re: Uh oh, some people in Georgia are offended over a license plate

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LOL Benjamin Franklin was probably the greatest American who ever lived

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Right up there that's for sure.

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Those are the types of Americans we should be proud of IMO.

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Are you suggesting that AMERICANS must all be proud of the same people and ONLY those same people?


I'd rather live in an America where one is free to be proud of Lincoln OR Booth. Now, I'll choose to be friends of the former...not the latter. But, GAWDDAMN, I do not want to have Americans have to display their pride in only the "committee sanctioned worthy" people.

I admit that I get a LITTLE discomforted by some of the "rebel flag" displaying things. But, I am thankful that I live in a place that allows others to do things that discomfort me.


My dad taught me that I have every right to be offended. But, NO ONE owes me a damned thing for it. Good people (defined as people I'd care to have as friends or at least think well of) will apologize because they are worthy of my friendship. But, not a damn one OWES it to me.

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The Civil War was certainly fought over slavery. Its essentially all Lincoln talked about, thought about, worried about.

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Slavery was certainly the essential cause of the Civil War, but Lincoln was only concerned with preserving the union - not eliminating slavery.

He said (paraphrased) "If I could save the union by eliminating slavery in all the states, I would do that. If I could save the union by eliminating slavery in none of the states, I would do that. If I could preserve the union by eliminating slavery in some states but not in other states, I would do that."

You are an idiot if you extend your 21st century sensitivity over racial issues to the normal men and women who lived their lives in the 19th century. Those 'toothless' ancestors - both from north and south - were products of their times and they were genuinely honorable people defending their homelands - just as honorable people have done since the dawn of time.

For you and the rest of your idiotic ilk to disparage their motives and character is beyond stupid. And that is the kind of stupid that cannot be cured. It sucks for you that you are that stupid. You cannot be fixed. You will always be made fun of for you simplistic stupidity.

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My dad taught me that I have every right to be offended. But, NO ONE owes me a damned thing for it.

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I sincerely hope that you are not offended that I am proud of my great-grandparents, and their parents, who took up arms for the CSA.

I am glad the war resulted in the preservation of the union and the ending of slavery, but I'll be goddamned if I will be ashamed of my ancestors who put their lives on the line to defend their homelands.

The only one of those veterans who I actually was alive to meet had some great stories about those days. They and the 'blue boys' were just the same - his favorite story was about this union soldier that seemed to get 'captured' all the time because the confederates would share their tobacco with him. When he got low, he would 'get lost' and wander into their camp. Sometimes he would bring liquor. They'd turn him loose the next day.

IIRC, my ggf was one of the last 50 civil war veterans left alive. He died in the late '40s.

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Wars aren't fought by 'good guys' against 'bad guys'. I understand some have co-opted the flag to be a sign of hate but that wasn't in any way it's original intent.

Would I get one for my car? Hell no. But let's not throw too many stones at the descendants of those that died in a preventable and tragic war some 150 years ago.

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The flag was co-opted by racists.

the issue is not with honoring history. I am fine with you doing it, I don't care what you wear, or what you put on your car. Its your property, its your right. But what you choose to show says something about yourself. If I see a confederate flag, I can say with almost certitude that you are racist.

If you want to honor your fallen fathers, I suggest a different symbol or flag. Gay no longer means happy. You can no longer buy a bowl of soup for a nickel. And racists own the rebel flag.

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If I see a confederate flag, I can say with almost certitude that you are racist.

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You are an idiot.

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And how is the US Flag perceived by those who may feel they were done injury under it? The Japanese Americans in internment camps thinking they were singled out for their race, or the American Indian Tribes who had their land stolen from them, or the blacks who were made to endure segregation well after the Civil War in the North and South, and prevented from immigrating up North in certain areas under that same flag. Well, maybe not the blacks, because they have have been told by the Good Americans to identify the battle flag of the Confederacy as their symbol of hate. Because of course, when you break all of this down to a mother goose fairy tale or heroic struggle on the part of the knight in shining armor trying to rid the world of evil instead of simply keep the nation together, you get silly reasoning where all things are never considered because they aren't presented in the same damning light. We've simply rewritten our own version of history today in order to deem one evil, the other noble, and one sharing the Brunt of the blame while the other gets a free pass, and even hero status. It's nothing short of appalling the manner in which some people shirk the responsibility for their own sins while placing the blame on others and a flag.

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See the problem you have with those who used the flag as a symbol of hate, not me. They are the ones that botched your history, not me. I am just reacting to the asswipes waiving the rebel flag to say HERE LOOK I AM A RACIST.

I am actually quite familiar with the civil war, having lived for a while in both GA and VA. I read the entire Shelby Foote history of it. It was long but good, totally inspired by Ken Burns doc.

It was an interesting and tragic event. It was entirely preventable, and certainly should have been taken care of in the constitution. And it was certainly more complex than slavery.

However, the rebel flag has been co-opted. Its not just me that thinks this, a simple google search indicates that the rebel flag isn't allowed on this very site! Why? People perceive it to be racist.

As for the american flag, I have issues with things america has done, namely to do american indians. I am not proud of all of our history but the flag is not used by those as a symbol for pushing down the american indian. If they did, and it became part of pop culture then I might then associate the flag with american indian atrocities.

There is a difference.

Again, I strongly support your right to use the rebel flag. Go for it! Hell, I would go fight a war for you to have the right to declare that. But when I see it, I instantly associate it with racism and you with racism.

This is no different than seeing some dude wearing baggy pants and thinking he is a thug.

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I have zero desire for a Rebel Flag other than where I said it deserves to fly or be displayed, with that which deals with history, historical places, events, and most importantly with the soldiers who fought and died under it protecting themselves from invasion, regardless of that which some 94% of their population did not own or profit from directly. The Sons of Confederate Veterans is most surely an appropriate venue to display that flag as it is about the soldiers who drought and died under it.

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well said.

I belong to the Sons of Confederate Veterans but have no desire to fly a battle flag. I quit attending the meetings in Louisiana because I didn't like the people there. Now that I am in Texas I may look up the local chapter here.

I don't even care what people say about the flag. It is only when they begin smearing the people who fought under it that I get my panties in a wad.

But properly displayed the Confederate Battle Flag is a significant part of our collective history and should be honored as such.

Just because some skin-headed idiot wants it to mean something else makes no difference to me. These people make up less than .0001% of the population. And even less significant to me are the protestations of the slack-jawed idiots who form their opinions based on what this .0001% does.

Setting aside all meaning, the CSA battle flag is a beautiful design IMO. Instantly recognizable and visually appealing.

Jesus dude all those mental gymnastics for fricking flag... is it really worth it? just let it go.