South Carolina protesters have had enough of this.
So you, like many others, have decided in the wake of the Mother Emanuel Church massacre (the 2015 one, not the earlier ones) and have decided that it’s time to burn the Confederate flag. How do you do it in a way that is friendliest to the environment and to the rights of workers?
First of all, DON’T BUY A FLAG! If someone happens to own one lying around and you have a special occasion, go ahead and burn it. (Don’t waste it on a small occasion. It should be part if something big!) For everyday purposes, a paper flag will do nicely. Unlike American flags, which can be purchased online from American companies and made by American workers paid an American minimum wage, Confederate flags are generally made in China — and that means likely made with de facto slaves. No matter how much you like irony, protesting the persistence of the slaveholder mentality into modern America with flags made by slaves should be too much even for you.
Instead, follow these directions from my friend Bob:
1) Go online and find a large image of the C.F. (preferably a “vector” file so it can be scaled to any size.)
2) Go to a local printer that has large color digital printers (Fed Ex should work) and have your paper flag printed.
3) Invite all of your like-minded friends to come to your back yard for a confederate flag burning fund raiser and bring their checkbook
Paper will also release less carbon into the atmosphere than cloth. And, if your orinter uses vegetable-based inks, you can even use it to fuel your barbecue!
Bob, however, is very civic-minded, so he doesn’t stop there. Let’s consider these next steps optional.
4) auction off pieces of the flag. Start by cutting off small pieces and small starting bids. Work your way up to the final biggest piece (center) that is the grand prize
5) every one who bought a piece of the flag gets to make a short speech about what this means to them then burn their piece over the barbecue pit (carefully-no kids, no alcohol, put on grate then burn to crowd cheers)
6) all monies raised goes to an anti racist charity like the Southern Poverty Law Center, etc.
Please share this on Facebook. Lets raise some money to fight racism.
But is all of this just too mean? I don’t think so. First, it’s not mean to the people who were targets of Confederate and KKK — the group that actually made the Stars and Bars “a thing” here in the past century — and who hate the flag. But beyond that, it helps if you think of it as an exorcism for the South. They can’t break free of their demons — so we’re going to help them do it!
here is the deal, i will burn my confederate flag when they redesignate malcolm x
blvd lennox avenue up in harlem
Then you can keep your flag. And if you want to protest the number of prominent and bloody attacks by followers of Malcolm X against innocent white victims — if you can find any — you can try to find something appropriate for you to burn.
In your search, I suspect that you not look for anything being displayed (outside of a museum) on the grounds of any state capitol buildings, or on their flags, or on the cars of and walls and patches of those entrusted by the state with the power to use deadly force. I’ll be burning the Stars and Bars — which is not that hard to find.
Yeah .. they lost the war, it is time to remove the flag from official docs, venues, etc.
However, the First Amendment still applies for individuals, groups, etc.
Of course the First Amendment remains — and it protects burning the Confederate flag. It also protects burning the U.S. flag — so if they want to retaliate, they can certainly “show their colors” where everyone can see them.
What about such groups as the New Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam and the Black Hebrew Israelite Party. Not to mention our good friends Malik Zulu Shabazz and Louis Farrakhan, all of whom promote tolerance and good feelings between the races.
At the end of the day, most are part of the problem and few are part of the solution. As such, I simply go into my bunker, open a bottle of lone star beer, watch the dukes of hazard and listen to charlie daniels because, my friend, the south is gonna do it again
You can burn a Nation of Islam flag if you want to, though you’d better identify it because few people know what it is, if it even exists. This makes a sharp contrast to the flag of Slaveholders’ Rebellion, which almost everyone in our country knows and which is widely lionized. It’s time to say, through actions, that rebellion to enforce racist policies and pride is NOT OK, and that even where we cannot end it by legal means we can certainly say, loudly, how we feel about the banner under which Dylann Root killed nine Black people on what was in effect “holy ground.”
Haha, the south sucks eggs, and I am better than Charlie Daniels.
This is for you truck drivin mike –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YWGuwtsskU
vern,
nobody disputes your talents, but we aint talkin the devil went down to georgia, we be talking south gonna do it again, completely different concept
skally
thanks
greg
at the end of the day, while i respect the fact that you are willing to stand up for what you believe, what you believe is as myopic as those who you condemn
Don’t take my word for it….
Dear Mike,
It’s over.
Sincerely,
Robert E. Lee
hey, the two japanese guys i am in this bunker with say that as long as they do not get a call from the emperor, they are not giving up. i feel the same way.
Must be a big bunker. Are all these guys there too?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_succession_to_the_former_Russian_throne
…or the Cuban gusanos who want their Bautista-era property back?
and who says we cannot all get along in our delusional world
I may not have responded clearly enough before. 1. Fuck the South. 2. What’s their next great cause gonna be, screwing over WHAT huge chunk of humanity?
*Back in 1947, Sprouse-Ritz sold a lot of Hopalong Cassidy gear. You could get the Black Hat with the silver hat band, the two silver guns and holsters, the long horn neckerchef holder – the whole kit and kaboodle. You could get a Straight Arrow Indian outfit too. Then you could buy a Red Ryder Bee-Bee Gun and even a Little Beaver outfit. You could also get great affordable Sling Shots – for shooting marbles at birds and other people’s windows….by mistake of course.
What was really big however was the Union and Confederate outfits from the Civil War. You could get those Rebel Flags, lots of replica Confederate Money and the grey cap with the Rebel Battle Flag on top. You could be a Union soldier or a Confederate and no one cared much. In those days every comedian told Red Neck jokes. The Southern Sheriff’s that all said: “Save your Confederate Money…cause the South is goin rise again!”.
We still had segregated US Armed Services. We still had the segregated south, with separate rest rooms and drinking fountains. We still had all white politicians from the Southern States in the Congress of the United States. You could get off an airplane in those days in New Orleans and have a tough time figuring out which bathroon or drinking fountain you could use. The LSU Tigers and of course Alabama Crimson Tide all had White only Foofball, Baseball and Basketball players.
When mom and dad went to Las Vegas in the early 50’s and brought me a mini slot machine, a small roulette wheel and a dice layout – they also brought a Blue Union cap. Since I liked watching Moseby’s Rangers on TV……I wanted a grey one. The Confederate flag, still offers a big part of Americana every year in 30 states around the country when they have Reennackments of various famous battles of the Civil War. Thousands of folks participate, some as the highlight of their community activities. They wear the Grey and Blue and fire their black powered rifles and cannon.
A famous song from the ’50’s was “One wore Grey and one wore Blue their on that beautiful morning!” 620,000 men from both sides died on the battlefield. That many at least died in captivity in places like Andersonville. Their were great atrosities on both sides. This was a war that almost ended our Republic. Those that died in that war – on both sides have been commemorated ever since the last ball and shot were fired.
The Gettyburg Address of Abe Lincoln told of how bringing both sides back together started because of the greatest sacrifices of both sides. There were 31 Million citizens of the United States on Aug. 7, 1865 the day that John Wilkes Booth struck down President Lincoln. Because of the terrors of Reconstruction to the South…..they elevated their Confederate affiliation to one of respect for both sides.
The Confederate Flag cannot be compared to Nazi SS Flag or the Chinese Red Flag. This flag – represented Americans on one side of the issue. The Union won and the Confederates lost. But the sacrifices were equal on hollowed ground that belonged to one country and still does. These Southern States need to make up their own minds on this issue. It is not one of White Racist Folks vs. Black Slaves! The Civil War was a economic struggle and land grab, much as was the Trail of Tears that belonged to Andrew Jackson. Simply, don’t let Land Barons kill everyone. T
*One more thing……toy soldiers were big in those days. Chess Boards with Union and Confederate pieces. Reenackment sets for your toy soldiers too. The point we suggest is that we cannot deny that a Civil War occurred or that both sides gave the ultimate sacricies of those who could not afford to have someone else take their place as Cannon Fodder”.
“But the sacrifices were equal on hollowed ground”
I assume you’re talking about grave digging here.
KKK flyers found in Fullerton. This one goes out to anyone who thinks this activity is the vestige of some bygone era.
“About 100 fliers stuffed inside plastic baggies with a small rock and a Tootsie pop were discovered on the lawns of homes in the 400 block of West Amerige Avenue and the 200 block of North Yale Avenue, according Fullerton police Sgt. Kathryn Hamel.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fullerton-kkk-flyers-20150623-story.html
Considering that the uh, “people” doing it have no clue how to reach people by other means (like, internet, for instance?), “vestige of some bygone era” might be an apt description.
Oh, don’t worry…they also know how to reach people by other means.
*We are so “politically incorrect”. Every time we hear KKK, we think about the scene in “Pulp Fiction” with Ving Rhames and Bruce Willis. Then we think about our buddy who worked in the Tool Crib at the Mississippi Test Facility back 1965. He was married and had two kids, but wanted to play with the Cajun girls on the week-ends. It didn’t take long for that “Flaming
Cross” to land on his front lawn……right in front of his wife and kids. No
more Bayou Country Week-ends for that boy. In spite of being cartoon
like figures……they are very dangerous. Give anyone stupid and ill informed a gun …..and you will soon find a problem in the making.
*You have to love what “Grandstanders United” are doing. Every stripe and political standing, Jumpin on something ridiculous while the TPP and TAP sail right through ….cause everyone thinks Joka’r Bro should be getting the death sentence… Confused enough to have a position on the Stars and Bars?
ok, South Carolina, Alabama and the rest are removing the confederate flag. good for them. but now some people want to remove statutes of Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis and others, essentially wiping out a part of history. The question I have is, where does it stop. Do we demand that Stanford University change its name because Leland Stanford was responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of Chinese, Mexicans and Native Americans while building a railroad that destroyed a good part of the pristine west. OR, how about Carnegie for the Haymarket riots. This is starting to sound very much like what ISIS is doing when they blow up eighth century historical sites. I hate to be an attorney but it seems we are stepping on a very slippery slope
*As Bob Dylan so eloquently said….”The Times they are a changin!”
Where does anything stop? In some cases that question can be left for the future. If future Dylan Roofs seem to be inspired by statues of Jefferson Davis, we’ll discuss it then, but I doubt that that’s likely to happen.
*Dr. D., no matter what laws are passed……Those Re-Enackment folks will carry on their activities for the next 100 years at least. Those events show both Blue and Grey soldiers, flags and State Organizations involved. That we call history. Removing the Confederate Battle Flags on State Grounds is a wise move however. They should be allowed in all museums, all non-government buildings and homes that care to display them – just as Monsanto waves its banner in front of its manufacturing plants. The Supreme Court even allows Nazi and Communist Flags displayed at events and marches (Freedom of Speech – ya know!) What is distubing however is to cast a broad net on the actual meaning of the Confederate Battle Flag. This flag was used “In Battles”….not in front of the Various Succession State Capitals involved. It just was the most attractive flag of those offered up by the South during the Civil War. That Battle Flag represents action in war and it becomes a reach to get into the various philosophy of slavery, the relationships with France who had done away with slavery and so on.
Would this include Jefferson Davis dressed as a woman to escape union troops?
Actually some of us did that to a Jefferson Davis statue in Austin once. Covered him in linens. Very historical and truthful.
Reminds me… weird fact I didn’t know till I lived in Texas…. did you know all their political buildings face AWAY from Washington DC, in morose defiance? Retrograde goofballs.
did not know that but it makes sense
thanks for the tidbit
Your point would suggest that Americans need to be far, far more circumspect about honoring certain people with statues and public monuments.
https://acwm.org/museum-store/products?f%5B0%5D=field_product_collection%3A165
*For those that actually want to see what the Confederacy used as their National Flag….go here and look at the flag on the upper left. Very different
from the Moseby’s Rangers Battle Flag used in the 1950’s on TV.
*The President’s speech at the AME Church in Charleston today was…historic! Everyone should watch it, no matter what side you are on.