Just use different flag
The bleeding-heart liberals in the country are up in arms concerning the flying of the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia in front of the South Carolina Capitol. This flag has been there and has been a bone of contention for as long as I can remember. The stated reason for flying it has always been to honor the South Carolinians that fought so valiantly during the "late unpleasantness."
This flag has been linked to anti-black sentiments for more than a century. The Klan used it, as did segregationists during the Civil Rights era of the '50s and '60s. That is a given, and most likely would offend some blacks with unusually thin skins and, as I said before, the liberals in this country.
I have the perfect solution to the problem of the battle flag that it seems nobody has seen fit to think of, much less put forward. Politicians would not think of it since they have no common sense--look at the laws they pass that do no good for anybody.
To honor Confederate dead, why not fly one of the Confederate States' national flags? The first national flag consisted of three broad horizontal stripes, top and bottom red with the middle one white, and a field of blue with a ring of seven stars. This was used by Confederate field troops until it was discovered that it looked too much like Old Glory from a distance. Another was the "Bonnie Blue" flag, which was all blue with a large star in the center. Neither of these flags has, to my knowledge, ever been involved in any anti-black demonstration or event and therefore don't carry the stigma that many people seem to attach to the battle flag.
Fly either of these flags and the Civil War dead can be honored and the liberals and blacks would cease to have any standing to throw a fit about it flying.
KIPP WOODBURY
Mountain Home
For functional society
When I was growing up, I was a big fan of the Civil War and read every book I could get in my hands. I came to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1964 with a desire to be a Civil War historian.
Growing up in the South, I always had a soft spot in my heart for the Confederacy--until, as I matured, I realized that a Confederate victory would have meant a victory for slavery. By my graduation, my views about the war and its ultimate meaning had fundamentally changed.
Like muzzle-loading rifles and lead Minié balls, the old Confederacy and its symbols have earned their retirement. In museums, folks may view them and wonder.
Asking questions, including those relevant today, do not dishonor relatives on my father's Neal side from Van Buren who fought on opposite sides. These include my great-grandfather, Francis M. Neal, who served in the 35th Arkansas Infantry (Confederate) and one of his brothers, and my great-uncle, Younger Neal, in the 2nd Arkansas Cavalry (Union).
Let's honor the choices people made then--whatever their reasons--but in our time, do the right thing by moving on. If we want a functional society, what happened in Charleston should be a wake-up.
JOE NEAL
Fayetteville
Feel a mite rebellious
I am a Confederate.
I am against high taxes and foreign aid. I am against no-win wars and exit strategy.
I am against cell-phone surveillance and airport X-rays. I am against political correctness and the "hate" crime.
I am against restricted-flow shower heads, low-wattage light bulbs and all other government intrusion into our lives.
Therefore I must be a Confederate.
LLOYD HEDDEN
Benton
Reigniting divisions
Little children of different cultures or races can play together peaceably until their minds are poisoned by parents, family, neighborhood, politicians, and race-baiters with an agenda. Racism is not genetic, as our president seemed to state in reference to recent racial conflicts in our country, but is learned via teaching by those who surround them, primarily parents.
I submit that the resurgence of this blight upon humanity has been whipped into the forefront by politicians and race-baiters who have an agenda of furthering divisions among us for personal gain. And that is beyond shameful on their part.
I'm old enough to remember segregated water fountains, schools, bus seats and the like. Those days are no longer with us because we've worked together to put all that behind us.
There are nutty people among us, as there always will be, but for those in power to reinvigorate all those old bad feelings for political purposes margins on insanity.
For those who want to blame the Republicans for racism, need I remind them it was the Southern Democrats who perpetuated racism for years beyond the end of the Civil War, including the creation of the KKK? Need I remind that Governors Faubus and Wallace were Democrats?
But this argument isn't about political parties, but right and wrong, with racism being a two-way street where no race is innocent. There's never a place for racism, and to reignite it in today's environment is unconscionable.
JIMMIE TREWITT
Ward
Perpetuates problem
Our half-black president has sunk to a new low by following the racist black "gangsta" rappers in using the n-word that Caucasian people dare not utter and calling for South Carolina to remove the Confederate flag from the Confederate memorial on its Capitol grounds.
I think this is the kind of action that may have incited Dylann Storm Roof to take the action he did.
The blacks have created their own Congressional Black Caucus, the Black Movie awards, the BET awards, the Soul Train awards, the NAACP Image awards, (but don't dare utter the "C" word if you are Caucasian), even Black Weblog Awards, and the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus, all of which exclude people whose skin is too white. Meredith Oakley of the Democrat-Gazette covered Joyce Elliot's justification of such exclusion, reporting that, "she went on to claim that excluding white lawmakers is a legitimate form of discrimination because black legislators need to join with others of 'common cause'."
I believe there are many racist black organizations joining with others of "common cause" and excluding Caucasians, but crying holy murder, rioting, and looting if they feel excluded from anything themselves; just the kind of black takeover that Roof apparently envisioned.
I think if blacks really want to end racism, they should stop practicing and perpetuating it themselves, tell the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons to just stay home, and try being law-abiding American citizens rather than angry hyphenated "victims" demanding handouts.
PHILIP WARNER
Garfield
No reason to remain
It's seldom I agree with Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer, but he is right when he says the Iraqi army doesn't want to fight.
Krauthammer said Iraqi army commanders are corrupt, sectarian and incompetent. I might add that only 7,000 of the expected 24,000 "volunteers" even bothered to show up for training, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
In my opinion, we have no reason to continue spending billions of dollars in a country that never wanted us there in the first place. A U.S. State Department poll several years ago allegedly indicated 93 percent of all Iraqis wanted us out of their country as soon as possible.
The U.S. is not only providing free training but is helping pay Iraqi trainees who don't want to fight.
I believe an overwhelming majority of the American people would agree that we should send no more troops to a country that seems to always be involved in a civil war.
As to the usual congressional war hawks who allegedly are financed in part by the military-industrial complex, they had best listen to their constituents when it comes to us again getting involved in somebody else's civil war.
VERNON McDANIEL
Ozark
Editorial on 06/29/2015