kellym40 General

Let’s Move On

The Confederate ‘Battle’ Flag has been removed from the state Capitol. People were chanting ”USA, USA…..” during the ceremony. Do these people not know they’re in the “USA?”

It is part of AMERICAN HISTORY. Not necessarily a proud time in American history, but a part of nonetheless.

Read a story about the flag ceremony here: Flag Removal Ceremony

I believe the flag was going to be put in a museum. So it’s still going to be displayed? Then what is the difference? And the flag has been flying there for something like a little more than half a century and all of the sudden in the last few weeks it’s become an issue? Give me a break. There were people with signs which hinted about moving on. Well I should think people need to move on. If some people view the flag as a symbol of racism and oppression, just move on. Again, it is part of our (United States) history. And now they want to look at other things that may be considered racist or demeaning, and possible remove those things? Come on! Apparently it wasn’t much of an issue until someone pointed it out.

Let’s all move on from the past. People need to let the hate go from their hearts and view it as a symbol of our past and how far we have supposedly come. But if people keep playing the race card or become offended by everything, then this country can’t move forward.

For example, there is someone who is now petitioning for ‘Cracker Barrel’ to change the restaurant’s name to the ‘Caucasian Barrel.’ Seriously? The restaurant has been around for how long? And now someone sees it as offensive? The petitioner says it offends ‘European Americans.’

Read the story here: Petition to Change Name

I mean REALLY! What’s next? Let’s take down the American Flag because it is also a symbol of oppression this country put on the Native Americans at a time when the U. S. Military didn’t have a problem with treating them like ‘lesser’ people.

Let’s remove all monuments and things that ‘remind’ us of the past. Let’s just forget about Rosa Parks and the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. because that represents a time of civil and racial unrest.

We should look at these pieces of history as learning points, because I do think that’s what we should be doing. I thought we made great progress in areas like this, but it really seems, in the 21st century, we’re reverting back to what it was a half a century or more ago.

Let’s learn from our mistakes, move on, and just try to get along.

kellym40 General

A Center of Controversy

In recent weeks, turmoil and controversy have once again reared its ugly head due to the Charleston shootings in South Carolina. It seems it is something else to put the fear and hatred in people and fuel a seemingly never ending cycle of hate and bigotry.

Conf. battle flag

Things have come so far as to removing “The Dukes of Hazzard” from television to petitioning to remove the flag from the capitol in South Carolina.

The current flag in controversy was the fourth flag the Confederate Army had under Robert E. Lee. When the Civil War began, a flag was made to represent Southern pride and tradition. As the war went on and slavery became an issue, although not the original reason the Southern states wanted to secede, the flag went on to symbolize the seceding states in addition to pride.

All one really has to do is read some history. From what I gather, that was the original intent for the flag. But only because someone began spouting off that it represented slavery and oppression did it become an issue. I believe what hurt the flag’s meaning was supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan used the battle flag as a symbol, and with other believing made the flag into a symbol of hate.

Learn a little more about the history and political background surrounding the Confederate Flag: Political History of the Flag

We (the American people) need to not follow blindly into another person’s view simply because of the person’s persona or popularity. Do your own research and open your eyes to different things. Because I believe that if all of the haters and narrow-minded people out there would choose to see the flag as it was supposedly intended, then we all could get along that much easier. Then, there wouldn’t be a need for a division between hate and love. Everyone has their beliefs and ideas and everyone should learn to live and grow.

Learn more about the Confederate Flag here: Confederate Flag Myths

As FDR said in 1932, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” If something, or someone, is different than us I don’t believe there is any reason to “fear” that person. It’s mostly because we don’t fully understand the other person. If all of those people against the Confederate Flag, could get past the hate and see it as something good then maybe we can all live in peace and harmony.