| (January, 1997) |
Yep, he's really stuck his foot in it. I think he's probably managed to take a political position that will either anger or at least peeve 75% of his constituents; some because they see his stance as a cowardly cave to a small but loud minority of pressure groups, others because they believe it to be a feeble position that doesn't go nearly far enough. And the other 25% are probably nearly as ticked off because they don't see what all the fuss is about, and think the government ought to spend its time on more important issues.
What am I talking about? I'm talking about the flag.
Recently, David Beasley, Governor (Republican, of course) of South Carolina announced that in the upcoming legislative session, he would introduce a bill that would, among other things, remove the Confederate Battle Flag from atop the South Carolina Statehouse. The Palmetto State is the last to fly the Southern Cross, and now it appears that this, too, shall pass. South Carolina, which has stood alone against a cacophonous din of political correctness, now appears ready to join the rest of the Confederacy--forced to surrender to the Yankees yet again and furl the noble banner under which so many of her sons gave their lives.
Such a surrender certainly wouldn't be without precedent; just ask anyone from Alabama (like me) who was around when that spineless crook Little Jim Folsom announced the flag was coming down off of the Alabama Statehouse. In Montgomery, of all places. The Cradle of the Confederacy. In the very city where the Confederate States of America was born and over the very building where President Davis was inaugurated its provisional President. If any Statehouse ought to still be flying the Confederate Flag, it is Alabama's. And yet Little Jim announced the flag was coming down, that's it, no debate, end of story. And it did.
And as I watched Governor Beasley's address courtesy of C-SPAN (the greatest channel ever invented), I kept thinking, "Why on earth didn't he do what Little Jim did?" Why didn't he simply announce that the flag stays, that's it, no debate, end of story? The screamers and whiners would keep on screaming and whining (they always do), but a simple, curt announcement would most likely have had the same effect as Folsom's had--the abrupt ending of debate. After all, Beasley promised to leave the flag alone in his campaign two years ago and it's that's the position favored by an overwhelming majority of South Carolinians. Why did he open up this can of worms?
As I continued to listen to his address, I thought, Governor Beasley must be convinced of the error of his ways. He must be made to realize that bringing down the flag will not stop the hue and cry, only postpone it; our opponents will never be satisfied until the Old South is looked upon as pure evil and its symbols as worthy only of scorn and contempt. I thought to myself, we Southerners must mobilize to defend and protect our history from those who would defile it! We must join battle yet again!
But then, as I began to listen to the responses of South Carolina Attorney General Charles Condon and state senator Glenn McConnell, I began to think some more. As a symbol of the South, the flag stands for many things; the history of human society and conflict is always complex, and the motives and reasons behind the events in history are never easily discerned. The antebellum South and War Between the States, and its symbols, are certainly no exception. But the vast majority of Southerners, myself included, see the Confederate flag not as a banner of hatred and oppression but of pride and principle. When we fly the flag we remember our forefathers who shed their blood--and remember those principles for which they shed it. To us, the flag means the right of self-determination; it means the right to control our own destiny and not have our property confiscated, our money stolen, our beliefs ridiculed by an ever-expanding federal government.
In short, it means--dare I say it--States' rights.
And then I realized it is precisely because we believe in this principle--the right of self-determination--that we should LET SOUTH CAROLINA DECIDE FOR ITSELF.
What do I think the Carolinians should do? I think they should keep the flag atop the Statehouse. Those who seek to bring the flag down will never be satisfied until its very existence is exterminated; they will never be satisfied with merely moving the flag. I believe South Carolina should draw a line and stand on principle, and by so doing proclaim the truth of the Confederacy and its meaning, and declare that they will not be bullied by those who would remake history according to what they want us to believe. I think South Carolina should fight.
But above all, I think South Carolina should be allowed to decide for itself. After all, that's what we Southerners claim is at the heart of the matter, isn't it?
*Author's update: Gov. Beasley's proposal went over like a lead balloon. As of this writing (20 Nov 97), the flag still flies. And it doesn't look like it'll come down anytime soon.