My thoughts on the Confederate flag

In my opinion, people should be free in America to fly any flag they want, whether it’s a flag of another country, another religious group, a treasonous faction within the United States—Nazi, Islamic, Confederate, Satanist, whatever. I don’t think anyone wants to remove the Confederate flag from the pages of history—delete all those unpleasant facts and pretend there never was a Civil War. Some people talk as though this were part of the debate, but why should it be? History is important, and the facts matter. We need to know history; we need to remember history and have memorials and museums to teach us. However, we should be careful what flags we allow on government property.

Suppose someone were to fly an Islamic flag at the Pentagon or at Ground Zero, either to remember 9/11 or for a completely unrelated reason. People would be bothered by that, wouldn’t they? It’s just a flag; a piece of cloth. Yet many people would see it as a dishonor to the memory of those who died.

The Confederate flag means different things to different people. For one, it’s a symbol of history. Nothing wrong with studying history. However, that doesn’t mean people have to carry it as a banner on their shirts, on their trucks, flying on their houses. I certainly believe people have a right to do so. However, you don’t fly and wear every symbol of history as a personal banner. It has more meaning than that. Some people like it because it reminds them of ancestors who fought and died in the war, and they want to keep it as a memorial to them. I suppose an Islamic person might fly their flag to remember Muslims who died in terrorist causes, or Nazis might wear a flag to remember their German relatives who died in World War II. People certainly have a right to do those things. Some people like the Confederate flag because it is a symbol of standing up against the Federal Government—the government ain’t gonna tell them what to do, and they don’t have to follow laws they don’t like. However, the flag is also an anti-American symbol, a symbol of treason. It’s like taking the American flag and putting a big X on it, saying, “I don’t believe in the United States of America; I believe in the Divided States of America.” It’s like flying British flags during or after the Revolutionary War. People should be allowed to fly those flags, but it does bother people and it’s not always appropriate for governmental property, because it goes against what our government stands for.

In addition, the Confederate flag has become a symbol of an incredibly wicked group—the white supremacists. These people believe that white people should have all the power, and black people should either be killed or subjugated. It sickens me that these groups exist in America. Yes, we should have freedom of religion and freedom of speech, and you can’t force people not to believe those things. Dylann Roof went to a white supremacist center—a meeting place with a building and literature and paraphernalia to buy. It’s disgusting that those places exist in America. It’s like having jihadist organizations right on American soil—people who believe it’s okay to hate and kill American citizens. We allow these centers to exist, and we allow people to fly Confederate flags, which for many people are symbols of white supremacist groups. I do wonder when I see someone proudly displaying a Confederate flag, if that person hates black people, or if they hate the United States of America. Maybe neither; maybe they just think it’s cool. However, how appropriate are those flags for government property? I can overlook offensive things; I could even overlook an Islamic flag being displayed at Ground Zero. It’s just a piece of cloth. But other people are bothered by it, and it’s important to be respectful of their feelings. In the same way, many black people see the Confederate flag as a flag that means “I hate black people,” and they would like to have it removed from American government property. It’s a symbol of anti-American sentiments, and I respect the idea that it should be removed from government property.