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| In the recent attack on my community, my initial reaction was an emotional one. Many people like me reacted the same way: we had been invaded by the alt-Left and the alt-Right and our community was victimized. Granted some locals, particularly students who are only temporary locals, got caught up in the mob mentality. Most of the action and all of the violence was perpetrated by outsiders. After the commotion was contained.and rumors were confirmed, our reaction was like a that of a personal attack. "Why me?" or "Why my family?", typical remarks heard after personal tragedies became "Why my town?" Our collective remarks included, "I never thought anything like that would happen here!" After all, we are not a big city or sprawling suburbia. The clips on national TV showed beautiful mountains with the blue haze in the background. That's how we want to be known, a peaceful and beautiful community. We were offended that this could have happened here. We don't claim to be perfect, or to have an untainted past, but we can handle our affairs and live in relative harmony. We don't want people from Ohio or California or D.C. telling us how to conduct our local matters. On taking some time and reflecting on all the erroneous news (the media went a little rogue),tales from eyewitnesses, and some background info, I've concluded there are too many issues to address all in one place. One issue is clear: There is no place for hatred or bigotry. The Golden Rule* is still the rule we should use for conducting business, politics, and social affairs. Some things are a little harder to define and address. The Confederate Flag is one of the easier issues in my mind. It is a piece of history and belongs nowhere except in museums and history books. It represents a failed attempt to secede and should be left alone. It does not belong in any parade, other than battle reenactments, or waving from the back of a pick up truck. It unfortunately has been appropriated by hate groups as their rallying flag. In doing so, they have tarnished the flag. The men who fought under that flag were for the most part poor dirt farmers who felt their land had been invaded by outsiders, the Northerners. It did not have the same meaning for them that it does for the Neo-Nazis and KKK. People who hate it associate it only with these hate groups and not as a little historical artifact. However, if you ban people from flying it, you interfere with their freedom of expression. It might make them more determined. But who makes these things? Who's getting the profit from selling all those flags? That bears some scrutiny. Those companies need to impose limits or make them unavailable instead of seeking a profit without being responsible for the effects on the greater community. The much harder but better remedy is to change people's hearts, a formidable task. If anyone reads this who is thinking about flying or carrying a Confederate Flag, I'm asking you to opt out, please. Think of the greater good of your country. Robert E Lee himself wanted to put all things of the Confederacy away once the war was over. He wanted desperately to heal and unite the nation. If you want to honor Lee as a general and a statesman, do not fly that flag. Do not display it. The Confederacy is gone forever. The flag never represented what you want it to represent. If you already have one, please, put it away. I am proud of my border-line Southern state and my Southern accent. That flag has never had any meaning for me or anyone I know. I know black people who feel neutral about it as well. The flag itself is not a thing to be feared, but the people who carry it project an aura of fear and hatred. It's not something to be proud of. Flying it will only alienate you from the rest of the culture. *The Golden Rule, for those who have forgotten or never heard of it, goes like this: Treat other people the way you want to be treated. If you don't want rudeness, violence, or mistreatment, then don't do those things yourself. If you don't want to be oppressed or silenced, then don't do that to other people. The Golden Rule has been around over 2000 years.There are no exceptions or special circumstances to The Golden Rule. |
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