As a white southerner born and raised in the state of Florida, I must make
this comment. Federal, State and local government facilities should
represent current policies and therefore symbols whether they be flags or
any other items should be reflective of these policies. A confederate flag
has its place in history and on memorials but certainly not on the state
capital building in Columbia. The "Rebel Flag" by itself does not represent
racism in my opinion, especially if it is kept in its historial perpective.
However, it is an obvious element of racism flying above our state
government buildings. Now, can we get back to good old Campbell
genealogy.----- Original Message -----
From: <carrb(a)ambest.com>
To: Sears, Dirk J <SearsDJ(a)corning.com>
Cc: <Campbell-L(a)genealogy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: The Confederate Flag
That is the way it was meant to be. If you look at any flag you see and
hear
what the men did and died for that flag.. That is what the flag
should
represent. A reminder to all of how good, brave people who died that
shouldn't
of had to die, but because of the government and it's
politics....
Beth Carr ...
"Sears, Dirk J" <SearsDJ(a)corning.com> on 02/29/2000 12:03:39 PM
To: "'Campbell-L(a)genealogy.org'" <Campbell-L(a)genealogy.org>
cc: (bcc: Beth Carr/US/A.M.BEST)
Subject: The Confederate Flag
Fellow Clansmen,
We in the "North" shouldn't think more highly of ourselves than we
ought
about the "South" and the Confederate flag. The North has
blood on it's
hands, too. Slavery, if not as prevalent up north, was not too far behind.
Sorry, that's the truth of it. There were more issues at stake during the
War between the States than just slavery. Things like states rights and
emminent
domain to name a couple. The sad thing is that brave men
of the same blood...kith and kin...fought and died against one another
because
GOVERNMENTS couldn't agree. The Confederate flag bloody
well SHOULD make people uncomfortable. It makes me sick that men of honor
on
BOTH sides paid the ultimate price...as is the case with
all war. The Confederate flag does not, however, offend me. The bloodshed
does.
None of us were there during those dark years, and the history
books have painted a hopelesy biased picture of the conflict to the
detriment of
the South in most cases. If it's the flying of a flag...which is
a very
REAL piece of history...that offends: SHAME ON US that we forget how much
it
cost to have the choice to fly that flag. Let it remind, rather,
that
unless we never forget the pain and suffering GOVERNMENTS have caused
humanity,
we will have it to look forward to again. When I see the Confederate
flag,
I
think, "Brave men....all." He that has ears to hear, let
him hear.
All the best,
Dirk Sears-Campbell