Those who display the Confederate flag under the guise of, say, “Southern Heritage” or remembrance of the Johnny Rebs who gave their lives (in support of slavery, they never add) or states’ rights or whatever, need to be reminded that it is NOT a false equivalency to state that one could similarly advocate displaying the Nazi flag for parallel reasons (the Nazis fervent love of country, their stalwart ambition, their belief in something greater than themselves, their dedication to a cause, etc. etc.) What one needs to focus upon, however, is that the evil inherent in “all things Nazi” trumps whatever tenuous reasons one can otherwise list. In the same way, literally killing to sustain the moral abomination that was slavery trumps any of the other “positive” reasons to fly the Confederate flag. (To parse it even further, it’s the same reason the joke “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?” works so well.) One can just as easily list Adolf Hitler’s many inarguably fine qualities. Charismatic, ambitious, a leader, passionate, blah-blah-blah. They all crumble before the gruesome altar of his inherent evil. To actually DESIRE to fly the Confederate flag knowing all this? Truly the hallmark of a racist rube. Fly the American flag, rubes, and call it a day. The Confederate one has no place here.
BILL
Twitter: @BillBekkala
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