Here’s a Facebook post that “blue dog” Democrat Jim Webb saw fit to put up today:
This is an emotional time and we all need to think through these issues with a care that recognizes the need for change but also respects the complicated history of the Civil War. The Confederate Battle Flag has wrongly been used for racist and other purposes in recent decades. It should not be used in any way as a political symbol that divides us.
But we should also remember that honorable Americans fought on both sides in the Civil War, including slave holders in the Union Army from states such as Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware, and that many non-slave holders fought for the South. It was in recognition of the character of soldiers on both sides that the federal government authorized the construction of the Confederate Memorial 100 years ago, on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
This is a time for us to come together, and to recognize once more that our complex multicultural society is founded on the principle of mutual respect.
Webb is being skewered, and rightly so, in the comments. One commenter pointed out that honorable people have always fought on both sides of conflicts but it’s the casus belli that matters and, in the case of the Civil War, the Confederacy’s motivation was completely and utterly morally bankrupt. There was nothing to be served by Webb’s statement other than pandering to the worst elements in our society to make himself look “reasonable”. There is no “mutual respect” in a society that tolerates one group of people flagrantly shoving their bigotry in everyone’s face with impunity. Period.
Centrism has its occasional place in our two party political system but not when the subject is a symbol of racist hatred. This isn’t some anodyne issue like marginal tax rates. You have to pick a side on this one. There is no ethically defensible centrist option. (And no, don’t try to pull the “it’s distracting from the REAL issues!” crap on me. I mark you right down as being on the “pro-racist hate flag” side for that.)
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One thing I have noticed in your postings, Donna, you seem to have an unlimited amount of hatred for anyone who disagrees with you. And I don’t mean just a regular sort of hatred…I mean a deep, soul searing, profane type of hatred that blinds you to much that is good in life. I feel very bad for you because in your blindness you miss the bigger picture on issues and even go to length of erasing posts with which you disagree. It allows you to pretend that opposing points of view don’t exist, I suppose, but it also demonstrates a very closed, very bitter mind.
Much as it will disgust you, I am going to pray for you. You need the prayers more than most, and who knows, it might even help you.
Tone cops.
Tone cops.
Whatcha gonna do?
That was a clever and true response. I do make a habit of chiding other people. I need to be reminded of that from time to time.
Steve, I will gladly accept the terms “one-sided” and ‘hatred.”
After many years of watching not just the headlined deaths, but the slow deaths caused by poverty, cruelty, and lack of education for non-white students, caused by police neglect, underemployment, etc. (And even when those conditions have been somewhat lessened over time, I know every black person has his own family story of someone being victimized, whether it is someone actually killed, or just the Uncle who had a college degree but died a janitor because he couldn’t get hired.)
Yes, I DO, UNQUESTIONABLY hate racists, do deny that there are two sides to THIS question, and don’t need — or want — your prayers. Use them on yourself, and maybe they will bring you compassion for those who need it, not on defenders of those who don’t.
That was an excellent reply to Steve, maybe he’ll take your advice and use those prayers on himself.
You choose your own way in life. Hatred seems like such a waste of life, though. But I will never try and convince you of that any more than I would try that with Donna. You either figure it out on your own or you don’t. Either way, you have my prayers.
The flag flying in South Carolina is the Virginia Battle Flag so get your britches out of the bunch and quit calling it the Confederate Flag. Check out The Museum of the Confederacy
The Confederate States of America adopted three different national flag patterns between 1861 and 1865. The Provisional Confederate Congress adopted the First National pattern, also referred to as the “Stars and Bars,” on March 4, 1861. This pattern flag flew over the Capitol at Montgomery, Alabama, where the Provisional Congress met prior to the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861.http://www.americanfreedombybarbara.com/…/the-flag.. The Virginia Battle flag did not fly over the South Carolina state Capitol grounds until the great Fritz Hollings, Democrat, put it there about 50 years ago. Had nothing to do with Republicans was a Democrat. Democrats sucker Republicans in again.
Uh, Barbara, Jim Webb is a Democrat and my post is a scathing criticism of his support for the racist flag so your implication that I am hypocritical is plainly stupid. Also, I could not care less about your pedantic parsing of the history of that shitty loser hate flag so you needn’t bother.
Please try to be smarter in your comments to my posts. Thanks.