confederate flag

[freaky773]

I suppose not many of you guys will know anything about this but in Australia, instead of having the confederate flag we have the Eureka Stockade Flag. the Eureka stockade was an uprising of angry miners in the 1830's or sometime around that. Of course, it was no where near the scale of the American civil war (it lasted three days and the final battle lasted 15 minutes) the flag is still used today. in the 1950's it was the flag of anyone who was rebellious, but today it is the official flag of the biggest building union in Australia. They don't use it as a symbol of rebellion, but as a symbol of working class Australians (the original miners me thinks)

I just find it kind of funny, and slightly weird, that the biggest union in Australia, and one of the most powerful unions, uses the same flag that they used to bury Neo-Nazis in the 1950's and 60's

[EMT_Chick]

Confederate Navy Jack: Used as a navy jack at sea from 1863 onward. This flag has become the generally recognized symbol of the South.

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Note: It is necessary to disclaim any connection of these flags to neo-nazis, red-necks, skin-heads and the like. These groups have adopted this flag and desecrated it by their acts. They have no right to use this flag - it is a flag of honor, designed by the confederacy as a banner representing state's rights and still revered by the South. The South denies any relation to these hate groups and denies them the right to use the flags of the confederacy for any purpose. The crimes committed by these groups under the stolen banner of the conderacy only exacerbate the lies which link the seccesion to slavery interests when, from a Southerner's view, the cause was state's rights.

[kbs1485]

You know I keep reading people say that the south was all about slavery, and that may be true but what people don't realize that during the civil war, the north had more slaves than the south did. I think if your going to make an argument about the confederate flag people should research its history a little more than useing arguments like it represented slavery. So in my opinion like mostly everyone it just depends on the person holding the flag.

[Guest]

It's not so simple as to say it's "heritage". That's just the uninformed justifying something about which they have little or no knowledge.

The decision to display this particular battle flag seems to be fairly personal. However, the biggest problem I have with it is that the CSA lost the war. The CSA is a nation that no longer exists. Before and after it's existence was the United States of America. The USA in and of itself embodies the very fight that many in the south considered important enough to fight for in the 1860s. There are liberties, rights and freedoms that the south fought for that were and are still inherent to our day to day life.

If people want to display the flag of a nation that was defeated in war they are well within their rights to do so. But they're certainly saying several things about their lack of historical knowledge and where their loyalties lie. I'd argue that there little or no difference between those who wave the CSA battle flag and those who display the flag of Nazi Germany, or of the Soviet Union.

The "heritage" of the vast majority of those in this country is that of the United States. It is that heritage that has us fighting in several countries abroad. If you feel compelled to display anything, try Old Glory. It says more about your heritage and your fight for rights than that of a nation defeated in battle.

Be safe.

So then should immigrants from Mexico, England, Iraq and all other countries we have fought and won stop showing their flags and pride in their heritage????? :!: (OH Yeah!! and let us not forget the Italians)

[shorthairedpunk]

only allow pirate flags from here on out

[RebelRay]

My ancestors fought and died flying it,not to preserve slavery but to preserve the individual states rights and because once the south seceded from the union we were invaded,then it was in defense of their homes.It has been used (and wrongly so) by various hate groups as their symbol when it is actually a symbol of honorable men fighting for a lost cause that they believed was right and in defense of their homeland.

[Redneck4_life]

Its jsut a damn flag. It means something different to everyone. I wear rebal flags and I dsplay them not just because I'm damn proud to be from the south but becuase its says I'm from the country and I'm not affraid to show it. Around here you IQ audomatically drops and so does ur socal standing the moment all the little suburian dim whits (no offence to any suburians that read this I know not everyone of ya'll think this I'm just talking about the ones in my area) find out that your from the country.and Yes i live in the country were are door stay unlocked and the kids dont come home until the skirters start bitting. I have on the back of my truck my country attitude isnt for the city! does that make me racist no it jsut means i dont like the city. My rebel flags (thats what we call them around here) are pure souther pride. I'm not racist. My departmetn isnt racist. And in fact the first african American signed up yesterday to volly with us and everyone body greeted him just the way they greeted me and over half the trucks in the parking lot we displaying some form of the rebal flag. We will never get everyone toagree that its not offensive or that it jsut mean southern pride we jsut have to many bull headed strong will stubborn people on this forum, but if anyone els eis like me thats what keeps me coming back because everyone wants to agrue about something poitns less liek this just to relive some of that stress ur partner gave you. lol

[radaret]

Being a member of the Order of Robert E. Lee (OREL), the female auxiliary of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), I wish to add my two cents in this hot button issue. The flag commonly referred to as the "Confederate flag" is correctly referred to as the Naval Jack and never flew over a slave ship. The only flag to ever fly over a slave ship was the United States flag. Slavery was not the main issue of the War. The main issue of the war was States Rights vs Federal Rights. Also concerning slavery the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves south of the Mason Dixon Line not in the North where Abraham Lincoln himself still owned slaves. And here's an interesting tidbit in the state of South Carolina more free men of color owned slaves than whites. Shocking isn't it but true. Blacks owned blacks which is omitted frequently from history books.

Atrocities were committed on both sides. Walt Whitman sums it up best in the following quote: "Future years will never know the seething hell and the black infernal background, the countless minor scenes and interiors of the secession war; and it is best they should not. The real war will never get in the books." The issue is not about the flag. It is about history, and the winner writes the history so the South will continue to suffer this abuse due to politically correct history and radical groups like the KKK. Until Southern history is not swept under the rug or slammed, I will continue to advocate on behalf my ancestors. One of which died in a Union POW death camp.

[Asysin2leads]

I guess this would be a bad time to mention I'm a descendent of William Tecumseh Sherman?

I'm kidding, I'm not really.

[RebelRay]

I guess this would be a bad time to mention I'm a descendent of William Tecumseh Sherman?

Get the rope........ :twisted: