The Confederate Flag - Does It Make A Difference?

The Confederate Flag has long been a contested symbol of southern pride and/or racism depending on who's side you're on. Should it continue to fly on government property in places like South Carolina? Should it continue to fly anywhere at all? Regardless of the debate, it seems like heavy pressure from politically-correct crowd has energized the removal process.

The latest push to have the Confederate Flag eradicated came shortly after the recent Charleston church tragedy in which nine blacks were murdered by a deranged "white supremacist". And while almost everyone agrees that this was a cold and absolutely senseless crime, a narrative is being spun that the Confederate Flag somehow contributed to the killings. And it's now being launched into the predictable "never let a crisis go to waste" mode.

Within the past week, we've heard about retailers such as Amazon pulling Confederate Flag related items from their virtual shelves. Even the gift shops at the Gettysburg Battlefield have caved in and have pulled various "controversial" flag items from their inventory. I guess we're supposed to ignore the fact that the Confederacy ever existed? The Gettysburg tour guides are going to have an uphill battle trying to describe that imaginary army who fought against the Union soldiers. And, in one of the most egregious displays of political correctness ever, TV Land announced that it will no longer show re-runs of The Dukes of Hazzard. Why? Because the General Lee (oops, can we still mention his name?), one of the most iconic cars in television history, has a Confederate Flag painted on it's roof. For over 30 years, no one really seemed to mind. But now, the '69 Charger is suddenly offensive. You can't make this stuff up, folks!

So, while Confederate Flags are disappearing quicker than Hillary Clinton emails, the big question remains..... Is any of this really going to matter? If we outlaw all of these flags, will we see an instant decrease in black homicides in places like Baltimore? Will life suddenly become much better for the countless "disenfranchised" youths of the black community? I think we all know that it won't make a bit of difference. But still, the race hustlers beat their chests and push ahead with these senseless campaigns. Instead of promoting unity, they find ways of instigating racial tensions. And after they create it, the media then packages and sells it.

After the Charleston church shooting, we heard about how we need to have a honest dialogue on race relations in this country. While it sounds like a great idea, the reality of it actually happening is nothing more than a pipe-dream. When the dialogue becomes honest, people have a tendency to get their feelings hurt. And then the race card is thrown in and all progress goes out the window. The next thing you know, we lose focus and start blaming trivial things like the Confederate Flag.

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At one of the funerals of the slain Charleston church members, a Reverend was giving the eulogy. During the speech (I'm paraphrasing), he paused and said, "They tell me that Dylann Roof took the lives of our nine brothers and sisters in order to start a race war. Well, if Mr. Roof really wanted that, he came to wrong Church!"

Wow!!

It was one of the most powerful statements that I've ever heard. I actually got goosebumps when I heard it. Instead of allowing this senseless tragedy to divide us, the people of this church opted to use it as a healing opportunity.  Unfortunately, other than the initial broadcast, the Reverend's message got virtually no media attention. Instead, they chose to run extended coverage on the outrage over the Confederate Flag. Is there any wonder why we're not making a whole lot of progress?

kw