Carol Kelly wrote:
Today the Mississippi House and Senate passed a bill changing Mississippi’s flag forever. The Republican Governor immediately signed it into law. We, the people, will be allowed to vote for the new flag. How nice! We the people went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly to KEEP that flag. It’s our history. We should have been allowed to vote again before our illustrious leaders made the decision for us. My family came here from South Carolina immediately following the Revolution. This was the wilderness. Part of our history has been wiped out. I hope the new flag will have a pansy in the center.
Today the Mississippi House and Senate passed a bi... (
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Carol Kelly, my sympathies. I have no skin in this game except that I hate laws made in a rush and under the threats of mob rules, etc. And this is all B. S. and we sensible people on OPP all know it. These legislators are giving into the threats of violence and you never negotiate or surrender with or to a mob mentality.
I agree that the flag was voted on not to long ago and the citizens voted to keep that flag. I assume you can still display that flag after the fact as free speech rights.
But let me suggest something as an alternative to that flag that recognizes both sides of the issue and their rights to have their views represented in the State Flag.
First we need to recognize the two sides and why they like or dislike the flag. We know the slavery issue and how so many think the war was mainly or only about freeing or keeping slavery in the south and Mississippi. To them, having that square of the rebel battle flag represented is an insult to their ancestors who were slaves, and we can go on and on and we can recognize that association and their personal discomfort on the issue.
But what no one wants to look at is the viewpoint of those of the south whose ancestors fought in that war, for Independence from the tyranny of the north and not necessarily for slavery. And there is the issue in the defense of your side and the traditions of the south and its history. Many Generals and other officers came from well to do families and owned slaves. but the foot soldier was mostly, if not entirely of poorer people of the south, fighting for States Rights. Probably most fought more for their State then the Confederation of States. I can't think of any of these men, walking into battle without a full meal in days, very little of the soles left on their shoes and totally underarmed, walking into battle to fight for their slaves.
I remember an old John Wayne movie called the Undefeated where in the beginning John Wayne's troops encounter a group of Confederate soldiers. They attack and defeat the enemy only to find out right after the battle that the war was over. He rides over to the senior officer left and apologizes for the bad timing and the Confederate soldier tells John Wayne that they new the war was over. He asks, then why they fought and the Confederate tells him, "This is our land and you're on it." And that is what a lot of the southerners were doing. Fighting for their states.
If I was alive during that time, and a Northerner, I might have fought to free the slaves. As a Southerner, I'd like to believe I might have fought for State rights and the right to secede, but not to protect slavery.
I'd like to point out one other thing. The European Union. We just watched all of the crap England went through to get out. Imagine 30 years from now, a group say Poland, Croatia and a few other decide to secede because of the taxes supported by Germany, Belgium and France, etc as being to one sided. Imagine if they had to go to war to do it. Justified????
So, what is the solution. Lets try to recognize both sides. one side doesn't want the Stars and Bars and the other side does. I understand that "IN GOD WE TRUST" is to be a part of the flag. How about just the bars and replace the stars with the words, IN GOD, UL to LR and WE TRUST LL to UR. And in the very middle, one star representing Mississippi. Everybody gets something.
Carol Kelly, if you like any part of what I wrote, please feel free you use it in trying to get a satisfactory resolution. I wish you luck.
Logically Right