Southerners Willing To Go To War Over Their Flag?

[TheMastersNemesis]

The South will never give up their flag no matter what. It may disappear from the capitol, but it will endured in other places. I saw a truck recently in Denver with two huge confederate flags behind it. And the state senator recall over gun control was people with racism and neoconfederatism. I also saw "redneck" flying to huge American flags on his truck recently. There is also a person in my old neighborhood in Springfield, Illinois flying a huge confederate flag in his back yard visible from the highway. You don't just se the confer flag in the South.

Who knows white militias might attack anyone taking down that memorial in South Carolina.

[liberal N proud]

1. If one displays the confederate flag, they should be ready to be identified as racist.

Those flying should be put on notice that public display of that symbol indicates that from this point forward, you are racist.

They forget they once lost a war over what that flag symbolizes.

[uponit7771]

2. +1, they continually want to redefine what the civil war was about

[Quackers]

12. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

I don't care for that flag but to some, it represents more than racism. Are you ready to identify these people as racist?

[Bonhomme Richard]

17. OK..You got me. So I guess it defines people as racist or.....

Stupid.

[Quackers]

18. Lol

[peacebird]

3. The confederate flag is as foul as the swastika, & they frequently are seen together

White supremacists need to be outed and marginalized to the point they are ashamed to self identify as such. Oh, and weed them out of our military and police forces too

[femmocrat]

4. I agree with you. I think there is too much being said about the flag in the media.

It is like a "quick fix". Just take down the flag and everything will be OK. As much as I despise those "yahoos" with their huge confederate flags (we have them here in PA too), I fear that they are just dumb enough and gullible enough to think it is worth defending. I know plenty of those people because they live all around me. And they are armed.

I am not saying to leave it up--- let's just stop all the clamoring about it as if this is the solution to racism.

[ladjf]

5. I don't think that the flag is what it's about.

It's a matter of some Southerners feeling that they have a right to disobey any Federal law that they don't like, for whatever their reasons are. They gave a strong feeling if intellectual superiority over almost all other segments of the American people. They alone
are smart enough to know exactly what is best for not only themselves , but the rest of us as well. That is very close to the mindset of many religions. The Dominionist are a great example of that. Intolerance is the mantra. I believe that a majority of the citizens of South Carolina believe in following the laws of the State and Federal Government.

Although they don't realize it, the rebel flag is actually a symbol of the stupidity, hatred, arrogance and recalcitrance. They are reveling in the ignorance while trying to make life miserable for everyone else.

[CherokeeDem]

7. Are you equating all Southerners with the belief they have a right to disobey Federal laws?

To lord over all without beliefs, to dominate the country?

If so, you are very badly misguided. I don't know where you are from, but I suspect racists and white supremacists live there as well. To believe such a vile and totally untrue statement regarding a group of people is beyond comprehension.

This type of rhetoric mimics that of the people you seem to want to compare all Southerners against. Hate is hate.

[ladjf]

8. Absolutely not. I apologize for not making that point clear.

In fact, I would guess that a large majority of Southerners, including Caucasians, believe in following the laws of the land.

I'm talking about the kind of people that think along the lines of the murderer Roof. And the kind of people that elected legislators in South Carolina that passed laws that only they could take down the rebel flag, which is simply their symbol of defiance and arrogance.

I'll go back and edit my post.

The original OP simply said "Southerners willing to go to war over a flag".

Why did you take exception to what I said but overlooked the same term in the OP?

[BKH70041]

10. Wow!

"... feeling that they have a right to disobey any Federal law that they don't like, for whatever their reasons are. They gave a strong feeling if intellectual superiority over almost all other segments of the American people. They alone are smart enough to know exactly what is best for not only themselves, but the rest of us as well."

I read that and immediately thought that's how 99% of the posters I read here and at places like DailyKos, Salon, AlterNet, TPM, CommonDreams, and a bunch of other similar sites, talk.

[ladjf]

15. I regret that I posted anything on this thread.

Everything I said pissed off somebody.

If I thought that poorly of the posters on DU, I wouldn't have spent years and 15,000 posts communicating with them. It's interesting to get together and exchange opinions with fellow posters.

However, lately, the posts are getting increasingly "testy" over all sort of things.

I'm amazed that you think that my description of the klu klux klan rebels fits 99% of all of those posters on this and other political sites.

[BKH70041]

16. It's not you I'm addressing, so don't misunderstand.

It's what you said that applies. I just as easily could have reduced what I meant to this part:

"They gave a strong feeling if intellectual superiority over almost all other segments of the American people. They alone are smart enough to know exactly what is best for not only themselves, but the rest of us as well."

I see it here all the time.

Of the many things that fucks over the "political left," it's their false belief of intellectual superiority, which is on display daily on various LW sites. It's a total turnoff to the viewing public, especially when they clearly know it's not true.

Try talking like normal people.

[ladjf]

19. Thanks for the follow up.

We could be in agreement move often than not. As you have no doubt discovered, it's very easy to be misunderstood with your writing and difficult to be understood unless you are a first rate writer.

I hate long posts. But, if you are too brief , people don't know what in the hell you're talking about.

Regarding intellect: there are so many types of intellect that it's almost a non-descriptive term.

Personally, I was good at what I did professionally but I never thought it was due to any superior intellect on my part.

Stay in touch.

[pintobean]

6. Since when is the American flag associated with rednecks?

[ladjf]

9. I presume that the writer meant that "Their flag" was the rebel flag. nt

[Orsino]

11. The flag's removal from official reverence is just one step...

...but one that will weaken the hold that flag has over weak-minded individuals.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. I don't care if they festoon their damn trucks and wallpaper their houses with it

It shouldn't be on displayed on public grounds as state speech, as it is a symbol of racism, slavery, and white supremacy.

They don't have to give it up privately. Makes it easier to know who the racist assholes are.

But it shouldn't be on public lands, and promoted de facto by states.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. It's very easy to beat this subculture.

The worst of them, the ones that are aware that they are counter-culture apply this same hubris to everything they do. They may consider themselves hardcore patriots, but they really don't stand for what this country really believes in.

So, expect them to show the same disregard for the law in everything they do. In other words, they will eventually commit civil torts. These things are actionable, but we don't have the advantage of using public money to remedy the wrongs they do in society. And, each time they collude against the interests of their communities and get away with it, they only get stronger.

We need some criminal sociologists to get involved and see the big picture.

[n2doc]

20. As a Southerner, I am willing to fight (nonviolently) to remove that symbol of treason

And there are plenty of others who agree.