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Friday, November 14, 2003

Apologies and response concerning the rebel flag, Dean, and the south. 

From my friend,

elizabeth,
I came very close to calling you all ignoramuses and I apologize
for that. I think you three know more than most about American history
-- what I was saying is that you've taken the side of the ignoramuses
against Dean, arguing that he needs to watch his mouth when he says
something that might offend the ignoramuses who misinterpret the rebel
flag as nothing but a symbol of racism and are unaware of its richer and
deeper significance -- those are the ignoramuses. I'm not content to let
a symbol that I honor and revere be trashed and forgotten because idiots
in the '50s and a few remaining troublemakers misuse it. I'm
disappointed that folks who do know its greater significance have no
heart to defend it. I'm disappointed that Democrats have this tendency
to divide and undercut each other when unity is so obviously needed to
achieve a common purpose, to defend democracy and the Constitution, to
take the presidency back from thieves, liars and murderering
imperialists. Why is it so important to you to beat up on the Democratic
front-runner when you know he's not a racist and at worst he made an
ill-considered word choice? Don't you know you're giving ammunition to
the other side?

By the way, I was not talking about displaying a rebel flag in my
window. I was talking about putting it in my home to spark conversations
among my friends, to revive an appreciation for its greater significance.
I decided a better way to do that was to make a poster of "The Day They
Drove Old Dixie Down". There's too many ignoramuses out there who would
take offense if I put the flag in my window -- I'd endanger the other
occupants of this house by attracting the ignoramuses you defend.
I'm well aware of the large number of rebel flag-hating
ignoramuses -- I don't need to "google" on them to find out. Defenders
of the flag mostly do so out of respect for its positive traditional
meanings and only rarely for its newer, hateful meaning. Overt racism
has been effectively marginalized over the last 50 years. Other
prejudices -- including contempt for rebel flag flying bubbas -- has
replaced it.

J( *}

# posted by scorpiorising : 5:27 PM |

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