From Alexis Swanson
Creston
I honestly can’t believe some of the things I have been hearing in regards to the Confederate flag and racism debate, including Obama giving what is supposed to be a eulogy but for some reason discussing how long it takes to erase history. Seriously? Obama really wants to erase history? (For the record, a funeral is not the time or place to discuss trivial matters.) There is a quote that I love, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” I LOVE history and am very proud of our country’s history (both the good and the bad), but I do NOT want to repeat things that have happened in our country’s past, such as slavery. (Unfortunately, we are sinking into another form of slavery. The “you don’t have the right to be politically incorrect” kind of slavery.)
If we erase Thomas Jefferson from D.C. for owning slaves, then we also need to erase George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln started a war, illegally, to keep the Confederate states from seceding the Union, which is something that every U.S. state has the right to do. The Confederate flag was that of a new country. To say that the Confederate flag is simply a symbol of racism is very ignorant. Many perished for their right to save their Confederate country. Abraham Lincoln wanted to punish the South, and one way to do so was by freeing all or some black slaves. Also, did you know he was working on plans to give all blacks a one-way ticket to Africa? That is how much he cared about black people! Union soldiers, who mostly disrespected black people as well, were mad when the Civil War got turned into an issue about slavery. Don't worry, my sources of
information has come from a mostly liberal education, my own research and the ability to analyze because the most valuable thing I learned in college was how to think for myself and question everything, especially my instructors.
My next question is this: when will Obama demand that the American flag be erased? Forms of slavery for white and black people existed much longer under the American flag than it ever existed under the Confederate flag, both before and after the Civil War.
When a FEW ignorant people turn to the extreme and physically hurt or kill people over race or anything else is not an excuse for people (e.g. Obama) to BULLY others into getting what they want. Don’t be a bully, and don’t label supporters of the right to fly the Confederate flag racists.
I have another question. How many countries does our flag fly next to, on and off U.S. soil, that has or has had a form of slavery? We don’t even bat an eye about that.
I won’t allow myself to forget our country’s history, and I will make darn sure my children learn and don’t forget both the good and bad of U.S. history. I’ll be damned if I let Obama erase our country’s history without putting up a fight. If he comes after my American flag, he had better come prepared because I’ll put up a fight in order to keep it flying or at least die trying, like they did in the War of 1812. The best lesson anyone can learn is to learn from their mistakes; so I suggest everyone remember that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.