First off, I understand my previous post was waaaaay too long for some readers. My sincere apologies. In an effort to present my opinions precisely and thoroughly, I may have erred on the side of circumlocution. Damn! I did it again. Make that long windedness. So, for the sake of brevity, I'll restate my opinions here as succinctly as possible and refer to my previous blog for any further explication. Damn, I did it again, didn't I? Further explanation. How's that?
1) I do believe that southern secession, the creation of the Confederate States of America (CSA) and our resulting Civil War were ultimately and indivisibly rooted in the issue of slavery. I believe calling the Civil War a conflict over "state's rights" is a way of dodging the disturbing reality and cultural heritage of the "peculiar institution." More on this below. Believe me.
2) I do believe there was a fundamental difference between the Confederate Government's Cause and the Cause of rebel fighting men in the field. The Confederate Government waged war to preserve slavery and redress other long-standing issues they had with Northern States and the federal government (Once again, more on this below.) Rebel soldiers and sailors, on the other hand, fought bravely and honorably to protect their friends, families, homes and, yes, their way of life from federal armies marching into the south to "restore order" and punish secessionists. A careful reading of myriad contemporary journals, letters and battlefield accounts from Confederate soldiers, officers and civilians offers little if any proof that the soldiers or citizenry saw the war as anything but a reaction to Northern aggression.
3) I do believe the Rebel Flag rightfully belongs on Civil War memorials wherever they may be located and at commemorative sites and events like reenactments and museums. I also believe any US citizen has the right to display the Rebel Flag and wear merchandise related to it. Conversely, I believe that anyone displaying the Rebel Flag must expect that others will object to its presence while reacting to any such objections with civility and polite disagreement. Likewise, any objections to the Rebel Flag should also be both civil and legal and focus on the issue of African American slavery, not the presumed racism of Confederate fighting men or present-day Johnny Rebs.
4) I do not believe the Rebel Flag belongs on any official federal, state or municipal flagpoles. In popular parlance, this means "flying over the capitol" or other federal, state of city buildings that posses a flagpole dedicated to the American flag. Nor do I feel the Rebel Flag should be displayed as commensurate or in any way equal to the American flag or any state flags. I feel likewise regarding any flag that specifically represents a particular identity or subculture in American society, e.g. various political banners, ethnic flags, rainbow flags, etc.
That being stated, let me address two responses to my previous blog post, one sent via email by a conservative friend and one addressed in a phone call by a longtime liberal friend.
Regarding the overall cause of the Civil War, my conservative friend advised me that state's rights did not just include the right to own slaves but also the longstanding battle over federal tariffs that favored the industrial Northern interests while slowly bankrupting the agrarian South. "I don't want to embarrass you," my friend wrote, "so I didn't post a public comment." He went on to make a case that federal abuses like the Morrill Tariff were the real cause of the war, not slavery. To this, I replied by maintaining my original position and further explaining that: "The first seven southern states that seceded did not do so over the tariff. They seceded upon the election of Lincoln, a presidential candidate that did even appear on the ballots of ten southern slave-holding states. The tariff situation, while certainly eviscerating to the economies of southern states, had existed for decades before the war. In fact, the Tariff previous to Morrill actually favored the South. Ultimately, the tariff battle was being waged in the halls of Congress, not the fields of Bull Run and Gettysburg."
In my response, I also brought up again that the seceding states didn't care much about states rights when it came to enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act (FSA), which required non-slave states to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves to their owners. In this case, the future states of the CSA demanded strict and absolute adherence to federal law in Northern States like Wisconsin and Vermont that passed laws nullifying the FSA. At this time, I welcome his reply via email or comment here.
The phone call from my longtime liberal friend focused primarily on my support of the Rebel Flag and its "undeniably racist past." I was first informed that the designer of the Rebel Flag, William T. Thompson, specifically stated that it symbolized "Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race." (exact quote mine). I then asked my friend to research the quote further, as well as the flag under question. Thompson, (an unabashed racist, yes!) designed the second national flag of the CSA, the so-called "stainless banner," which did indeed incorporate the Northern Army of Virginia Battle Flag in its design. But anyone reading my previous post and following the link to an image of the "stainless banner" immediately sees that the Rebel Flag resides in the upper left hand corner of a field of pure white. It is this white field, in the exact words of Thompson, that symbolizes the "supremacy of the white man." He doesn't say anything regarding the red, white & blue iconography of Northern Army of Virginia Battle Flag that I can find. If someone can point me to an exact Thompson quote regarding the racist symbology of the Rebel Flag itself, I'll certainly reexamine my position on the inherent symbolic racism of the Rebel Flag.
Next my liberal friend equated the Rebel Flag with the Nazi Flag, which happens to be an argument I really wrestled over before finally forming my own opinion. I certainly respect the feelings of those who react to the Rebel Flag with the same abhorrence as the red, white and black Nazi swastika. I have African American friends and close relatives that will never see the Rebel Flag as anything but a revolting icon of hate. Considering that neo-nazis and hate groups have adopted the Rebel Flag for their own diseased agendas, I can fully understand someone loathing it without exception. Personally, however, I don't have this same reaction because I don't necessarily view Johnny Rebs (past and present) as promoting racism and genocide. I can't say the same for the degenerate scum festooned with Third Reich regalia, though. As much as I despise neo-nazis and other racist pos's, I also acknowledge their right to display their moronic symbols and spout their imbecilic crap as long as it's just speech and symbols.
Basically, if you take nothing away from these last two posts, please at least know this. I'm a free speech guy first and foremost. Repressing or outlawing any words or symbols as offensive or dangerous only gives these words and symbols the real power to become truly dangerous. The only antidotes to bad speech and repulsive symbols are better speech and more uplifting symbols. I welcome reasoned debate and civil discourse. Respectful disagreements promote understanding. Silence and seething resentment perpetuate ignorance.
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