I have been giving a great deal of thought to the current brouhaha over the Confederate flag flying at the South Carolina capitol. That is mostly because I have had a hard time making up my mind how I feel about it. I now have a decision.
I think that displaying the Confederate flag in, on, or around any governmental property is wrong. By "any," I mean city, township, county, state, and federal.
However, I do not think it is wrong for individual private citizens to have and display Confederate flags or other items depicting the Confederate flag on, in, or around their personal property.
Americans do and should remember and celebrate the dedication and sacrifice exhibited by the soldiers who fought so bravely in our great Civil War, whichever side their ancestors were on. So if folks in the South want to fly the Stars and Bars in remembrance of their defeat, let them. After all, this is America. (See Amendment 1 to the Constitution).
What makes the Confederate flag objectionable, of course, is its association with racism, and we will not be able to ignore that association until racism in America disappears.
Good luck to us on that one.
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