Monday, June 22, 2015

Oh I wish I was in the land of cotton..Old times gone but not forgotten

Nice song.
Train of thought it provokes.
I am a graduate of UVa in 1971. I understand the flag.
I have been to southwestern France MANY MANY MANY times for extended business. After 900 years, on some to many days you can STILL see the flag of Oc flying in many places, and at many homes.
I get it. but THIS:
Represents SLAVERY to too many Americans, just as much as this:
Represents it to every Jew who ever lived.
This is HOW IT IS.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just as this heinously vile doctrine specifies? When all things are equal...so why allow those who insist on protecting one and not the other?

Pastorius said...

Epa,
Yep.

Pastorius said...

Or, as Jon Stewart put it, in South Carolina, black men and women drive down streets named after Confederate generals who fought to make sure they would not be able to do things like drive.

Anonymous said...

The Southern Cross, aka "the Confederate Flag" is largely symbolic of the segregation movement post WW II. Its placement in many illustrations of the Civil War and late 19th century are mostly anachronistic. When the Klan marched in Washington DC in the 20's they carried the Stars and Stripes, not the Confederate banner.

The Southern Cross was placed over the SC State House in 1961 by vote of the Democratic Party dominated state legislature and sitting Governor Fritz Hollings, also a Democrat. The move was a symbolic rejection of racial integration.

The flag was removed from over the statehouse by the SC legislature at the behest of Governor David Beasley, a Republican, in 1997. It was relocated to a Confederate Memorial on the State House grounds where it remains today.

When this solution to the flag issue was proposed by Democrat Joe Riley, Mayor of Charleston, the NAACP declared it acceptable. When accomplished by Beasley the NAACP changed their position and rejected the compromise largely at the behest of the Clinton administration which did not want a Republican governor to get the credit.
The state of SC remains under NAACP boycott to this day.

The recent mass murder of black Charlestonians by a white racist has reignited the flag controversy. As a white conservative living in Charleston I would prefer to see the banner removed from the memorial and replaced with a more historically accurate flag, perhaps the Palmetto Guard Flag which would not carry the segregationist baggage.



Pastorius said...

Anyone who thinks the Confederacy was about something other than slavery - AT IT'S ROOT - should read the Declarations of Secession issued by the various Confederate states.

Pete Rowe said...

I love the South. I love the people. I love the food. I love the culture.

I hate the Confederacy. I hate Confederate flag and what it represents. The Confederate flag is about slavery and the attempted destruction of the United States. There is nothing romantic about brother killing brother and the states fighting each other just so a minority could gain wealth on the trading of the flesh and souls of men and women; and that is what the Confederacy did and encouraged.

Praise G-d that the Confederacy lost, the Union survived, and our black brothers and sisters finally gained full citizenship albeit two hundred years too late.

Now, it is past time to put away the relics of those two awful institutions--slavery and the Confederacy--except to teach the errors and immoralities that they both embodied.

Stogie said...

Pastorius, your understanding of the Confederacy is very simplistic. In fact, just plain wrong. Go to Saberpoint and read "why the Civil War Was Not About Slavery." Replace your 3d grade impressions with some actual knowledge. You can search for the article in the search box.

Pete, I have a different take. I hate the Northern invasion of the South. I hate Abraham Lincoln. I hate northern biased history. I wish the Confederacy had won the war. I believe there is absolutely nothing good, moral, right or honorable in the Yankee war effort. I believe people who feel as you do to be uninformed.





Pastorius said...

Stogie,
Does that mean you think that, if the Souther States so desire, that Blacks ought to still be enslaved?

christian soldier said...

my understanding is that there were as many slaves in the north as there were in the south--
follow the money and power--
C-CS

RT said...

Should we take down the stars and stripes because it reminds the native Americans of genocide?

Should I be ashamed of the Lone Star because of how the Rangers treated Indians and Mexicans?

We could debate whether the civil war was about slavery or state's rights forever, to me that's irrelevant.

Its also irrelevant to me how the sight of the Stars and Bars makes some blacks feel. I'm sure they don't feel any stronger about it than I do every time I see a newspaper article about black on white violent crime.

Its my heritage. I'm sure the vast majority of confederate soldiers in the old graveyards around here were not fighting and dying so a few rich planters could keep slaves.

They died defending their homes. They died to have a government that reflected their values.

To me the flag represents their sacrifices and the southern state of mind that survives today.

You cant let other people's feelings about what your ancestors did to their ancestors dictate a guilt trip. Or else all flags would be banned.

Yeah, my ancestors lived during a time were some people owned slaves. They killed a buttload of Indians and Mexicans. They didn't allow women to vote. They put Japenese Americans in internment camps. They shot Japanese sailors floating in the water. They nuked Japanese cities.

By today's standards they were all some hardcore evil bastards .... thank god.

Most people outside America dont understand our pride in American exceptionalism, if you were not from the south you never fully understand why we proudly fly the stars and bars. And why we are never going to stop no matter how much some others might want us to.

Pastorius said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sONfxPCTU0

:-)

Always On Watch said...

Preface: No member of my family ever held slaves. Mom's side was too poor and in Appalachia (with small farms and whiskey stills), and Dad's side objected to slavery on a moral basis (Shenandoah Valley Mennonites and where cotton was not king). This preface reflects some of my own understanding about the American Civil War.

I do wish that we as a nation could put the past into the past.

In the land where Cotton was king -- with at least the consent of much of the nation and Constitutionally enshrined until the end of the American Civil War -- a large and cheap labor force was needed. The coming of the cotton gin increased the need for a large labor force. Cotton has to be picked by hand.

The Northern textile mills wanted cheap cotton. England wanted cotton, too. Export tariffs meant that the South couldn't sell the cotton to England for more than the North was willing to pay. The price of cotton dropped, dropped, dropped.

If it is true that Lincoln said ""Let the South go? Who will pay my tariff?" then he was conflicted between economics (King Cotton as fuel for the national economy) and morality (slavery).

I've also read that Lincoln said "If we could win the war without freeing the Southern slaves, then I wouldn't free them." It is my understanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed only the slaves in the South. There were slaveholders in the North -- and even black slaveholders. Or so I've read.

Post Civil War, there have been two sets of grievances: grievances on the part of freed slaves and their descendants, and grievances on the part of Southerners as a result of the Reconstruction Era.

The Reconstruction Era did not much affect Virginia. But in the Deep South? Yes.

So, the feud, fueled by grievances, justifiable or otherwise, continues today 150 years after the war ended.

Always On Watch said...

Pasto,
Anyone who thinks the Confederacy was about something other than slavery - AT IT'S ROOT - should read the Declarations of Secession issued by the various Confederate states.

Slavery at its root in the sense that cotton was king.

The cotton economy was predicated on slavery, which was Constitutionally enshrined when that economic system developed.

Oh, how I wish that the first shipload of slaves had never arrived to the colonies!

Always On Watch said...

Epa,
Represents SLAVERY to too many Americans, just as much as this [Pharaoh].

Hebrew slaves -- I get that.

But just looking at Egyptology is offensive to today's Jews? That surprises me!

I don't get upset when I see Native American artifacts in a museum in Tennessee. My grandfather was murdered because he wouldn't dig up an Indian mound to sell the artifacts. But his brother did exactly that. I can actually see those artifacts in a museum in Tennessee -- and have done so.

My grandfather and my uncle are long gone now. It's over.

Redneck Texan said...

How did this tragic shooting lead to a national discussion of the confederate flag instead of a discussion about anti-depressants?

Its because the narrative is being controlled. Confederate flags and Arms manufacturers dont buy vast amounts of network TV commercials.

We're focused on exactly what they want us to focus on ...... using this to forward their agenda.



Epaminondas said...

BEcause that racist asshole had it festooned everywhere

Epaminondas said...

HE is sick. He is on SSRI.
He is also a racist.

He should get the firing squad and no diminished capacity pea shoul dbe acceptable.

AoW... YES.
I LOVE egyptian history but no one in my family, nor any jewish friend I know has ever looked at ancient egypt without thinking about 400 years

Epaminondas said...

Stogie .. I have always regarded RE Lee as the greatest of civil war generals and I well understand WHY he turned down command of all the union forces and ended up where he did.

But he forever soiled himself, FOREVER because no matter what he intended, he FOUGHT FOR SLAVERY. It is unavoidable to have supported that rebellion in any way and NOT supported continuing slavery.

This is not a PC issue, this is about what that flag means. The south LEFT the Union because they were CERTAIN Lincoln was an abolitionist.

Just ask Shelby Foote, of Dougan Southall freeman, both very proud southerners

Redneck Texan said...

Its not illegal to be on SSRIs.

Its not illegal to be a racist.

Its not illegal to own a gun.

It should be illegal to let someone on SSRIs run around free in society. Racist or not.

I'm a racist. Everyone I've ever met is a racist. We dont go around committing mass murder.

He didn't calmly kill all those people because he was a racist, he killed them because his mind was fucked up on SSRIs.

I dont disagree that he needs to be shot to death immediately. I'd pull the trigger on the little racist bastard today if they'd let me. Preferable with whoever prescribed him SSRIs standing beside him.

But bitching about the flag is not going to change things. Its just projecting the biases you and others had before this shooting occurred. You're seizing this opportunity to rag on the flag just like Obama is seizing the opportunity to rag on guns and racism.

Racism is a fundamental feature hard wired into the normal human brain. No human is a stranger to hate. Do you think forcing racist southerners to take down their flag is going to improve anything?



Always On Watch said...

Epa,
no one in my family, nor any jewish friend I know has ever looked at ancient egypt without thinking about 400 years

Well, I didn't know that.

Pastorius said...

It's really a digression, but I think there are lots of high-functioning people who are on SSIR's, aren't there?

I don't know much about them. But I'm pretty sure I've met people who told me they used Zoloft or the like for a time and were very productive human beings.

Always On Watch said...

Pasto,
Those meds can be very beneficial. But somebody needs to monitor psychological changes. The monitoring should be done by a reliable family member or friend because the patient is unreliable with regard to veracity. Also, mixing those meds with substances such as cocaine usually exacerbates mental illness and can tip the patient over into psychosis.

Redneck Texan said...

Shit, I dont know. I'm no expert on the subject.

I was introduced to the SSRI connection by a regular commenter at RR who followed the subject closely after his wife "changed" after being proscribed them. He kept a detailed "scrapbook" as he called it of all the mass killings since Columbine and it was amazing how large a percentage of them were on SSRIs.

I also had a MD commenting there and he maintained that these psychotic people were just as dangerous when off their meds.

They both had valid arguments, I'm sure millions of people take them without committing acts of violence, but the evidence brought to the discussion eventually convinced me that there was merit to the connection.

Personally I do not think this kid would have committed this horrible crime had his inhibitions and moral compass not been chemically reduced.

It just astounds me how the SSRI connection, while becoming more frequently mentioned by the MSM recently, seems to wither on the vine of public attention and activism, while social issues that paint a negative narrative towards white males repeatedly get over-saturation of coverage and attention.

Every occurrence of white on black violence gets round the clock media and activism saturation, but yet the FBI refuses to even acknowledge the overwhelming trend of daily black on white violence.

In my opinion they are burying the real headlines because they run counter to the narrative they are trying to project.

To be honest, I'm just sick and tired of my demographic (heterosexual white redneck southern male) being held up as the only examples of racism the MSM can seem to find.

Stop worrying about my fucking flag and start worrying about why there are large sections of every city in America where I would be target of violent racial prejudice if I drove through them with my flag displayed.

Always On Watch said...

Epa and Pasto,

I can't vouch for the veracity of this blog post, but please take a look at it: Liberals Are Calling The Confederate Flag Racist, But Look Who's Used It Before.

Anonymous said...

Why was the flag dragged into the Charleston events? Simple. The difference between the aftermath of the slaughter in SC and the criminal activity in Ferguson could not be more pronounced. The dignified people of the South, in contrast with the thugs of the Ferguson gave no room for the plantation owners whose life and sustenance depend on stirring hatred and promoting division.
Something was needed to keep the division going ... The flag was as good a tool as any. It has certainly kept the MSM and all haters active.

What did Rahm Emanuel say? "You never let a serious crisis go to waste."

Epaminondas said...

It's not racist to use the flag, it's stupid insensitivity. It's not a PC thing becuase this is based on 400 years of slavery. That's not subject to argument. We wouldn't run around waving busts of Jeff Davis, and the flag is an even bigger symbol to too many americans.


As far as people not running around on SSRI's there are prob 10 million americans on SSRI's AT MINIMUM.

The comany that produces Celexa, just ONE of this class puts over $1Bn into R&D.

Epaminondas said...

The flag is a separate issue, but NO LESS TRUE in its impact

RT said...

Native Americans Want Jackson Off $20 Bill

Having Our 7th President on our $20 Bill Offends some groups as well.

He represents something different to me than he does to them. Should we succumb to their wishes as well?

Where does it stop?

.... it doesn't.

Always On Watch said...

Epa,
The problem is that several groups have grievances -- legitimate grievances -- about the past.

There is no way to go back to the past to undo the past.

Look, I understand sensitivities. Hell, I have some. But I have to deal with them by not dwelling on sights or symbols or even people who make me think of my own sensitivities.

Anyway, what we're talking about here is going around is circles. Depressing.

Always On Watch said...

RT,
Interesting point about the $20 bill.

I have several Native American friends. Yes, they speak about this with me from time to time.

cjk said...

Most disapointing and depressing article I think I've ever read on this site. Dancing to the tune of lying liars who would like nothing more than to enslave me and my children. Following the twisted horseshit logic here we should condemn the Constittution, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, etc. The evil, wicked left flexes it's muscles and useful idiots on our side spot for them! AMAZING.

beakerkin said...

I am not resentful of Egypt. Look at the way that one ended. I can see Ducky blaming the Jews for the Ten Plauges.

Ancient Egyptians are likely related to Copts. They are wonderful civilized people.

Pastorius said...

"Ducky blaming the Jews for the ten plagues ..."

LOL

High-larious.

I believe it.

Redneck Texan said...

Yeah AOW, and I can certainly understand where they are coming from.

Still, atrocities were committed by both parties to the Indian wars. In fact they were committing undocumented atrocities against each other long before we brought our technological and strategic advantages to the struggle for continental supremacy.

Cant say I'm really sorry that my ancestors subjugated them.

I can understand them being proud of their heritage ...... but why cant I be proud of mine as well?

Andrew Jackson took care of a dangerous problem my ancestors faced in settling the south. I'm not gonna turn my back on his efforts just because I'm supposed to feel guilty now for what he done.

Personally, I'm not crazy about having portraits of Lincoln and Grant in my wallet, but to the victors go the spoils. I'm not going to protest until they remove them.

Interestingly, I dont believe anyone here has a problem with our "stupid insensitivity" towards American Muslims and their Holy Book.

Meanwhile, a lot of people in America think we should stop offending them. While we might call it telling the truth others call it inciting violence .... Are we going to stop just because they find our ideology offensive. If they banned this blog is that going to change the way we think? Or is just going to make us hate them more?

I guess we all choose who we feel its OK to offend and who it isn't.

Excuse me if I'm always going to support my side.

If others are offended by the actions of my ancestors, or opposed to my support of my cultural heritage, I'm going to listen to their arguments then laugh in their face and tell them to FO..... I only wish our politicians could have the same response.





Nicoenarg said...

Wow, interesting discussion.

It is worrying for a nation to be so quick about "banning" or removing "offensive" symbols from the public eye. The slippery slope that America is on right now is exactly where Europe was. The Europeans got rid of their symbols and as a result, their culture.

I can appreciate that there are people offended by the flag, but so what? Everyone is offended by something that they see or hear, is this campaign to "please" everyone ever going to end?

Epa put up an article about a newspaper suggesting that Gone in the Wind now should not be shown in theaters at all and just relegated to a museum. Why? Oh because someone decided that it hurt someone else's little feelings.

Sure the confederate flag represents slavery to some but to others it represents their rights and freedom. And just because the asshole had this flag up everywhere doesn't mean the flag made him do it. Blaming the flag for this is like blaming the gun for the crime some asshole committed. Getting rid of this flag would not, EVER, stop racists or maniacs from killing others just like banning guns wouldn't.

Too many whites are trying way too hard to want to distance themselves from some of their ancestors' involvement with slavery. But why? Why are the people of today being put in the same category as those who died 150 years ago? No one looks at the blacks and automatically thinks, "Yup, this guy drinks blood, practices cannibalism and worships his ancestors...because thats what they did and do in Africa." Enough of this already!

As Redneck Texan said, everyone is racist. I am racist and I am willing to say it out loud without ever needing to apologize for it. I have seen people be racist toward me (Australian immigration pulling me aside for "random" drug tests for example because I'm brown and look Arab/Middle Eastern) but I would NEVER demand someone to apologize to me for it. I am not a little kid whose feelings need to be protected by The Mother Government.

I am offended by the gay flag or an upside down cross or the symbols of Islam, the Nazi Swastika among other things but I would never support anyone thinking about banning or removing these symbols from the public eye by force or peer pressure because how long before someone decides I can't wear the cross around my neck or have a Mezuzah on my door or wear a yarmulke because it offends "a sizable population" of the nation?

The problem with the West and "good" people is that they seem to think the solution is to tell others what to do. But in my opinion the solution is to make sure you fight to keep your rights and don't trample on others, I mean, isn't that what America was built on anyway?

Redneck Texan said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE7yUHyvY4E

The blowback has just begun.