Secession Sesquicentennial Celebration

[Smiley and West]

	Smiley: "What is it about their heritage that’s worthy of celebration?"     West: "These neo-Confederates are worthy of keeping track of. They have a vicious history."

[Tessa Byrd]

"What is it about their heritage that’s worthy of celebration?"
Exactly....and so well put...

To my mind the lost lives of the confederacy are to be morned as a loss of life. The lives worthy of celebration or honor belong to the individuals who died struggling to ensure an end to the institution of slavery in this country.

[Tessa Byrd]

mourned not morned

Tessa Byrd said:

"What is it about their heritage that’s worthy of celebration?"
Exactly....and so well put...

To my mind the lost lives of the confederacy are to be morned as a loss of life. The lives worthy of celebration or honor belong to the individuals who died struggling to ensure an end to the institution of slavery in this country.

[One Iam]

I don't have a problem with people looking back and giving honor to the wholesome aspects of their past while having a different understanding today. The problem is that these neo-confederates seem to be more yearning for all the negative aspects of their southern past, which indicates they are capable of what their fathers did do. With that said, keep both eyes on them and resist handing them power.

[Chauncy Henery]

This is interesting. The Civil War was one of the most cataclysmic events in American history. How does one celebrate the Confederacy and Secession without addressing slavery?

[Carol D. Durante-Spinner]

I find it interesting that we continue to celebrate the past. It is unfortunate to me that one can find anything to celebrate about the Confederate War. I live in Fredericksburg, VA and every year there is a reenactment of the Confederate War. It is disgusting to see taxpayers money wasted in such a way. I never attend but believe me they have no problem gathering a crowd.

[Gary Gutierrez]

Let’s talk about the big elephant in the room. More than a celebration, it seems to me that it is a nostalgic cry for a long-gone white fascist era when President wasn’t black.

[Max Segal]

These days they are called the Tea Party, and they are very popular with the corporate media.

What does that tell you about FOX, MSNBC & CNN? or the 2 major parties who pander to them?

There will always be confederate screwballs, but the fact that they are celebrated by mainstream media is terrifying.

[Geoffrey Shaw]

I grew up in Virginia back in the 60's and racism was a lot more out in the open but we are not that far removed from that today. Just because something is repressed does not mean it doesn't exist. A lot of racists are coming out of the closet because they are being emboldened by the attitude towards the president and we need to do what we can to combat this. We are just fooling ourselves if we think that southerners aren't embracing their racist past when they are honoring the confederacy. I don't think that any George Wallace's or Strom Thurmond's will emerge from this situation but there will be underground movements that mimic the Teaparty (which I believe was created) that will try to put us back in history to a time they feel more comfortable with. The only good that can come from this is that we may be able to use it as a wedge issue to divide conservatives. The people who want to celebrate the Confederacy will always try to emphasize that it was about State's rights instead of Slavery but you know that if they were the victors they would care very little of the rights of States that didn't agree with them. Keep the pressure on to make these groups at least be honest about their agenda.

[C. Dione Dailey]

As a young girl growing up in Greensboro N.C., I saw a front plate on the car read, "Hell was created for Niggers" with the confederate flag symbol on it. I knew then that this group had hatred for my people! I have never understood why racist hang on to such an ugly past history of hate towards African Americans. They will have to answer for their hatred in the end, may they be handed the same amount of mercy that they gave in life!

[William Carpenter]

Another element that people tend to brush aside is that these confederates are/were traitors. Anyone that has sworn to defend the Constitution and this nation have sworn to protect this nation from enemies both foreign and domestic, but yet it is allowed in military and other government agencies to celebrate this notion of being a Confederate. If this is allowed, shouldn't black folks be allowed to celebrate the BPP, Muslims be allowed to have the community center near "Ground Zero", and Chinese celebrate Mao?
What we see here is another example of this white supremacist idealogy in our nation. Where we (majority mentality) can do *insert activity that puts down other ethnicities* but you can't celebrate aspects of your heritage. We see this in so many facets of our society it is sad.

[creativemf]

the concept of the "Confederacy" is unique to the US colony. like many of its Euro origins, the American confederate is an ethnic rogue, if you like. Many of the Caucasian peoples in the South descend from pilgrims who were desperate to find opportunity in the new world. you must realise, that if you lived in the 15th and 16th century Europe - the legend of the American colonies (and other colonies in the Pacific) looked a lot like MARS to you today! these hopeful labourers, merchants and journeymen were disconnected from their root and identity and they were probably pretty traumatised. Yet, they relished the chance to make a fresh start, coming from ancient societies where classes of Peerage thrived and commoners tolled in obscurity.

For the for the 2 or 3 million original people enslaved by these pilgrims, (a mere sampling of the whole of the mighty African peoples) there wasn't much hope. They were conquered and consumed by a thin subculture of Anglo orphans - unwanted and untamed. This isn't so shocking to me. Its a common narrative in Europe, Asia and Africa - and it continues today in the developing Americas. Thus, I think the confederates are entitled to celebrate what ever legacy they can define for themselves.

My father used to tell me: Racism in the states is really a matter of "winners and losers"... Obviously, a Negroid is not actually inferior to a Caucasoid in terms of racial stock. The real question for you is: which side would you rather be on?

[jm stephens]

Moves like this along w the formation of the Tea party and other newfound right-wing conservative groups are misleading to me in the same manner as abstract racial tension undermines or shifts the emphasis away from more sociopolitical concrete issues. Im much more concerned about the org. That fund these neoconservative movements n believe these are all ploys to both assess and influence public sentiment using the racial undertones to unionize any and all frustrated american citizens who are rightfully unhappy about the progression of the country yet wrongfully blaming a president whose hands are tied in many regards