above to comic, i don't care either way. they are there because she wants them there or she left them there.

and i never said you should remove them. hottie gave the reason they were there as someone else put them there. my point was, if you didn't want them there, they wouldn't be there. same as you said.

That's true. I have no problem with them being there. I don't see them as being hateful. I see them as jokes between friends. I see no point in censoring what people post on my page.

It's not about the flag, it's about the intent behind the flying of it.

Tradition with a dallop of stubbornness and a dash of stupidity. Actually, it's stubbornness more than anything. I know a guy who insists on hanging it, and he's despicable in more ways than just prejudice.

To deny that it is a symbol of racism is naieve at best. Keep in mind that before the Nazis got their grubby hands it, the swastika was once a symbol of peace for certain faiths. Now only a small portion of practioners of those faiths still use it, and then only within the confiens of their own community. Racist or not, your avatar is offensive to black people, and to liberal whites like myself. I'm not saying you yourself are racist (the David Duke thing was a joke). But you DO have a racist symbol in your avatar. It sucks, but that's life.

> To deny that it is a symbol of racism is naieve
> at best. Keep in mind that before the Nazis got
> their grubby hands it, the swastika was once a
> symbol of peace for certain faiths. Now only a
> small portion of practioners of those faiths still
> use it, and then only within the confiens of their
> own community. Racist or not, your avatar is offensive
> to black people, and to liberal whites like myself.
> I'm not saying you yourself are racist (the David
> Duke thing was a joke). But you DO have a racist
> symbol in your avatar. It sucks, but that's life.

Niether Amanda nor I, mean to offend anybody here cause niether of us are racist. Thats our state flag she has in her avatar, given we are both from MS & we are proud to be southern. Contary to popular belief, we know exactly what the flag means on a personal level, but we feel we shouldint haft to explain it 50 times to make our point. I'm not a hick, an inbreeder, a racist, or some hillbilly with 3 teeth. But I guess if people wanna think that because I happen take pride in being from the south, fine. We know where we come from & are not ashamed.

I'm denying that the Confederate flag represents racism for some people. However, it doesn't for all people. And, my avatar is my state flag. I guess the black people that fly it are racists, as well?

PREACH IT SISTA!

It makes me wanna fly the MS flag....AND I AM FROM NEBRASKA!!!!!!!

You're such a cracker.

Thanks gurl

Yeah....I know. That's what CC says to me alllllllllllllll the time.

Your a cracker too though.

At least I'm a plain cracker....unlike some people I know.

Well.... that picture Amanda is showing is not the Rebel flag I'm used to seeing. I thought it has a big X across it. I'm Canadian so I'm not really aware of a lot of Southern history except the stuff everyone knows. I did do a study of Jim Crow for personal education and I do listen to "dirty South" hip hop from time to time.
Don't the Klan use this flag now? People actually fly it at their homes is that what you mean?

From where I stand, the Rebel Flag stands for the defeated South and is a symbol to those who refuse to accept that the North won, and that society has evolved beyond slavery. The word redneck comes to mind.

Yes....plain stale crackers are better then beans

It is time for us to put all childishness aside.

I hope no one takes offense to my opinion. I am not better than anyone else here.

My avatar is the Mississippi state flag, not the Confederate flag.

It's a flag. It's a piece of cloth. It really means nothing to me. I don't even have particularly strong feelings about the Canadian flag or the British Columbia flag.

I tend to associate that flag with the descendants of the people who lost the United States Civil War. Funny how even after nearly 150 years, people still haven't gotten over that. I suppose they still feel a certain pride in their cultural heritage. It doesn't make me think of racism or slavery. I suppose that might have been the case a very long time ago, but I don't think it still carries that association any more.

i have never hear of it.

sigh... told you I know not. Thanks for telling me.

> I am not better than anyone else here.

Yes you are!

um....ermm....stop it....I'm really not...

who really cares

Nor should you. Plenty of great things have come from the south. Faulkner, Penn Warren, Faith Hill, it goes on. The point is, why do you have to fly a flag with a racist symbol on it to show that pride? I'm half-German, but do you see any swastikas on my binder or laptop? No. There are other ways to show pride for where you come from.

I give up trying to explain.

What is there to explain? Of all the things associated with the south you choose as your favorite the one that is most associated with slavery, lynching, and discrimination. Why not choose a tree native to the region? Plenty of people do that. How about a fruit? An author or musician? The possibilities are almost endless yet you and Amanda settle on the flag of Jefferson Davis, the biggest terrorist of all time, who killed more Americans than Osama Bin Laden did, and for what cause; to whip and torture black people.

> My avatar is the Mississippi state flag, not the Confederate flag.
>

Looks like a compromise between the Dutch Flag and the Confederate Flag (okay so the Dutch Flag is upside down, but work with me here...). Imagine Klansmen with clogs!!!

(I kill myself sometimes, and this is not one of those times.)

Wouldn't cinders fall off the crosses and set the clogs on fire?

I'll say again that I chose my state flag. A flag that was voted on. A flag that won that vote 2-1.

Anyhow, I don't see why this is an issue to you. In a previous post you said something about the Confederate flag being offensive to black people. I don't know what black people you speak of because it sure as hell isn't the black people who live in my area. I live in a civil war town. You should come here and see the history. Speak to the locals. Learn for yourself what that flag represents to people. It's not about hate or slavery or lynching or discrimination. It's about pride and history and love. An "outsider" can't understand that. Growing up in my town, I've come to understand a lot about those times that I can't expect others to understand.

Honestly, I understand your point of view. I can see where people would think it's a symbol of hate or slavery. But, until you've lived here, until you've gotten to know the history first hand, until you've seen the re-enactments, until you've walked the same paths that my ancestors walked, until you've read the diaries of slaves, until you've spoken with people whose ancestors were slaves and slave owners, you can't understand that.

I have two of them tatooed on me, I have 18 tattoos total so I must love it.

thank you sister. I am glad there are a few sane people left.

Its southern heritage.

> I'll say again that I chose my state flag.
> A flag that was voted on. A flag that won that
> vote 2-1.
>
> Anyhow, I don't see why this is an issue to you.
> In a previous post you said something about the
> Confederate flag being offensive to black people.
> I don't know what black people you speak of because
> it sure as hell isn't the black people who live
> in my area. I live in a civil war town. You should
> come here and see the history. Speak to the locals.
> Learn for yourself what that flag represents to
> people. It's not about hate or slavery or lynching
> or discrimination. It's about pride and history
> and love. An "outsider" can't understand that.
> Growing up in my town, I've come to understand
> a lot about those times that I can't expect others
> to understand.
>
> Honestly, I understand your point of view. I can
> see where people would think it's a symbol of
> hate or slavery. But, until you've lived here,
> until you've gotten to know the history first
> hand, until you've seen the re-enactments, until
> you've walked the same paths that my ancestors
> walked, until you've read the diaries of slaves,
> until you've spoken with people whose ancestors
> were slaves and slave owners, you can't understand
> that.



Go baby, you speak for all of us with true southern spirit.

Ya know Mandi....I am with Gooch. You sound pretty intelligent. Maybe we have not given you enough credit.

BTW, I am so with you on this issue.

Dance you Dutch Klansmen, DANCE MOTHERF***ERS!!!

That was so mean, what he said.

*shrugs* ............. I know I am making a generalisation but I always assume the person, has a pick-up with a gun rack and has at least one relative named Billy Bob

I have a rebel flag thong.

Pastor John Weaver is a native of Georgia, and a graduate from Bob Jones University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and attended graduate school. He has been in Christian ministry for over 30 years.
Pastor Weaver has traveled across America preaching and lecturing in churches, colleges and conferences. John Weaver is an expositor of God's whole Word. His preaching style is in the tradition of those early American pastors whose pulpits were the cradle of America's Christian Liberty.
For more information write:
TRUTH AND SOUTHERN HISTORY
P.O. BOX 6847
West Columbia, SC 29171

The Truth About
The Confederate Battle Flag
By Pastor John Weaver
(Permission granted to copy.)

Open your Bibles to the Book of Numbers Chapter 1. Numbers Chapter 1 and we will read some verses there and then in Chapter 2 as well. Numbers Chapter 1:52 "And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents every man by his own camp and every man by his own standard throughout their hosts." Note that phrase, "Every man by his own standard throughout their hosts." Now look in Chapter 2:2. "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch his own standard or banner or flag with the ensign, banner or flag, of their fathers house far off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch. And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies; and Nahshon, the son of Amminadab shall be Captain of the Children of Judah."

Notice if you would please, in verse 10, "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur." Note on the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben. Look in verse 17, "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud." Then verse 25, "The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies. And the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai." And then verse 31, "And they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go to hindmost with their standards." Then verse 34, "And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses so they pitched by their standards and so they set forward every one after their families according to the house of their fathers.

Let me begin by asking a simple question. Why in the world is there so much fuss over a flag? Is a standard, a banner, and ensign, or a flag worth fighting about? Everyone knows that a flag is a symbol. It represents something. But what is it a symbol of and what does it represent? If you will study your Bible you will find that our English word "flag" does not occur in our Bibles, except to refer to "the reeds" or more specifically the "paper I plant that dwells by the riverside." But if you will take the time to go through a concordance you will find that the word "banner," the word "standard," the word "ensign" occurs frequently over and over. I want you to see by way of introduction tonight the importance of a flag or the importance of a standard.

You see, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wilderness they camped everyone under their own standard. Do you realize that they were centered around that Tabernacle according to their standards as well? If you will look back in your Bibles to the Book of Numbers 2:2. Note this statement: "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard. So evidently a tribe had its own standard, with the ensign of their father's house. So there were not only tribal standards, there were also family standards, so usually then, each family carried two banners - one for their tribe and one for their father's house. And of course, all of these families in Israel, all of the tribes then were centered around that tabernacle.

When they marched, they marched according to the order that God gave. Now there were four leading tribes: the Tribe of Judah, Rueben, Ephraim and Dan. Now according to tradition, the standard of the Tribe of Judah had a Lion on it. Hence we know Christ as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah." That of the Tribe of Rueben had the likeness of a man's head. That of the Tribe of Ephraim had the figure of an ox and that of the Tribe of Dan had the symbol of an eagle. If you will study the book of Ezekiel, you will find the four living creatures there that Ezekiel saw had the faces of these four standards that are mentioned here in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 2.
Now I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 20:5. The Word of God says this: "We will rejoice in thy salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. The Lord fulfill all thy petitions." So banners or flags then have a religious significance. Here is the importance of a banner: we set it up in the name of our God. It represents our theology. It represents our Christianity. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 60:4. Note how plain the Bible is here. Psalm 60:4: The Word of God says, "Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee that it may be displayed because of thy truth." So God then gives us a banner that we might display that banner. Why? Because of the truth. Not because of error, not because of anything else, but because of the truth.

Now go back in your Bibles to the Book of Exodus 17:15. You are going to be surprised when you find one of the names of God mentioned here in the Bible.

Exodus 17:15, "The Children of Israel had fought against the Amalikites and had won." God had given them the victory. Exodus 17:14: Note what God tells Moses. "And the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven. And Moses built an altar and called the name if it Jehovah-nissi. Jehovah-nissi. For he said because the Lord had sworn that the Lord would have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Now note Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi. Jehovah-nissi means "the Lord our banner." In other words God is the banner of His people.

The name of God is associated with the warfare of His people. So a flag then is not just given to us for the truth, but God Himself is said to be our flag, our banner. Look in your Bibles at the Book of Isaiah 59:19. Here is a very powerful verse. Look in Isaiah 59:19. Note, if you would this verse: "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the West and His glory from the rising of the Sun when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard or banner against him." Did you hear what I just read?

When the enemy shall come in like a flood then the spirit, that is the third person of the Trinity, then the Holy Spirit shall lift up a standard against him. Now let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit is lifting up a banner, if he is lifting up a standard against the enemies of God's people, what standard or what banner is he lifting up? Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 11:10 and you will find out. Note if you would please, what the Word of God says concerning Christ, "And in that day there shall be root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign or a flag of the people and to it shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious." So when the enemies of the Lord come in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against them and that standard is Jesus Christ! So God the Father is said in the scripture to be our banner. God the Son is said in the scripture to be our banner. I don't know about you, but I believe God places a great deal of importance upon banners and flags and ensign in the Word of God.

No one can deny the importance of a standard based upon the Word of God.

But what about the Confederate Flag? Is the Confederate Flag a Christian symbol? Interestingly, when one mentions the Confederate Flag, usually what comes up in someone's mind is the battle flag as we see right here. I want you to know tonight that there were numerous Confederate Flags. This is the battle flag. Let me just point out the fact that there were five major flags.

There were many, many more, but the first flag that I want to point out is the Bonnie Blue flag which was a solid blue flag with a single star right in the middle. Now the Bonnie Blue flag was the unofficial flag of the Confederate States of America. It was never officially adopted, but it was an extremely popular flag and there is a song written about it from that period.

Then secondly, there is what is known as the first "National Flag", which is sometimes called the Stars and Bars. Now there is a problem, and I am going to deal with it a little bit later. But the Stars and Bars looked a lot like the Stars and Stripes, and there was a conflict because of that. Then thirdly, there was the second "National Flag", which is referred to as the stainless banner. It just had this symbol in the upper left-hand corner and then it was pure white; it was silk. The only problem with the stainless banner was when the wind was not blowing and it was folded, it sometimes looked like a flag of truce, or a flag of surrender. And then fourthly, we have the third "National Flag" and that was the same stainless banner but with a solid red bar all the way down it and that is the one that is usually flying today. It was officially adopted, but very few of them were issued.

And then of course, we have the Confederate Battle Flag as we know it. Interestingly enough, the first four flags are very rarely spoken against because most people don't even know about their existence, and they are totally absolutely ignorant of them and so consequently it is the battle flag that catches most of the flak.

So let me begin tonight with some negatives. I want to tell you what the Confederate Battle Flag does not represent! I want to tell you what it does not symbolize and I want you to hear me very carefully, because I am going to give you the historical proof for what I am going to say.

First of all, the Confederate Battle Flag is not a racist flag. I can hear it now though, "Brother Weaver, don't you know that the Ku Klux Klan uses the Confederate Battle Flag, and don't you know that the white supremacists groups use the Confederate Flag, and don't you know the hate groups use the Confederate Flag?" Yes, I know this. But I also know that they use the Stars and Stripes and I also know they even use the Christian flag as well. Let me ask you a question. Why are not the Stars and Stripes and Christian flag considered racist flags as well? I mean if someone is going to be guilty by association, or if something is going to be guilty by association, I can show you pictures of the KKK marching in Washington, D.C. and there was not one Confederate Flag amongst them. They are all carrying the Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Flag!

If we are going to condemn the flag because the KKK and the white supremacists and the hate groups use it, let's condemn all the flags. Be consistent! Condemn the Stars and Stripes. Condemn the Christian flag. Let me ask you another question, just to show you the absurdity of this position.

Do you realize that the Darlington 400 for years used a picture of the Confederate Flag on its billboard and advertised itself as the Rebel Raceway? Does that mean that anyone who attends the Darlington 400 is a racist? What about the Scottish soldiers? I'll explain this a little bit later. Even today Scottish Soldiers who were in the British Army wear the cross of Saint Andrews. Does that mean that all Scottish soldiers are racist as well?
Let me show you the enmity and the hatred and the venom that is being spoken against this flag and I am going to tell you why before I close tonight. I found a website and the name of the website was basically, "The Confederate Flag Must Go!" and it was put there by Jack Crawford, who evidently is a black man based upon his other writings, and here is what he said. I am quoting him verbatim, I took it off his website. He says this, "The Confederate flag is a well recognized international symbol of racism, slavery, hatred, murder and white supremacy. It should be outlawed, not just banned. Anyone flying it should be corrected in a manner that is usually reserved for overseers, slave masters, and leaders of lynch mobs responsible for the murder of children. Am I clear?"

So what does Mr. Jack Crawford say? He says anyone who flies this flag ought to be condemned to death. That is basically what he is saying. What would you do to a murderer who formed a lynch mob and hung a child? Well, very clearly you would see that he got the death penalty. Well that is what he is saying. Now let me just tell you very quickly, Mr. Crawford's statement is unhistorical. It is unconstitutional and it is untrue.

Do you realize that most attackers of the flag are either motivated by historical ignorance or pure unadulterated malice toward the South, its symbols, its heritage and its people? In 1994, a Harris Poll found that two-thirds of black Americans had no problem with the Confederate Flag. No problem at all! Why in the world make the flag an issue?

In fact, there are numerous black Americans that speak out for the Confederate Flag. Let me give you one of them. R.J. Wilkins of Miami, Florida, had this to say. They were flying the Confederate Flag at the capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, and he wrote this: "I am a black man who is not offended by the flying of the Confederate Flag beside the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. The Confederate Flag is as much a part of my history as it is of any white person. It may not represent the best of my race, or be held by some as a contribution to this country's greatness, but it does to me. My great grandparents were a part of the plantations. They worked the cotton fields, cleaned the big houses and in many ways supported the development of American society. We should let the Confederate Flag fly as a reminder of our American history both black and white."

But let me tell you something. You want to hear a black man speak out and speak the truth? Let me give you a quote that W. Earl Douglas gave. He was a black journalist in Charleston, South Carolina, and he is now dead, but here is what he said concerning the Confederate flag, "If hate had been the prevailing emotion between the races, then it is a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never been born."

Did you hear what he said? If hate had been the prevailing emotions between the blacks and the whites in the South, he is saying it's a safe bet that the Confederacy would have never, ever been born. I continue, "Fortunately," he says, "There was love, understanding, and compassion."

Now listen to what this black man says. "And the two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are, number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two, that it was fought by the North for the purpose of freeing the slaves! The Negro was merely used as the excuse for that War while the real reason for it is reflected in every area of our lives where the tentacles of government form the bars of a new slavery. No! Don't furl that Confederate Battle Flag. Let it wave all across the South to remind Americans that there exists here a yearning for liberty, freedom, and independence that will not be denied. Let it fly as a testimonial to real men and real women who would rather work and fight and shed tears than to beg the government for charity." He understood, folks. He had more sense and more knowledge than most people today.

You see the Confederate Battle Flag is not a racist symbol and it never has been. One of my favorite stories is about a black representative, John F. Harris, who was a legislator in Washington County, Mississippi. And he had the opportunity to vote for Senate Bill #25, which was a bill to erect a Confederate Monument on the Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now the bill did pass and Mr. Harris, who was sick and got out of his bed to give his speech before the Senate, did so and, on February 23, 1890, the Daily Clarion Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi printed his speech in full.

Let me read a portion of it to you. He says,

"Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to offer a few words on the bill. I have come from a sick bed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come, but Sir I could not rest quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentlemen from Marshall County. I am sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of their brave dead. And Sir, I am convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines and in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battle field covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their countries honor, he would not have made that speech.
When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed. And they made no requests for monuments. But they died and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I too wore the Grey. The same color my master wore. We stayed four long years and if that war had gone on until now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions.

When my mother died I was a boy. Who Sir, then acted the part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old misses. Was she living now or could speak to me from those high realms where gathered the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill and, Sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of a bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead."

Here was a man, a black man, who wore the Confederate gray and he understood the War was not a racist War. Now, let me tell you, the Confederate Flag is not a racist flag.
But, now wait, if you want racism, if you want hatred, if you want white supremacy, I will tell you where to find it under the Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Flag. Not under the Confederate Flag.

Do you realize the Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863? On August 14, 1862, less than five months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Abraham Lincoln invited a number of leading blacks to the White House to give them his words of wisdom and to demonstrate to them why he was attempting to colonize them back in Africa. By the way, Lincoln's Negro policy was to send them all back to Africa. That was his policy. William Seward, William Stanton, all of them wanted the same thing. And so he invited these Negroes to come to the White House to hear his words of wisdom, and I am quoting verbatim what Lincoln said. Listen carefully,
he says,
"Why should people of your race be colonized and where? Why should they leave this country? This is perhaps the first question for proper consideration. You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss. But this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both as I think. Your race suffers very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffers from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this is admitted it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. You are free men here I suppose. Perhaps you have been long free, all of your lives. Your race is suffering, in my judgment, the greatest wrong inflicted on any people, but even when you cease to be slaves, you are yet far removed from being placed on an equality with a white race. The aspiration of men is to enjoy equality with the best when free, but on this broad continent, not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single man of our race." Abraham Lincoln.

Let me translate that: Blacks aren't equal to Whites, never will be. That is what he just got through saying. Listen to what Lincoln said in a speech in Charleston, Illinois, 1858. Lincoln said, "I am not now nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social or the political equality of a White and Black races. I am not now, nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor of intermarriages with white people. There is a physical difference between the white and black races, which will forever forbid the two races from living together on social or political equality. There must be a position of superior and inferior and I am in favor of assigning the superior position to the white man." Abraham Lincoln.


You see the Confederate flag has never stood as a racist symbol. If you want racism, you go to the Stars and Stripes.

In the South, although there was separation, the blacks respected the whites and the whites respected the blacks. And I will tell you this, there was no trouble in the South back then nor in the 1960's until the North came down and started stirring up trouble. So the Confederate flag is not a racist flag.

Secondly tonight, the Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery. It does not represent slavery. Are you listening to me tonight? There was not one slave ever brought into this country under the Confederate flag. Every slave that was brought into this country was brought in by Northern ships under the Stars and Stripes. There was not even a slave brought into this country on a Southern vessel! The slaves were brought into this country on Northern vessels under the Stars and Stripes.

Did you know that out of the 224 years that slavery was legal in this country, only four of those years did the Confederate Battle Flag fly? And by the way, there were slaves in this country in 1620. What flag flew over the country more than any other flag during those 224 years? It was the Stars and Stripes. It wasn't the Confederate Battle Flag. It was the Stars and Stripes! Why hate and attack the Confederate Flag? I mean, if you want to hate a flag of slavery then you ought to hate the Stars and Stripes! And if you want to hate another flag of slavery, why not hate the British flag? Did you know that England was responsible for taking five million blacks from Africa and selling them to every country under the sun? If you want to hate a flag, why not hate the Dutch flag or the Portuguese flag, or the Spanish flag? They sold slaves. And if you want to hate a flag today, how about hating the Muslim flags because even today the Muslims are still involved in slavery! I mean let's be honest.

Now if you want to believe that the War of 1861 to 1865 was over slavery, I can show you two things that ought to forever correct your thinking in that area: The War was not over slavery. Slavery has only been made an issue by the liberal revisionists. It was not an issue. Let me prove to you just by two simple statements. I will give you more, but let me prove to you that the War was not fought over slavery, and therefore, this flag could never ever have represented slavery. You see Abraham Lincoln proposed a Constitutional amendment in March of 1861. It is the only proposed constitutional amendment that was signed by a sitting President. It bears Abraham Lincoln's signature. Here was Abraham Lincoln's proposed amendment:
"No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give Congress the power to abolish or interfere within any state with the domestic institutions thereof, including that a person's held to labor or service by laws of said State."

Did you hear that? Lincoln's proposed amendment said Congress shall not have the power to interfere with any institutions within any state including those held to labor or service by the laws of that State. In other words, what Abraham Lincoln was saying to the South, if you will accept this proposed amendment, you may forever keep slaves. Folks, Beauregard never fired on Fort Sumter until April 9. This was in March of 1861! If the War had been about slavery and if the South wanted just to keep slaves and that was it, why fire a gun? Why fire a shot? Just simply accept his proposed amendment and it would all be over. This resolution was passed unanimously by Congress on July 23, 1861. You may read it for yourself in the Congressional Record.

Here is what this resolution says: "The War is waged by the government of the United States not in the spirit of conquest or subjugation, nor for the purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or institutions of the states, but to defend and protect the Union." Congress said the War is not about slavery! I will even give you an amendment that will allow you to make slavery permanent.
You see what was happening was this: There are a lot of issues and I can't cover them all tonight, but one of the issues was an economic issue. Do you realize the South, before the War, was extremely wealthy? And the South before the War funded probably 75 to 80% of all the taxes. But the north wanted a 40% tariff. The South said no. The most we will ever agree to is a 10% tariff. And what Lincoln and the radical republicans were doing was this: They were saying we would give you the amendment. We will let you keep your slaves if that is what you want. You just let us keep our tariffs.

In other words, the North was willing to sell the blacks out for money, for higher taxes! They could care less. You see, Hapgood's book, Abraham Lincoln, The Man of The People, on page 273, quotes Abraham Lincoln as saying, "If I could save the Union without freeing any of the slaves I would do it." Abraham Lincoln later said that slaves are property and if freed they should be paid for. Later on Lincoln said, "I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so and I have no inclination to do so." Now here Lincoln is acknowledging that he has no lawful right to interfere with slavery.

Slavery, by the way, was constitutional. All thirteen colonies agreed on it and by the way, in 1776, all thirteen colonies held slaves, not just the South, all of them! Lincoln said, "I have no lawful right to interfere nor," he says, "do I have an inclination to do so." In a letter to Alexander Stevens who happened to be later the Vice President of the Confederacy, Lincoln wrote and said this, "Do the people of the South really entertain fear that a Republican administration would directly or indirectly interfere with their slaves, or with them about their slaves? If they do, I wish to assure you that once, as a friend, and still I hope not as an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears. The South would be in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington." So once again, Lincoln is saying it's not over slavery.

You say, but Brother Weaver, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. And the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. No it didn't.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not free one slave! Do you know what Abraham Lincoln tried to do with the Emancipation Proclamation? In fact he says so himself and so do other men in his Cabinet. They say that the Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure. Lincoln, number one, wanted to keep England specifically, and the rest of Europe particularly from joining in with, or recognizing the Confederate States of America. That was his first goal in the Emancipation Proclamation.

His second goal was another war measure, in the sense, he was hoping that the blacks in the South would rise up in rebellion against their white masters and the white people. Let me tell you something, just to show you there was no trouble in the South - there was not one rebellion during that war of black folks. Do you realize a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have emptied the Confederate armies, because the men would have gone home to protect their families? And Lincoln knew that. You see what Lincoln did was this. Now listen to me.

Lincoln tried to free the slaves in the South where he had absolutely no authority and he refused to release the slaves in the North where he did have authority. Did you know that in the Northern armies even when they were fighting the South there were over 300,000 slaveholders in the Northern armies? Did you know that General Robert E. Lee before the war ever began, when he inherited some slaves freed them? General Ulysses S. Grant, who was the main General of the North and afterwards became President, even after the war was over, kept his slaves. And he did so with this excuse: good help is hard to find. You see the truth of the matter is this: the Emancipation Proclamation was not only unconstitutional, and everybody recognized it, it cost the Republicans a lot of elections.

There were five Northern states that refused after that to elect Republicans to Congress. And moreover, there were a lot of Union soldiers that deserted because of it and refused to fight. Slavery was not the issue. Slavery has never been the issue until recently, until political revisionists and the political correct people wanted to make it the issue.
There have been numerous warnings down through history concerning our flag and concerning our heritage and our culture. One of those warnings came from General Patrick Clever. I want to read to you what General Patrick Clever said in January of 1864. And he was warning the South in regards to subjugation. You talk about a prophet, listen carefully. General Clever said this: "If the South lost it means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy. That our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will learn from Northern school books their version of the war, will be impressed by all of the influences of History and Education to regard our gallant debt as traders and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision." Folks let me tell you that is exactly what has happened in this country.

You pick up any textbook that you want to pick up and it will just simply say, the War was over slavery, the North was right and the South was wrong. And most folks believe that junk. They have been taught it. The War was not over slavery, not over slavery at all.

One of my favorite stories is about a reconstructed Southerner who ran into Mildred Lewis Rutherford. Mildred Lewis Rutherford was one of the finest Southern Historians that you could ever come across. I believe she died in 1928. But this one reconstructed Southerner said to Mrs. Rutherford, he said, "My father was a Confederate soldier, but had he lived, I am sure he would have regretted having fought for the wrong side." To which Mrs. Rutherford replied: "Far more probably he would have regretted having a son so disloyal to the principals for which he was willing to give his life".

The Confederate flag is not a racist flag. The Confederate flag is not a flag of slavery.
Now here is the third thing I want to teach you tonight, and I want you to listen carefully: The Confederate flag is a Christian flag and it represents freedom from tyranny. The Confederate Battle Flag as we know it, really did not come into existence, or I should say, into full-blown presence until after First Manasses, July 21, 1861. Most of you know, or at least you should know, that the South and the North called their battles by different names. So it's either First Manasses or First Bull Run depending on what section of the country you are from. But during that battle the Confederate Battle Flag was the Stars and Bars, and the Stars and Bars was very easily confused with the Stars and Stripes, not only at a distance, but also especially under battle conditions. And you have got to remember all of the smoke that those black powder rifles and cannons made at that particular time.

It was during this battle that General Beauregard was observing the battle and he sees a large body of troops moving toward the union right flank. And Beauregard tried and tried to make out the flag and to see if it was a Northern flag or Southern flag, and he just simply could not make it out. So he called some of his young lieutenants up and he said, "Tell me, is that our flag or is that their flag?" They could not make it out either. So he stood there very cautiously trying to determine whose flag it was, what group was there. And all of a sudden a little puff of wind came and it unfurled and he could see that it was the Stars and Bars and he cried, "The day is ours. Attack! Attack!" And with that, of course they won the day and the Yankees literally threw down their weapons and ran all the way back to Washington, D.C.

Later Beauregard wrote "At the Battle of Manassas I found it difficult to distinguish our then Confederate flag from the United States flag, the two being so much alike especially when General Jewel A. Early made the flight movement that decided the fate of the day. So Beauregard said, "I couldn't tell if it was ours or theirs." Then he wrote "I resolve to have our flag changed or to adopt for my command a battle flag, which would be entirely different from any state or federal flag. Beauregard later said after the War, "After the battle it was found that many persons in both armies firmly believed that each side had used as a strategy the flags of his opponents." So the North thought the South was using its flag and the South thought the North used our flag trying to confuse us. Thus Beauregard ordered a totally different flag to be carried into battle. There were two designs, one by Colonel Walton and one by Colonel Miles. Colonel Walton's flag had a Latin cross on it and Colonel Miles' flag had the "X" or the St. Andrews cross on it. And Beauregard chose the one with the Saint Andrews cross.

Now let me tell you that Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. He became a follower of Jesus Christ and preached relentlessly the Gospel of Christ. He not only preached in many of the Asiatic nations, he preached in Russia. Andrew was crucified around 69 AD in Patria, Greece. Unlike Christ, who was crucified on a Latin cross, Andrew was crucified on the Andrews cross. It looks like an X. And the reason he was crucified like that was by his own request. He did not believe himself worthy to be crucified as Christ was crucified. So he talked his prosecutor and persecutor into crucifying him on the X shaped cross instead of having his hands nailed to the cross as Christ was. He had his persecutor tie him to the cross even though he knew that he would suffer longer and deeper pain and agony. You have got to remember Andrew was approximately 90 years old when this was being done. For three days he hung on that cross, preaching to everyone who came by while he had breath. Finally, so many of the people were impressed by his preaching, they went and asked that Andrew be cut down from the cross and allowed to live. The powers at be consented and they went and cut Andrew down and as they cut the rope he fell to the ground dead. He died as a martyr for Jesus Christ. Andrew became the patron Saint not only of Russia, but also of Scotland.

Did you know that in the 1800's about 75% of the South were either Scotch or Scotch-Irish? The Confederate Battle Flag is based upon the national flag of Scotland. The national flag of Scotland is the cross of Saint Andrew and the cross of Saint Andrew is a symbol of the Christian faith and the heritage of the Celtic race. In fact, another name for the Confederate Battle Flag is the Southern Cross. It was adopted consciously, purposefully, deliberately and premeditatedly in order to display faith in the sovereign God of heaven and earth, faith in the providence of that God, the God of history and the God of salvation.

How can I say that? Did you know that the Confederate Constitution recognized the sovereignty of the Providence of God? Let me read to you the preamble, it goes like this: "When the people of the Confederate States, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity invoking the favor and guidance of almighty God do ordain and establish this constitution for the Confederate States of America."

Even the Confederate States motto, "Deo vindice," (The Lord is our Vindicator), illustrates the sovereignty and the righteousness of God. The Saint Andrews cross is also known as the Greek letter CHIA (KEE) and has historically been used to represent Jesus Christ. Why do you think people write Merry X-mas, just to give you an illustration? The "X" is the Greek letter CHIA and it has been historically used for Christ.

Moreover, its importance was understood by educated and uneducated people alike. When an uneducated man, one that could not write, needed to sign his name please tell me what letter he made? An "X," why? Because he was saying I am taking an oath under God. I am recognizing the sovereignty of God, the providence of God and I am pledging my faith.

May I tell you the Confederate Flag is indeed a Christian flag because it has the cross of Saint Andrew, who was a Christian martyr, and the letter "X" has always been used to represent Christ, and to attack the flag is to deny the sovereignty, the majesty, and the might of the Lord Jesus Christ and his divine role in our history, culture, and life. Moreover, let me tell you this. That Confederate Flag today represents the valiant and courageous Confederate soldiers who died and gave their lives for the principles for which they fought.

General Beauregard had one of the three first original Confederate Battle Flags. On May 28, 1883, he donated that flag to the Louisiana Washington artillery. Beauregard was unable to be there but Colonel Walton was and he accepted the flag for Beauregard and here is what he said: "In the name of General Beauregard, under whose eyes you first went under fire at Manasses, I have the honor to present to you this sacred emblem of Southern valor and patriotism." Said Judge Alfred Roman. "Its colors are yet as fresh as when it received the parting look of its fair maker. Its value is enhanced by the fact that the upper portion of its staff is made of a piece of a flagstaff of Fort Sumter, shot down by the Confederate gunners in April 1861. Gunners, who, by the way, were under the command of General Beauregard. Unsoiled though it is by the smoke of battle, it was none the less, born in war and the breeze first kissed it in the tented field. It is the genuine model of the glorious flag around which all of us fought and so many of us bled and so many of us fell."

What did he say? It is a symbol of Southern valor and patriotism.

Now let me try to answer a question for you. Why attack the Confederate Battle Flag? Why attack Confederate symbols? Let me tell you something. Whenever the Confederate Battle Flag is attacked, and the attacks are so vicious and so ferocious, it is because it is an attack on the truth. Because the South was not fighting as a racist nation or as a slave holding nation, they were fighting for constitutional rights. They were fighting for State's
rights. Did you know that there were many in the South when it came to adopting a flag, that said, "Let's take the Stars and Stripes"? Why? Because we are the ones that are remaining true to the Constitution. Let them adopt another flag because they are untrue! To attack the flag is an attack on political incorrectness.

The flag represents those who are opposed to unlimited federal government. The flag represents a limited Constitutional republic. A view of government opposed to the powers that be. Let me tell you something folks, all one has to do is to look at present day Washington, D.C., to know exactly what our forefathers fought against. Two hundred and fifty thousand Confederate soldiers gave their lives to prevent from having what we have today! The extension of government into every area of our lives is a result of the fact that the South lost the war.

To attack the flag is to attack the truth, which the flag represented. The Confederate Flag not only represents a limited view of government, but it also represents freedom from tyranny. It represents freedom from tyrannical governments.

I don't know how many of you will remember this, I know many of you saw it on TV, when the Berlin Wall was being torn down. Do you remember what was flying over the Berlin Wall? The Confederate Battle Flag waved as the wall was being torn down. Did you know that the Confederate Battle Flag has been adopted and used by the people of Poland, Hungry, the Ukraine, Lithuania, and East Germany, as they were victorious over the Union of the Soviets? Even Quebec in more recent years used the battle flag as a symbol of its independence in trying to secede from Canada.

Historically, everyone understands that the Confederate Battle Flag represents liberty and freedom and independence from tyranny. The Confederate Flag represents truth against error, freedom against tyranny, light against darkness and the Kingdom of Christ against the Kingdom of Governance. You see, we have forgotten the fact that the War of Northern Aggression was a cultural war. It was a religious war and the North was predominantly Unitarian and humanist, while the South was predominantly Christian. And in reality, the War was an attempt to crush Christianity and Christian culture.

Now, why must the flag be attacked? Why must the flag be destroyed? Why must Confederate symbols and monuments and heritage be defamed, destroyed and derided? I'll tell you why. Because if we are allowed to keep our symbols, we might just one day begin to inquire into the origin and meaning of those symbols. And in so doing, begin to questions the myths and the propaganda of the political correctness that's in our country today and as we see the truth, we might actually begin to stand for the principles for which our forefathers stood and fought. And my, would that cause problems for the present day administration and the present day Socialist program. Now listen to me folks,
in order to keep a people enslaved and content in the present, you must destroy their past. A people, who have no past, will have no future.

The attacks today, are attacks against the truth. What you and I need to do is this: we need to study our history. We need to study our heritage. We need to come back to the basics. We need to come back to our Christian roots. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah 6. Let me close with this verse. Jeremiah Chapter 6:16, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein and you shall find rest for your souls, but they (the wicked people) said, We will not walk (therein.)" What did God say? God said, "Stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, wherein is the good way."

Let me tell you something folks, I would trade the culture we have today in a heartbeat for the culture that the South had before the War of Northern Aggression. I would trade the character that men have today for the character that men had before the War of Northern Aggression in a heartbeat. I would trade the morality today for the morality that was in the South before the War of Northern Aggression.

We better stand in the way and soon ask for the old ways, which is the good way. We not only need to keep our symbols, we need to defend their principles and apply those principles in our present day life.

Whenever I see a tree, I think "Someone could be lynched in that tree." Therefore, I hate apples.

Reductio ad absudurm.

You lost me at Bob Jones University. Clown college has more credibility than those kooks.

Who cares?

Some don't like the Confederate Battle Flag with the claim that the KKK has used it. Well, if you will look at historical photos, you will quickly notice that the KKK has more often used the US flag (Stars and Stripes). Does that make the US flag racist? NO
Also, it is a fact that white supremacist groups use the cross. Does that make the cross racist? NO
And, while Abraham Lincoln was opposed to slavery, how many of you know that he himself was a white supremacist? Yes, he really was, and for proof all one has to do is see his comments, for example in the Lincoln/Douglas debates. He stated that blacks would never live on an equal footing with whites, because, as he asserted, they were not able to intellectually. He also clearly stated that he desired the disputed lands in the west (Kansas, for example) to be preserved for free, white labor. Yes, he was a white supremacist, but they don't tell us this in the schools very much, if at all.
I most freely admit that the institution of slavery was horrible, but I also state that if one will examine events leading up to the War Between the North and South, you will find that it was started primarily over political differences. Quite simply, because of these political differences (incl. high tariffs), the southern states decided they wished to separate from the northern states, and Abe Lincoln and others were equally determined to prevent it, pure and simple. Anyone who says otherwise, in my humble opinion, just does not know their history, and really needs to do some more reading on the subject.
Lastly, regarding slavery, it was going to go away in the south, regardless of whether there was a war or not, but because Lincoln was determined to have his war, race relations, especially in the south, were poisoned to such an extent that to this very day, the damage is still being lived with. What a shame!

Having had the opportunity to live in the SE, NE, and now SW while having interaction with many from all parts of the country I can safely say that the South is not nearly as racist as other parts of the country. That is merely a portrait that some portray and the media enhances by picking up the rare cases when it raises its ugly head in the South but conveniently ignores when it happens in other places. Indeed, more Blacks are moving into the South than moving out of it because they have found that things are not as sweet as they are painted in other parts of the country.

I have a co-worker who just could not wait to get out of the great Red state of Texas and the sorry no-good yada yadas and get into the Blue state Paradise of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia to be exact. Well, a year or so later he is back. Things were not near as rosy as he thought. Having been a POW in PA myself I can tell you that I heard the “N” word and Hymie, Kike, Spic, WOP, zipper head, slant eyes, etc, etc. more than I have ever heard them in the South. They were usually said behind the person’s back. I give a Southern bigot credit for he/she will let you know right up front whereas other areas smile in your face and stab you in the back as more than one Black returning from the North or elsewhere has told me.

Such slurs were not confined to race. I was the only German, Baptist, Republican in a Polish, Catholic, Democratic neighborhood and they thought I was going to eat their kids and would watch me through their blinds. Their kids harassed us. I managed to get into a car pool where a gal was bashing one of the ethnic divisions of Catholics and was getting AMENs from the other two while I remained silent. After awhile she asked me my opinion and I replied I didn’t have one. After all, to me it was a domestic or in house squabble. She then said, “Oh I suppose you’re a different ethnic Catholic”. I said, “No, I’m worse. I’m a Baptist.”

As Daryl said, racists more often wrap themselves in the American flag. They even try to use the Bible or some other book to justify their stupidity. The Klan hates Blacks and Jews and uses a perverted form of Christianity. The Nation of Islam hates Whites and Jews and uses a perverted form of Islam that was concocted by a White man pretending to be Arab. Not much difference between the two from what I can see.

When the War ended, veterans from both sides attended reunions with each other. The victorious government named forts after Confederate generals and allowed the monuments and Confederate Memorial Days, and the VA supplies tombstones for Confederate soldiers to this day. There are Black members of the Sons of Confederates Veterans because Blacks did serve honorably for the land they considered their country. Some that took the Underground Railroad North came back when they found out the story was not as they heard it. In fact, even Strom's Thurmond's illegitimate daughter is said to be applying for membership in the United Daughter's of the Confederacy and her sons in the Sons of Confederate Veterans based upon his lineage. It would appear that they do not view all things Confederate as racist.

We have no right to undo what has been done by the people who participated in that war so long ago. To do so, is Stalinism and supporting lies and hatred stirred up by people in an organization that has lost its focus and is losing its need to exist thus it needs a scapegoat to survive.

A Yankee can look at a Confederate flag or monument and tell his grandkids, “Yep, that is all about when we whipped those Rebels”. He can brag though taking four years to defeat someone you outnumbered four to one is not much to brag about. A Southern White man can tell his offspring, “Son, that is when your g-g-granddaddy fought for States rights and survived Shiloh and several other battles losing a leg in the end but still managed to get through Reconstruction”. An honest Black man may have to say, “Son, your g-g-granddaddy was forced by the Yankees to fight for them but his brother fought under John Bell Hood”. Or “Son, your g-g-granddaddy was one of the freedmen that owned slaves for 7% of all slaves were owned by freed Blacks”. It would also be well if we all read Booker T. Washington's "Up From Slavery" http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2376

When you unjustly abuse the South or the Confederacy, you not only abuse Whites, but also Blacks, Browns and Reds that fought for the Cause. The near genocide of the Native Americans by the Federal government after the war had a lot to do with the Five Civilized Tribes fighting with the South. Stand Watie, CSA, is still the only Native American General in US history.

I close with quotes about Afro-Confederates as an admonition to those who would desecrate the memory of White Confederates as well as the Mexican Confederados and others.

“To the majority of the Negroes, as to all the South, the invading armies of the Union seemed to be ruthlessly attacking independent States, invading the beloved homeland and trampling upon all that these men held dear.” - Rev Dr. Charles H. Wesley 1. (4th Black man to receive a PhD from Harvard)

Some Negroes, however, soon became disillusioned because of the hardships they experienced during the early months of their freedom. Nine hundred freedmen assembled at Mobile on August 13, 1865, and by a vote of seven hundred to two hundred declared that the realities of freedom “were far from being so flattering as their imaginations had painted it, that the prejudices of color were not confined to the South, but stronger and more marked on the part of the strangers from the North.” - Robert D. Reid

Former mayor John Dodson ... presented them with a Confederate flag, assuring them that when they returned they would “reap a rich reward of praise, and merit, from a thankful people”. Charles Tinsley, a bricklayer and a “corner workman”, acted as a spokesman for the Negroes. His remarks in acceptance of the flag were brief: “We are willing to aid Virginia’s cause to the utmost of our ability ... There is not an unwilling heart among us, not a hand but will tell on work before us: and we promise unhesitating obedience to all orders that may be given us.” - Benjamin Quarles

It's a piece of cloth, just as other flags are. To some it represents the old South and racism, to others, nothing.