April 23, 2001

 

FLAGS OVER MISSISSIPPI

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On April 17th, the citizens of Mississippi voted overwhelmingly to retain their 1894 design state flag, that contains the Confederate battle emblem. The 65 to 35 percent victory, which included well over 30 percent of the black vote, sends a message.

Apparently, foolish Yankee ideas can even invade the heart of the Deep South. So-called business leaders, along with an assortment of liberal politicians, media outlets, and various Black organizations, tried to convince the public that the panacea to lift Mississippi out of last place among the 50 states was to simply change the flag. That would surely convince companies to move into the state in droves, and build up the flagging (sorry) economy.

Being blessed with way more pride than common sense, this brain trust might take a good look at my state of California--liberal and politically correct bastion that it is. After all, we are the home of Berkeley, Barbara Boxer, separate Black and "lavender" graduation ceremonies at certain of our UC campuses, not to mention the People's Republic of Santa Monica, and left-leaning Hollywood.

Of course, we're also the home of high taxes, insufferable traffic jams, endless permit hassles, and, oh yes, rolling blackouts. No doubt, if I were looking for a place to locate my factory, the overriding concern on my mind would be the state flag.

Let's examine some of the elements in play here...

Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol?

Slavery existed in ALL the states at some point prior to the Civil War. Why should the South have the monopoly on racism? Make no mistake that even the most ardent abolitionists wanted very little to do with Black folk.

Besides, few on the anti-Confederacy side care to comment on that most recent and outrageous example of racism, perpetrated under Old Glory, no less: the internment of Japanese-Americans. Thus, the sainted FDR, quite public about his hatred of Japanese (even if they were American citizens), demonstrated true and functional racism at the highest levels--not so long ago.

Notwithstanding this controversy, how many citizens of any state would even recognize their own state flag, let alone understand its symbolism? For that matter, how many US citizens could describe the symbolism of Old Glory?

It is quite telling that in the one state where the flag issue was put up to a vote, the old design was retained, with considerable black "crossover" voting. How interesting that the democratic process is alive and well in this supposed racist backwater, and hardly anywhere else. What would have happened in the rest of the Southern states that changed their flag by legislative fiat, had similar referenda been ordered?

Lest we forget, here is another wonderful example of our chronological elitism. While this phenomenon has occurred often in history, it has never been as virulent as in our present day. 2001 is so much more enlightened...

What would those awful secessionist Southerners with their slavery think about our state-sanctioned slaughter of more than 40 million innocents (disproportionately of minority race) since Roe v. Wade? Come to think of it, their SLAVES would probably have preferred the plantation to our modern times.

The NAACP will call for boycotts of Mississippi, and the liberal media around the country will cluck their collective tongues, but neither of these arrogant and ignorant forces will help alleviate the state's poverty one little bit. Sadly, those in the best position to help the unfortunates find it preferable to create sound bites, hype, or sell more newspapers.

During Reconstruction, they had names for those who would enrich themselves on the misfortune of others. Meet the Carpetbaggers and Scalawags of the 21st century.

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