SC Gov to push for removal of confederate flag.

[Crow Hunter]

Personally, I think there should be a referendum in the State of South Carolina and the People should make the decision although I don't have a problem with them deciding to take it down. I do and will have a serious problem with it if, like is the case in Germany, it becomes illegal to display it.

As to the significance of the flag itself.

Go to a battlefield. You will see monuments all over the field for the Union units that fought there. You will see very few if any monuments to those of the South that fought there. You will see rows upon rows of honored Union dead with individual headstones and every year on Memorial Day each stone gets a US flag placed on it. On other parts of the battlefield you will see mass graves of Confederate dead with no commemoration and no flags are placed there on Memorial Day. (Although citizens will often purchase and place flags on the mass graves)

These men bravely fought against long odds for a way of life and what they believed in, whether it is deemed correct by modern morals or not. They fought the same way as American Patriots fought against the British Crown, the way the Lakota fought at the Little Bighorn.

To me the battle flag represents the soldier that fought not the cause they represented. I have family that fought on both sides. Same way as the Iron Cross represents the bravery of the German soldier. The Swastika was representative of the Nazi party, not the German soldier.

[Abraham]

Here's my experience with said flag: Locally, it flies (actually nailed on the front of) three of the most disgusting, ramshackle houses complete with junk cars up on blocks, filthy, trash strewn yards full of weeds, old washing machines, junk of every description and populated with toothless yokels dressed in bib overalls with no shirts or shoes.

Get the picture?

They're obvious pride in this flag makes me shudder.

And yes, some in my part of the world belong to the KKK, though (except for said flag) keep a rather low profile in this day and age.

These same folks have the same flag decal stuck on the back window of their dilapidated/beater pick ups...

These sad sacks are just so proud of their flags while insisting it's not representative of racial hate, but declare the flag is simply about history.

Yeah, sure...

[Whiskey_Bravo]

Well since we are on this topic and since some people would like to rewrite the history of America, here's some food for thought.

I am sure that some Native Americans aren't very happy when they see the Stars and Stripes and think about places like Wounded Knee or the idolizing of Americans who facilitated the killing and forcible relocation of Native Americans.

Multiple military installations are named after former Confederate generals such as Hood, Benning, A.P Hill, Lee, etc... So I suppose the U.S military is continuing the racist ideology of the south. Oh the horror to think that minorities from all races and creeds have served at these racist institutions. I'll bet plenty of Native Americans who were stationed at Ft. Jackson, SC (named after President Andrew Jackson) are pissed off considering he was one of the primary proponents of the Indian Removal Act- https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Indian_Removal_Act

At some point this stupidity has to stop. We are blaming guns, flags, video games, rap music, satanic rock-n-roll, TV, lack of smart phones, solar flares, sun spots and fluoride instead of putting the blame where it belongs. F&*ked up people and nothing will ever change.

Well said.

Didn't the slave ships sail out of Boston to Africa and then to Charleston? I love how Northerners like to think they are so pure in the slave debate.

Yes, no slave ship sailed under a southern flag. They were US, UK, and several others.







Being from the South I was going to write out a long winded response to some of the post here but realized it wouldn't matter and those that are not from the South will probably never understand anyway. For the vast majority of people in the South the battle flag represents heritage and historical pride and not hate or racism. My brief stint at living above the Mason Dixon in MN I saw and met more racist than I think I have in total here. I probably actually saw more Confederate battle flags there as well.

[Abraham]

I've lived the vast majority of my life in the South, i.e., Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, but most of my life in Texas.

I absolutely love the South and Texas in particular.

That said, I've yet to see a Confederate Battle Flag flown or affixed to a person's home or vehicle that isn't a low I.Q., mouth breathing, knuckle dragger.

Maybe, there are some that proudly fly this flag that are good folks, but not in my experience.

I've spent some time in the north, especially the north east and never once encountered the flag being discussed.

I'm sure I just didn't see the ones that are in evidence, but they must be few and far between as most yankees aren't into this particular flag.

[Mauser KAR98K]

I'd rather vote for a yellow dog than a carpetbagger.

Nikki Haley should have worn two pens on her clothes. "GAR" and "GOP" to make the irony.

[brickboy240]

What else can we take down that some find "offensive?"

LOL

So much for a free country and all...

[austinN4]

I am sure that some Native Americans aren't very happy when they see the Stars and Stripes and think about places like Wounded Knee or the idolizing of Americans who facilitated the killing and forcible relocation of Native Americans.

I'll bet they love the Custer monument as well. I went to Wound Knee once to see if there was any type of monument there. All I found was a tiny little roadside sign that I drove by 4 times before I found it. Visiting Wounded Knee really made me sad.

[brickboy240]

How about we remove the WWII memorial while we're at it.

Some Japanese Americans might be sad or feel excluded at the sight of this monument.

...don't want anyone to feel icky! LOL

[WillBrink]

I think it's important to look specifically at SC and this issue, not a general issue of that flag being removed from a state house per se. Many view it as there specifically as an "F U" to the Feds during Civil Rights conclusions, and the dates do match up, but the actual intent, is not 100% clear. This seems a balance write up:

The claim:

"The Confederate battle flag in South Carolina was first flown at the statehouse in 1961. "It was flown as a symbol of massive resistance to racial desegregation."

— Eugene Robinson on Sunday, June 21st, 2015 in comments on NBC's "Meet the Press"

The evidence:

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact...rolina-state-/

I'm far from a PC type who's always in favor of reacting to anything that might possibly offend, but I'm willing to look at this one objectively.

[WillBrink]

What else can we take down that some find "offensive?"

LOL

So much for a free country and all...

If you're going to live in a free society, you're probably going to be offended much of the time.