Confederate flag is not behind wrongs



How I See It
William E. Walthall
Reva
Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Marsha Mercer, in her column Sunday titled “Still flying Confederate flag,”
paints one side of the flag debate while ignoring the heart-felt admiration and
memory of those who served so valiantly for independence and freedom.

For those who want to con-tinue to tarnish the Confederate flag with “it
stands for hate,” please explain to me why the British flag and Old Glory
which stood for slavery for more than years prior to the Civil War are not considered
symbols of hate.

Do we remove these symbols from all public buildings? Do we prevent shipping
from New England states to punish the memory of slave traders? How about eliminating
all Civil War battlefields where Old Glory and the Confederate flag rallied
both sides to incredible feats of courage? Where does the politically motivated
“outrage” end?

Because some hate groups chose to use symbols of the South to influence or
try to lend credence to their speech, the political left wants to blame the
Confederate flag for every act of hate that occurred in the South while ignoring
the rampant racism and violence that occured north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The South has moved into the 21st century preserving its past and honoring
the public service of all its citizens. The state of Mississippi, for example,
leads all states in the election of blacks to public office. This should be
celebrated by all Americans instead of looking for wedge issues for an upcoming
election.

Wesley Pruden once wrote “the standards for valor and devotion to duty
were set by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and remain today unsurpassed.”
I agree and also point out that the veterans from both sides of the conflict
were the ones that healed the nation’s wounds due mainly to their respect
for each other earned during brutal conflict. Both sides fought for their interpretation
of the Constitution.

We cannot erase the stains on American history by burying “symbols.”

We can all agree that the failure to speak out against wrongs committed by
hate groups was one of our biggest failures as a nation.

Do not blame the Confederate battle flag for that.
For most of us, looking in the mirror should suffice.

© 2007 Media General

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