Confederate flags waived at Jessica Lynch parade???

[Gman]

The right wing was very obviously out in force yesterday during the Jessica Lynch parade. I noticed on CBS this morning people standing along the parade route waiving Confederate flags. This is VERY wierd because West Virginia became "West" Virginia because they seceded from Virginia just prior to the Civil War.. West Virginia was a Union state. And, the people I know in WV (I've got relatives there) are very proud that they were on the Union side during the Civil War. Therefore, the Confederate battle flags at the Lynch parade are very out of place.

Imagine waving a Confederate symbol of hatred at a parade for a returning US soldier in a Union state. There is no reason for that flag to be waved in WV other than to fly it for purposes of hatred.

Did anyone else notice this?

---edited for capitalization

[Loonman]

1. Confederate rag

Symbol of traitors and treason. Nobody should fly or display a confederate flag in a way that implies respect. I wouldn't wipe my ass with a confederate flag because I like my ass.

[Midwest_Doc]

2. Symbol of Racial Hatred

The confederate flag is a symbol of racial hatred by those displaying it. There is no rational explanation for displaying the battle flag of a defeated army of a nation which no longer exists.

[trogdor]

5. I bet if somebody flew the old Soviet flag...

...they'd get clubbed over the head and shipped out to the gulag.

[northzax]

11. the racial hatred aspect

is minor compared to the treasonous aspect. PFC Lunch was wounded and captured in defense of the Union, not the Confederacy. She was in a multi-ethnic unit that took high casualties for the UNION. These people should be shunned.

[Gman]

15. Thats what I find most outrageous

the fact that this pretty, blonde haired blue eyed white girl (and probably the only white person in the Humvee) is getting this parade when others that survived have also come home to nothing, not to mention those of color that died that also got little or nothing.

To me there's no doubt the Confederate flags were flown to celebrate the whiteness of this girl.

[jackstraw45]

3. Um..

Have you ever seen the West Virginia episodes of COPS?

I rest my case...


:)

[corarose]

4. I am from Chicago but my family is from WV & they are proud

Of WV separating from VA during the civil war.

[DarkPhenyx]

6. I believe the rally cry was...

"West Virginia not Western Virginia."

[Gman]

7. "West, by God," Virginia

is what I've always heard.

[DarkPhenyx]

9. Naaa...that's the modern stuff.

I'm talking about the "Honey in the Rock", state formation, historical stuff.

[FreeperSlayer]

19. As a former resident of West Virginia...

...I can assure you that many people display the "stars and bars". Quite disgusting!

[theboss]

8. Out of place?

I'm from West Virginia. Hell, I'm from the most ethnically diverse part of West Virginia (which is like being from the most diverse part of Sweden, but I digress). And the Confederate flag is common.

Don't get too caught up in the fact we seceded from Virginia. That was based more on the fact that we couldn't stand Virginians more than anything else.

Most of the good ole boys who fly the rebel flag these days aren't saying they wish the confederates had won. Hell, they may not even know the flags origins. They just know that the sensitive big government pussy liberals hate it, and, well, that's good enough for them.

[trumad]

10. Whata ya expect from a bunch of Trash Can throwin Hokies

:shrug: ;-)

[AlabamaYankee]

16. Hokies??

The HOKIES are students, alumni and fans of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, aka VPI, aka Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg Virginia. They as a rule detest West Virginia, mainly because they have trouble with the Mountaineer football team .

[trumad]

20. Hokies, Mountaineer's---what's the diff...

LOL... From a Big East guy like myself, I should have got that right... Thanks for setting me straight..

On edit... Use to be Big East... I'm now an ACC guy.

[theboss]

33. One's a fucking turkey

That's the difference.

Have a nice day.

[Dhalgren]

13. I think you are probably right.

Most of these "good ole boys" couldn't pour piss from a boot with the directions on the heel. But it does point to the fractured nature of our "country", that people, without thought, would wave a confederate flag and think that it was, somehow, 'patriotic'. It's sad, pitiful, and depressing.

[jagguy]

14. perhaps the best consise explination for the rise of the stars & bars

"They just know that the sensitive big government pussy liberals hate it, and, well, that's good enough for them.".

Brilliant.

[ma4t]

44. everyone needs to calm down

Isn't this a good opportunity for everyone here to demonstrate their tolerance and celebrate the diversity represented by Confederate flag-wavers? :crazy:

[cmd]

22. They just think they are cool

It's not a statement of anything racial, they just like the looks of the thing. The boss has it right.
coalminersdaughter, an Ohioan who went to school in WV

[ewagner]

23. ...Know what you mean

It was the same way in Florida last time I was there (last year). Young people carrying the confederate flag don't have a clue about the history or implications. It's a way of being "In your face".

[soupkitchen]

12. Are we talking about the same flag that flew over Andersonville?

The flag that allowed soldiers of the United States of America to starve to death?

[trof]

18. Another perspective

James Madison Page, a Union officer and prisoner at Andersonville, wrote THE TRUE STORY OF ANDERSONVILLE PRISON (1908)

Andersonville Prison was opened near Americus, Georgia on February 24, 1864. It was intended to be a model prison, spacious and with adequate water and abundant timber for firewood. However, the prison was built on the assumption that it would hold no more than 10,000 Union prisoners of war, and then only while they were awaiting exchange. Both of these assumptions provided impossible when the Federal Government ceased the prisoner exchange that had been agreed to by both sides early in the war.

Secretary of War Edwin Stanton said, "We will not exchange able-bodied men for skeletons," and "We do not propose to reinforce the rebel army by exchanging prisoners."

After the U.S. Government ceased the exchange, Andersonville quickly filled with Union POWs. By June of 1864 the prison population had swollen to 20,000 men and by August reached 33,000 prisoners. This was also the summer of Sherman's march to the sea, when Southern farms, barns, and mills were being burned to the ground in the North's scorched-earth policy that was designed to starve the Southern populace into submission. Even medicine was declared contraband, and Union forces destroyed stores of medicines wherever they were found, even those in possession of private physicians. Needless to say, these privations worsened the lot of Union prisoners; the South could not provide the prisoners what it could not provide its own citizens, and because of disease, inadequate diet, and the summer sun, Union deaths at Andersonville began to soar.

[soupkitchen]

21. Very interesting perspective.

It still doesn't alter the fact that the Confederate Flag flew over a prisoner of war camp in which American soldiers starved to death.
In other words, it doesn't seem like an apporpriate flag to fly to honor an American soldier.

[trof]

24. Usually don't get into these flag things.

I'm from Alabama, so I'm automatically seen as having a particular prejudice.
I would submit that the U.S. flag has flown over some places, and during some times, that we're now not particularly proud of.

The earliest would be the United States of America during the genocide and relocation of Native Americans and the acceptance of slavery as commercially necessary and the "right" of the white man.

This does not diminish my feelings for Old Glory. Neither does the currently PC demonization of the Confederate flag diminish my respect for the symbols of my ancestors who fought and died to defend their homes, their farms and wives and children, and a cause which they wholeheartedly believed in, however benighted we now see it to be.

Flame away.

[ewagner]

26. No flame

In truest progressive tradition, I respect your opinion.

I was raised in Florida and the only time I objected to the Confederate flag back then was when it was used by the KKK (yep they were still pretty active in the 60s and 70s) and other people who used it to promote racism and intollerance.

I don't automatically condemn the Confederate flag when I see it because I know that most people who display it on pickups and the like have no clue what it stands for.

Post away my friend. btw...spent some time around Huntsville last year. Really a neat place. Some really nice people there.

[southpaw]

27. History and Heritage

Being an Alabamian myself, I have witnessed the adoption by the "Rebel Flag" waving good-old boys of the "History and Heritage" defense. As in:

"Awww shit, man. It ain't about racism. It's jes about are histery and her-tige."

I have begun to respond with "Oh! I had no idea you were a history buff!" followed by a series of questions to see how truly in touch they are with their "history and heritage"

When did the civil war start? When did it end? How long did it last? That's usually as far as I can get before they either become violently angry or simply admit that they know precious little about the "history and heritage" they seem so proud of.

I call the battle flag the "Loser's Cross" because every movement or organization that has ever adopted it as a symbol has ended up on the losing side of history!

[DemBones DemBones]

37. The Union Jack is a much bigger part of my history and heritage

but I'm no expert on English history, either. I understand what you're saying but I think that to many people "being proud of one's history" simply means thinking that your people are worthy people. We "liberals" tend to applaud the Irish who want their own country and denigrate American Southerners (many of whom came from Ireland) because their ancestors wanted their own country.

[DemBones DemBones]

28. No slave ship ever flew a Confederate flag; they flew the U.S. flag.

Trashing the Confederate flag is always popular at DU but it ignores the realities of what the U.S. flag has been associated with.

The familiar Confederate battle flag (which is NOT the "Stars and Bars") is a visually powerful graphic. That's one reason for its popularity. Another reason is its association with the Rebel cause and, by extension, rebel causes in general. As was already said, it's "in your face." The latter reason has gained prominence in recent years. In the Fifties and Sixties, the rebel flag was more a symbol of Southern pride (sort of "in your face" to Yankees but also a lot of "Home Sweet Home" sentiment.) In the Seventies and Eighties, the flag also came to represent NASCAR and "them Dukes." Racist symbol? To some, sure. But it's simplistic to think that's all it is. There are many nuances here and ignoring them yields cartoonish ideas of what people really think.

[CO Liberal]

30. That's Because the Slave Trade Ended Before the Confederacy Was Born

While your point is historically accurate, it's also irrelevant. After all, no slave ship ever had a television on it either - what does THAT prove??

[drdigi420]

32. Well, it proves that

they cant blame thier racism on FOX News.

[DemBones DemBones]

38. Slave ships flew the flag of the U.S.A. but no one here objects.

No one says that the "Stars and Stripes" is a racist flag. Why is that?

Slavery was legal in the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

Slavery was practiced throughout the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

There were more slaves in the Southern states than elsewhere because cotton was a major crop in the South and was labor-intensive. Northerners imported and sold slaves to Southerners. Northerners bought the cotton produced in the South with slave labor. Southerners are demonized for using slave labor (provided by Northerners) and profiting from it (being paid by Northerners) Why is that?


The demonization of Southerners by liberals is counterproductive. It tells Southerners that they are evil traitors whose presence would not be welcomed in liberal groups. And then liberals wonder why Southerners are politically conservative. . . :eyes:

Get a clue, guys! You can't beat up on a group of people and expect them to vote for your candidates. Southerners have been screwed over economically and politically since the Civil War. It's time to stop the war against Southerners and build political alliances with them.

[Ekaterina]

42. As a

southern progressive, I thank you.

[DemBones DemBones]

39. Slave ships flew the flag of the U.S.A. but no one here objects.

No one says that the "Stars and Stripes" is a racist flag. Why is that?

Slavery was legal in the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

Slavery was practiced throughout the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

There were more slaves in the Southern states than elsewhere because cotton was a major crop in the South and was labor-intensive. Northerners imported and sold slaves to Southerners. Northerners bought the cotton produced in the South with slave labor. Southerners are demonized for using slave labor (provided by Northerners) and profiting from it (being paid by Northerners) Why is that?


The demonization of Southerners by liberals is counterproductive. It tells Southerners that they are evil traitors whose presence would not be welcomed in liberal groups. And then liberals wonder why Southerners are politically conservative. . . :eyes:

Get a clue, guys! You can't beat up on a group of people and expect them to vote for your candidates. Southerners have been screwed over economically and politically since the Civil War. It's time to stop the war against Southerners and build political alliances with them.

[DemBones DemBones]

40. Slave ships flew the flag of the U.S.A. but no one here objects.

No one says that the "Stars and Stripes" is a racist flag. Why is that?

Slavery was legal in the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

Slavery was practiced throughout the United States but the Confederate States are demonized because of slavery. Why is that?

There were more slaves in the Southern states than elsewhere because cotton was a major crop in the South and was labor-intensive. Northerners imported and sold slaves to Southerners. Northerners bought the cotton produced in the South with slave labor. Southerners are demonized for using slave labor (provided by Northerners) and profiting from it (being paid by Northerners) Why is that?


The demonization of Southerners by liberals is counterproductive. It tells Southerners that they are evil traitors whose presence would not be welcomed in liberal groups. And then liberals wonder why Southerners are politically conservative. . . :eyes:

Get a clue, guys! You can't beat up on a group of people and expect them to vote for your candidates. Southerners have been screwed over economically and politically since the Civil War. It's time to stop the war against Southerners and build political alliances with them.

[drdigi420]

29. That flag is a symbol of treason

Confederate fighters were traitors to our country.

Flying that flag is disgraceful, but I encourage it.

Why?

Seeing someone flying that flag automatically lets you know that you shouldnt leave any important decisions up to them. It's an indicator of their lack of cognitive thinking skills. Rednecks are often proud of their ignorance.

[Ekaterina]

43. Time to stop

slamming a demographic of fellow citizens and painting them with the same wide-stroked brush as "ignorant rednecks" and "racists". Sadly, in this country there is enough racism, bigotry and ignorance to go around several times over so pretending the south has some sort of lock on the market in those areas is completely counterproductive. We, as the political underdogs on this board should seek ways to consolidate our power rather than ways to dilute and destroy it. This thread has gotten way off topic IMHO. :dem:

[BiggJawn]

36. Yeah, the flag the guys who starved at Camp Morton served under...

What's fair is fair.

BJ (who lived in what was the northwest corner of the stockade)

[wegottem]

17. What Flags

What flags will be flown at the return of the other wounded
solders??  Or will it be after election,and dont matter, will
they get a helecopter ride home.  When will this mess be over?
 Why do we allow this man to run this country in the ground? 

[GBD4]

25. ALASKA IS PRO-CONFEDERATE, TOO!

I went to Alaska several years ago on vacation, and the port of Sitka has a Jefferson Davis Street and in Juneau (the capital city of all places!) I would say without exaggeration that 1 in 4 pickup trucks (and there are lots of pickup trucks in Alaska) had Confederate flags painted or pasted on them! Isn't Alaska as far North as one could get?!? :shrug:

[drdigi420]

31. Rednecks like the flag because

it's offensive to black people.

Period.

[southpaw]

34. AMEN!

In the early 90s, many people (mostly blacks) were sporting the X logo on their clothing. Spike Lee had reminded the world of the important contributions of Malcolm X to the civil rights movement. I did not see the X as a symbol of racism, but some 'rebels' in my vicinity responded with t-shirts stating:

"You've got your "X"... We've got ours" printed above a huge battle flag graphic!

Yeah, most of the Billy-Joe-Jim-Bobs who fly that flag do it to piss of blacks!

[Generic Other]

35. Does the confed flag also continue to serve as a symbol of resistance

to the feds? Or is it only about race?

Maybe we need a NEW flag of resistance for all. Unfortunately, I fear it will be a simple white flag of surrender, because that's how willing Americans are to resist the evil empire which is us.

[IndianaGreen]

41. Lynch was the only POW from 507th to get a parade

She is also a young white woman, unlike the other members of the 507th.

Had it not been for her father discounting the earlier misleading stories about Lynch's "valiant last stand" in which she was "shot" and "stabbed", we would have never been wiser to the propaganda.

Lynch is an innocent pawn in the government's propaganda games!

And, yes, racism is being played to by the Bush PR machine!